Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Splintered (Splintered Series #1): Splintered Book One
    Splintered (Splintered Series #1): Splintered Book One
    Splintered (Splintered Series #1): Splintered Book One
    Ebook441 pages7 hours

    Splintered (Splintered Series #1): Splintered Book One

    By A. G. Howard

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
    When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

    Read all the books in the New York Times bestselling Splintered series: Splintered (Book 1), Unhinged (Book 2), Ensnared (Book 3), and Untamed (The Companion Novel). 
    Get books 1 through 3 in the Splintered boxed set, available now!

    Praise for Splintered:
    STARRED REVIEW

    "Fans of dark fantasy, as well as of Carroll’s Alice in all her revisionings (especially Tim Burton’s), will find a lot to love in this compelling and imaginative novel."
    —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

    "Alyssa is one of the most unique protagonists I've come across in a while. Splintered is dark, twisted, entirely riveting, and a truly romantic tale."
    —USA Today

    "Brilliant, because it is ambitious, inventive, and often surprising — a contemporary reworking of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,’’ with a deep bow toward Tim Burton’s 2010 film version."
    —The Boston Globe

    "It’s a deft, complex metamorphosis of this children’s fantasy made more enticing by competing romantic interests, a psychedelic setting, and more mad violence than its original."
    —Booklist

    " Protagonist Alyssa...is an original. Howard's visual imagination is superior. The story's creepiness is intriguing as horror, and its hypnotic tone and setting, at the intersection of madness and creativity, should sweep readers down the rabbit hole."
    —Publishers Weekly

    "While readers will delight in such recognizable scenes as Alyssa drinking from a bottle to shrink, the richly detailed scenes that stray from the original will entice the imagination. These adventures are indeed wonderful."
    —BookPage

    "Attention to costume and setting render this a visually rich read..."
    —Kirkus Reviews

    "Wonderland is filled with much that is not as wonderful as might be expected, and yet, it is in Wonderland that Alyssa accepts her true nature. The cover with its swirling tendrils and insects surrounding Alyssa will surely attract teen readers who will not disappointed with this magical, edgy tale."
    —Reading Today Online

    "Creepy, descriptive read with a generous dollop of romance."
    —School Library Journal

    Award:
    YALSA’s 2014 Teens’ Top Ten
     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherABRAMS
    Release dateJan 15, 2013
    ISBN9781613123799
    Splintered (Splintered Series #1): Splintered Book One

    Read more from A. G. Howard

    Related to Splintered (Splintered Series #1)

    Related ebooks

    YA Fantasy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      No Place like home

      Aug 14, 2021

      No Place like home
      3 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2022

      First prize 10 and under Tang Li, age 9 Palmetto Bay, FL My name is Anisa. I was in Hawaii on vacation. I enjoyed sipping refreshing drinks, overlooking the turquoise ocean, and dancing with others, before I overheard that the priceless Fire Ring wa

      10 min read

    • Article

      Six Sonnets

      Jan 1, 2021

      Goldenrod, I could say, you know, everybody wants somethingfrom me, but, well, everybody wants something and nobody wantsnothing from me, goldenrod, towhead, beast. Goldenrod, you packthe meadows like gold-plated sardines. I have heart palpitationsbu

      3 min read

    • Article

      Announcing The winners Of Our FLASH CONTEST

      Feb 29, 2020

      I sever the first two fingers of my left hand on a Tuesday. They fall to the ground at my feet, causing a momentary confusion as I wonder what tree has dropped this odd fruit. Then I see the crescent scar left behind by a fish hook and know that thes

      8 min read

    • Article

      Of a Feather

      Feb 15, 2021

      “You’re saying she never mentioned a bird?” The attorney shifted awkwardly in his chair, peering around the cage that had been placed between us, just beside my mother’s will. I tried to think back to when I’d last visited. Last Christmas? No, I’d sp

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Bridle

      Oct 10, 2021

      Saliva pooled on her tongue beneath the rusty depressor. She endured a constant urge to swallow, afraid of choking on her own fluids. The taste of metal and blood are so akin, it is easy to mistake one for the other. This early in the day, blood was

      11 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Jan 1, 2020

      Ivy Lugbill, age 8 Indianapolis, IN I was so excited! My dad and I were going camping! After we packed all our stuff, my dad said, “Hop in!” I grabbed the paper towel roll binoculars I had been making and jumped into the car. It was a really . . . re

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Paper Wasp

      Jun 3, 2019

      The Paper Wasp
      13 min read

    • Article

      Search and Destroy

      Oct 24, 2017

      My daughter has bugs living in her hair. It is my job to kill them. The post Search and Destroy appeared first on Guernica.

      7 min read

    • Article

      Spook It Up!

      Oct 5, 2023

      Spook It Up!
      5 min read

    • Article

      I Am The Tooth Fairy

      Nov 1, 2020

      I Am The Tooth Fairy
      6 min read

    • Article

      Ongoingness

      Apr 21, 2022

      Ongoingness
      8 min read

    • Article

      'The Hazel Wood' Has Few Uses For Enchantment

      Jan 30, 2018

      In Melissa Albert's dark take on fairy tales, 17-year-old Alice has spent her entire life on the run from her family legacy: a terrifying mythical world created by her grandmother, a famous author.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Foxes

      Jun 15, 2019

      What’s worth happening happens in deep woods. Or so my daughter tells me. Her plotlines: In the deep woods someone is chasing, someone else is getting hacked. Hatchets are lifted, brought downdowndown. Men stutter blood onto snow. A cast of animals—s

      17 min read

    • Article

      The Education of Mrs. R.

      Sep 6, 2022

      An adolescent shriek woke her. Cockerels, she thought, cockerels, with a wry twist to the word. She lay in the dark listening. There was no use in covering her head; the screaming still came through. The soloist was suddenly submerged in the chorus.

      13 min read

    • Article

      Mycelium

      Jul 22, 2021

      Mycelium
      11 min read

    • Article

      Intelligent Creatures

      Jul 6, 2023

      Intelligent Creatures
      19 min read

    • Article

      Cherry Season

      Sep 3, 2020

      1. My mother’s mother kept a set of painted wooden nesting dolls on top of her television. When I was small and went to her house, I would take the set apart and line up the five dolls on her living room floor, side by side, from biggest to smallest.

      16 min read

    • Article

      A Letter to My Sons

      Sep 25, 2019

      A Letter to My Sons
      7 min read

    • Article

      WINNERS APRIL 2021 STORY CONTEST A New Beginning

      Sep 1, 2021

      Tyler Rich, age 10 Grand Junction, CO The cage door opened. As I gazed into the forest, the memories came rushing back. Fire. Everywhere. Amber spirals licking at my fur, scorching my pelt. No escape. Hands. Then, darkness. I shrank farther back into

      8 min read

    • Article

      The Silence of Witches

      Dec 10, 2019

      The Silence of Witches
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Family Plot

      May 7, 2020

      The Family Plot
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Grief Artist

      Jan 6, 2021

      The Grief Artist
      18 min read

    • Article

      Small Tortoiseshell

      Mar 8, 2022

      Small Tortoiseshell
      5 min read

    • Article

      Ann Beattie

      Sep 15, 2017

      I’d started to visit Olivia more often because it was obvious she was lonely. The ALS lady who’d been moved to Hopkins had been Aunt Olivia’s closest friend, leaving aside Merton Hillstead, who actually went home. Even the friendly paperboy who somet

      23 min read

    • Article

      This Back Is a Familiar Back

      May 1, 2023

      This Back Is a Familiar Back
      8 min read

    • Article

      Diary of My Leg Hair

      Dec 8, 2022

      Diary of My Leg Hair
      21 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Splintered (Splintered Series #1)

    4/5

    401 ratings85 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      It was okay

      I bought the book for the cover. I was intrigued by the premise of the book. The book started out very slow and I had to make myself keep reading. I'm glad I did because it did pick up near the 3/4 mark and the action is what saved the book. To those who are contemplating it, give it a chance and read to the end.
    • 4/5
      This twisted tale based on ALICE IN WONDERLAND was eery without falling into horror. The Underworld is rich with possibilities and history; although, physical descriptions became strangely sparse once the characters jumped into the rabbit hole. I'm not a fan of first-person present-tense POV from a young woman in YA, so did struggle with my biases in moments. At least this hero isn't a selfish brat. I really like Alyssa Gardner's affection for her mom and her family's (sometimes inappropriate--but realistic) protectiveness. The two love interests were well played against each other so that neither were an obvious choice. My biggest frustration was how one character's plot-driving help was dismissed as unneeded in the climax to reset a relationship. The romance was forced at times.
    • 2/5
      When I was a little girl I was always very scared to watch Alice In Wonderland, it was always my least favorite fairy tale. Only because I thought it was so scary. Maybe I was too young to appreciate the beauty and the meaning behind the story. Although, to this day I never forgot how creepy it was to me that I'm still a little gun shy at watching or reading the original or anything close to the original story.

      Splintered should have been my chance to embrace the story of Alice as a grown up reminiscing, to experience this retelling with the fear of a little girl scared out of her wits. Unfortunately things did not go as I had hoped. I did not connect with this story and the characters at all, I found myself wishing to be creeped out of my mind. I just wanted to feel something for a memorable story from my childhood, even though those memories might not have been so fond.

