Book Review: “Splintered” by A.G. Howard

Are you a fan of Alice in Wonderland lore? Into fantasy with a dash of action and romance? Then you’re not going to want to look any further than Splintered by A.G. Howard! It’s the first book in a trilogy that revolves around the descendants of Alice. I pretty much devoured this book because I couldn’t put it down from the moment I started it. So keep reading for my review to find out why I truly loved this book so much! Also, I do my best not to give away any spoilers. I’m just here to give you a general idea of Splintered and why I give it 5 stars!

Alice in Wonderland Like You’ve Never Seen

I don’t know about you, but I have always been a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland. There are so many different versions and adaptations and I have found at least a few things to love about each one. One of my favorite adaptations is Tim Burton’s version. And I have to say, that is a lot of the vibe Splintered gave! At least that’s the sense I got. Right from the beginning. So I was totally in right from the jump!

Quote via “Splintered” by A.G. Howard

Instead of being directly about Alice, we have her great-great-great-granddaughter, Alyssa. And she has had to deal with a lot in her life already. Between being the laughing stock at school because of her ancestor being the Alice from the original book by Lewis Carroll, she also has to deal with a mother who has been institutionalized due to saying she is seeing the same types of things her ancestor was. And she told Alyssa that she was going to suffer the same fate. So it’s no wonder Alyssa tries to keep it to herself when she starts hearing bugs and insects talking to her.

So Many Adventures, So Little Time

With this being the first book in the trilogy, prepare yourself for a lot of world-building. But that isn’t to say it was boring in any way. Every moment of that world-building was beautiful and epic. And it also included so many callbacks to the original story I know and love. This was such a cool way to take the character of Alice and her story and use it as a building block instead of taking it and recreating the story. It was certainly a gamble for the author to take. But I’m so glad that she did because it most certainly paid off!

My only issue is that I expected to only like one of the two male main characters. Usually, when there is even a hint of a love triangle in the works, I have to force myself to not get annoyed. Especially because I usually pick one of the male characters and am solidly on their side until the very end. Meaning, I end up very happy or very mad at the end of the series. But with this one? Yeah, I’m stuck. Because A.G. Howard had me falling for both of the male characters and I can only hope as the trilogy goes on I am able to pick a side and stick with it. And then I can hold out hope that’s the one that the author chose to side with as well!

Only the Beginning

I was completely enthralled by this book. While it is considered a YA fantasy, I found it perfectly suitable to read as an adult. It had great themes and was written beautifully. I honestly can’t wait to get to the second one so that I can continue this adventure and what comes next. So it certainly isn’t one that you want to read if you’re looking for a one-and-done book. Because you are definitely going to want to continue and complete this trilogy!

Quote via “Splintered” By A.G. Howard

Have you had a chance to read Splintered by A.G. Howard yet? Is it on your TBR list? If it isn’t, we definitely recommend you add it. We can’t wait to get into the second book in the trilogy so we can come back and let you know how much we love that one as well! Be sure to check us out on Instagram for more reviews of books, shows, movies, and more! You can find all of our full articles on our site! So be sure to check that out as well for all things Disney and beyond!