Had Potential, But That Was It...

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Pre-teen girls and anyone who enjoys cliche, corny romances.

Would you ever listen to anything by A. G. Howard again?

Probably not.

Which character – as performed by Rebecca Gibel – was your favorite?

Morpheus

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Splintered?

None. I don't like abridged productions.

Any additional comments?

It’s no secret that retold, repurposed fairy tales are all the rage in young adult novels these days. However, Splintered captures very little of the magic or charm that so many other fantasy books in the genera posses. Going in, I had high hopes for this book. The premise sounded fresh and interesting and almost all of the reviews were positive. Sadly though, the end product turned out to be a slow and difficult read. I found very little to like in any of the main characters and was frustrated with them throughout most of the book. Many of them have a punk/emo flair to their personalities, which feels unnatural, as well as immature, and makes it seem like the author is trying too hard to relate to younger readers. The female lead, Alyssa, is unfortunately meek and needed, though the novel tries to portray her as otherwise, and constantly relies on her two love interests for protection and direction. These two love interests are, I can only assume, supposed to be supportive, caring and protective. Instead they come off as creepy, over protective, and controlling. This is as frustrating and annoying as you can imagine, so I won’t go into detail about it.

Another problem I have with the novel is the words and descriptions that the author used. (I know this sounds really picky, but just bear with me.) Howard went to great lengths to describe things like clothing, kissing, table dancing, and the characters irresistible beauty, but her descriptions of scenes that involved heavy action or key events often felt lacking. In short, the dull parts of the book seemed drawn out, while the climactic and important portions felt rushed. In addition to this, it was difficult to become invested in many of the creative twists and turns that the book presented, because the words and descriptions that the author used didn’t’ feel creative or interesting. This may seem harsh, but an author’s medium is words and the value of their work depends greatly on how he/she uses them. The author presented readers with interesting places and creatures, but didn’t describe them well enough to make them fantastic.

Despite all of this, I didn’t think the book was all bad. I think that the most frustrating part of this book was that I knew it had the potential to be great. But, that greatness was lost in a weak writing style, annoying main characters, a ridiculous love triangle, and bad pacing. Howard’s ideas seem genuinely interesting, but her execution of them leaves much to be desired. I feel like if the author had waited to publish this book, and worked through some of the story’s tangles, it could have been and wonderful. Instead, I found it to be immature and exasperating. Unless you’re in middle school or like cheesy, cliché romances, I would skip this book.

97 people found this helpful

Fall into this morbidly stunning wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of my all time favorite stories and is what brought me to this title. But this is a COMPLETELY different telling of venturing down to the fabeled under ground world, this story and the Lewis Carroll version actually have few things in common, and so my love for the original isn't what kept me listening. This story is more of an account of what "really happened" then what followed in the wake, and that was a very intriguing perspective. Its also great chick lit, very girl power, and a good allegory for discovering who you are and being true to your heart. Yet, for me, the best was the imagery. If reading or being told a story I can make the words turn into visions, like watching a movie in my head (I'm sure a lot of you know what this is like), and A.G. Howard describes her beautifully macabre Wonderland so artfully it is as if she's painting the scene. Howard's Wonderland is extremely dark, yet breathtakingly vibrant, and features characters/creatures you have never dreamed of but by her words can easily invision. I have not been brought to another completely imagined world so clearly since J.K. Rowling told me about the secret world of wizards and magic. Rowling managed to make her audience feel that there could be the slightest chance that world exists and Howard did the same with Wonderland.
IF none of the above draws you in, then just do it for Morpheus (A.K.A The Caterpillar) that deliciously devilish boy alone makes it worth the credit/money. Trust me.

16 people found this helpful

Fantastical...Absolutely MAD!!!

This has got to be the best spin on Alice in Wonderland, EVER! I absolutely loved it! Rebecca Gibel did a wonderful job with narration. (Narration needs to be good to keep my attention.) A.G. Howard did an awesome job with this book/audiobook. I couldn't put it down. Two thumbs up! I love her take on the characters and "Wonderland" itself. There is suspense, action and romance wrapped up in a fantastical fantasy world. I definitely recommend this book.

14 people found this helpful

Engaging and inventive

Where does Splintered rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Fairly high.

What did you like best about this story?

It was a wholly unexpected interpretation of Alice in Wonderland. I really dug it.

What does Rebecca Gibel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She does great voices. I felt like I was listening to multiple actors.

Any additional comments?

Usually I can't tolerate present tense books in audio but this one was well done and less clunky than present tense usually is.

10 people found this helpful

Upside-down Alice Retelling!

Any additional comments?

Splintered is another one of those books that have been sitting on my TBR for the longest time. I’ve always wanted to read it because I have this fascination with Alice in Wonderland inspired fashion. (It’s totally a thing) I kept putting it off because this genre isn’t in my comfort zone. But, I have been trying to step out of my comfort zone lately, and luckily I have been finding some great stories like this. I ended up reading this one because I kept seeing Unhinged on so many ‘Top 10′ lists which definitely had me curious.