      Certainly Splintered was very well written, the writing was imaginative, fantastical, and very colorful but for me that's where the best thing about this book ends. I struggled to get through this book, I just couldn't connect with it and it's characters.

      There is a negative with continuing to read a book your not liking very much as well as a positive. The positive was ever so often and very rarely but briefly, I did crack a smile or got hastily excited that maybe the story was taking a turn for the better, alas that was not so, it was short lived. And the negatives were that I started to dislike the characters more and more. At first I thought they're not so bad, but then the more I'm with them the more unlikable traits I see in them. I thought Jeb's character was very flat and didn't have any depth to him. It was like he just existed to be Alyssa's long time secret love. And Alyssa was too unresolved and too indecisive on her feelings for Morpheus. Speaking of Morpheus, I thought he would have been the one to make the story more interesting and he did at times but he made me second guess myself too much that I was over him pretty quickly.

      All that being said I thought the cover was beautiful so I splurged for the hardback. It was almost a year since it was released so when the second book was available I decided to continue the collection; since the cover was equally as beautiful. So now I'm hoping that maybe the story will take a path that it more captivating than it's predecessor.

      While an eloquently written story, Splintered left me unsatisfied, and disappointed. I was hoping to be spirited away to a magical, yet scary place that the kid in me wanted to revisit with the older me as a guide and come out with a newer appreciation for a well loved and popular fairy tale. Personally, I didn't get that from this book.
    • 4/5
      I can't believe this is this authors first book. It was well thought out; all the different story lines. The twists and turns, the fun and nonsense. Tea parties (um...Wow) and feasts, Moth and Mortal. I hope there's a second book in the works. I'm up for another trip to Wonderland.
    • 3/5
      In short: Splintered by A.G. Howard is an excellent re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland, but the plot needed a bit more structure to maintain my interest.What a cool concept - a spinoff of Alice in Wonderland in which Alice's great-great-great-granddaughter, Alyssa, must return to Wonderland to get rid of the curse that has been placed on her family. In Splintered, the Wonderland we know from Lewis Carroll's classic is much darker and demented. Debut author A.G. Howard does an excellent job of re-imagining the world and story we know so well into an edgier and scarier version, while still maintaining the scattered and strange tone of the original story.Interestingly - and unfortunately - the thing that I liked most about Splintered (that is, that it did a remarkable job of capturing the strangeness and randomness of the original story) was also the thing I disliked most about Splintered. I prefer a bit more structure and reason in my plots and Splintered was a bit too much on the zany and random side to maintain my interest. Again, I do believe the zany-ness was absolutely necessary in an Alice in Wonderland spinoff, but I just need a bit more realness to feel invested in a story and that is purely my personal taste.And I can't say I was a fan of the love triangle either - let's see, a choice between a controlling and demeaning guy or a creepy and manipulative guy? No thanks. And by extension, I was pretty annoyed with our protagonist, Alyssa, who falls easily for both guys despite their unappealing qualities - otherwise I would have really liked her, I think, as she seemed to be an independent-minded and strong-willed soul at the beginning of the novel.While Splintered wasn't completely the book for me, I would recommend it to fans of Lewis Carroll's original story as it is a truly fascinating and impressive take on Alice in Wonderland. And while I wasn't completely enchanted with all aspects of Splintered, I was at least taken in by A.G. Howard's writing and creepily demented imagination, and I would definitely read another book of hers.
    • 4/5
      This take on the Alice in Wonderland tale is so unique, it makes me wonder how nobody else ever thought of it before. Wonderland, in Splintered, is rather an underworld of the dead than a bizarre playground for children. Isn't that fantastic?The protagonist, Alyssa, is the descendant of Alice Liddell, the girl who inspired Lewis Carol's original novel. She has a set of strange powers that she inherited from Alice and her mother, Allison, who is living in a psychiatric hospital. She fears she will eventually end up in the hospital with her mother, just as all the other Alice descendents have. But, Alyssa discovers a way to break this so-called family curse of craziness by going into Wonderland, and she sets out to save her mother from her own mad mind and electroshock "therapy" that will likely lobotomize her. Her best guy friend and next-door-neighbor Jeb ends up tagging along, accidentally, and they are in for the adventure of a lifetime with the dead. Alyssa struggles with her existing feelings for Jeb, who already has a girlfriend, plus her very old and now much more mature feelings for Morpheus, the Wonderland moth boy she spent time with in her dreams as a child, who is now all grown up and hot like Edward Scissorhands. It makes for a nice love triangle that feels realistic and not just there to create romantic drama. Although, Alyssa's chemistry is far better with Jeb than Morpheus, in my opinion. I see a lot of reviewers saying they don't like the characters in the novel, but what are they all smoking? I loved the characters more than I normally love the characters in the YA books I read. They are great, even if not perfect, but they are so realistic and fun to read about. So what if Morpheus lies to Alyssa a lot for his own agenda. Does he have to be perfect in order to be lovable? No. And, Jeb behaves rather possessively of Alyssa while in Wonderland, but he's used to treating her like a sister, so I get that. Plus, he changes his tune in the end, anyway. This books is super fun and unpredictable without a boring part in sight. For those already enamored of Alice in Wonderland and love YA fiction, this is the perfect fit. It's so much better than the Johnny Depp Alice in Wonderland movie that came out a few years ago, which was good, but not great. I think this story would make a much better film.*Thanks go to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      Sometimes a book comes along that grabs hold of you with every quirky, wonderful thing it has and doesn't let go. You become completely engrossed in the author's world and when you have to come back down from your cloud it's completely disorienting. Splintered is that book. Like many of you I grew up loving Alice In Wonderland. I'll admit it gave me some pretty interesting nightmares as a kid but mostly I fell in love with curious Alice, the goofy Mad Hatter and especially that clever albeit creepy Cheshire Cat. So, with that being said, I'm always apprehensive when a re-telling or continuation comes along. Luckily Splintered does real justice to our Alice. Howard pays tribute to Carroll's story while at the same time creating her own version. The mixture of Carrollian nonsense and whimsy mixed with real emotion and depth of character make this the perfect companion to the original tale. I think Mr. Carroll would be proud.LIKES:Wonderfully dark - Howard definitely does not shy away from the unsettling and morbid. That's part of what makes this such a cool reading experience. Alyssa, our heroine, is an artist. Her medium: dead bugs. This could be considered just gross until you find out that she can speak to bugs. Just as a little taste here's the first couple of lines of Splintered:"I've been collecting bugs since I was ten; it's the only way I can stop their whispers. Sticking a pin through the gut of an insect shuts it up pretty quick." And we're off to a running start. Wow. Now, I admit that I have an aversion to bugs so I feel no sympathy for them. Had this been a sentence about puppies I would have shut the book immediately. However, bugs are fair game and this line is just so raw and full of angst and ick that it sucked me right in. This darkness follows throughout the whole story. One of the best parts about this book is Alyssa having to face her own darkness. It really enhances the story and makes it a lot of fun to read.I actually like the (sort of) love triangle - Okay, so I don't know if this can actually be considered a love triangle, but that's probably why I enjoyed it. Alyssa loves Jeb. They are obviously meant to be together. He's sweet, trustworthy, fun and super duper hot, also human. Then there's Mothra *cough* I mean Morpheus. Also hot, and snarky, amazing and magical. But her love for Morpheus seems more platonic. They have a mutual admiration for one another and an unbreakable bond. Even if he wants more. Still, I loved the back and forth between the guys. It added a lot of humor to the story.MORPHEUS!!! - Three things you need to know about this guy: he is the ultimate bad boy, he has an adorable British accent, and he has an insurrection hat. I'm sold. The only problem was that I couldn't picture him as he was described. I adore Once Upon a Time and all I could picture when reading this was Jefferson. But I'm cool with that.I mean seriously how can I not? Good grief.Plenty of Wonderland for purists - One of the things I was most worried about was how Wonderland would be portrayed. Would it be recognizable? Gladly, Splintered is filled with allusions to the original book. One of the most fun parts of reading this book was finding all of the little Alice Easter eggs hidden inside its pages. Although all of the characters have been changed in some way, they are still recognizable and Howard ties the stories together brilliantly.DISLIKES:Sometimes Alyssa makes me shake my head - Okay so it's not like Alyssa is stupid by any means but some of her decisions can be filed under "things that make me go 'hmm'". A great example is when she decides to get a forged passport and fly to England by herself. Apparently our heroine has never seen Locked Up Abroad. Too much explanation of things we should be able to figure out on our own - this is probably the only thing that really bothered me about this book. Although they were relatively few, there were several instances where the author explained too much about the plot, when it would have been more fun to figure it out on my own. Luckily this didn't happen too often and it didn't really damage the reading experience.Even with the couple of flaws that I found I have to give this book five stars. I was completely captivated by Alyssa, Jeb and all of the netherlings. Howard has managed to create a new version of Wonderland that is just as exciting, enticing and mad as the original. I know it may only be January but I would be surprised if this one doesn't end up on my best of 2013 list. It was just that good. I can't wait to see what else A.G. Howard does with her writing. I'll certainly be first in line to read her next book.
    • 5/5
