[Review: Ensnared by A.G. Howard]

"Ensnared"
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered #3
Pages: 384
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fairytale Retellings
Date Published: January 6th, 2015
Publisher: Amulet Books
Format Read: Purchased hardback

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Summary:

After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?

-Goodreads
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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Ensnared:

Parting is always such sweet sorrow and leaving you behind is kind of like that. I have loved the books that fill your series and even though some of your plot points bugged me. We can't love everything about each other. That's what makes a real friendship and you, book, seem to be a good way to end ours. That is until I decide to read all of you and your companions again. Thanks for doing you and all the creepiness that that implies. 

-The White Unicorn

I've had this weird, uncontrollable love for A.G. Howard's Splintered series from the beginning. The imagery is some of the best that I've read in a long time, and you get pulled into the dark, twisted world that she builds, without even realizing it. That being said I've also had issues with the whole series, namely a dude named Jeb, but I have to admit that I might have felt something like love for him in the last installment of this series. All in all I have to say that this has been a fun ride and I'm pretty bummed that it's over. I'm totally okay if Howard wants to write a few more novellas to go along with this series, that's all I'm saying. 

Ensnared is full up of all the adventure of the last two novels in the series. This time Al has to sneak through the cracks in a mirror to see if she can save the people most important to her, with the help of her father. Howard uses this chance to examine a different realm of Wonderland. This time we are in AnyElsewhere. It's where all the broken creatures of Wonderland come to play, so the creatures held within will make your skin crawl. The world building is once again top notch, and I love that Howard gives us a different view of her Wonderland. It really does play out well. 

I also adored the fact that we get to see more of Al and her father interacting. The family aspect of these books has always been something that I admire and Ensnared delivered on that front. It was also awesome to see what the whole story behind Al's father's family was. Howard even introduced us to a few new characters this way. And of course, getting Al's mother back was all a part of the plot. I do wish that we would have gotten to know Al's mom better in the scheme of things, but this is a small complaint. 

Of course there were also many of the original characters in play. Chessie has a rather large role and I love this version of him, so it's always delightful to see him out and about. We had a new fairy bouncing around by the name of Nikki and Rabid shows his face a few times as well. Throw in the evil Queens that we've come to know so well and the whole cast (plus some) were there. 

The reason why this book isn't getting 5 unicorns comes from the conclusion of the love triangle that Al has been in the middle of all this time. As a story teller I think that Howard was really clever with the conclusion. From a story telling POV, I can't really fault her with her choices and I think they fit well with the story that she has established. That being said, I selfishly wanted a different conclusion. I wanted something more definitive to happen. Al has always seemed a bit weak in her relationships to me and the end game didn't make her feel any stronger. I wish I felt differently, but I do not. 

I'm so glad that I delved into this world that Howard created and that I got to meet Morpheus, who still wins, out of all the characters she pinned, in my book anyway. He was perfect in this final chapter and I couldn't have asked for more. I mean except the one thing I wish would have happened for him in a nicer way. But what am I saying. I'm just showing favoritism, which I think he would approve of.

If you have ever been a fan of Alice in Wonderland, you need to read this series. The books are beautiful even if they are a bit flawed. But isn't that how all the best things in life are?

Rating: 

4 Unicorns = Close to Perfect!

[Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard]

"Unhinged"
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered #2
Pages: 384
Genre: YA, Retellings, Fairytales, Fantasy
Date Published: January 7th, 2014
Publisher: Amulet
Format Read: ARC provided by publisher for honest review

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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.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

Let me tell you one thing, I was so excited to dive back into Howard's colorful and freaky re-imagining of Wonderland.  There is something so beautiful and strange about the way she brings this world that is so familiar to life.  She does it in a way that you've never seen before, a way that just pulls you right into the world that she's created.  I missed this Wonderland and the characters that inhabit it and it was awesome to be able to go back and see what all these twisted characters were up to.

Unhinged starts off a year after the happenings of Splintered.  I thought this was great call, as it gives us a glimpse into Alyssa's life when she's a little more mature and a little less in the dark about everything.  It also brings all of the weirdness of Wonderland into the real world.  Sure there are times where you get moments in Wonderland, but most of the action and story takes place in Al's hometown.  It makes things both more and less strange, but overall, I thought it was a good call to pull us back into a normal setting with flashes of Wonderland's oddities.  

The story itself is a twisted one.  Howard weaves the tangled threads of her story masterfully.  She connects all of the loose ends of the mysteries that she presents, even if she doesn't tie them off.  Where Splintered had some surprises hidden in it's pages, the mysteries are what really propel the story in Unhinged.  Nothing is ever as it seems and everything is connected in ways that you can't even imagine.  Sure, I guessed a few of the things, but mostly I was just along for the ride.  I also liked how Alyssa's parents were a huge part of the plot this time around.  It gave us this sense of family that added a new flavor in the tale.

Once again, I'm not a huge fan of the love triangle that Alyssa is in the middle of.  The whole "have this now, cause you get to have this later" thing is not one of my favorite love story tropes.  Of course this is just my personal opinion, which is probably brought on by the fact that I just want Al and Morpheus together already!

Oh Morpheus!  Now I get to talk about one of my favorite anti-heroes!  I've always been a fan of the anti-hero and Morpheus takes the cake for me.  Yes, I appreciate the rest of Howard's cast, but it's all about the conflicted moth for me.  There were so many amazing moments, where he really got to shine and you got to know him better in the pages of Unhinged.  He became even more layered and confusing, while also being more open, if that is even possible.  Plus, there are some heart warming and heart wrenching moments that are wrapped around him and Al's blooming love story.  

Shockingly, I wasn't driven as nut's by Jeb this time around, but I'll let you know that he's still not my favorite character ever.  Chessie got some more screen time and it was fun to see him in a different element then I'm used to.  Also Rabid White popped up in all of his creepy glory.  Don't worry lots more Wonderlanders showed up too and it was awesome to see them.

All in all, I have to say that I was really impressed with Unhinged.  I feel like it was even better then the first novel.  And with that cliff hanger of an ending, I can't wait to see what Howard has up her sleeve for the third book.  I see things getting even more messy then they already are and that excites me!  

If you were a fan of the first book, have a love for all things weird and love a retelling of Alice in Wonderland then these books are for you.  I'll see you on the other end of the rabbit hole!

Rating:

  4 Unicorns = Close to perfect!