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

This book gave me unnecessary stress, mostly in the form of Morpheus. He was so manipulative and frustrating, but by the end I could sort of understand him better...though I really don't like his underhanded ways of getting Alyssa to be with him. It wasn't fair to her or Jeb at all. Hopefully he realizes in the third book that he doesn't have to resort to manipulation to be sure of Alyssa's love. Other than Morpheus's infuriating ways, the book wasn't bad. I'm a bit apprehensive of the final book, but maybe it'll have Morpheus redeeming himself in my eyes.

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.

I like the book but it says on the summary that there is 400 pages but on my tablet I got only 198 pages. But I still got the full book but I'm just confused. Can someone explain?

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.