First things first. Winners!
Winner of a signed copy of Eden, Miranda
Winner of a signed copy of What I Didn't Say, Kristen
Winner of signed copy of There Comes a Prophet, Angela
Winner of e-copy of There Comes a Prophet, Lucinda
Congrats to all the winners!
I decided to give myself some Christmas gifts this year (when you are an adult, you have to be your own Santa!), so got some really great signed copies of books I've been accumulating on my wish list:
1) Elemental by Antony John
2) Black City by Elizabeth Richards
3) Venom by Fiona Paul
4) What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang
5) Starters by Lissa Price
6) Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore
7) Everneath by Brodi Ashton
8) Splintered by A.G. Howard
What did you get yourself this year?
Here's to a new great year and more interview with terrific authors!
And now... the new international giveaway that I'm opening up early to my loyal readers.
Goodreads Book Description: This stunning debut
captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a
girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the
whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her
mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches
back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis
Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
My Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard joins the ranks in recent YA lit in taking a beloved classic children's tale and bringing it into a more contemporary setting. Many others have failed. Howard does not. Splintered is a darkly inventive, Tim Burtonesque Wonderland adventure that introduces us to a wonderful protagonist, Alyssa, a descendent of Alice Liddell who inspired Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland. A mental illness seems to afflict all the female descendants of Alice, and Alyssa herself starts hearing insects and plants speak, something that her own mother is currently in a mental institution for. Along with her best friend, Jeb, she realizes the world is not what it seems and will travel far and do the unthinkable to save her mother's life.
I don't want to give away any secrets from this novel because it's a marvelous adventure from start to finish. I absolutely adored the protagonist. She is young and malleable, properly so for her age, but she learns and grows as the book progresses. The pacing is very well done as secrets are revealed at the right time and place. Jeb is a wonderful love interest-- a guy that anyone would be lucky to be with. Morpheus, on the other hand, is a great foil and counterpart to Jeb. We can see how he entices Alyssa, but at the same time, frightens her. I love how Howard doesn't slip into the usual mistake of making him two dimensional-- he is very well developed and we can see how he has become what he is, and how he is not beyond redemption. I also want to mention how terrific each detail of Wonderland is-- Howard knows the story well and inserts delightful detail to all of her twisted creations.
Overall, I was extremely impressed by this novel-- a darkly enticing tale that turns Wonderland on its head-- in a way that only respects and amplifies the original. Howard is definitely an author to watch.
I'll be posting a review with the mysterious Morpheus with the official giveaway page in a day or two. Tune in! Now, enter to win some fabulous prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I would like to thank you so much for this fantastic book giveaway, that i would so love to have the chance of reading! As a fan of the classic tale 'Alice in Wonderland' i am most curious and intregued about how the author has twisted the tale to make it unique, plus i also LOVE all things fantasy and 'out of the ordinary' within fiction.
ReplyDeleteAs an avid reader of the YA genre, Splintered is already on my to-read list and i would like to thank you once again for this fantastic giveaway!
Email: lfountain1(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk
*wishing you a belated Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year*
Awesome giveaway! I've been going crazy with all the holiday ebook sales!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this Fabulous giveaway =D
ReplyDeleteOh, wow, how I wish to win this!! I've been dying to read Splintered!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the awesome giveaway!
Amazing giveaway! AND those are awesome presents you have yourself! Nice work! :)
ReplyDeleteWow,I would love to win anything from this amazing giveaway. Btw this is the first time what I am entering the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThanks so very much for this great giveaway! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland so I'm very intrigued by this book. The cover art really works for me, it exudes the same feeling of tangled mysteries and patches of darkness and rot beneath beautiful colors the blurb does.
ReplyDelete