Review: Unhinged

Title:  Unhinged
Series:  Splintered #2
Author:  A.G. Howard
Age Group:  Young Adult
Published:  January 1, 2014 by Amulet
Source:  Bought

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.

 My Review:  With every single word I read of Unhinged, I fell more and more in love.  The characters, world, and magic A.G. Howard has created are so intoxicating and addictive, I can't help but crave more of all of it.  I am so incredibly in love with the chaos and the insanity that makes these stories unique.  

Even though this time around we don't actually have a chance to jump back down the rabbit hole, there is no lack of of the craziness that it holds.  I was afraid that the magic from the last novel would be missing from this one but I had nothing to fear!  Wonderland was seeping into the human world and I adored seeing the chaos it created there.  I was constantly on edge seeing Alyssa trying to balance the craziness of Wonderland and her human life.  I was just waiting for everything to come crashing together and ruining the delicate balance she had achieved.  

Alyssa herself was awesome.  I loved her loyalty and dedication to her family and friends even though I was kind of irritated that she completely denied her Wonderland side.  I so wanted her to just bust out her wings and powers and be totally awesome!  I mean, she was still totally awesome but I just wish we were able to see that other side of her.  The growth she went through in this book was lovely and I liked seeing her progress as it continued on.

Along with Alyssa, we also see a lot of Jeb and Morpheus in this book.  I actually kind of  disliked Jeb in this book.  I found him annoying but that might just be because he was in the way of Morpheus and Alyssa being together.  Looking past that, he was actually really sweet and caring and adorable in the moments he had with Alyssa.  Morpheus, of course, was my favorite.  I love this guy so much.  He is so wild and chaotic and that just had me swooning all over the page.  I love that he has such a big soft spot for Alyssa and I thought it was sweet seeing the things he did for her.  But no matter what he did do for her, he always was his mischievous self.  

Unhinged was just as amazing as the first book in the novel, Splintered.  Full of magic, chaos, and beautifully written and intricate characters, this book will hook you from the beginning and become an addiction you won't be able to shake!  

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