HOLIDAY HAPPINESS: Book Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Title: Unhinged (Splintered #2)

Author: A.G. Howard

Publisher: Amulet Books

Release Date: January 7, 2014

Format Read: Hardback

Description from Goodreads: Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn't show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland-- where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus's unsettling presence in her real world with her trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he's forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her at and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns her that Queen Red won't be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps though the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

After reading and loving SPLINTERED, I had to read book two, and I was so pleased with the continuation and the fact that the story didn't go downhill. It's always nice to see that, especially when sequels-- to me-- generally aren't as good as book two. 

UNHINGED was such a fun read. Being thrown back into Alyssa's Wonderland was like leaping into the arms of an old friend, and the adventure that ensued in this book was so much fun to tag along with that the last page left me pining for book three. I think my most favorite thing about UNHINGED was getting to see Morpheus outside of Wonderland-- seeing him navigate high school with his general cockiness, driving Alyssa nuts. I always enjoy the idea of taking a character out of their normal, every-day setting element, and dropping them into another, and that is exactly what happened here. Many thanks to A.G.

I would give this one 4.5 stars, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys retellings, especially retellings on the darker side. Also for anyone who loves Alice in Wonderland, this is a fresh, new perspective on the world and story we've come to know, and it's interesting to see the differences and similarities from the original to UNHINGED.

Happily,
Stephanie

Blogisode #1: Craze About Crit Partners with A.G. Howard and Bethany Crandell

If you saw my announcement post about Blogisodes, then you know that June's chat is going to be titled The Craze About Crit Partners, and the two authors (And critique partners!) who will be joining me for a live-show are A.G. Howard and Bethany Crandell. 

I wanted to go ahead and let you guys know that we have a date and time! The live-show will be held THIS Saturday, June 20th, at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central/2pm Mountain/1pm Pacific. I give you all three times because I am terrible at converting time differences and maybe some of you are like me and don't want to struggle with figuring it out. So. There you go.

We'll be talking about all kinds of things related to both of their books, and the main topic of focus is going to be critique partners. Bethany and Anita will give us the in-s and out-s of critting, answer my questions as well as your questions, and maybe, juuuust maybe, I can convince them to play a fun game.

Here's the link to the live-show host.  Let me know if you'll be watching! I'm super excited for this event, and I hope that you guys are as well. 

DON'T FORGET:

If you want to submit any questions before the show starts, or even as it's going on, there are a few ways you can do that. 

1.) You can comment below.

2.) You can Tweet, using #CrazeAboutCritPs.

3.) You can Like my page on Facebook and comment on the link to this post.

If you tweet, BE SURE to use the hashtag, or else we won't see your questions.

Did I leave out the part about a giveaway?

I thought something was missing ;)

During the show, I'll be giving away a copy of Bethany's book, Summer On The Short Bus, as well as a pre-order of Anita's upcoming release, Untamed! You definitely don't want to miss either of these, and here's your chance to win them both!

To enter to win these books, all you have to do is RSVP to the show. The winner will be drawn  and announced during the giveaway.

Alright, I'm going to go and get the last few things set up for Saturday. You guys be thinking on your questions, and don't forget to RSVP!

Book Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

In honor of ENSNARED (Splintered book 3) being released today, I thought I'd post my review!

     I'm not a big fan of retellings. I like my fairy tales and my classics left just as they are, thankyouverymuch. That being said, I could not get enough of SPLINTERED. I absolutely loved it with all of my heart.

     Alyssa can hear things that most people can't. She can hear the whispers of bugs and plants. This ability has plagued the women in her family for generations, all the way back to where it started-- Alice Liddell. The girl from who Lewis Caroll got his inspiration for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. With her mom in the mental ward for hearing things only descendants of Alice can hear, Alyssa knows to keep her own ability a secret.

    Her world is turned upside down when she finds herself in Wonderland with her neighbor/childhood best friend/crush, and the only way to get back home is to fix everything that Alice ruined when she came down the rabbit hole.

     With a love triangle so strange that it makes you fall for both guys, and twists and turns at every chapter, SPLINTERED has potential to make it's way to my list of favorite trilogies. Every time I thought I knew exactly what was gong on, I was absolutely wrong, and that's what made it such a thrilling read. Suspense, mystery, fantasy, and romance all in one-- you can't go wrong with SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard.

     P.S. Team Jeb! Boo Morpheus!