Unhinged by A.G. Howard

This is the second book in the Splintered series. It is a different twist on Alice in Wonderland. Alyssa Gardner is the new Alice. She has been to Wonderland but is back in the present time. Her experiences in Wonderland never leave her and before she knows it someone from Wonderland, Morpheus, is visiting her in her world. Her mom has recently been released from the asylum and Alyssa knows it will be bad news if her mom sees Morpheus. They don’t have a good history between them and Alyssa worries it could cause problems for her mom. Alyssa also faces her relationship with her boyfriend, high school, her best friend, prom, and graduation. She has to balance everything and try to keep Wonderland from everyone in her life but before she knows it, everything is going to merge and she has to save both worlds.

This is the first A.G. Howard book I have read. I did not read the first book in this series but it did not detract from the enjoyment of this book. The author added enough detail that the read was not lost but not so much detail that it ruined the first book. Yes, I have a general idea of what happens in the first book but I think I will still enjoy it even with a little of the spoilers. This is important to me. I like when an author can keep the reader from getting lost and still give the reader a reason to go back and read the first book. This is a sign of a good author in my opinion.

I enjoyed the character development in this book. Although I had not been introduced to the characters, I felt that there was still character development within this book. I’m sure I would understand the characters better if I read the first book but it did not deter from this one.  I also felt that the author did a wonderful job on many of the descriptions. There were descriptions that intrigued me and described a scene in the perfect words. Some of the descriptions were so accurate that it brought back memories of my high school days. I thought the author was smart to add some bid, uncommon words within the book. This will prompt young adults to look the words up and learn a new word to add to their vocabulary.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I found the story line entertaining and it kept my attention throughout the book. I think young adults will thoroughly enjoy this series of books. The author was creative throughout the book and did a great job with characters and descriptions. I look forward to reading the first book. I hope the author continues to write more books in this series.

*Book received through NetGalley in return for an honest review; Read December 2013*