      Whoa. Definitely a solid five stars on this one, guys. One of the most breathtaking debuts I've read in the last few years to be sure. "Splintered" does a whole new take on the "Alice" tale, though there are some definite tips of the hat to American McGee's "Alice to be sure. If you love "Alice" as much as I do (both the original and McGee's versions), you simply must, must, must check out "Splintered".Okay, where do I start? Um. Morpheus. I don't really usually 'do' book boyfriends/girlfriends (no pun intended, seriously), but uh, he ranks up there with Leigh Bardugo's Darkling from her "Grisha" trilogy and Hannah Moskowitz's Teeth from "Teeth" as a book boyfriend I'd totally have. Morpheus is just one of the absolutely awesomely crafted characters in this book - which makes me all the more sad it's a standalone. Or it seems to be for now. More on that later. The character building in this debut was nothing short of amazing - beautifully polished, and everyone got their own character growth/journey arc (one of my personal benchmarks for good character building). Even Morpheus, even though he was the semi-antagonist for most of the book. Alyssa is also kind of a badass - especially with the opening pages on how she deals with "The Alice Curse" that her family has had for the last three generations. Jeb...well, I feel like he was the weakest character of the bunch, but he was still well-built enough for me to enjoy. If there had to be any last-minute fixes, it'd be building Jeb up just a bit more. But the fact that even he gets his own journey arc was really nice, so that kind of made up for the bits of weakness wherever the character building itself was concerned. Everyone got to take their own personal journey within the larger story as a whole, and when you're tackling something as hard as redoing "Alice"...well, anyone who can do that, to you I tip my hat. There's a lot of pain in this book - real life pain. Dealing with parents that are far from perfect (and one that's most likely mad), having a crush on your childhood friend and not having that requited, and dealing with the possibility that you, yourself, may inherit said one parent's mental illness. That's pretty heavy stuff. But instead of couching it in depression, Howard couches it in adventure and magical realism, which can be very hard to do correctly. But because she tortures the hell out of her characters and kills her darlings with glee, she pulls it off. While she doesn't offer any solid answers aside from keeping communication lines open with one's parents and friends during times of need, she does show that this pain will make you grow, though you yourself have to determine in which direction that growth will go - good or bad, right or wrong, forward or backward in your own life. I thought that was a very cleverly whittled bit of wisdom, and it's not really there on the surface. You'll have to get to the last page to figure that one out. But the fact that it's in there at all and not as a "moral of the story" was great.Even the love triangle. Yes, I said it. I didn't mind the love triangle here, because both boys represent Alyssa's future paths. Much like in books that I've loved this year so far like "The Madman's Daughter", the love triangle here is Alyssa's fork in the road in terms of her future. Will she take her rightful place in Wonderland at Morpheus' side? Or will she stay in reality with Jeb? Choosing Morpheus means choosing the fate of her mother - madness/mental illness, and Jeb means stability and working toward avoiding her mother's fate. So, when an author does that - making characters actual potential routes that the character can take - with a love triangle? I'm down with that. And it wasn't too annoying.Finally, the worldbuilding. I absolutely love the idea of "netherlings" and how this version of Wonderland is very, very dark. Here's where the homage to McGee comes in - I felt that a lot of the darker parts of this book that happened within Wonderland as a setting were tributes to him. Like the White Rabbit, the most obvious example. But the sensory language and imagery is enough to make one drool, it's so detailed. It felt painstakingly built, and it generally felt like one of the most original versions of Wonderland I've seen so far in terms of retellings. It was that lovely.Final verdict? If you're an "Alice" fan, you simply must give this book a whirl. If not, still give it a try - you might find that you like it quite a bit! "Splintered" is out now from Abrams in North America, so definitely check this book out when you get the chance. It's definitely one of the best of 2013 so far.(posted to goodreads, shelfari, librarything, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
    • 2/5
      There are a number of things about Splintered that work very well - the concept retelling of Alice in Wonderland in a darker, much creepier version of the fantasy land, the lovely writing itself - but the things that didn't (the characters, oi, the characters!, and the first-person present tense used) ended up spoiling the rest of the novel for me personally. A.G. Howard is a new author that has promise, but this debut novel just didn't pan out for me during its nearly 400-page length. I will be interested to see where she goes following this, and will still probably attempt her next novel despite my less than enthusiastic reaction for this one.From page 25, when obvious love interest and character Jeb is introduced to the plot, I started to have problems. I took issue with his personality and his proprietary and controlling interest in main character Alyssa's life. I Did Not Like: his pushy and possessive attitude, as well as what he does throughout the two's journey into Wonderland (his taken status against with his actions towards Alyssa). I can take a lot of bad if I like/care about the characters, but between Jeb's boorish presentation and Alyssa's often immature attitudes (and not to mention shady Morpheus's angle), I couldn't muster up enough energy to care about what happened to any of them. Alyssa's thoughts and reactions are all over the place - I just couldn't get a line on who she was, even 300 pages in. Jeb never grows from his initial appearance, and Morpheus... is an obvious creep.Aside from some admittedly skilled writing, and some truly creative/creepy (creapy?) interpretations of Wonderland staples - the Rabid White, the zombified flowers - I wasn't ever engaged in the story being told. The reinvented ideas of Wonderland are interesting and fun, but they are nowhere near substantive enough to make me rate this any higher than a 2/5. I ended this underwhelmed, frustrated with a totally unnecessary love-triangle among one-dimensional and irritating characters, and disappointed that this highly-anticipated novel was such a letdown. I think I will be in the minority with my less than favorable opinion on Splintered, but if I can't connect to the characters, and though I can definitely appreciate the technical merits of the story, it's a miss for me.Short story even shorter: brilliant concept, stuttered execution, poor character development. No, thank you.
    • 5/5
      This has got to be one of the best book I have read in 2013. It's told in such powerful way, I want nothing more than to read it over and over again! There are certain elements in this book that keeps me at the edge of my seat. One of them being in Wonderland itself. I've always adore the classic, Alice In Wonderland and the real story behind it. To bring a story like this and re-tale it is amazing. I literally sat amazed at the story, my eyes locked on every word soaking it all in. The way it moved at a pace where the reader not only understood but followed the white rabbit down the hole, I didn't think I ever come out.The love interest in the story is another element that I adored. A best friend and love overlooked, these two characters have bonded over a long time. Faced with trouble, their feelings finally come out and I can't help but swoon. Seriously, I smiled like the Cheshire cat, giggled like a teenage girl, and sighed. I love that there love was not an insta-love but a love built over time. Even when bad things came out and the story was over, their love is still fresh and fierce. That is the way all love interest should be.Overall, Splintered is a tale like no other. Written beautifully that it captures every readers heart, you want this book on your shelf. For much of the story, the hunt to break the curse entrances the reader to keep reading, to find the key! A riveting tale, Splintered is fan-freaking-tastic!
    • 4/5
      I don't really know how to describe this truly original creation. We are drawn down the rabbit hole with one of Alice's relatives so that she may battle the voices of bugs and flowers (who knew they spoke?) and save her mother from being kept in an insane asylum forever. The book jacket in itself is a work of art and I have to admit I did stop and stare at it from time to time. Splintered enters the world of the fairy tale again but it is a more sinister story than the original creation. Anyone who is a fan of a magical place that is a bit warped will enjoy Alyssa's trip into Wonderland.
    • 5/5
      Wow. Splintered is one of the best debuts I've read all year. It seriously blew me away. I was scared to read it because it had such a gorgeous cover, and I've heard such great things about it, so I had really high expectations. I was not disappointed. Howard is a fantastic edition to the talented ranks of YA authors. The world-buliding was amazing, the characters were all unique and well-developed, and the plot was insane (in a good way). I'd recommend this book to anyone, and I know I will re-read it a billion times. Splintered cannot be missed. The thing that stood out the most in this book was the world-building. Howard did an outstanding job at painting the landscape of Wonderland. I felt like I was actually there. I could easily picture the craziness that constituted Wonderland, and the insanity that surrounded Alyssa's life before she went to Wonderland. Even though I have never (thankfully) had bugs or plants talk to me, I still felt like I could relate to Alyssa because Howard made things so easy to imagine. I haven't had a reading experience like that in a long time. The characters were unbelievably well-developed and unique, especially the Wonderland characters. I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters, even though no one was what they seemed. Howard kept me guessing about everyone, even Alyssa. I trusted Alyssa as a narrator, but she didn't even know who or what she was... other than kick-ass. Okay, well she didn't realize she was kick-ass, but I did, She was a strong and independent lead. She wasn't bratty, emo, or selfish, even though she had a tough life. She grew even stronger over the course of the novel, too, which I liked. Jeb was a terrific love interest, and for once, I was on the side of the nice guy. Morpheus grew on me, but I still liked Jeb better. Jeb was also unique, and was a bit of a "rebel," but he was still sweet. Morpheus was extremely selfish for a good part of the book. However, both Jeb and Morpheus evolved throughout the course of the novel, too. You don't see the love interests growing in most books, so this was a pleasant surprise. The other secondary characters, from both Wonderland and the mortal realm, stood out, too. There were no filler characters in this book. The plot itself was non-stop suspense, but not a whole lot of action. There was tons of adventure, but not many "fight scenes" or anything like that. It was still impossible to put this book down, and the pacing was perfect. While there was a bit of love triangle, there was no insta-love, and there never was really any choice. Basically one guy served as a temptation while the other was the one Alyssa actually wanted. However, things got a bit complicated, and I'm curious to see if this will be a standalone novel or part of a series. The ending tied things up nicely, but there is room for a sequel if Howard and Amulet so choose. Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone, especially if they loved Alice in Wonderland. The world Howard created is a bit darker than Carroll's, but I liked it more because of that. I don't know what else to say other than this book is amazing. Give it a try. You won't be sorry.
    • 5/5
      Because I love everything 'Alice in Wonderland,' I decided to read 'Splintered' when I was putting up new books at work. I saw the cover and thought it was absolutely beautiful. After reading the inside cover, I knew I had to read the book. I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it. I didn't want to put it down. It has been awhile since I've been able to see every detail of a book so clearly. But, it came so easily to me while reading 'Splintered.' It was a great twist on 'Alice in Wonderland.' Something I may reread one day.