I was hooked on this story from the audible preview. A girl that kills and collect bugs and uses them for her art? It sounded so morbid and interesting. Poor Alyssa has no other choice. This is the only way she can think of to quiet the bugs since she can hear them talking. Alyssa is terrified that she will end up in the loony bin like her mother. When she and her best friend Jeb get accidentally (but on purpose) sucked into the world of Wonderland, Alyssa finds out that her great grandmother Alice is the Alice from the Lewis Carroll story. She also finds out that because of Alice, her family is cursed and Alyssa must find a way to break that curse, unless she wants to end up like her mother.

I was so happy that Alyssa had Jeb with her in her Wonderland adventures. Although they’re best friends, Alyssa has feelings for him. I was on Team Jeb right away because there was just something about him that I immediately liked. He was a good guy (which is such a nice change sometimes) and he really cared about Alyssa and put her first. Even though he was confused out of his mind and probably scared as hell, he was always worried about Alyssa’s safety. Awwwww. When Wonderland resident Morpheus shows up with a solution to Alyssa’s problems, Jeb doesn’t buy it. And with good reason! The world of Wonderland is based on the story, but much darker, dangerous and deadlier. Alyssa and Jeb are lucky if they even make it out of their alive.

I hate to say this (especially since I love the bad boys in books) but I just didn’t see the Morpheus appeal. Yeah he was mysterious and cocky and apparently he was also hot, but personally I couldn’t get passed the ‘he has wings and purple hair’ thing. This always made me picture a Disney fairy or something. Plus, instead of the ‘this guy is evil but he’s so hot so who cares’ vibe that I would normally get, I got the ‘this guy is so creepy and I don’t trust him’ vibes instead. I did enjoy his back and forth banter with Alyssa, but I couldn’t get over his creepiness factor. Although Alyssa and Jeb go through a lot in this book, I’m still rooting for them!

Confession time: I’ve never read or watched any of the Alice in Wonderland movies (I tried to watch the Disney movie when I was little and it creeped me out) so I don’t exactly know what the story is about. But I do know the basics and I love the way Howard played this up and gave it her own dark twist. This and the way she so vividly described the world of Wonderland, something that sounded beautiful even if it was dangerous, was one of my favorite aspects of the books. I did have the same problem that I do with fantasy books, there were too many names to keep track of. Sometimes I felt a little bit lost trying to remember who all the Wonderland creatures were. Still, I ended up enjoying this very much. With plenty of plot twist to keep your interest and a great romance to root for, Splintered was a brilliantly written story.
Audiobook Review: I’m so happy I went with the audiobook version for this! This story was meant to be told on audio! Rebecca Gibel outdid herself with her character performances. Especially the creatures of Wonderland! She did such a beautiful capturing the creepy voices and tones and it brought this story to life for me. I loved her Jeb voice and had a crush on it every time his character spoke. I love when a narrator can pull off the guy voices.

8 people found this helpful

A Dark Take on an Old Classic!

Let me start by saying, this was the first audiobook I have ever listened to. I was a little skeptical at first, since I am your typical Barnes and Noble, old-book smell kind of girl, but this story was fantastic! If you are any fan of Alice in Wonderland or just fairy tales in general, you will love this book! There were plenty of twists and turns to keep any reader satisfied. It was heart-warming and highly original. I wanted to laugh out loud at certain points and cry at others. Overall, this was a charming book that will make you want to fall down the rabbit hole and into the chaos that is Wonderland!

6 people found this helpful

A great spin on a classic tale!

If you could sum up Splintered in three words, what would they be?

Descriptive, exciting, & Captivating

What other book might you compare Splintered to and why?

Gregory Maguire(author of The Wicked Years series) . Mr. Maguire also puts a twist on other classic fairy tale books.

Have you listened to any of Rebecca Gibel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

N/A

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!!

Any additional comments?

Will purchase Unhinged today! This was a great read!

6 people found this helpful

Enjoyable take on Alice in Wonderland

Splintered offered a fun, romantic take on Alice in Wonderland. The characters were uniquely adapted to fit into the original ideas, but stood alone as there own developed identities. A little too much romantic "dilemma" for my taste, however, that being said, I really did enjoy this book.

6 people found this helpful

LOVE IT!!!

I don't have that much to say except IT WAS AMAZING!!! Anyone considering downloading this book should just do it, don't read any other reviews, just buy it. It is an amazing story based (sort of) on Alice in Wonderland. This is an amazing gothic romance novel with just the right amount of action.

5 people found this helpful

Loved it!

Would you listen to Splintered again? Why?

Yes! It was a familiar, yet new tale. Lots of suspense and great descriptions!

What other book might you compare Splintered to and why?

No comparison.

Which character – as performed by Rebecca Gibel – was your favorite?

Alyssa was awesome! Rebecca showcased her strengths and emotions perfectly.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. It was just awesome!

Any additional comments?

Nope.

5 people found this helpful