Unhinged {An ARC Review}

 

Title:  Unhinged
Author:  AG Howard
Series:  Splintered #2
Publisher:  Amulet
Expected Pub Date:  January 7, 2014
Source:  NetGalley
Format:  eBook
Rating:  Five Freaking Stars

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.

 

  

***Although I always intend to have no spoilers in my reviews, please note that this is a second in a series. Therefore, there will most likely be spoilers from Splintered. :)***

 

Oh. My. Goodness. What the hell did I just read? I absolutely loved Splintered. So did Malissa. As you can tell from our review. So I was quite anxious to read Unhinged. But, now I'm sad. Mad. Because I was so anxious and requested a copy off of NetGalley, and read it already, I now have to wait even longer to read Ensnared. Boo! But we can't rush this world, this writing, so I'll just have to be (im)patient.

 

I went back and read my review of Splintered before I started writing this one. And there's definitely something both of these books have in common - I took forever to read them. Part of it had to do with timing, but mostly? It had to do with the fact that I love love love the world Howard has created. So much so I don't want to leave it. The good, the bad, the horrific, the terrifying, the darkness... all of it. It's so vivid, so terrifyingly real. We don't get as much Wonderland in this book as we did in the first, but all the elements are still there. I can't wait for the chance to dive back into the rabbit hole with Alyssa in Ensnared. :)

While I really felt that Splintered was very plot and action driven, Unhinged felt more character driven to me. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of action and the plot definitely moved forward, but we got a lot more insight into all the main characters. We learn much more about her mom's past, her dad, Jeb, and, possibly most importantly, Morpheus. 

While I was quite upset with Howard in Splintered for making me doubt my complete dislike of Morpheus, now I'm even more upset with her. Howard has created a perfectly plausible, believable, tangible, love triangle triangular connection. (Trying to avoid those dreaded words... totally not working... lol). And it's left me flailing. My heart is as torn as Alyssa's here. My confusion as real. (As I imagine AG Howard's is as well.) Seriously. There's so. much. chemistry. Not just Jeb and Alyssa. But Alyssa and Morpheus. Before, when I said I was totally down for Alyssa and Jeb? Yeah. Not sure where I stand on that one anymore. Thanks, Howard. Thanks. ;)

I loved seeing Alyssa and her mom try to reconnect after so many years. I was happy to see that it wasn't all sunshine and roses between them, either. There was still so much that they were hiding from one another. Still so many secrets. And her poor dad. In the first book, in the beginning, he seemed so oblivious to things. Puzzle pieces are starting to come together, though, and I can't wait for the completion.

If you haven't started this series, I truly hope when/if you do, you love it as much as I do.  :)  

Have you read Splintered and/or Unhinged? What'd you think? Want to read it? Don't want to? Let's talk! 

Smiles,
B