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Synopsis (Found on
Goodreads.com)
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:
I liked this book
a lot. I liked how the story of Alice in Wonderland was incorporated into the
book.
First of all the descriptions of the creatures and the Wonderland landscape was wonderful. This wonderland isn't the one of the book or disney movie. This is a twisted Wonderland with gruesome creatures with deformities and creatures that are a mish mash of animals that we know in our world. All the characters that we know are twisted versions of themselves: The caterpillar, the white rabbit, the cheshire cat, the Queen of Hearts (who here is called Queen Red) and the mad hatter to name a few. The descriptions of the scenery as Alyssa goes through Wonderland is very vivid and detailed. The action was described so well that I could imagine myself in the book with Alyssa, seeing the things she did. A.G. Howard really does have a creative imagination and she shows it in this book.
I liked the heroine, Alyssa. She had a rough childhood with her mother being in an asylum and with her being able to hear plants, flowers and bugs talk. She thinks she is crazy like her mother but that is far from true. Alyssa is inquisitive and brave, traits which allow her to find and enter Wonderland in the first place. She is very caring, loving and puts others before herself. She enters Wonderland to help her mother and she sacrifices something that causes her hurt but does it anyway to save someone she loves. She is very loyal to the people she loves. She is very trusting in the beginning but as the story continues she learns to be manipulative so that she can escape Wonderland alive. She rather take pain than see anyone she loves suffer. She is truly a heroine in my eyes because she doesn't have to kick ass but because she does whats right and she puts herself in danger to save others.
I love Jeb. He is obviously Alyssa's love interest in the book. Jeb is very protective of Alyssa and like her, puts Alyssa first before himself. He is willing to get hurt and fight for her to keep her safe. He harbors his feelings for her because he isn't sure she feels the same. He gets very jealous of Morpheus and hates when Morpheus touches her. Jeb is also a great guy in general and very kind to others (humans). He's very thoughtful and sweet. From his description he's easy on the eyes also. I love his piercing also.
I'm torn about the way I feel about Morpheus. I like him, then I don't, then I like him, then I don't. He is very manipulative and at times selfish. He lured Alyssa to Wonderland for many reasons and at times he was very dishonest with her. However he can also be very charming, loving, unselfish and protective. Alyssa also wavers between loving and hating him. He is close to her because of their childhood together. Morpheus is also jealous of Jeb and I can see a love triangle brewing here. Its clear Morpheus loves Alyssa and he told her as much.
Now about the romance. I can see a love triangle forming here, which I absolutely hate. Love triangles and insta-love are the bane of my reading existence. Thank God there was no insta love here. Both loves that Alyssa has for the guys were ones that developed out of years of friendship which is something not seen much in YA these days. I love it. I like the romance between Jeb and Alyssa and also the suggested romance between Morpheus and Alyssa. Alyssa's feelings for Jeb are clear in the book while her feelings for Morpheus are blurred. One thing is clear, in this book anyway, is that Alyssa wants Jeb. This can be seen within the first few pages of the book. As of right now I'm not sure who I want Alyssa to be with. I like both guys (Morpheus for the most part) but right now there is no one I'm rooting for. I like each romance separately and I wished it was either/or in the book to avoid a love triangle. I mean Jeb or Morpheus could of just been a friend who helps Alyssa on her journey. I don't know, I'm just rambling here, but for me love triangles never end well and someone ends up getting hurt. For me they are just unfulfilling because I end up feeling bad for the person who didn't get their love and that sucks.
Anyway I'm amped to read book two which I have on my shelf raring to go!
First of all the descriptions of the creatures and the Wonderland landscape was wonderful. This wonderland isn't the one of the book or disney movie. This is a twisted Wonderland with gruesome creatures with deformities and creatures that are a mish mash of animals that we know in our world. All the characters that we know are twisted versions of themselves: The caterpillar, the white rabbit, the cheshire cat, the Queen of Hearts (who here is called Queen Red) and the mad hatter to name a few. The descriptions of the scenery as Alyssa goes through Wonderland is very vivid and detailed. The action was described so well that I could imagine myself in the book with Alyssa, seeing the things she did. A.G. Howard really does have a creative imagination and she shows it in this book.
I liked the heroine, Alyssa. She had a rough childhood with her mother being in an asylum and with her being able to hear plants, flowers and bugs talk. She thinks she is crazy like her mother but that is far from true. Alyssa is inquisitive and brave, traits which allow her to find and enter Wonderland in the first place. She is very caring, loving and puts others before herself. She enters Wonderland to help her mother and she sacrifices something that causes her hurt but does it anyway to save someone she loves. She is very loyal to the people she loves. She is very trusting in the beginning but as the story continues she learns to be manipulative so that she can escape Wonderland alive. She rather take pain than see anyone she loves suffer. She is truly a heroine in my eyes because she doesn't have to kick ass but because she does whats right and she puts herself in danger to save others.
I love Jeb. He is obviously Alyssa's love interest in the book. Jeb is very protective of Alyssa and like her, puts Alyssa first before himself. He is willing to get hurt and fight for her to keep her safe. He harbors his feelings for her because he isn't sure she feels the same. He gets very jealous of Morpheus and hates when Morpheus touches her. Jeb is also a great guy in general and very kind to others (humans). He's very thoughtful and sweet. From his description he's easy on the eyes also. I love his piercing also.
I'm torn about the way I feel about Morpheus. I like him, then I don't, then I like him, then I don't. He is very manipulative and at times selfish. He lured Alyssa to Wonderland for many reasons and at times he was very dishonest with her. However he can also be very charming, loving, unselfish and protective. Alyssa also wavers between loving and hating him. He is close to her because of their childhood together. Morpheus is also jealous of Jeb and I can see a love triangle brewing here. Its clear Morpheus loves Alyssa and he told her as much.
Now about the romance. I can see a love triangle forming here, which I absolutely hate. Love triangles and insta-love are the bane of my reading existence. Thank God there was no insta love here. Both loves that Alyssa has for the guys were ones that developed out of years of friendship which is something not seen much in YA these days. I love it. I like the romance between Jeb and Alyssa and also the suggested romance between Morpheus and Alyssa. Alyssa's feelings for Jeb are clear in the book while her feelings for Morpheus are blurred. One thing is clear, in this book anyway, is that Alyssa wants Jeb. This can be seen within the first few pages of the book. As of right now I'm not sure who I want Alyssa to be with. I like both guys (Morpheus for the most part) but right now there is no one I'm rooting for. I like each romance separately and I wished it was either/or in the book to avoid a love triangle. I mean Jeb or Morpheus could of just been a friend who helps Alyssa on her journey. I don't know, I'm just rambling here, but for me love triangles never end well and someone ends up getting hurt. For me they are just unfulfilling because I end up feeling bad for the person who didn't get their love and that sucks.
Anyway I'm amped to read book two which I have on my shelf raring to go!
Rating:
A
Oh how enjoyed this one, though I definitely didn't want it to go into love triangle territory. With every story containing a love triangle, it is getting really old.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I'm so tired of it.
ReplyDelete