    • 2/5
      Such GREAT potential - a dark, moody, gothic, modern take on the Lewis Carrol Alice in Wonderland tale. But goes no where. Slow. I was bored half-way through and struggled to finish. The author seems too intent on describing every little detail of clothing and hair styles rather than advance her plot - like she's secretly hoping someone will make the movie so she can see it on the big screen. I mean seriously - the author explains EVERYTHING! Also, there where spelling and grammatical errors, which makes me think even the publisher's couldn't get into reading it to catch these glaring mistakes. (Seriously, even Spell Check knows you don't spell it "theif"!) Potential wasted. Just like the time I spent reading it.
    • 4/5
      This was an amazing debut paranormal story about a girl named Alyssa who must travel to Wunderland to defeat a curse that has been in her family for generations which causes the women to go mad. Alyssa fears that she will be next. She is already hearing what insects and plants have to say. She is also torn between her best friend Jeb and the mysterious Morpheus who haunts her dreams.The story is filled with wonder and magic and dark and light. Alyssa has many hard choices to make. Her choices are even more difficult because Morpheus has his own agenda and is constantly lying to Alyssa. The novel is loosely based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland but this one emphasizes the creepy and deals with one of Alice's descendants who is a young adult. I loved Alyssa's relationship with Jeb who has been her protector for years. Their families live in adjoining duplexes. Both have had hard childhoods. Alyssa has had to deal with a mother in an insane asylum who cut her hands with hedge clippers and left her terribly scarred. Jeb's father was an abusive alcoholic who left masses of burn scars all over Jeb's body. But both Alyssa and Jeb are talented artists. Alyssa's medium is a little weird. She does mosaics made from dead bugs. And, unknown to Alyssa, Jeb's favorite model is Alyssa who he consistently draws as though she were from Wunderland.Morpheus is the more complex character of the two boys. His hidden agenda and constant manipulation of Alyssa makes it hard to like him. But Alyssa comes to remember the childhood they had together in Wunderland and is always making allowances for him. Yet Alyssa isn't following his path blindly. She is making decisions that she must according to her own sense of right and wrong. She is a strong character who can make good choices.The magical world that Howard created was vivid and amazing. I loved her take on the characters from Alice in Wonderland. Fantasy lovers will enjoy this story and might even be tempted to pick up the original Alice in Wonderland to see how Howard transformed it.
    • 4/5
      This title is a delectably twisted take on the Alice in Wonderland story. From the very beginning, Howard establishes a new world. Stories based on others run the risk of breaking from the intent of the original, but Howard's tale remains true. It's the story of Alice for grown-ups, one that will thrill and keep readers on the edge of their seats until the end.
    • 5/5
      So letting me start out by saying A-Freaking-Mazing! This book is awesome and just look at that wickedly cool cover! I love the vivid colors, the artistic design, the model's unique features that remind me of a startled Kewpie doll with dreds. I first looked into reading this book because of the cover, and boy oh boy am I glad.Do not be fooled into thinking that this is another retake on the Alice in Wonderland tale by Lewis Carroll... it isn't. Howard took Carroll's tale, fast forwarded a few generations later and told the story of that generation's entrance into wonderland. The reader learns while following the main character Alyssa (aka AL) that the original telling isn't too far from the truth but was much more sinister than the fairytale makes us believe. This plot is so rich that I actually feel a stomach ache from the depth of it, almost as if I binged on too much chocolate cake but totally in a good way. I cannot express how awe inspiring Howard's book is, how complicated and well tied her storyline is delivered. Simply A-Freaking-Mazing!As for the writing, yeah Howard knows a thing or two about writing. I always complain that series take way too long to end. Well here's me eating my words, I Do Not want Splintered to be a single book. Oh , Ms. Howard, tell me Splintered will be a series, pretty please?Howards writing was so well done, pacing so smooth, details spot on, that I felt as if I was watching a movie (a Alice in Wonderland Tim Burton style but better movie) Obviously, there is no need to say that Howard's word building is perfection, or that the turn of phrases make my toes curl in pleasure. This book should obviously be optioned for a movie or television series. Again, pretty please?As for the character's in Spintered. I was BLOWN away. Howard really cooked her character's well. She's kneaded them, pounded them, and molded them into well shaped piping hot confections of personality. Each had personal agendas that Howard never let you in on but did eventually explain. Each, was shaped by their circumstances, most with extreme baggage that would weigh heavily on you or I, just as It did them. What's more is they grew from their baggage, which tested them and pushed them into being more. Al was a heroine to cheer for and I felt her anguish and frustration at her circumstances, while Jeb was a true knight in tarnished misguided armor, and Morpheus, oh Morpheus tickled me pink! It's hard to really do Howard's character's and supporting character's justice. They were all so colorful and well designed that I am in LOVE. Yes, madly in love with Howard, who is now one of my favorite authors and one I promise you should all keep an eye on.Overall, I cannot truly express how fantastic Spintered is. If there was a virtual mountain top for me to shout its praises I would because yes, I loved the work that much. It has been the BEST book read thus for this year and I highly suggest to anyone and everyone that they pre-order a copy of this amazing novel. It's dark and unique, and a gem of an original that will wow the socks right off of you by the end of the book. E-galley was provided by the publisher for a honest review, for which I am extremely grateful, thanks so much!
    • 5/5
      Ooh, what to say about this wonderful book! I'm such an Alice In Wonderland fan: the books and movies, etc. Let's just say that this take on the story didn't disappoint. A.G. Howard came through as an amazing story-teller with her debut novel.Howard uses the original tale as a guideline but manages to make this version of Wonderland all her own. And this one is even more creepily fantastic. It was so much fun journeying through this "new" Wonderland with Alyssa and Jeb and meeting the inhabitants of this world.One of the greatest things about this novel are the plot twists. In true Wonderland fashion, nothing is at it seems. You're just frolicking along with Alyssa thinking you know what's going to happen next, etc, and then bam, uhm no. I definitely had a few "edge-of-my-seat" moments, especially in the last quarter of the book.By the end of the book I was disappointed to leave this story. I still wanted more. Honestly, it ended so perfectly though and I felt everything got wrapped up nicely. This would have been fantastic as a stand-alone so I'm not sure how a sequel is going to work. I won't complain about another chance to be in Wonderland, however.This was a short review, but it's truly one of those books that a reader needs to experience on their own. I definitely recommend everyone that is into this type of genre to read this book, meet the characters and get absorbed in this world.
    • 5/5
      I adore anything Alice in Wonderland related and this was no exception. Brilliantly imaginative but contains relevant issues. Loved it!
    • 3/5
      Imagine Hot Topic were a book. This is that book. It is "I am unique and special while being exactly the same as everyone else!" turned into a novel. Wildly mediocre.
    • 5/5
      Wow!! That about sums it up for me. For some reason after I received a galley copy of Splintered I stalled on reading this book, but once I started I couldn't put it down.Howard has an amazing way with words, that pulled me into the story immediately. The characters, the setting, the romance, and the adventure were all exquisitely done. Am I gushing? I think so, but I also think it is deserved.Alyssa is a skater girl with a crush on the boy next door, who just happens to be dating her nemesis. But Howard doesn't fall into the easy trap of stereotypes. Alyssa is weird, artsy, and likeable. Jeb is hot, nice, and the kind of guy I would have crushed on when I was younger. The connection between the two of them is evident immediately and there were so many points during the book where the interactions between them were heart wrenching. When Morpheus is added to the mix, Howard managed to create an intriguing love triangle that contributed to the story instead of taking over.I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland a few years ago and it didn't capture my interest. I had a hard time visualizing a lot of what the world looked like. Maybe that's why it took me so long to read this. Having seen the movie after as well as a theater production of it after I did at least appreciate the finer points. While reading Splintered a lot of little pieces clicked with me and I loved how I was able to connect it back to Lewis's work. Do you need to read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to follow Splintered? No. But it wouldn't hurt.As of right now this is my top read this year. I absolutely can't wait to read the next book in the series!
    • 5/5
      4Q, 5P. I was one of those kids who was deeply fascinated with "Alice In Wonderland" which is why I was so drawn to this contemporary remaking of Lewis Carroll's classic novel. I found the story to be a fascinating and entertaining twist on the "truth" behind the original "Alice in Wonderland" tale. Alyssa is a descendant of the little Alice who first plunged into the rabbit hole and began the entire mess that has now caused the women in her family to be cursed - hearing plants and bugs, seeing things that others cannot see. Alyssa believes that her mother, who is incarcerated in an insane asylum, is truly crazy and that she is about to follow in her genetic footsteps until she is given some assistance that leads her to know how very real Wonderland is. Alyssa must jump into the rabbit hole once more in order to save her family from the curse, but she might just lose herself along the way. I enjoyed how A. G. Howard twined her tale and Carroll's together into a unique and fantastic story plot. It intrigued me the way in which she melded the horrific version of Wonderland with the censored Disney version. What I did not care for was the cliched and surface level romance between Alyssa and Jeb (and Alyssa and Morpheus). The kissing scenes could have been cut out and the knight-in-shining-armor personality could have been toned down. Otherwise I thought this was a fast and enjoyable book for young adults.
    • 5/5
      A.G. Howard does a phenomenal job of taking the well established tale of Alice in Wonderland, and taken it a step further. Through magical twists and turns you will never be disappointed. This novel is for all those day dreamers who always knew there was more under the surface, and never stopped believing in the white rabbit.
    • 4/5
      It's always a little nerve-wracking to start watching or reading something that you have been waiting for with high hopes. And it's even worse to have said the object of that anticipation start off slowly...but thankfully, Splintered won me over, and we'll all live happily ever after. For now.

