Review: Ensnared by A.G. Howard

Title: Ensnared
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered #3
Publication: January 6th 2015 by Amulet Books
Genre: Young Aduly ~ Paranormal
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo
Rating: 4/5

After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?

First of all, I can't believe this series is over. It's been one of my favorites right from the start and I absolutely loved all the books. Ensnared was also really good. And the ending was pretty perfect to me. 

First I want to talk about Alyssa for a bit. I've loved her since the first book and you can clearly see how much she changed. I mean, everything is out in the open in this book... herself, her feelings for Jeb and Morpheus, her need for wanting to restore Wonderland and her love for her family. She's always been a fantastic character but I ended up liking her the most in Ensnared. She was just so fierce!

The big question of this book was of course, who is Alyssa going to end up in the end. No spoilers here but I had expected it to end the way it did and I am definitely not disappointed. I'm pretty sure whether you're a Morpheus or a Jeb fan, you'll be pleased either way. 

Like I said, Ensnared was really good but I have to admit that I enjoyed it a little less than the other two books. I just thought it was a little slow but other than that it was awesome. This series is also and will always be my favorite retelling of Alice in Wonderland and pretty much everything. I loved how A.G. Howard created this Wonderland and how she executed it. Her writing style is probably one of my favorites, it's just so gorgeous and whimsical at time - much like Wonderland is.

I don't want to give too much away about Ensnared but there were times were I was practically dying with nerves because some unexpected things happened. Some were good some were bad and some were just making me want to throw this book away. But overall I really liked the way the story went, aside from at times it was a bit too slow. 

I'm a big Morpheus fan. Everyone who knows me a little will probably know that. And he was bloody brilliant in this book. I've probably said that about the previous books also but it's so very true. And I also must say that I wasn't hating on Jeb as much as I did in the other books. All characters changed a lot from the first book. 

Overall, Ensnared by A.G. Howard was a very good ending to one of my favorite series. I'll admit that I teared up, reading the epilogue. Epilogues always get to me. But this one was really beautiful. But anyway, if you haven't read this series, I would highly recommend that you go read them right now. One of the best series ever and I'll miss these characters so much!

Favorite Quotes:

Jeb is an anchor; he holds me grounded to my humanity and compassion. But Morpheus is the wind; he drags me kicking and screaming to the highest precipice, shoves me off, then watches me fly with netherling wings. When Jeb's at my side, the world is a canvas--unblemished and welcoming; when I'm with Morpheus, it's a wanton playground--wicked and addictive.

I look at him dead-on. "I finally have a secret of my own. Not so fun being on the other side of one, is it?"
The slow burn of amusement warms his features. He leans in and whispers, "On the contrary, My Queen. I cannot imagine anything more delicious than peeling away your defenses, layer by layer, and baring your precious... secret."
Heat climbs my chest and fills my neck and cheeks. It's beyond unsettling, how quickly he can shift between comforter and tormentor.

“Bah." Morpheus snags a paintbrush. "She should be draped in starlight and clouds, lace and softness. Nothing less should touch her skin." He points the bristles at Jeb. "I saw what you put Thomas in. You are not painting her into one of those goon suits. She is royalty. Dress her like royalty. Give her some glitter... some glitz. And a crown.”

About the Author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

A.G. Howard was inspired to write 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.

When she's not writing, A.G.'s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Title: Unhinged
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered #3
Publication: January 7th 2014 by Amulet
Genre: Young Adult ~ Paranormal
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo
Cover Rating: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

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.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

Wow! Unhinged was so damn good! I'm really impressed by how much I ended up loving it. It's been so freaking long since I read Splintered. Almost one year and a half I think so it's been really nice to get back into this amazing world. I had to stop a few times, though, to read some books that were due for review but I finally finished it and let me just say that I can't wait until the third book is out. I need it now!

It's a little hard to form any coherent thoughts with the way Unhinged ended. Really, just everything that happened in this book was non-stop action, mystery and of course a bit of romance. Speaking of the romance. I am not a fan of love triangles but I can truly see Alyssa's hesitation between Jeb and Morpheus. Which is really weird because I'm a huge Morpheus fangirl. Moths FTW! And may I just say that in this book he was especially amazing. I mean wow. I love him. And I really want him to end up with Alyssa someday. 
But throughout this book I've been growing a bit fonder of Jeb too. Imagine that.

Alyssa has definitely grown as a character in my eyes. At the start of the book she thought she was done with all things Wonderland and ready to move on with Jeb. But of course things didn't go as planned at all. And I'm glad that eventually Alyssa finally found out for herself who she is and really believed it. You go, girl!

And the story... it was brilliant. A.G. Howard is a fantastic writer. I love her writing style so much. It's beautiful, poetic and yet dark and creepy. Oh this book was so creepy. I loved it! 
I also really liked the little twists involving Alyssa's mom and dad. Their past together and how it wasn't all how it seemed. It was a pretty unexpected turn of events and I loved every bit of that!

What else can I say than I loved this book? I can't wait for Ensared to come out and find out how the story will continue from here on because the ending? Oh my god! I can't believe all that happened and those are the best books out there, that leave you shocked and breathless and aching for the next book. 

So five stars definitely earned for Unhinged by A.G. Howard!

Favorite Quotes:

Seeing me surrounded by paper towels on the floor, Morpheus lifts his eyebrows. "Building a nest?" he asks. "There's no need to start acting like a bird simply because you have a propensity for flying.”

“Please, Morpheus," I bet upon hearing Jeb stir in the background. "Ah, but those delectable words," Morpheus says with a provocative smirk, "those are always in the fantasy."
I glare at him. "You're unbelievable."
"And that sentiment is reserved for the end."
"Shut. Up.”

