Book Review

So I was trying to think of some catchy play-on-words title for this post, but then realized that I am just setting myself up for failure in the future and making my standards way to high when I review any other book. Soooooo....simple is better.

Anyways, Merry Christmas and a Happy soon-to-be New Year to you all! I hope you all got some fabulous gifts and are enjoying my favorite time of year!

Yesterday I finished reading a book by A.G. Howard. One of my fabulous presents!

Splintered was a book that I have had on my must read list for almost a year now. I love the cover art and so I went ahead and asked for the actual book instead of the kindle version.

Despite the convenience of the kindle and all the awesome indie writers I have been able to read because of the easy downloadable books, I still love a real book in my hands.

Plus, they make my wall-to-wall bookshelves in my T.V. room look amazing.

Anyways, A.G. Howard writes a great alternate version to the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland. Except Howard's version takes places years after Alice escaped the Red Queens death trap and follows 17 year old Alyssa Gardner who is an ancestor of Alice and is doomed to face the same insanity that has taken the minds of her family ever since Alice escaped.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I will do my best to hit the main points of this book.

Things that make this book awesome and worth the read:
1. Wonderland is unique in the story. Much darker and twisted than the original.
2. Alyssa can hear the voices of bugs and plants.
3. The story line keeps you on your toes. Seriously. Even in the duller moments (which are few) I needed to keep reading just to figure out what the heck was happening.
4. Jeb. Don't you just get all giddy inside when a boy risks his life for you? Nuff said.
5. Morpheus. Couldn't get a read on this guy until the last few pages.

Things that make this book not so awesome:
1....

Yeah. I got nothing for this list. I would however, be careful if you are under the age of fourteen. Things get a little intense in a few spots and since I am a mom and a teacher, I would feel horrible if I didn't give a fair warning in that area.

The author was intensely original and for that reason alone (if not for the 5 I listed above), I will be purchasing the second in the series which comes out in just  few short weeks. Yay!