Snippet Saturdays - Splintered

Splintered by AG Howard

       He's right I remember. "Envision where you wish to go," I say, using his words from years before. The key is a wish granter, and will open the mirror to my desires. Letting the backpack fall to the floor, I dig out the sundial brochure and study it. When I look up again, it's the picture from the brochure staring back at me from the cracked reflection. I insert the key into the hole and turn.
       The glass becomes liquid and ripples, absorbing my hand. I jerk back, and the key falls against my chest, suspended on its chain. I hold my fingers up. They look the same as always...completely unaffected. They're not even wet.
       A crackling sound snaps my attention back to the mirror.The splintered glass begins to smooth, forming a watery window instead of a reflection. It's a portal that opens into the garden bright with sunlight and flowers where the statue sundial waits.
      "Want it with all your heart." The command swims in my head, so quiet it's an echo from my past. "Then step inside."

Splintered - AG Howard

Review: Splintered

Author: AG Howard

Rating: 3/5

Genre: fantasy, paranormal, retellings

Recommend To: fans of creepy (in a good way) retellings of beloved classics, fans of Wicked Lovely

The Plot: This was harder to adjust to as opposed to other aspects of the book that were excellent. Part of it was that it started out one way, Alyssa jumping into Wonderland to break the curse on her family, and then ending another way. You might say excellent, there are plot twists, and there were some things that I didn't see coming, but the fact of the matter is, I felt that things were just being heaped on and not being explained thoroughly. There was a lot going on and being revealed constantly. Almost too fast.

The Characters: There was also a lot going on in this region. Alyssa is smarter that most heroines I must say. Instead of griping on half the time about how Wonderland had to be a dream or that she of all people couldn't possibly have anything to do with magic and the supernatural, she accepts it very quickly. Yet, other times, she behaves ridiculously. I guess the only actually cool thing about her is that she can hear bugs and flowers and then she kills them to make artwork. Creepy but interesting. I wasn't in love with her character, but at least she didn't complain and she figured out where she was quickly enough. The only other two major characters are Jeb and Morpheus. Neither whom I really liked either. Jeb was noble and loyal, and Morpheus was mysterious and untrustworthy. But neither felt very developed. 

The Romance: To me, its clear who she belongs with. That makes the end satisfying I suppose. But at the same time both Morpheus and Jeb are sucky love interests. I didn't like either of them. The whole love triangles was just irritating and boring too. She's in love with Jeb, Morpheus is her childhood friends, blah blah blah. You bled for me, I bled for you, you saved my life....it goes on. 

The Style: This is where the book shines and really saves itself. It is quite disturbing at some parts, with images of grotesque creatures from Wonderland. It is a truly creepy spin on Alice and Wonderland's original story, with Alice being completely mad and never truly escaping Wonderland's mad world. The characters have all been shifted such as White Rabbit becoming Rabid White. Yeah, pretty interesting. The writing is very lyrical and fits the mood of the novel very well. 

Overall: I really wanted to love this book being a fan of the original Alice in Wonderland and I do love retellings. Especially unusual interesting ones with a great overall mood and beautiful writing. But when they are filled with disappointing characters, an almost too confusing, and actually boring plot,  and a very flat romance, it just doesn't work for me. There are many out there who love this novel, but sadly I am not one of them. 

3/5 Butterflies