The Moth in the Mirror (Splintered #1.5) by A.G. Howard - Ashley's Review

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Title: The Moth in the Mirror (Splintered #1.5)
Author: A.G. Howard
Year Published: 2013

My Splintered Review
My Splintered Pre-Reading

Synopsis: An original ebook-only novella in the Splintered series, told from the points of view of both Jeb and Morpheus. Morpheus wants to know more about his rival for Alyssa's affections, so he digs into Jeb's memories of his time in Wonderland. But he may be surprised by what he finds. 

This brand-new story and perspective from A.G. Howard's dark, magical world stands alone, but also provides a tantalizing glimpse of what's to come in Unhinged, the sequel to Splintered.

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Review: Splintered was absolutely phenomenal, and The Moth in the Mirror was the perfect novella to tide me over until I can get my hands on Unhinged. It's just as dark, mesmerizing, and wonderful as Splintered was! 

It was really neat being able to see a little bit more into Jeb and Morpheus' minds. Most of this novella is told from Jeb's perspective. We're given several of his memories, and we get to see his thoughts and feelings while Alyssa is off doing something else. We learn why he does certain things (think the Jabberlock box), and just how much he actually loves Alyssa. She's the only girl for him, and he's willing to do so much to keep her safe.

Morpheus is viewing Jeb's memories, so we see his thoughts before and after the memories. He even starts to feel things that Jeb feels, and even though he doesn't want to keep most of the emotions (since they came from a weak human), I enjoyed seeing how he will use Jeb's forgotten memories to possibly get closer to Alyssa and try to win her heart. He's also ridiculously in love with Alyssa, although for different reasons. 

This story left me wanting so much more (in a good way!) and I can't wait to read Unhinged and Ensnared. I also am even more conflicted over which boy to pick! If you've read Splintered, you'll definitely want to read this novella. It's a great refresher of the important points and a fun glimpse into the boys' minds. I do wish it was longer though! A 4/5. 


--Ashley

Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard - Ashley's Review

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Title: Splintered (Splintered #1)
Author: A.G. Howard
Year Published: 2013

My Pre-Reading

Synopsis: 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.

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Review: HOLY WOW. This book, you guys, is probably the best Alice in Wonderland reimagining I have ever read. And I've read quite a few. It has everything that you would expect from the original novel, but with a totally different spin on it. The Mad Hatter, the Door Mouse, the Caterpillar, the Red & White queens, the card soldiers, the White Rabbit, the talking flowers.... even the walrus and the carpenter! But nothing is as it seems, and I think that's what made this book so exceptional and put it so far about every other Alice retelling.

Apart from all of the wonderful references and plays on the original characters and places, A.G.'s writing is absolutely gorgeous. I felt Alyssa's pain when she thinks about her mother and her other relatives going mad, and I could picture Wonderland as Alyssa discovers it for herself. Things are shown instead of told, and it makes such a huge difference in a world where the visual aspect is hugely important. The world building, in addition to and probably because of the beautiful writing, is absolutely stunning. Wonderland is fascinating and terrifying and everything I would imagine it to be. It kind of reminded me of Tim Burton's rendition, but was still entirely its own creature.

There is definitely romance in this book, and I found that I just could not pick a team when it came to the boys. Jeb is, quite literally, the boy next door. He's grown up with Alyssa and is basically perfect for her. He's chivalrous and caring and he loves her despite her flaws and only wants what's best for her. Morpheus, on the other hand, is definitely the bad boy every girl's parents warn her about. He's manipulative and sneaky and only helps other people when it coincides with what he wants or what will benefit him. But he's mysterious and he obviously cares a great deal for Alyssa and I really want to learn more about him. 

This book wraps up really nicely, with a lot of the plot wrapping up and ending in a pretty satisfactory way. If I had read this book when it first came out, I probably would have thought it was a standalone even though there are still quite a few questions I have. But luckily there are more books and I can't wait to get my hands on them to visit Wonderland again! And to see if I can finally choose Team Morpheus or Team Jeb (probably not), and to find out how the major reveal plays in to the rest of Alyssa's life. 

Splintered is a spectacular book that should be read by any and all fans of Lewis Carrol's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It's the right combination of new and old, and takes on a life of its own even when things seem very familiar. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a YA fantasy, and to anyone who enjoys classic retellings. A 5/5, although I wish I could give it more! I can't believe I waited so long to read it and will not be making that same mistake with Unhinged and Ensnared!


--Ashley

Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard - Ashley's Pre-Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Splintered (Splintered #1)
Author: A.G. Howard
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: 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.

Why?: I love retellings, I love Alice in Wonderland, and I especially love Alice in Wonderland retellings. I've been wanting to read this book for a while now, and when I finally got the chance I totally jumped on it. I really like that Wonderland in this book is supposed to be pretty dark. And I also like that there are two gorgeous guys!

Expectations: I've heard such good things about this book that my expectations are probably unreasonably high. I've never even read anything by A.G. and I really want this book to be everything that I've heard it is. I expect things to be colorful, dangerous, exciting, mysterious, and all of that jazz.

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is absolutely gorgeous. I love the colors, I love the title, I just really love everything about it. I would 100% pick this book up if I saw it on a shelf in a bookstore or library, and I really want to own a physical copy so that it can be pretty on my shelves too.


--Ashley