Splintered (Review)

Splintered: Splintered | A. G. Howard

Published by: Amulet Books, January 1st 2013

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Retellings

Pages: 371

Format: Ebook

Source: Purchased

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own. 

I went into this book expecting explosions of awesome. I didn't get it. From the onset, Splintered was slow and dragged on and on. I started to get into it once it finally took the story into Wonderland (around 50%) but it lost me at that all the crazy.

The story itself is a very literal reimagining of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. I thought it may deviate from the story, bringing something new, but it feels very much like rehashing the tale. Which would be fine, if you're expecting that kind of thing. I was expecting something more ... original maybe. Different, certainly. So I didn't like how bizarre and outrageous most of the plot was - though you could blame that on me, since I should've expected it from an AIW retelling.

I could have coped with that, though, if it hadn't been for the characters. For about two years now all I've heard about is Morpheus this, Morpheus that. I knew he was dark, a Warner-like character, so I expected to like him. But the problem is he's a manipulative bastard, that lies to Alyssa for his own gains. He's selfish, and problematic, and I hated him. He has literally no redeemable qualities - even his protectiveness and adoration of Alyssa is twisted and fucked. There was a spark of humanity in Warner that made me like him, and I just didn't see it in Morpheus.

And then we have Jeb, sweet Jeb who starts off supporting and friendly and caring. He's Alyssa's white knight ... until jealousy morphs him into a controlling dick. He undermines Alyssa's decisions and actions at every turn, and though everything she does is questionable at best, he doesn't allow her to act for herself. He's just so controlling. I honestly can't understand what anyone sees in either of these two love interests.

And then there's Alyssa, who is admittedly the best of the bunch. Even if she is naive and too trusting and makes awful, airheaded decisions. I began to actually like her toward the end, when she's fighting for herself, stripped down to the bare essentials of her character, and when she starts to see Morpheus for what he really is. Tjough she still thinks the sun shines out of Jeb's ass, so she's not seeing totally clear. Still, there's a bit of character development and it makes her slightly likeable. The trouble is it's the characters that get me through a book, and I didn't connect to any of these three.

I probably will read the second book, since the Wonderland stuff sounds to take place in the real world and I reckon I'll prefer that more (though it does sound like Morpheus ups himself from manipulative douche to threatening stalker... and I'm not into that). But all in all, I didn't really enjoy this book. It had elements I liked and decent enough writing to get me to the finish line, but I'm sorely disappointed in Splintered.

Characters ★★☆☆☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★☆☆