He puts it on, and his gaze locks to mine. His jewels flicker between passion and defiance—an evocative and intimidating combination. “Fair warning, I intend to make good use of that time. I will be gentle, but I will not be a gentleman. You will be the center of my world. I’ll show you the wonders of Wonderland, and when you’re drunk on the beauty and chaos that your heart so yearns to know, I will take you under my wings and make you forget the human realm ever existed. You’ll never want to leave Wonderland or me again.”

About the Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

Anita Grace Howard lives in the Texas panhandle, and is most at home weaving the melancholy and macabre into settings and scenes, twisting the expected into the unexpected. She’s inspired by all things flawed, utilizing the complex loveliness of human conditions and raw emotions to give her characters life, then turning their world upside down so the reader’s blood will race.

Married and mother of two teens (as well as surrogate mom to two Labrador retrievers), Anita divides her days between spending time with her family and plodding along or plotting on her next book.

When she’s not writing, Anita enjoys rollerblading, biking, snow skiing, gardening, and family vacations that at any given time might include an impromptu side trip to an 18th century graveyard or a condemned schoolhouse for photo ops.

Arc Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Title: Splintered
Author: A.G. Howard
Publication: January 1st 2013 by Amulet Books
Genre: Young Adult
Format: Paperback, 377 pages
Cover Rating: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5
Purchase: The Book Depository ~ Fishpond ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

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.

My thoughts: 

Once upon a time (which would be a few months ago in april or may 2012) I entered a giveaway to win an arc copy of Splintered. I never would've guessed that I would actually win this. To me winning Splintered was mind blowing. 

Just one look at the cover and you get pretty much sucked in already, right? So it wasn't until august that I received my copy but it was so worth the wait. Not only that but the author was also really nice, always letting me now what was happening and when the arcs were being printed. A huuuuge thanks for that! :D

Splintered is the story of Alyssa Gardner, a descendant of Alice Liddell who was the inspiration for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Yes, that Alice!

Ever since little Alice descended down the rabbit hole and came out bringing a terrible curse with her, every female in Alyssa's family has been affected by madness; hearing the voices of bugs and plants.
To save her mother and herself, Alyssa must go down the rabbit hole herself to try and break the curse. 

I must admit I never really finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, I've read about half of it until other books got in the way. You know how it goes. But even so I love anything related to Alice in Wonderland. Splintered is no exception. Not by a long shot. It was so wonderful to read. Pretty much every character you know from Lewis Carroll's tale is there, only a bit different. More mad and wicked. 

Alyssa was a good heroine. I'm not saying my favorite heroine ever but eventually I started to really like her. I wasn't a fan of her at the beginning because I wasn't sure if she would live up to my standards that I know I have for my book heroines. Especially once she and Jeb, her friend and secret crush, entered Wonderland. 
I also wasn't an immediate fan of Jeb. I didn't love him or anything. But I didn't dislike the fact that he was there with Alyssa. He was just Jeb. *shrugs*
And then there was Morpheus *grins* Wicked and wild, as A.G. Howard calls him. He was one of the characters in Alice's Adventure in Wonderland, you'll sure have read/heard about. I could never quite figure out is he was a bad guy, even when most of the time he was, or he was a good guy deep inside. He was so enchanting, dark and just plain sexy with his half mask that it's no wonder Alyssa had a hard time concentrating around him. I loved their relationship a lot more than Alyssa's relationship with Jeb, that was a little boring. Morpheus was way more exciting.Yeah, I just love him. 

“He's a contradiction: taut magic coiled to strike, gentleness at war with severity, a tongue as sharp as a whip's edge, yet skin so soft he could be swathed in clouds.” 

Of course there were other very interesting characters. Sometimes very disturbing to read about like those killer flowers... *gulp* Anyway... all of them were amazing and so original in their own way, different, even though they are from Carroll's tale. This Wonderland world is nothing like the one in the original book, it way more dangerous and gruesome. Just delicious.

Splintered was one amazing retelling of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. A.G. Howard gave a very original spin to the story, making it a whole lot more creepy, frightening and just fantastical. With its omnious characters and beautiful writing it was breathtaking to read about the Wonderland that Alice left behind.

~Favorite Quotes~ 

I scroll past images every bit as violent and beautiful as Jeb's paintings: luminious, rainbow-skinned creatures with bulbous eyes and sparkly, silken wings who carry knives and swords; hideous, naked hobgoblins in chains who crawl on all fours and have corkscrew tails and cloven feet like pigs; silvery pixielike beings trapped in cages and crying oily black tears.

“I go where Al goes, dances-with-bugs. And just so you know, if anything happens to her, I'll pin you by your wings to a corkboard and use you for dart practice.”

“I hate you," I say, the sentiment muffled against his heart, hoping to make it true.
"And I love you," he answers without hesitation, voice resolved and raw as he holds me tighter so I can't break away and react. "A crossroads, my beautiful princess, that was unavoidable—given our situations.”

Raising one hand, he tilts his hat to that sexy slant. "You want me. Admit it."
Even if he's partly right, I'll never tell him. "Why would I want you?"
He lifts thee fingers to countdown. "Mysterious. Rebellious. Troubled. All those qualities women find irresistible."
"Such an optimist."
"My cup is never empty."
"Too bad your brain is." The words bite, but my smile softens with affection.”

~About the author~

A.G. Howard is most at home when weaving the melancholy and macabre into settings and scenes, twisting the expected into the unexpected. She was inspired to write 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.

A.G.’s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

Her debut YA fantasy, SPLINTERED, a dark Alice in Wonderland spinoff, is slated for release *Fall 2012 by Amulet.

Visit http://www.aghoward.com

Find her also on: Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads ~ YouTube

~A.G. Howard's Splintered Playlist:

                                           

                                                                 
                                                       & Book trailer;