Splintered Review

384 pages
Release date: January 1st, 2013

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, 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.

Review (ARC):

This is one strange book. You think you know the Wonderland story until you read this twist. Alyssa is certain that she's coming down with whatever madness seems to affect the females in her family. As a descendant of the original Alice, Alyssa has been looked at as possibly being crazy all her life. I admire Alyssa as a main character because despite everything she remains strong and finds a way to get answers to what the family curse really is about. The Wonderland in this novel is darker and more terrifying than the one told of in books. Everything is so twisted and different from what you may expect. There are two love interests, one a product of Wonderland and the other of the human world. It's interesting to see the hold both guys have on Alyssa and the motive behind their interest. There is quite a bit of adventure as Alyssa tries to figure out why Wonderland is so familiar and how she can break the family curse as well as pass the tests. The thing I liked the most about this novel is that the world building is extremely creative and intriguing. I definitely recommend reading this if you love twists on classic tales of a darker nature.