Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Title: Unhinged
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Book Two in the Splintered Series
Published By: Amulet (January 7, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Fantasy
My Rating: 5 Stars!

Book Description:
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.

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I would be lying if I didn't admit that I have eagerly been awaiting the release of this. Ever since reading Splintered and absolutely being wrapped up in the beautifully dark world that Ms. Howard created, I craved more. 

While The Moth in the Mirror helped ease the pain of waiting, it did little to satiate my hunger for more Al, Jeb, and of course Morpheus. I couldn't wait to delve right back into the bleak, magical and dangerous world of Wonderland. I wanted more adventure, more danger, more action and more romance. Heck, I just wanted more.

Ms. Howard's writing is nothing short of beautiful and completely alluring and captivating. She holds my attention from the first page to the last and lately it seems very few authors are doing that, especially in this genre. She truly stands out with her skills and in her craft.

This really was deliciously dark. It had everything I fell in love with from Splintered and then went beyond my wildest expectations. I honestly didn't know if Howard would be able to pull it off, after all, how do you create two masterpieces with the same atmosphere and darkness without being in the same place? Without being in Wonderland? But she did it and pulled it off magically.

Morpheus is as cunning and smart and devilish as ever but we get to see a more caring side as well, dare I even say a more appealing side? I hate to say this because I adore Jeb (who is as fantastic as ever) but I couldn't help root for Moth Man. There is just something so alluring about him, something that pulls you in and makes you feel for him, that makes you just love him and can't help but want him to succeed with Alyssa ever bit as much as Jeb. 

This was one hell of a freakishly crazy messed up ride and it was fabulous. I loved every gruel-ish, horrifying and endearing moment of it. I missed Wonderland and all it's inhabitants. I missed Howard's lyrical, magical words and characters that come to life right off the pages and into your imagination and heart forever.


So much happened that it blew me away. So much left to happen that I am already stuck here, craving the next book and wishing the release date would come sooner. I am anxious, I am nervous, and I am on pins and needles in agony waiting for it to be here. Whatever will I do with my time until it gets here? I need to know what happens. I need to know that all will be well, that everyone will be safe and I am hoping like heck that they all (yes ALL of them) get their happily ever after, because I want it all. 

*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*