      Splintered hit a lot of the high points for me in terms of what I'm looking for in a story that's a retelling or reimagining of another story. Top of that list is imagination -- I like seeing thing I recognize from the original, but the retelling needs to be full of lots of new and interesting ideas, it will hopefully surprise me and keep me guessing, even if, in the end, the story turns out the way the original did -- it just gets there using different means.

      A.G. Howard is VERY imaginative! The ways in which she took the source material of Lewis Carroll's story were fantastic (in several senses of the word!) While I was waiting for my copy (I was planning on reading this as an e-book on release day, only to be thwarted: the e-book version doesn't release until the 15th), I downloaded a free copy of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." I'm not sure I've ever actually read it, or if I did, it was many many years ago. A person would not have to have read the book, because so much of Alice's world is a part of our popular culture, but I think that having the original so fresh definitely enhanced my enjoyment of this book.

      There were a couple of places where the writing seemed a little uneven to me, but those were minor. Something that bugged me was the constant reference to Jeb's labret (a piercing below the lip, above the chin). I didn't mind that he had it, a piercing like that definitely brings to mind a certain type of guy, but I felt like I was being pummeled over the head with it, and it would take me out of the story for a moment.

      All in all, I quite enjoyed this book, the first of my debut author challenge reads and hope that Howard writes more. I would love to see her imagination and creativity at work in future books, and I'm guessing her writing will just get better as time goes on.
    • 3/5
      First off, let me get the superficial things out of the way. Splintered is a gorgeous book. The cover is amazing, and I especially liked the fact that the publisher chose to use purple ink for the pages. There are interesting designs at the start of each chapter, and you can just really tell that presentation was important to everyone involved when it came to this book. Unfortunately, for me, that amazing detail and artistic presence didn't translate to the story text itself.(NOTE: I apologize for the overuse of ALL CAPS in this review. Sometimes it's just the only way to properly express one's feelings!)It's never a good sign when you spend most of the reading experience frustrated with at least one character. It's really not good when you also spend most of the book actively disliking another. But such was the case with Splintered. This book just really annoyed me, which was a shame because the whole idea behind it - a retelling of sorts of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - should have been right up my alley. I wanted to know why the women in Alyssa's family seemingly all suffered from some form of mental illness. I was curious about what kind of mistakes Alice made that needed to be fixed. And I really wanted to root for Alyssa, who seemed to be fighting against so much. Instead, I spent every second she was in Wonderland wanting to reach through the pages and strangle her, because she was just. So. FRUSTRATING.We all know those stupid females in horror movies who run upstairs to get away from the baddie instead of out the door, right? Well, that was Alyssa to a tee; instead of trusting HERSELF (or at least listening to Jeb, who was the voice of reason here, even though he definitely had his own faults), Alyssa kept diving headfirst into situations put in her path by Morpheus, who was CLEARLY using her for his own gains. For me personally, after walking blind into the first problem because of his misinformation, I would stop taking his word on things, you know? But this was not what Alyssa did, and it just really made me want to pull my hair out.Now, to be fair, I don't think people were really supposed to like Morpheus. Or at least, you weren't supposed to like his actions or reasons for them (I think we were supposed to find the man himself quite sexy, which, no). The thing I really hated was the fact that, if he'd just been straight with her, she probably would have done what was necessary ANYWAY because of the ridiculous bond they seemed to have. Even after everything came out, there wasn't anything mentioned that said he couldn't tell her, unless I just skipped over that accidentally during my eye-rolling (it's possible, because I did quite a lot of eye-rolling). I HATE when a book is built on misinformation and manipulation, and that's precisely what the ENTIRE STORY of Splintered revolved around.Plus: A love triangle? REALLY? AND it's the first in a series? I personally loved the ending, the sort of open-endedness of it, which allowed the reader to think about things. But now there's going to be a book two, which is probably going to have even MORE love triangle junk, and, seriously, publishers, STOP IT. Sometimes one book really is enough!Here's what I did like: Alyssa's journey from a scared girl to a strong heroine. The twisting of Carroll's tale into something much more sinister and dark. The way you could still tell who the characters were, even if they didn't precisely look like the ones you're familiar with (whether from the book itself or the Disney film). Alyssa's dad, who loved her unconditionally. The creepy factor. The twist regarding Alice and her descendants. Alyssa's actual trip through Wonderland and everything she encounters.As far as the actual retelling part, Splintered is pretty sound, annoying characters excluded. Even though I came away from this book more frustrated than anything else, I still found some things enjoyable. Much of the ratings drop is due solely to my feelings for Morpheus and Alyssa's inability to realize he was manipulating her, so feel free to take the rating itself - and this entire review - with a grain of salt. After all, reading is probably one of the most subjective hobbies out there, so your mileage may vary!
    • 4/5
      Alyssa is a high school senior, her mother is in a mental institution, and her crush is dating her nemesis. As if that weren't enough for a teenage girl to worry about, Alyssa is also cursed. Alyssa's great-great-great grandmother was Alice, as in the Alice who went down the rabbit hole. As a result of Alice's actions in wonderland, all the women in Alice's family have been been plagued with the ability to hear the voices of flowers and insects. When Alyssa comes of age, she starts hearing the voices too and worries she'll end up just like her mother. Alyssa is determined to find a way to rid herself and her mother of the curse before it's too late. When a shadowy figure named Morpheus shows up from Alyssa's memories she realizes it might not be as hard as she thought to find wonderland but finding out who she can trust in this fantastical new world is another story. Splintered was a creative and entertaining twist on Lewis Carrol's time-honored tale. I thoroughly enjoyed venturing to this darker version of wonderland and meeting all the more mischievous versions of the classic characters, as well as some very interesting new ones. Overall, apart from a few sluggish parts, Splintered was an enjoyably creepy and well-paced read.
    • 3/5
      I love the overall concept - twisting the tale of Alice in Wonderland to make it something completely new and surprising. The wonderland characters were interesting and I really liked the darkness to them. Overall, the book was enjoyable but there were some things that just made me just utter a huh?".
    • 4/5
      4 Stars for the creativity of this book. What a wonderful world Howard created. I really liked all the characters with all their flaws. The imagery was beautiful.I don't know if this is actually a YA book or not, but that would be my one complaint...the romance was really juvenile and predictable.
    • 4/5
      Mini Book Review: I never understood the appeal for Alice when I was growing up, so even-though the cover hooked me in, I was reluctant to read this one. Glad I didn't just give this one away. Absolutely fabulous, unique, dark, creepy and her talent with words, mood and setting are positively awe inspiring. The story dragged a wee bit but not horribly so. Also, there is a love triangle (though I totally can see why she is attracted to both of the boys - yummy - I know ick ick kinda cougarish) which kinda irritates me but hey I am not the intended audience as I am old. Once again I want to mention the cover as it is truly perfect for the book (my copy even has the cover and chapter for the next book) This is a truly unique and imaginative take on the Wonderland tale. I am looking forward to what happens in the next, and hopefully only book, in the series (I am really tiring of trilogies because in most cases, the 2nd book is usually just lame filler. Favorite Quotes "We turn to find Morpheus standing there with enough rage in his black eyes to send the Devil packing for heaven.""It's okay that you have a little bad inside. So do I."You know, you should never trust a woman with green skin. Just ask any man who's had a hangover from absinthe.""Mysterious. Rebellious. Troubled. All those qualities women find irresistible."4 Dewey's I picked up a copy of this at Book Expo America 2013 based on the fabulous cover
    • 5/5
      I *hate* how long this took for me to finish. Seriously. It wasn't the book's fault, but man. I really wanted to know how it all ended, yet I didn't want to know because I really didn't want it to end. Before I was even finished I wanted to go back to the beginning and read it all over. I wanted Alyssa to realize her dreams, wishes, but at the same time I was anxious because as dark, terrifying, and confusing as the world was, I didn't want to leave it yet.I really liked that it wasn't just a retelling, but that it happens later, down the ancestral line. I think that made it more interesting for me. I don't know if it's because I've never read the original (own, never read. Sad... but true story) or if I would feel that way even if. We shall never know.The writing. Oh, the writing. Descriptions galore. I loved how Wonderland seemed so beautifully dark. I'm not sure I have ever been so captivated by a place in a book. I definitely want more of that.I also want more of AG Howard's chemistry. It was palpable, visceral. I sincerely went back and read parts just to feel it all over again. The characters were flawed, real. They had attachments for one another that were 100% believable. I'm not sure what will happen in the future, but as of now, I'm totally down for Jeb and Alyssa. The tension, the chemistry, the unconditional love... I can't wait to see what Howard does with it all.But nothing is ever black and white. I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate that Howard has me questioning my utter dislike of a certain character. We shall see how the story progresses in Unhinged, but I'm hoping my dislike can continue. :) Speaking of continuing... in order to continue this one must end, right? Of course. And the ending to this one? Superbly done. It was plausible, believable, sad, heartwarming, and made me angry all at the same time.I would recommend this book to lots of people, whether they are a fan of Carroll's Wonderland or not, and especially if they like dark fantasy.

