Waiting on Wednesday - Collide by Melissa West and Splintered by A.G Howard

 

Hi everyone!! thank-you so much for stopping by today.

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My WoW’s for this week are Collide by Melissa West which is the third book in The Taking series & Ensnared by A.G Howard, the third book in the Splintered series.

Author: Melissa West

Series:  The Taking

Genre: Young adult

Amazon pre-order

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Release date: December 2014

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Military legacy Ari Alexander has survived alien spies, WWIV, and a changing world order. But when the new leader of Earth uses Jackson—the only boy she's ever let herself care about—to get to her, Ari has no choice but to surrender. 

To free Jackson, she agrees to travel to the national bases to train others to fight. What she discovers is a land riddled with dying people. Ari has the power to heal by turning the fighters into aliens—half-breeds like her. If she succeeds, together, they have a chance at overthrowing the alien leader, Zeus. But if she fails, everyone she holds dear will be wiped away forever.


Once again, everything Ari’s come to believe is thrown into question. In a world of uncertainty, loyalties are tested, lies are uncovered, and no one can be trusted. If Ari and Jackson have any hope at survival and at preserving a life for the future, they must fight the final war with their eyes wide open.

Author: A.G Howard

Series: Splintered

Genre: Young Adult

Amazon pre-order

Publisher: Amulet Books

Release date: January 2015

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She’s determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles... and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world—a parallel dimension filled with mutated and sadistic netherling outcasts.

In the final installment of the Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that’s gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But even if everyone succeeds and comes out alive, can they all truly have their happily ever after?

What are most anticipating this week?

PS. If you are interested in children’s book reviews (3-12 years), I have started a new review blog (with the odd toddler snack thrown in) Here – Little Ones Read

ARC Review: Unhinged (Splintered #2) by A.G. Howard)

Unhinged

Author: A.G Howard

Series: Splintered

Pages: 384

Publisher: Amulet

Amazon pre-order

Release date: 7^th January 2014

Synopsis. (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 trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns 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 through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

I absolutely loved Splintered by A.G. Howard so I was absolutely thrilled to receive an advance copy of Unhinged through Netgalley/Amulet Books. I literally devoured this amazing book and can't wait to read the next installment, Ensnared. 

As we know Alyssa Gardner is a descendant of Alice Liddell, different to everyone else and connected to an unusual sect of magical creatures called netherlings. I absolutely loved Alyssa’s character progression, she was gun ho and determined in this book and not easily swayed, she didn’t rush into anything which I appreciated. In saying this she still questioned where she truly belonged.

Jeb is still completely fabulous but we begin to see a bit of strain in their relationship, Jeb has no recollection of his time in wonderland but being there has left a stain; he had to endure a lot in Unhinged but I admired the way he protected and adored Alyssa, what he did was all for her despite her questioning his loyalty.

Morpheus is still a big question mark for me and because of my adoration for Jeb I find myself worrying over a certain few aspects when it comes to a future with Alyssa; he is still eccentric and unscrupulous but you can see he adores her despite his often questionable actions.  

Unhinged’s world-building is strong and the multi-layered, complex plot is solid and absorbing, I was eager from the onset to see which direction the author would take the story and I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. The magic, mayhem, twists and turns kept the pacing consistent and me flipping the pages wanting to know what would happen. I was mesmerised by the storytelling and the setting and despite not being in Wonderland it was still great reading the descriptive details about the world and the creatures.

A.G Howard’s writing is perfection, creative and flows well, I found myself really enjoying the details no matter how small they were; her characters are all fabulous! there seemed to be danger, confrontation and ongoing challenges but they were all written extremely well, I’m eager to see the outcome and learn more about AnyElsewhere, the land of the exiled and gruesome.

This series also has the most amazing covers! I am so eager to see the next instalment’s just as much as what I am to read the book, they are beautiful.

Overall, Unhinged has a nice blend of romance, mystery, intrigue and fantasy and is a great addition to the Splintered series.

Thank-you kindly to Amulet Books/Netgalley for the opportunity to read Unhinged.

 

About the author: A.G. Howard was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. Her pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

Her debut YA fantasy, SPLINTERED, a dark Alice in Wonderland spinoff, is now available from Amulet Books. The sequel, UNHINGED, is due to launch January 2014. 

Waiting on Wednesday (1st May) Unhinged by A.G. Howard & Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne

 

Hi everyone, thank-you so much for stopping by my WoW!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My first choice for this weeks WoW is Unhinged by A.G. Howard which is the second book in the Splintered series. I absolutely love the amazing cover and I adored the first book so I’m keen to read the sequel.

Author: A.G Howard

Series: Splintered

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Amulet

Release Date: 7th January 2014

Amazon pre-order: Unhinged

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

Not released as yet

My second choice is Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne, the blurb for this one gives me the creeps!

Author: Hannah Jayne

Series: -

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: 16^th July 2013

Amazon pre-order: Truly, Madly, Deadly

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

Sawyer Dodd has it all. She's a star track athlete, choir soloist, and A-student. And her boyfriend is the handsome all-star Kevin Anderson. But behind the medals, prom pictures, and perfect smiles, Sawyer finds herself trapped in a controlling, abusive relationship with Kevin. When he dies in a drunk-driving accident, Sawyer is secretly relieved. She's free. Until she opens her locker and finds a mysterious letter signed by "an admirer" and printed with two simple words: "You're welcome."

What is your WoW for this week?

ARC Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

 

Author: A.G. Howard

Series: -

Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy

Publisher: Amulet Books

Amazon: Splintered

Release Date: 1^st January 2013

Synopsis:

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.

Review: 5 out of 5 Stars

Every once in a while a book comes along and leaves me absolutely mesmerized; Splintered is a book which kept me up until all hours and left me thinking about it long after I had finished it – a sign to me of amazing storytelling & how gorgeous is the stunning cover!

Alyssa is the great, great, great grand daughter of Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and hears the small whispers of bugs and flowers; thinking this is a sign of madness and that she is starting to take after her institutionalized mother, she soon learns that the stories about her family’s history is actually a shocking reality.

I loved the voice of Alyssa; she was realistic, devoted, curious and really sweet. I loved the way she cared about her parents and best friend Jeb. Her task was to complete a series of tests in the Under-land to fix Alice’s mistakes in the hopes of breaking the family curse.

Splintered was an engrossing read with amazingly vivid details, the intricate plot and the Alice in Wonderland tidbits were fascinating, it’s one of my most favorite tales and Howard certainly did it justice.

I adored each of the characters; Alyssa’s strength, Jeb’s devotion and loyalty and netherling Morpheous’s mystery. We have a bit of a love triangle between Jeb and Morpheous, both boys were intriguing but I had a clear choice from the very beginning.

The world Howard has created is filled with darkness and fraught with danger; once Alyssa stepped down that rabbit hole there was no turning back and the journey she took throughout in order to break the curse was filled with many surprises, twists and turns (one which completely blew me away) and extremely unusual creatures; it was enthralling.

Howard’s writing is simply stunning! The wonderful story she has created is pure brilliance and filled with imagery that takes you into the story. I am definitely eager to read more books by this author.