The Fiction Conniption

Review can also be found on my blog at www.thefictionconniption.com---Sometimes, when I have really fallen in love with a book, I do this thing when I try to tell people about it - where I just have no words. I can't even put into words just how incredible the book was. And I end up just sort of flailing my arms around and shoving the book into their hands to experience themselves. In this case though, I'm going to fight through that urge - and instead try to put into words just what a beautiful and incredible book Splintered truly was. Alyssa lives her life in the shadow of the women who came before her. It all started with Alice, whose crazed delusions inspired the classic Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Every woman in her family since Alice has fallen prey to this same "mental illness". They paint white rabbits on walls, refuse to eat anything not in a tea cup, and mumble things like, "Off with their heads!" And when Alyssa begins hearing the voices of the plants and insects around her - she knows she's next.. Except - what if she's not crazy? What if her family truly is cursed? Striking. Haunting. Lyrical. Unique. Fascinating. Raw. Splintered is a very rare breed of book. In fact, the first of this caliber I've read in years. It tempted me to completely revamp my whole rating system, because even 5 stars didn't feel like it truly expressed my appreciation for this book. I found myself desperate to get a few more pages in while I waited for the water to boil for dinner, or during the 10 minutes I could spare before I had to leave for work. Any spare moment I could pick this one up, it was plastered to my hands. Even now that I've finished it, I find myself missing it!From the first page, it was clear that Alyssa was going to be unlike any 'heroine' I'd read in YA literature. She's completely the opposite of a Mary Sue. And she'll quickly pull you in and linger in your mind for days after reading.Alyssa's voice in this book was like reading my own diary. There was something about her that just made me feel like she was instantly a part of me, and I absolutely had to find out what was going to happen to her when she went down the rabbit hole to try to save her family. I also couldn't wait to find out who Alyssa would end up with. If you're in the mood to read a love triangle executed flawlessly, this is a great place to look.The Wonderland that A.G. Howard created in this novel was haunting. A contorted, creepy, and skeletal version of the cartoon Wonderland we all remember - it will quickly sink under your skin and leave you looking over your shoulder at night.And now, I'll just flail my arms around until you go get yourself a copy of this book. I just went ahead and ordered myself a finished copy, because this is one that I will need to have on my shelves for years to come.