Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard
What: Unhinged (Splintered #2) by A.G. Howard
Who: Amulet Books
When: January 7th 2014
How: Purchased
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.
There is one main thing that happened in this book (for me): I jumped ship.
Okay, not quite because in my review of Splintered, I said that both love interests were gorgeous and I couldn’t really pick because they both had their strengths and weaknesses, and would be good for Alyssa in different ways. Now? NOT SO MUCH. Unhinged cemented Morpheus as the man for Alyssa. He was just so incredibly attentive and provoking and 100% SEXY AS HELL that there was no hope for Jeb. Especially since he did a Mal (from The Grisha books) and turned into a whiny little ass, and was never there for Alyssa, even when she really needed him. I was extremely disappointed in Jeb. I guess there is some explanation for his actions, but still. BE STRONG, BOY. GEEZ.
I must admit didn’t love Unhinged quite as much as Splintered, and I think a little bit of that was the fact that Wonderland doesn’t really play a role in this book at all. *extreme sad face* I loved the creepy and wacky Wonderland that Howard has created, and I sorely missed all its weirdness and wackiness in this book.
There were heaps of new twists and turns and mystery, though. Shit has gone down, and there are so many players in this game there’s no real clear picture of who should be beaten and who needs to be defeated, and it’s awesome. I love me some guessing and some sleuthing, so that was definitely a great aspect of Unhinged.
Unhinged really brought in Alyssa’s parents as pivotal characters, and I really appreciated that. I despise disappearing parent syndrome, and it’s so refreshing to have parents who are actually invested in and care about their child and their child’s wellbeing. Alyssa’s parents play the true parental role in that they care a lot about Alyssa and do what they think is best for her (even if it might not really be what’s best for her). I give huge kudos to Howard for creating believable parents in this YA fantasy.
The kissy and sexy scenes kill me. I bow down to Howard because she just has a true art for creating these intensely steamy and romantic scenes that have me swooning 100% every time (even if it’s Jeb, who is no longer a bb for Alyssa in my mind). I just pretty much want an entire book of Alyssa making out with Morpheus (or Jeb if must be). This could happen, yeah? We don’t need plot. Just kissies. All the time. I would buy that immediately.
Another thing that kills me is when Alyssa says cruel things to Morpheus and HURTS MY DARLING. I hiss and snarl at her because we all know she has the hots for him, but she says cruel things like I will never love you and she slays him with mean words. STOP, ALYSSA. STOP BEING CRUEL TO THE PRECIOUS.
ANYWAY. I really enjoyed Unhinged from page one, and I could not wait to start Ensnared (so I did start it the same day I finished Unhinged because I get obsessed like that).
© 2015, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.
“Unhinged cemented Morpheus as the man for Alyssa.” *evil laughter* YES. I totally saw that from this book as well, and up until that I was also in the same boat where I couldn’t decide. Your Mal comparison couldn’t be more spot on, why must these love interests become so whiny? It drives me insane! I’d rather deal with the Darkling any day.
I felt the same about this one vs. Splintered. I loved Wonderland so it was sad that it did not have such a role here.
I have yet to read Ensnared because I am little scared at what endgame will be. Looking forward to your thoughts on it!
They were both so good but then Jeb just … deteriorated D: And I have no idea why they become so whiny and self involved. It hurts me :( And YES Darkling. I always prefer my moody and persuasive boys ;)
Ah, you should read Ensnared! Everyone’s back in Wonderland (albeit in a different plane of it). Endgame … I won’t ruin anything for you XD
YOU JUMPED SHIP?? NOOOOO. *grabs Chiara back* Curse you, Morpheus! Okay, I actually can’t say that because I haven’t read this book yet… Heh. I have heard horrible things about both Mal and Jeb in the sequels of their respective books… So disappointed. :(
Wonderland didn’t play a big role in this book? That’s just sad, since Wonderland was my FAVORITE aspect of book one!
I am excited for all the kissies though. Heh. ;) Fantastic review, Chiara!
Don’t curse the precious, Aimee! XD But yeah disappointed because I loved both Jeb AND Mal and I feel like the authors made them less likeable so that everyone falls for the bad boy. Not that I’m complaining. I am bad boy-centric ;P
Right? It comes back in book three, though. So that was good.
UGH THE KISSIES, AIMEE. THE KISSIES.
Thank you, lovely <3