Splintered

By: A. G. Howard

Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel

Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of Underland, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. 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.

©2013 Anita Howard (P)2013 AudioGO

great plot

I really love the story, it wasn't what I was expecting. I'm a big Alice in Wonderland fan and I love how it had aspects of that yet it totally went its own way. cannot wait to listen to the next two. I am a security guard and I listen to these while doing Patrols..makes the night go much faster. I think the narrator did a great job considering how many different voices she had to do and how well she did them. I enjoyed it.

Fell short

Would have been an excellent retelling I liked how they used alot from the wonderland book but Jeb really ruined the book by being controlling jealous and creepy and her inability to make her own decisions and hot head attitude really ruins the story

A bit racier than I was expecting...

I tend to read YA books so that I don't have to endure so much of those types of scenes.
This one had a great storyline and fun plot twists. It is an intense and dark fairytale.
My only issue with this story was the intense sexual tension between the main character and two different men. It became an overbearing part of the story by about the middle of the book.

Love it!

It was so good! I love how the characters are written. Even though some characters are kind of dark and creepy.

This just became a guilty pleasure

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I've already called up the ladies and told them to jump on this train before it becomes a movie.

What did you like best about this story?

I like how it 'mirrored' the original story but took on its own life.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I didn't like the forced accents. It was a huge turn off.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I wouldn't say moved, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and purchased the next book the second I finished the last chapter.

loved it!

I loved this book can't wait to start the next book. It's funny and full of twists and love. It's a wonderful take on a classic story. If you like or love Alice in wonderland you will enjoy this book too!

great for a light hearted read

This story had a new twist on a great classic. It was whimsical and fun. The only cliche that somewhat tugged at my annoyance was the ever present good boy vs bad boy conflict for the teenage heroine. Overall it was enjoyable.

“Splintered” is absolutely amazing.

“Splintered” is absolutely amazing. I am a huge fan of “Alice in Wonderland,” so I was very excited to read someone else’s retelling. This was a very creep and cool take on the traditional story though. Many times I was like “okay…what is really going on here?” I fell in love with everything. I really like the mixture of present day and the story of Wonderland.

A. G. Howard has an amazing imagination. I think her take on Wonderland is fabulous and creepy. Who doesn’t love fabulous and creepy? I think the world of Wonderland is what brings you in initially. Most know the traditional story and even though Alyssa is interesting in the beginning it is more my curiosity on what Wonderland will look like is what really got me into reading the story. The never-ending mystery that you discover….gosh my heart soars.

Alyssa hears the voices of plants and insects and to get rid of the sound of them talking she likes to kill bugs and use them for art pieces. This all on its own should give a person some creepy eerie feelings because really who doesn’t think it is creepy to kill bugs and use them as art? Alyssa has this slight obsession to her to not end up like her mom Allison. Now Allison is considered to be a mentally unstable person and is locked in an institution. This helps drive Alyssa to the decisions that she makes. She has grown up a decent part of her lifetime not having a mother that is of sound mind around her.

For those that like love triangles and for those that hate it, this one I think makes the story very interesting. There is Morpheus and then there is Jeb. Now Morpheus is from Wonderland and well Jeb is from the present day world. I feel like each boy pulled Alyssa into a different direction. In a lot of ways it was fun to see how each boy was able to pull different characteristics out of Alyssa. I don’t know why love triangles is such a big thing but it is. I think this is one of the better love triangle stories out there.

“Splintered” is a wonderful retelling of “Alice in Wonderland.” I feel like this is more of an “After Alice” type of story. I loved it all the same. I really love this story. I look forward to really getting into depth with these characters and this world because I like it so much. I am definitely happy with Howard’s writing. I think she did great and I loved how whimsical everything was in “Splintered.”

Last but not least Rebecca Gibel. Rebecca Gibel is an amazing narrator. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love her narrations. I feel like everyone needs to at least listen to a book she narrates once. Gibel keeps readers attention perfectly. She makes the book fun and entertaining to listen too. I am very impressed!

Jeb is a dick.

While its is the point of the book, the controlling way that Jeb treats Alyssa is abusive and seriously made me want to punch him. That he magically stopped being abusive when Alyssa grew a backbone was rather unbelievable.

Much of the imagery is derivative. Names and descriptions clearly referenced works by other authors and artists, leaving the feeling that the author wandered around Hot Topic to gain descriptions rather than try to make up anything original.

That being said, the writing and narrative are solid, and Morpheus is a delightful character. Alyssa's character blossoming is enjoyable, it just right a little hollow with her relationship with Jeb.

Fun & exciting twist

Any additional comments?

One of the better books I have read in a long time. Great plot, characters are well developed, and not only is it a twist on a classic but it also has its own twist. READ IT!