    Book preview

    Splintered (Splintered Series #1) - A. G. Howard

    hears the thoughts of plants and animals. She hides her delusions for now, but she knows her fate: she will end up like her mother, in an institution. Madness has run in her family ever since her great-great-great-grandmother Alice Liddell told Lewis Carroll her strange dreams, inspiring his classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

    But perhaps she’s not mad. And perhaps Carroll’s stories aren’t as whimsical as they first seem.

    To break the curse of insanity, Alyssa must go down the rabbit hole and right the wrongs of Wonderland, a place full of strange beings with dark agendas. Alyssa brings her real-world crush—the protective Jeb—with her, but once her journey begins, she’s torn between his solidity and the enchanting, dangerous magic of Morpheus, her guide to Wonderland.

    But no one in Wonderland is who they seem to be—not even Alyssa herself . . .

    PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

    Howard, A. G. (Anita G.)

    Splintered / by A. G. Howard.

    p. cm.

    Summary: A descendant of the inspiration for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,

    sixteen-year-old Alyssa Gardner fears she is mentally ill like her mother until she finds

    that Wonderland is real and, if she passes a series of tests to fix Alice’s mistakes,

    she may save her family from their curse.

    ISBN 978-1-4197-0428-4 (hardback)

    [1. Supernatural—Fiction. 2. Characters in literature—Fiction. 3. Blessing and

    cursing—Fiction. 4. Mental illness—Fiction. 5. Mothers and Daughters—Fiction.

    6. Hargreaves, Alice Pleasance Liddell, 1852–1934—Fiction.] I. Title.

    PZ7.H83222Spl 2013

    [Fic]—dc23

    2012011538

    Text copyright © 2013 Anita Howard

    Book design by Maria T. Middleton

    Published in 2013 by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

    Amulet Books and Amulet Paperbacks are registered trademarks of

    Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

    Amulet Books are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For details, contact specialsales@abramsbooks.com or the address below.

    115 West 18th Street

    New York, NY 10011

    www.abramsbooks.com

    To my husband and real-life hero, Vince, and to my two wonderful children, Nicole and Ryan. You embraced my dream as if it were your own and gave me the courage to keep flying until I grasped that beautiful shooting star.

    Contents

    1 One-Way Ticket to Underland

    2 Barbed Wire & Black Wings

    3 The Spider & the Fly

    4 Butterfly Threads

    5 Treasure

    6 Into the Rabbit Hole

    7 The Ocean of Tears

    8 Octobenus

    9 Morpheus

    10 Curiouser & Curiouser

    11 Jabberlock

    12 The Feast of Beasts

    13 Hattington

    14 Cages

    15 Lifelines

    16 Hush

    17 Stolen Smiles & Broken Toys

    18 Checkmate

    19 Chessie

    20 Sacrifices

    21 Loose Ends

    Acknowledgments

    About the Author

    I’ve been collecting bugs since I was ten; it’s the only way I can stop their whispers. Sticking a pin through the gut of an insect shuts it up pretty quick.

    Some of my victims line the walls in shadow boxes, while others get sorted into mason jars and placed on a bookshelf for later use. Crickets, beetles, spiders … bees and butterflies. I’m not picky. Once they get chatty, they’re fair game.

    They’re easy enough to capture. All you need is a sealed plastic bucket filled with Kitty Litter and a few banana peels sprinkled in. Drill a hole in the lid, slide in a PVC pipe, and you have a bug snare. The fruit peels attract them, the lid traps them, and the ammonia from the litter smothers and preserves them.

    The bugs don’t die in vain. I use them in my art, arranging their corpses into outlines and shapes. Dried flowers, leaves, and glass pieces add color and texture to the patterns formed on plaster backgrounds. These are my masterpieces … my morbid mosaics.

    School let out at noon today for the upperclassmen. I’ve been passing the last hour working on my newest project. A jar of spiders sits among the art tools cluttering my desk.

    The sweet scent of goldenrod breezes through my bedroom window. There’s a field of herbs next door to my duplex, attracting a genus of crab spider that changes color—like eight-legged chameleons—in order to move undetected among the yellow or white blooms.

    Twisting off the jar’s lid, I dip out thirty-five of the small white arachnids with long tweezers, careful not to squish their abdomens or break their legs. With tiny straight pins, I secure them onto a black-tinted plaster background already covered with beetles selected for their iridescent night-sky sheen. What I’m envisioning isn’t a typical spatter of stars; it’s a constellation that coils like feathery bolts of lightning. I have hundreds of warped scenes like this filling my head and no idea where they came from. My mosaics are the only way to get them out.

    Leaning back in my chair, I study the piece. Once the plaster dries, the insects will be permanently in place, so if any adjustments need to be made, it has to be done quickly.

    Glancing at the digital clock beside my bed, I tap my bottom lip. I have less than two hours before I have to meet Dad at the asylum. It’s been a Friday tradition ever since kindergarten, to get chocolate-cheesecake ice cream at the Scoopin’ Stop and take it to share with Alison.

    Brain freeze and a frozen heart are not my idea of fun, but Dad insists it’s therapy for all of us. Maybe he thinks by seeing my mom, by sitting where I might one day live, I’ll somehow beat the odds.

    Too bad he’s wrong.

    At least one good thing has come out of my inherited insanity. Without the delusions, I might never have found my artistic medium.

    My obsession with bugs started on a Friday in fifth grade. It had been a rough one. Taelor Tremont told everyone that I was related to Alice Liddell, the girl who inspired Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

    Since Alice was, in fact, my great-great-great-grandmother, my classmates teased me during recess about dormice and tea parties. I thought things couldn’t get much worse until I felt something on my jeans and realized, mortified, that I got my period for the first time and was totally unprepared. On the verge of tears, I lifted a sweater from the lost-and-found pile just inside the main entrance and wrapped it around my waist for the short walk to the office. I kept my head down, unable to meet anyone’s gaze.

    I pretended to be sick and called my dad to pick me up. While I waited for him in the nurse’s office, I imagined a heated argument between the vase of flowers on her desk and the bumblebee buzzing around them. It was one powerful delusion, because I really heard it, as sure as I could hear the passing of students from one class to the next on the other side of the closed door.

    Alison had warned me of the day I would become a woman. Of the voices that would follow. I’d just assumed it was her mental instability making her say that …

    The whispers were impossible to ignore, just like the sobs building in my throat. I did the only thing I could: I denied what was happening inside me. Rolling a poster of the four basic food groups into a cylinder, I tapped the bee hard enough to stun it. Then I whisked the flowers out of the water and pressed them between the pages of a spiral notebook, to silence their chattering petals.

    When we got home, poor, oblivious Dad offered to make some chicken soup. I shrugged him off and went to my room.

    Do you think you’ll feel well enough to visit Mom later tonight? he asked from the hallway, always reluctant to upset Alison’s delicate sense of routine.

    I shut my door without answering. My hands shook and my blood felt jittery in my veins. There had to be an explanation for what had happened in the nurse’s office. I was stressed about the Wonderland jokes, and when my hormones kicked in, I’d had a panic attack. Yeah. That made sense.

    But I knew deep down I was lying to myself, and the last place I wanted to visit was an asylum. A few minutes later, I went back to the living room.

    Dad sat in his favorite recliner—a worn-out corduroy lump covered with daisy appliqués. In one of her spells, Alison had sewn the cloth flowers all over it. Now he would never part with the chair.

    You feeling better, Butterfly? he asked, looking up from his fishing magazine.

    Musty dampness blasted into my face from the air conditioner as I leaned against the closest wood-paneled wall. Our two-bedroom duplex had never offered much in the way of privacy, and on that day it felt smaller than ever before. The waves of his dark hair moved in the rattling gusts.

    I shuffled my feet. This was the part of being an only child I hated—having no one but Dad to confide in. I need some more stuff. They only gave us one sample.

    His eyes were blank, like those of a deer staring down traffic during morning rush hour.

    The special talk they give at school, I said, my stomach in knots. The one where boys aren’t invited? I flashed the purple pamphlet they’d handed out to all the girls in third grade. It was creased because I’d shoved it and the sample sanitary pad into a drawer beneath my socks.

    After an uncomfortable pause, Dad’s face flushed red. Oh. So that’s why … He suddenly became preoccupied with a colorful array of saltwater lures. He was embarrassed or worried or both, because there wasn’t any salt water within a five-hundred-mile radius of Pleasance, Texas.

    You know what this means, right? I pressed. Alison is going to give me the puberty speech again.

    The blush spread from his face to his ears. He flipped a couple of pages, staring blankly at the pictures. Well, who better to tell you about the birds and the bees than your mom. Right?

    An unspoken answer echoed inside my head: Who better but the bees themselves?

