A. G. Howard

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole. She was crowned Queen of the Red Court and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the boy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly appealing Morpheus. Now all she has to do is graduate high school. That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn't show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland--where she (partly) belongs. Could she leave Jeb and her parents behind again, for the sake of a man she knows has manipulated her before? Will her mother and Jeb trust her to do what's right? Readers will swoon over the satisfying return to Howard's bold, sensual reimagining of Carroll's classic. Praise for "Unhinged" "I really enjoyed the first book of this series, but "Unhinged" cranks the Wonderland experience up to 11. It's just ... WOW The last few scenes dangle Alyssa's next adventure with shockers enough that I found my jaw needing a bit of assistance in coming off the floor. Write quickly, A.G. Howard I need that next book " --"USA Today" "Howard excels in sensory and sensuous descriptions." --"Kirkus Reviews" "As intense, dark, and weird as the first volume, this worthy sequel creates a parallel narrative that brings the action out of Wonderland and into Alyssa's hometown." --"The Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books" "A dark beauty fills the novel's pages, which will mesmerize teens with a taste for magic, romance or suspense. "Unhinged" lays the groundwork for a third book where anything could happen--it is Wonderland, after all." --"Shelf Awareness"

Unhinged

Nessa Luna

Read this review, and many more on my blog October Tune!

Let me start of by saying that I liked Unhinged a bit more than Splintered. I really liked Splintered (even though I gave it only three stars), but Unhinged was even more perfect.

There was a lot of action in this book, action that got Alyssa into trouble multiple times. From Alyssa nearly drowning to the school’s gym being on fire. I loved reading all the action parts, though my favourite has got to be the one near the end of the book. I just loved the setting so much!

Basically all the same characters from the previous book, only this time Alyssa’s mum has a bigger role. She’s back home from the asylum and we find out a lot about her past and her time with Morpheus. Awesome!

I was very thrilled when I read that Alyssa and Jeb got together, until of course Morpheus showed up. I am still not a fan of the whole love-triangle in this book, and I just thought Morpheus was an ass throughout the entire book.

Personally, I was a tiny bit disappointed that Alyssa didn’t go to Wonderland in this book, the entire story happened in the ‘real’ world. Yes of course, it shows us a bit more of Alyssa’s life, but I had really hoped for some Wonderland action. I loved reading about all the creepy Wonderland stuff in Splintered, and I had hoped for some more in Unhinged. Alas.

The writing was phenomenal, just like with Splintered. I have to admit, I found it a bit hard to imagine Alyssa in her clothes, and I just imagined her as a sort of Gothic clown, every time her outfits were described, but that’s just me probably. I just really think this story is written very well, and I can’t wait to read more from A.G. Howard

There was a sort-off cliffhanger at the end of the book, and that just makes me really exciting for the third book, which comes out in 2015. If you’ve read Splintered, but not sure if you should read Unhinged, just do it. If you haven’t read Splintered, go and read it asap!

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole. She was crowned Queen of the Red Court and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the boy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly appealing Morpheus. Now all she has to do is graduate high school. That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didnÆt show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderlandùwhere she (partly) belongs. Could she leave Jeb and her parents behind again, for the sake of a man she knows has manipulated her before? Will her mother and Jeb trust her to do whatÆs right? Readers will swoon over the satisfying return to HowardÆs bold, sensual reimagining of CarrollÆs classic.

Splintered Book Two

Bianca

Eleanor Luhar

Ah, the cliffhanger!

As you probably know, I am completely infatuated with anything Wonderland, hence my love for A.G. Howard's Splintered series. At first, I didn't know there were more books - I just thought Splintered was a lone novel. Imagine my joy when my dad bought the whole series!

So following Alyssa's adventure down the rabbit hole last summer, Unhinged follows the netherling queen through her day-to-day human life. As she vowed last summer, she hasn't used a single insect in her artwork - in fact, her mosaics are now being created out of her own blood. Thanks to her crown magic, these pieces feature images from the future, but Alyssa doesn't know their true importance quite yet.

I don't want to give too much of the story away, but Morpheus arrives in the human realm - and he isn't alone. As the queen of the Red court, Alyssa must save Wonderland - and defeat Red. It doesn't sound easy, and yet it still proves easier said than done.

