Unhinged: A Splintered Novel

A. G. Howard

Jan 2014 · Splintered Series Book 2 · Abrams

About this ebook

Wonderland causes real-world trouble for a teenage descendant of Alice in this romantic, dark fantasy sequel by the bestselling author of Splintered.

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.

“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

Ratings and reviews

Unhinged is the second book in the splintered series and it continues to follow Alyssa after she has returned to her world having saved Jeb and has escaped the Red Queen and Morpheus. Now she just needs to make it to prom. Her art starts changing into disturbing images from Wonderland and Morpheus shows up in the human realm letting her know Red’s not going to be far behind. This book is action packed and will keep you at the edge of your seat. I really enjoyed it!

Love, love, loooooove this book! If you like all things alice in wonderland, you will loooove this book. It's just WAAAAY more dark and twisted. I occasionally reread it because it's just so good, and written amazingly.

liked it less than the first and last. honestly, not that much happens, the conflict and motivations are convoluted and just seem there to eat up space. beyond my curiosity of how the series would be extended with a sequel I found the book didn't really hold my attention and dragged on. having finished the series im trying to remember if anything happened in the second book that you would need to read the book to understand it's impact in the third and i don't think there's anything that really needs exploring. third book also has a huge recap in the first few chapters. the little progress we get is about Alyssa's mother's backstory and the garden of souls but even those things aren't huge revelations. biggest thing is a prophecy that's entwined in the third books plot. the slow pace of "human" life is uninteresting, Alyssa feels immature, the clothes descriptions are maddeningly indulgent and barely justifiable, and the clean-slate rewind sets the plot progression back unnecessarily.

About the author

A. G. Howard wrote Splintered while working at a school library. She always wondered what would’ve happened had the subtle creepiness of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland taken center stage, and she hopes her darker and funkier tribute to Carroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a child. She lives in Amarillo, Texas.