    I cleared my throat. Not that speech, Dad. The nutso one. The ‘It can’t be stopped. You can’t escape the voices any more than I could. Great-great-gran never should’ve gone down the rabbit hole’ speech.

    It didn’t matter that Alison might be right about the voices after all. I wasn’t ready to admit that to Dad or myself.

    He sat rigid, as if the air conditioner had iced his spine.

    I studied the crisscross scars on my palms. He and I both knew it was less what Alison was going to say than what she might do. If she had another meltdown, they’d slap her into the straitjacket.

    I learned early on why it’s spelled strait. That particular spelling means tight. Tight enough that blood pools in the elbows and the hands become numb. Tight enough that there’s no escape, no matter how loud the patient screams. Tight enough that it suffocates the hearts of the wearer’s loved ones.

    My eyes felt swollen, like they might burst another leak. Look, Dad, I’ve already had a really sucky day. Can we please just not go tonight? Just this once?

    Dad sighed. I’ll call Soul’s Asylum and let them know we’ll visit Mom tomorrow instead. But you’ll need to tell her eventually. It’s important to her, you know? To stay involved in your life.

    I nodded. I might have to tell her about becoming a woman, but I didn’t have to tell her about becoming her.

    Hooking a finger in the fuchsia scarf tied around my jean shorts, I glanced at my feet. Shiny pink toenails reflected the afternoon light where it streamed from the window. Pink had always been Alison’s favorite color. That’s why I wore it.

    Dad, I mumbled loud enough for him to hear. "What if Alison’s right? I’ve noticed some things today. Things that just aren’t … normal. I’m not normal."

    Normal. His lips turned up in an Elvis curl. He once told me his smirk won Alison over. I think it was his gentleness and sense of humor, because those two things kept me from crying every night after she was first committed.

    Rolling his magazine, he shoved it into the recliner between the seat cushion and the arm. He stood, his six-foot-one height towering over me as he tapped the dimple in my chin—the one part that matched him instead of Alison. "Now, you listen, Alyssa Victoria Gardner. Normal is subjective. Don’t ever let anyone tell you you’re not normal. Because you are to me. And my opinion is all that matters. Got it?"

    Got it, I whispered.

    Good. He squeezed my shoulder, his fingers warm and strong. Too bad the twitch in his left eyelid gave him away. He was worried, and he didn’t even know the half of it.

    I tossed and turned in bed that night. Once I finally fell asleep, I had the Alice nightmare for the first time, and it’s haunted my dreams ever since.

    In it, I stumble across a chessboard in Wonderland, tripping over jagged squares of black and white. Only I’m not me. I’m Alice in a blue dress and lacy pinafore, trying to escape the ticktock of the White Rabbit’s pocket watch. He looks like he’s been skinned alive—nothing but bones and bunny ears.

    The Queen of Hearts has commanded that my head be chopped off and stuck into a jar of formaldehyde. I’ve stolen the royal sword and am on the run, desperate to find the Caterpillar and the Cheshire Cat. They’re the only allies I have left.

    Ducking into a forest, I slice the sword at vines hanging in my path. A thicket of thorns sprouts from the ground. They snag my apron and gouge my skin like angry talons. Dandelion trees tower in every direction. I’m the size of a cricket, along with everyone else.

    Must’ve been something we ate …

    Close behind, the White Rabbit’s pocket watch ticks louder, audible even over the marching steps of a thousand playing-card soldiers. Choking on a cloud of dust, I plunge into the Caterpillar’s lair, where mushrooms loom with caps the size of truck tires. It’s a dead end.

    One look at the tallest mushroom and my heart caves. The place where the Caterpillar once sat to offer advice and friendship is a mass of thick white web. Something moves in the center, a face pressed against the filmy case, shifting just enough that I can make out the shape of the features yet see no clear details. I inch closer, desperate to identify who or what is inside … but the Cheshire Cat’s mouth floats by, screaming that he’s lost his body, and distracts me.

    The card army appears. Within an instant, I am surrounded. I toss out the sword blindly, but the Queen of Hearts steps forward and snatches it in midair. Falling to my knees at the army’s feet, I plead for my life.

    It’s pointless. Cards don’t have ears. And I no longer have a head.

    After covering my starry spider mosaic with a protective cloth while the plaster dries, I grab a quick lunch of nachos and drive over to Pleasance’s underground skate park to kill time before meeting Dad at the asylum.

    I’ve always felt at home here, in the shadows. The park is located in an old, abandoned salt dome, a huge underground cave with a ceiling reaching as high as forty-eight feet in places. Prior to the conversion, the dome had been used for storing bulk goods for a military base.

    The new owners took out the traditional lighting and, with some fluorescent paint and the addition of black lights, morphed it into every teen’s fantasy—a dark and atmospheric ultraviolet playground complete with a skateboard park, glow-in-the-dark miniature golf, an arcade, and a café.

    With its citrusy neon paint job, the giant cement bowl for skateboarders stands out like a green beacon. All skaters must sign a release form and put orange fluorescent grip tape on the decks of their boards to avoid collisions in the dark. From a distance, we look like we’re riding fireflies across the northern lights, sweeping in and out of one another’s glowing jet streams.

    I started boarding when I was fourteen. I needed a sport I could do while wearing my iPod and earbuds to muffle the whispers of stray bugs and flowers. For the most part, I’ve learned to ignore my delusions. The things I hear are usually nonsensical and random, and blend together in crackles and hums like radio static. Most of the time I can convince myself it’s nothing more than white noise.

    Yet there are moments when a bug or flower says something louder than the others—something timely, personal, or relevant—and throws me off my game. So when I’m sleeping or involved in anything that requires intense concentration, my iPod is crucial.

    At the skate park, everything from eighties music to alternative rock blasts from speakers and blocks out any possible distractions. I don’t even have to wear my earbuds. The only drawback is that Taelor Tremont’s family owns the place.

    She called before the grand opening two years ago. Thought you would be interested in what we’re naming the center, she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

    Yeah, why’s that? I attempted civility because her dad, Mr. Tremont, had contracted my dad’s sporting goods store to be the sole supplier for the megacenter. It’s a good thing, too, considering we had been on the verge of bankruptcy because of Alison’s medical bills. Also, as an added bonus, I got a free lifetime membership.

    Well … Taelor snickered softly. I heard her friends laughing in the background. I must’ve been on speakerphone. Dad wants to call it Wonderland. Giggles bubbled through the line. I thought you’d love it, knowing how proud you are of your great-great-great-grand-rabbit.

    The jibe hurt more than it should have. I must’ve been quiet for too long, because Taelor’s giggles faded.

    Actually—she half coughed the word—I’m thinking that’s way overused. Underland’s better. You know, since it’s underground. How’s that sound, Alyssa?

    I recall that rare glimpse of regret from Taelor today as I carve the middle of the skateboard bowl beneath the bright neon UNDERLAND sign hanging from the ceiling. It’s nice to be reminded that she has a human side. A rock song pipes through the speakers. As I come down the lower half of the skating bowl, dark silhouettes swoop around me against the neon backdrop.

    Balancing my back foot on the tail of the board, I prepare to pull up on the nose with my front. An attempt at an ollie a few weeks ago won me a bruised tailbone. I now have a deathly fear of the move, but something inside me won’t let me give up.

    I have to keep trying or I’ll never get enough air to learn any real tricks, but my determination goes much deeper. It’s visceral—a flutter that jumbles my thoughts and nerves until I’m convinced I’m not scared. Sometimes I think I’m not alone in my own head, that there’s a part of someone lingering there, someone who chides me to push myself beyond my limits.

    Embracing the adrenaline surge, I launch. Curious how much air I’m clearing, I snap my eyes open. I’m midjump, cement coming up fast beneath me. My spine prickles. I lose my nerve and my front foot slips, sending me down to the ground with a loud oomph.

    My left leg and arm make first contact. Pain jolts through every bone. The impact knocks the breath from my lungs and I skid to a stop in the basin. My board rolls after me like a faithful pet, stopping to nudge my ribs.

    Gasping for air, I flip onto my back. Every nerve in my knee and ankle blazes. My pad’s strap ripped loose, leaving a tear in the black leggings I wear beneath my purple bike shorts. Against the neon green surface slanting beside me, I see a dark smear. Blood …

    I draw my split knee up, inhaling a sharp breath. Within seconds of my crash landing, three employees blow whistles and Rollerblade through the lines of slowing skaters. They wear mining caps, with a light affixed to the front, but they’re more like lifeguards—stationed for easy access and certified in the fundamentals of first aid.

    They form a visible barrier with their bright crossing-guard vests to deter other boarders from tripping over us while they bandage me up and clean my blood from the cement with disinfectant.

    A fourth employee rolls up in a manager’s vest. Of all people, it has to be Jebediah Holt.

    I should’ve bailed, I mumble grudgingly.

    Are you kidding? Nobody could’ve seen that slam coming in time. His deep voice soothes as he kneels beside me. And glad to see you’re speaking to me again. He wears cargo shorts and a dark tee beneath his vest. The black lights glide over his skin, highlighting his toned arms with bluish flashes.

    I tug at the helmet’s straps beneath my chin. His miner beam is singling me out like a spotlight. Help me take this off? I ask.

    Jeb bends closer to hear me over the wailing vocals overhead. His cologne—a mix of chocolate and lavender—blends with his sweat into a scent as familiar and appealing as cotton candy to a kid at the fair.

