Victoria Reviews: Ensnared by A.G. Howard

I have been dying to read this for over a year, ever since I sailed through the ending of Unhinged only to be left clinging to the side of a cliff for a year as I waited (and waited…and waited!) to hear news of the finale of the Splintered series. And then finally it came. My arc of Ensnared arrived in the mail, and I was beside myself with excitement. I dived right into the story as soon as I could (which was, unfortunately, nearly a month after I received the book because school and finals came along to ruin my happiness), and I say with conviction that the wait was worthwhile. Howard has delivered a fantastic and un-put-downable conclusion to her wonderful trilogy, and it’s even better than I hoped!

I wrote in my review of Splintered that A.G. Howard knows how to write a killer love triangle, and this holds true throughout the trilogy. It’s the question on everyone’s minds: will Alyssa choose Jeb or Morpheus? Which will win her heart, Wonderland or reality? Most love triangles are easy to figure out. There’s usually one guy the main character primarily prefers (think Bella and Edward: did anyone really ever think she’d ever leave Edward for Jacob?). A.G. Howard, however, likes to keep readers on their toes. I spent the entire trilogy trying to figure out which guy to root for, which one might be best for Alyssa. I was just as torn between them as she was, and there was never a moment of certainty about which guy (and which world) she’d end up choosing. Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no spoilers, but I, at least, was very happy with the way Howard chose to conclude this particular conflict.

One of my favorite things about this book was how much time I got to spend in Wonderland and

the Looking Glass World. Once again, no spoilers, but I think it’s okay for me to say that the majority of the book takes place far from reality, and that was a welcome distance. I loved reading about the fantastic world that Howard has created around Lewis Carroll’s original one; her creativity and ability to make Carroll’s worlds her known know no bounds. Howard’s world is her own, but it’s not entirely unrecognizable to fans of the original Alice stories. In fact, I think it’s the intricate links to and twisting of the original story that make Howard’s take so fascinating. She’s clearly done her research: she knows these stories well, and she’s done the originals justice.

I can’t recommend this series enough. To those Splintered fans awaiting this book with bated breath: you won’t be disappointed. To those fans of Carroll’s Wonderland who haven’t read these books yet: what are you waiting for?! Ensnared is up there as one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. It was thrilling, weird, and wonderful, and I’m so excited to have taken the journey with Alyssa through these books. It was a fitting end to a mad ride, and I couldn’t have asked for better.

Ensnared will be released on Tuesday, January 6th!

Victoria Reviews: Splintered by A.G. Howard

            "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

            If you're familiar with this quote, you'll probably love A.G. Howard's debut novel, Splintered, a strange and macabre take on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.

            A short summary of the plot reads thus: Alyssa Gardner, a descendent of Alice Liddell (the inspiration for Carroll's Alice), can speak to bugs and plants. This worries her, since the same ability put her mother in the asylum; she's afraid  she'll end up like her mother and all the women who came before her who also went mad. Gradually, Alyssa starts to realize that this hereditary madness might actually be some sort of curse that descended upon her family when Alice went down the rabbit hole - that's right, Lewis Carroll's children's tales were actually true. However, real Wonderland doesn't exactly resemble the place of wonder and magic that Carroll's books described; it's much darker and more sinister. Alyssa must break the curse on her family by going into Wonderland herself and fixing all the trouble that Alice left behind.

            As a huge Alice fan myself, this book was a deliciously strange take on one of my favorite childhood tales. A.G. Howard says she was inspired by Tim Burton's Alice film, and her descriptions of the "real" Wonderland clearly show this influence. Howard does a beautiful job of describing her version of Wonderland. The picture in my head as I read was very vivid and detailed, and she wove a lovely mix of strange and twisted with beautiful and imaginative. Many Alice character favorites make appearances as well: the Mad Tea Party, the Red and White Queens, the Cheshire Cat, and many more, though don't expect them to be the same characters you know and love from Carroll's books! Howard has made most of them entirely her own.

            Alyssa is a strong character despite being haunted and scarred by her mother's insanity through most of the story. She is clearly a caring and mostly selfless person. I liked her and found her fairly easy to identify with. Alyssa also has two men in her life: her best friend and crush, Jeb, and her mysterious and dark guide to Wonderland, Morpheus, both of whom tug on different heartstrings. Jeb plays the part of the sweet, trustworthy teenage boy-who's-a-friend. Morpheus, on the other hand, is a Wonderland resident from Alyssa's childhood dreams and memories. He's different from anyone else she's ever known, and they seem to have some strange connection as he leads her deeper and deeper into the twisted Wonderland and into the darker corners of her own mind. I think Morpheus would have to be my favorite character. I have a thing for characters with ambiguous loyalties and morals, and Morpheus fits that description perfectly.

            Although the things I've mentioned really make this a great book, it's going on my favorites shelf in large part for another reason: Howard connects her book intricately with Carroll's books, and her story is filled to bursting with recognizable references to the originals. I absolutely adore this, especially in the context of a rich, unique story. She's done a lovely job with this novel.

            I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Lewis Carroll (as long as you're okay with having the familiar story changed quite a bit…). As the book's cover says, "Welcome to the real Wonderland."