Title: Splitered
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 384
Published: January 1st 2013
by Amulet Books
ISBN: 9781419704284
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Description: 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 Give This ...
I Give This ...
Well this is what I was looking for! If you have every read Alice and Wonderland and enjoyed it, then I highly recommend that you read this book. It's every bit as crazy as the original!
I particularly enjoyed the fact that Alyssa is trying so hard to be normal. It can't be easy when you are the relative of Alice Liddell and everything is joke in reference to the original story. She's in love with her best friend who happens to be dating the queen bee of Alyssa's tormentors. It's no wonder she doesn't want people to think she might be following the family tradition. But, when she discovers that Wonderland might actually be real, she stops at nothing to figure out how to get there. She has to find a way to save her family from the curse they are under.
The minute she enters Wonderland is when the really awesome part of the story starts. If you've read Alice in Wonderland, you know that the story is nothing like the Disney version. Take the original and add to it and you might have an idea of what the read Wonderland might be like. There were so many aspects of this story that I just latched on to. I loved how Alyssa has to correct the mistakes that Alice made that the characters have been living with. It never dawned on me that havoc Alice's visit might have created. I was completely taken with our wise caterpillar, despite that agenda he might have had. He was a surprising complex character.
The journey to correct those mistakes was interesting. I had forgotten how Wonderland is a little bit of a twisted place and nothing is as it seems. I loved how the author was able to incorporate those idiosyncrasies and add her own twist to the story. Everything seemed to be a riddle and need to be solved in a way the fit Wonderland and not the world we know.
This was really so close to a 5 star book for me. But, the end kind of lost me. I know what Alyssa was trying to do, but it was really too much. It felt like too much happened it just a couple pages and I was left to process it all. It was one of the instances were I had to go back and reread to make sure I had understood what had really just happened. I'm not sure there was another way to solve it though.
Overall, a fantastic add on to the story of Alice in Wonderland. If you've never read the original, you might be surprised by how dark Wonderland really is. I however, loved it!
The minute she enters Wonderland is when the really awesome part of the story starts. If you've read Alice in Wonderland, you know that the story is nothing like the Disney version. Take the original and add to it and you might have an idea of what the read Wonderland might be like. There were so many aspects of this story that I just latched on to. I loved how Alyssa has to correct the mistakes that Alice made that the characters have been living with. It never dawned on me that havoc Alice's visit might have created. I was completely taken with our wise caterpillar, despite that agenda he might have had. He was a surprising complex character.
The journey to correct those mistakes was interesting. I had forgotten how Wonderland is a little bit of a twisted place and nothing is as it seems. I loved how the author was able to incorporate those idiosyncrasies and add her own twist to the story. Everything seemed to be a riddle and need to be solved in a way the fit Wonderland and not the world we know.
This was really so close to a 5 star book for me. But, the end kind of lost me. I know what Alyssa was trying to do, but it was really too much. It felt like too much happened it just a couple pages and I was left to process it all. It was one of the instances were I had to go back and reread to make sure I had understood what had really just happened. I'm not sure there was another way to solve it though.
Overall, a fantastic add on to the story of Alice in Wonderland. If you've never read the original, you might be surprised by how dark Wonderland really is. I however, loved it!
I recently saw this book on Goodreads, the cover art drew me in and then the blurb sold it to me. I love the original Alice in Wonderland! Close to five stars... I need this book. Hopefully it finds itself off my wishlist and in to my book collection soon!
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