    His fingers curve under my chin and he snaps the buckle free. As he helps me push the helmet off, his thumb grazes my earlobe, making it tingle. The glare of his lamp blinds me. I can only make out the dark stubble on his jaw, those straight white teeth (with the exception of the left incisor that slants slightly across his front tooth), and the small iron spike centered beneath his lower lip.

    Taelor raked him up and down about his piercing, but he refuses to get rid of it, which makes me like it all the more. She’s only been his girlfriend for a couple of months. She has no claim over what he does.

    Jeb’s callused palm cups my elbow. Can you stand?

    Of course I can, I snap, not intentionally harsh, just not the biggest fan of being on display. The minute I put weight on my leg, a jab shoots through my ankle and doubles me over. An employee supports me from behind while Jeb sits down to strip off his blades and socks. Before I know what he’s doing, he lifts me and carries me out of the bowl.

    Jeb, I want to walk. I wrap my arms around his neck to stay balanced. I can feel the smirks of the other skaters as we pass even if I can’t see them in the dark. They’ll never let me forget being carried away like a diva.

    Jeb cradles me tighter, which makes it hard not to notice how close we are: my hands locked around his neck, his chest rubbing against my ribs … those biceps pressed to my shoulder blade and knee.

    I give up fighting as he steps off the cement onto the wood-planked floor.

    At first I think we’re headed to the café, but we pass the arcade and swing a right toward the entrance ramp, following the arc of light laid out by his helmet. Jeb’s hip shoves the gym-style doors. I blink, trying to adjust to the brightness outside. Warm gusts of wind slap hair around my face.

    He perches me gently on the sunbaked cement, then drops beside me and takes off his helmet, shaking out his hair. He hasn’t cut it in a few weeks, and it’s long enough to graze his shoulders. Thick bangs dip low—a black curtain touching his nose. He loosens the red and navy bandana from around his thigh and wraps it over his head, securing it in a knot at his nape to push back the strands from his face.

    Those dark green eyes study the bandage where blood drips from my knee. I told you to replace your gear. Your strap’s been unraveling for weeks.

    Here we go. He’s already in surrogate-big-brother mode, even though he’s only two and a half years older and one grade ahead of me. Been talking to my dad again, have you?

    A strained expression crosses his face as he starts messing with his knee pads. I follow his lead and take my remaining one off.

    Actually, I say, mentally berating myself for not having the sense to fall back into my silent-treatment bubble, I should be grateful you and Dad allow me to come here at all. Seeing as it’s so dark, and all sorts of scary, bad things could happen to my helpless little self.

    A muscle in Jeb’s jaw twitches, a sure sign I’ve struck a nerve. This has nothing to do with your dad. Other than the fact that he owns a sporting goods store, which means you have no excuse for not maintaining your gear. Boarding can be dangerous.

    Yeah. Just like London is dangerous, right? I glare across the gleaming cars in the parking lot, smoothing the wrinkles from my red T-shirt’s design: a bleeding heart wrapped in barbed wire. Might as well be an X-ray of my chest.

    Great. He tosses his knee pads aside. So, you’re not over it.

    What’s to get over? Instead of standing up for me, you took his side. Now I can’t go until I graduate. Why should that bother me? I pluck at my fingerless gloves to suppress the acid bite of anger burning on my tongue.

    "At least by staying home, you will graduate." Jeb moves to his elbow pads and rips off the Velcro, punctuating his point.

    I would’ve graduated there, too.

    He huffs.

    We shouldn’t be discussing this. The disappointment is too fresh. I was so psyched about the study-abroad program that allowed seniors to finish out their final year of high school in London while getting college credits from one of the best art universities there. The very university Jeb’s going to.

    Since he’s already received his scholarship and plans to move to London later this summer, Dad asked him to dinner a couple of weeks ago to talk about the program. I thought it was a great idea, that with Jeb in my corner I was as good as on a plane. And then, together, they decided it wasn’t the right time for me to go. They decided.

    Dad worries because Alison has an aversion to England—too much Liddell family history. He thinks my going would cause a relapse. She’s already being prodded with more needles than most junkies on the street.

    At least his reasons made sense. I still haven’t figured out why Jeb vetoed the idea. But what does it matter at this point? The sign-up deadline was last Friday, so there’s no changing things now.

    Traitor, I mumble.

    He dips his head down, forcing me to look at him. I’m trying to be your friend. You’re not ready to move so far from your dad … you’ll have no one to look out for you.

    You’ll be there.

    But I can’t be with you every second. My schedule’s going to be insane.

    I don’t need someone with me every second. I’m not a kid.

    Never said you were a kid. But you don’t always make the best decisions. Case in point. He pinches my shin, popping the torn knit leggings with a snap.

    A jolt of excitement runs through my leg. I frown, convincing myself I’m just ticklish. So, I’m not allowed to make a few mistakes?

    Not mistakes that can hurt you.

    I shake my head. Like being stuck here doesn’t hurt. At a school I can’t stand, with classmates whose idea of fun is making cracks about the white rabbit tail I’m hiding. Thanks for that, Jeb.

    He sighs and sits up. Right. Everything is my fault. I guess your eating cement in there was my fault, too.

    The strain behind his voice tugs at my heart. "Well, the slam was kind of your fault. My voice softens, a conscious effort to ease the tension between us. I would’ve already aced an ollie if you were still teaching the skateboard class."

    Jeb’s lips twitch. So, the new teacher, Hitch … he’s not doin’ it for ya?

    I punch him, releasing some pent-up frustration. "No, he’s not doing it for me."

    Jeb fakes a wince. He’d sure like to. But I told him I’d kick his—

    As if you have a say. Hitch is nineteen and the go-to king for fake IDs and recreational drugs. He’s a prison sentence waiting to happen. I know better than to get tangled up with him, but that’s my call.

    Jeb shoots me a look. I sense a talk coming on about the evils of dating players.

    I flick a grasshopper off my leg with a blue fingernail, refusing to let its whispers make the moment any more awkward than it is.

    Mercifully, the double doors swing open from behind. Jeb scoots away to let a couple of girls through. A cloud of powdery perfume wafts over us as they pass and wave at Jeb. He nods back. We watch them get into a car and peel out of the parking lot.

    Hey, Jeb says. It’s Friday. Aren’t you supposed to visit your mom?

    I jump on the subject change. Meeting Dad there. And then I promised Jen I’d take the last two hours of her shift. After looking at my torn clothes, I glance into the sky—the same striking blue as Alison’s eyes. I hope I have time to drop home and change before work.

    Jeb stands. Let me clock out, he says. I’ll get your board and backpack and drive you to Soul’s.

    That’s the last thing I need.

    Neither Jeb nor his sister, Jenara, have ever met Alison; they’ve only seen pictures of her. They don’t even know the truth about my scars or why I wear the gloves. My friends all think I was in a car accident with my mom as a kid and that the windshield messed up my hands and injured her brain. Dad doesn’t like the lie, but the reality is so bizarre, he lets me embellish.

    What about your bike? I’m grasping at straws, considering Jeb’s souped-up vintage Honda CT70 isn’t anywhere on the lot.

    They predicted rain, so Jen dropped me off, he answers. Your dad can take you to work later, and I’ll drive your car home. It’s not like it’s out of my way.

    Jeb’s family shares the other side of our duplex. Dad and I went over to introduce ourselves one summer morning after they first moved in. Jeb, Jenara, and I became tight before sixth grade started the next fall—tight enough that on the first day of school, Jeb beat up a guy in the breezeway for calling me the Mad Hatter’s love slave.

    Jeb slides on some shades and repositions the bandana’s knot at the back of his head. Sunlight hits the shiny, round scars peppered along his forearms.

    I turn to the cars in the lot. Gizmo—my 1975 Gremlin, named after a character in the eighties movie Dad took Alison to on their first date—is only a couple of yards away. There’s a chance Alison will be waiting in the lounge with Dad. If I can’t count on Jeb to back me up about London, I can’t trust him to meet the biggest nut who’s fallen from my family tree.

    Uh-uh, Jeb says. I see that look. No way you can drive a standard with a sprained ankle. He holds out a palm. Fork ’em over.

    With a roll of my eyes, I drop my keys into his hand.

    He pushes his shades to the bandana at his hairline. Wait here and I’ll walk you.

    A burst of air-conditioning hits my face as the door to the complex slams shut behind him. There’s a tickle on my leg. This time, I don’t swish the grasshopper away, and I hear its whisper loud and clear: Doomed.

    Yeah, I whisper back, stroking its veined wings and surrendering to my delusions. It’s all over once Jeb meets Alison.

    Soul’s Asylum is a twenty-five-minute drive outside the city limits.

    Afternoon sun beats down, glaring off the car’s hood. Once you get past the buildings, strip malls, and houses, there’s not much landscaping in Pleasance. Just flat, dry plains with sparse growths of shrubbery and spindly trees.

    Each time Jeb starts to talk, I mumble a monosyllabic response, then crank up the volume on the newly installed CD player.

    Finally, a song comes on—an acoustic, moody number I’ve heard Jeb listen to when he paints—and he drives in silent contemplation. The baggie of ice he brought for my swollen ankle has melted, and I move my foot to let it roll off.

    I fight drowsiness, knowing what waits on the other side of sleep. I don’t need to revisit my Alice nightmare in midafternoon.

    As a teenager,

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1