Worst of all, it isn't just Wonderland that is now in danger. The whole of the human realm is now at risk, thanks to the netherlings that have left the rabbit hole. Alyssa's boyfriend goes missing, and her mother's secrets begin to emerge, giving a new depth to Alyssa's problems.

I really do love this series. The Wonderland vibe has really been captured, with all its great eccentricity intact. Every little twist on the classic novel is fantastic, and every character is so wonderfully unique.

Expanding on my point about the characters, I am even more in love with Morpheus than I was at the end of the first book. His mixed emotions continue throughout the book, but there are some lovely insights into his true feelings. There is such a great depth to Morpheus's character! Alyssa realises that too, and her own feelings begin to surface more after she is told of Ivory's vision.

Jeb is clearly very fond of Alyssa, but he's caught up in his own little situation with his artwork. This leads to a little bit of trouble... But once he has his memories of Wonderland back, Jeb is back to being overly protective of his girlfriend. He's as defensive in this sequel as he was in the first book.

And Alyssa. Ah, Alyssa... She's finally accepted her mad side. She's accepted herself for all that she is, and although she faces a few rough patches, this acceptance helps her through her battle. But as much magic as Alyssa uses, there's nothing she can do to change the fate of her friends and family...

The ending was superb. Like last time, I just want to read on! I wasn't expecting Alison, Morpheus and Jeb to all get taken away, and I was certainly not expecting Alyssa to end up in her mother's shoes - or rather, her straitjacket.

As expected, this book joins Splintered in my favourites list. It's wonderfully weird, even without Alyssa falling down the rabbit hole. The characters are fantastic, and each netherling is so unique and crazy and great. 5 stars for this, of course!

BookMarked

Ella Zegarra

Publicado originalmente: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Cuando terminé Susurros (nombre de su versión en español) quedé tan encantada con la historia que tenía TERROR de leer Unhinged, a veces las continuaciones no tienden a igualar, o mucho menos, superar la experiencia de leer el primer libro. Pero Unhinged, oh, vaca, Unhinged...

No tengo idea por dónde empezar.

Cuando la persona que me prestó su copia de Unhinged me la ofreció, básicamente la taclee para que me diera el libro (#SorryNotSorry), la cosa es un poco curiosa, he participado en TODOS los concursos que se hicieron para ganar el ARC... y no gané ninguno. NINGUNO. ¿Saben lo que fue eso? Tratando de sobornar a A.G. Howard para que me diera el libro y nada. Fue horrible.

Empezando por la maquetación del libro, es preciosa, muy bien cuidada, los detalles de inicio de capítulo, muy bonitos.

Si en Susurros estuve confundida por escoger un "Team" o al menos quién me gustaba más, con Unhinged ya no hay duda, mi amor por Morfeo no tiene límite. Es que la escritora me lo puso muy fácil, la historia que nos trajo esta vez, si bien Jeb tiene un importante rol, más maduro, podría decirse, con cierta bomba que soltó Howard, no tuvo oportunidad conmigo. Y en cuanto a la bomba, no es tanto lo qué es, sino cómo eso afecta al desarrollo de los personajes. Al menos de dos. ¿Cómo una escritora puede derretir y romper tu corazón al mismo tiempo?

Tengo un conflicto con Al porque no sé si me cae del todo bien, quizá sea el hecho que si a mí me dieran la entrada a Wonderland, no miraría atrás y sería feliz en la locura de su mundo.

Me encantó cada palabra puesta en este libro, cada giro de trama, cada maldita palabra que decía Morfeo (lo adoro, lo siento si canso con esto). Y por la **** ¡qué final! Y quieren que espere hasta 2015 para el siguiente libro. JA, NO. Si ya antes acosaba por twitter a Anita, ahora me tendrá que bloquear si quiere estar en paz (?)

My feels ♥ AME ESTE LIBRO, PUNTO

Reseña completa: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Chantale

Omg!! I love this book just as much as I loved Splintered . I just couldn't put this down and I didn't want to put it down.
Only bad thing is this book ended and now I gave to wait for the third book in this series :( oh well, I guess I will have to read Splintered and Unhinged again before the third book comes out .

Kaela Childers

Life gets complicated once again for teenaged Alyssa when her mother returns home from an asylum and the mysterious Morpheus tempts Alyssa with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland.