Unhinged

Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered #2
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Retelling
Release Date: January 7, 2014

Summary: Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn't show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs. As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind. If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

Review: THAT ENDING!! I HAVE ALL THE FEELS!!!

I actually liked this one better than the first one. I can't seem to figure out exactly why either . . . Maybe because I started growing attached to Morpheus/M/Mort? Maybe it's because Alyssa's mom is back from the psych ward? Maybe it's because Alyssa does some kick-a** stuff in this one? Possibly the sexual tension between Morpheus and Alyssa continuously throughout the novel? Maybe it's just a collection of all of these things rolled into one . . . yeah, that sounds about right! But seriously, this was simply splendid.

I'm always hesitant to pick up the second book in a trilogy, especially if the first one leaves off in a place that I'm content with being left. Unhinged was exactly what I wanted for a sequel. The story, although carrying over some aspects from Splintered, was completely unique and something of its own. The adventure never stopped! I love how Howard has taken small, seemingly unimportant things from Carroll's original novel, Alice in Wonderland, and made them into some of the most important things in her novels.

In my review of Splintered, I said I wasn't quite sure if I was for team Morpheus/Alyssa. Well, that's changed! I'd be more than happy for those two . . . I actually think I like them better together than Jeb and Alyssa. Jeb in this book was . . . annoying. After finishing it and finding out everything I was a little more lenient with his actions, but up until that point, I was frustrated with him.

The ending was, again, fantastic, and I'm more than ready to read Ensnared!!!