This book was uncomfortable as fuck. Seriously. It was a pain to read, and I say this in the best of ways. It took all my feelings and fears, threw thThis book was uncomfortable as fuck. Seriously. It was a pain to read, and I say this in the best of ways. It took all my feelings and fears, threw them in a blender and turned them to mush. For this I'm going to give it the big 5. I rarely get so bothered by reading a book. Well done....more
I’m beginning to enjoy the madness. That’s not good. Not at all.
Long story short Alyssa Gardner is the great-great-great-[lots of greats]-g
I’m beginning to enjoy the madness. That’s not good. Not at all.
Long story short Alyssa Gardner is the great-great-great-[lots of greats]-granddaughter of Alice Liddell, the girl who inspired Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland novel. Because of a curse that originates from Alice’s escape from Wonderland, Alyssa’s mother becomes insane and is committed into an asylum. Alyssa later finds out that there is a way of lifting this curse and saving her mother. All she has to do is follow the velvety voice that leads her back to Wonderland.
My thoughts I was supposed to likeSplintered.I was supposed to like it a lot. The bugs, the blood, the gore, the creatures. Everything is so similar to a video game calledAlice Madness Returns.However, asAlice Madness Returns,the book is rather disappointing.
I could tell that something is wrong withSplinteredfrom the beginning. The concept of the book is amazing, and the execution is close to perfect. All is well except for this itch that keeps on bothering me while reading it. The good news is that I know what the itch is. Or itches, in our case.The characters.
Let’s start with Alyssa. She is my biggestSplintered-related itch. Why? Because, like many other young adult protagonists, she annoys the crap out of me. Theoretically I was supposed to like her. Skater girl, good morbid side, artist. However, her attitude does not work for me. Most of the times she’s acting like a brat, and then a miracle occurs and she becomes the wisest creature in Wonderland. This more than ruined the story for me.
Actually, thinking about it, there are no good female characters in this book. The lead, Alyssa, is a stuck-up teenager that is pretty much annoying all the time. The soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend bitch, Taelor, who’s a mean asshole most of the times. The crazy mum who is.. well.. crazy all the time. And some other secondary characters who don’t get much development. They are evil, jealous, manipulative. No positives whatsoever.
And now the male characters. We get the best friend, Jeb, who's always treating Alyssa like a baby. He is sticking with his girlfriend because - oh noes! - he loves Alyssa too much. Fuck logic. He’s also a douche most of the times, ordering her around, taking decisions for her and all that. Meh.
Then we have the supernatural moth boy, Morpheus, who’s keen on bedding Alyssa the moment she steps into the same room as him. He’s also busy using her all the time, plotting and being a villain. Then he almost dies and all is forgiven.
But hold on kids! There is, in fact, a good male character in the book. Her father. I really liked him, even though Howard didn’t bother with developing him too much. Even so, I think he can be considered a decent character.
Back to our three main characters. Did you notice something? One girl and two boys. Do you know what this means?
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Oh yes, my friends. A love triangle.
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The typical Young Adult love triangle. The human boy versus the dark sexy Mothman.
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As much as I love myself a sexy Mothman, the love triangle bugs (heh) the hell out of me. I feel like it’s taking away the dark feel of the story. Hell, it ruined the damn book for me. I hate hate hate HATE love triangles and this was an extremely frustrating one. Why? This is why:
Jeb is stable, strong, and genuine—my knight in shining armor. Morpheus is selfish, unreliable, and transcendent—chaos incarnate. Impossible to compare. Yet here I am, all of those things. Both light and dark at the same time. If I were to give in to one side of me, would that mean I’d have to give up the other? My heart aches at the possibility. Somehow I feel like I need both to be complete.
She is constantly jumping from one guy to another. And, of course, both of them will do anything to please the little plum. They will even die for her. They constantly snarl, growl and wave Alyssa around at each other. Next thing you know they’ll be having a pissing contest in order to see who will end up with the little Mary Sue. Ugh. Just cut the crap and focus with the story please!
Another problem I have, and this is a minor one so feel free to ignore it, is related A.G. Howard’s writing style. She is going for an extremely complex concept, and her style is a bit too simple for it. See, for example,Laini TaylororEkaterina Sedia,both authors having amazing writing styles. I think their style would match the dark Wonderland theme better than Howard’s.
To buy or not to buy? Splinteredis between the bestAlice in Wonderlandrelated books I’ve read so far. Howard did an amazing job with the concept of a dark and disturbing Wonderland. The story is captivating and offers a good plot twist at the end. It also offers an extremely frustrating love triangle and undeveloped characters that spoil the magic of the story. If you can ignore these negative elements, then you should totally giveSplintereda try....more
I never thought I'd encounter a book likeThe Alchemy of Stone.It’s something I can’t describe in mere words.
I’m serious. I can’t find words to descrI never thought I'd encounter a book likeThe Alchemy of Stone.It’s something I can’t describe in mere words.
I’m serious. I can’t find words to describe it but here goes my weak and unworthy attempt.
It’s a heartbreaking story, and yet it has many emotional and happy, at times, moments. It shows a character’s determination and strong will when everything falls to pieces. It’s a story of unshared love, pain, and misery. It’s a story of hope and a lesson in life. It’s an unusual point of view. It's a different side of fantasy. It was a wonderful experience that made me have a smile on my lips and a hole in my heart.
Ekaterina Sedia is an artist. Reading her words is like taking a closer look at a highly detailed painting. It was my first book from her works, and I assure you it won’t be the last.
I won’t give any details about the story or the characters because anything I saw could be a spoiler. I’m not so cruel; I won’t take away the pleasure of discoveringThe Alchemy of Stone’smagical world and characters. I can tell you this. Get the book if you’re in the mood for something different. Don’t go near it if you’re expecting an easy read and a happy ending....more
I started this with very high expectations. Everyone kept giving it high ratings, most of my friends were already reading it and talking about it betwI started this with very high expectations. Everyone kept giving it high ratings, most of my friends were already reading it and talking about it between each other. I felt left alone! So I said f*ck it I’ll drop my current to-read list and start it. Good call that was.
A-f*cking-mazing!! I was having the time of my life while reading this!
A love story between a boy and a ghost… That was a new one for me. Am I wrong for finding it romantic and not gross? Their(view spoiler)[kiss(hide spoiler)]was the cutest thing ever!
I fell in love with the characters, fell in love with the town and fell in love with ghost stories again. It’s a wonderful feeling. And it got me searching for more books similar to this one (Hold Me Closer Necromancer is next on my list). Kendare Blake has such a brilliant mind. This won’t be the last book I read for her. And as for this series, I’m damn excited to read more.
Favorite quote:
“I’m not a superhero,” I say. It’s an awful tag. It’s egotistical, and it doesn’t fit. I don’t parade around in spandex. I don’t do what I do and receive accolades and keys to cities. I work in the dark, killing what should have stayed dead.
And relax, I haven’t forgotten about the surprised I promised. I did a little piece of fanart for my dear Anna. A three hour quickie, freehand, no references, Photoshop (as always). Hope you like!
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