Synopsis:
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.
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 rating: 3 of 5 stars
Let me start off saying that a 3 star rating isn't bad in my book. Seriously, it literally means I liked it and trust me when I say, this book was one I wanted to love...but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It's all Jeb's fault.
One of the things I adored about Splintered was the chaos and darkness of Wonderland. Something we saw nothing of in this book. We didn't see the madness of the creatures or the dangers of the landscapes. I wanted the wonders of Wonderland!Mainly it was just Jeb that pissed me off.
I'm kind of dissapointed to say nothing really happened in those 387 pages that added to the plot unless you count the inevitable second books syndrome twist. You know which one I mean. The one that occurs on most second books in a trilogy just to get us to read the final book. There was no need. I would have still read Ensnared.
So, instead of upping the fun, the author upped the angst. Instead of a gripping plot, it drags and instead of intense and exhilarating characters, they've lost their shine, they're boring and they suck--except Morpheus. NEVER MORPHEUS.
The characters:
Alyssa:
This is a character that had previously proven herself to be strong willed and courageous. She was not to be pushed down and ignored. She was smart, cunning and selfless in Splintered and I felt proud rooting her on as the story progressed. So when I read Unhinged here all I have to ask is:
Where the hell is that Alyssa???
She is a self serving coward that only cares about her inadequate, mediocre mortal boyfriend that I ever had the displeasure of reading.
Alyssa is informed by Morpheus in so many ways that Wonderland is dying. It's being destroyed by the Red Queen and do you know what she does? She sticks her head in the FN ground and acts like Morpheus is just full of it and isn't capable of doing right. It is a constant repetitive, UNENDING circle in the book where Alyssa is just "I hate Morpheus. I don't trust Morpheus. Maybe I should believe what Morpheus says. Morpheus is a lair. I should have never trusted Morpheus. Morpheus help me." AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT. Doesn't that bother you? Well join the club!
Jebediah Holt:
I hate this character with raw unadulterated passion. He is a stoic cliche of a character with the corniest one-liners one could ever read. He has turned Alyssa into a insecure, attention seeking, spineless, little twit who thinks of nothing beyond their idiotic and meaningless relationship.I hope you die a violent death and bugs eat your corpse.
"I want him in on this. Maybe because I know he'll try to convince me it's okay not to leave. Not for something so dangerous. I want to hear that it's okay to be a coward"
Let me put that on repeat in case you didn't catch that:
"I want to hear that it's okay to be a coward" Do you see that right there? This is what he is for. Why would anyone want a relationship with someone who holds you back. Someone who is too afraid to take a chance. Someone who for fear of heights won't let me soar.
Jeb you are the bane of my existence.
lol melodramatic much. I don't care.
Morpheus:
The moth is the saving grace of this book. He is everything and more. The things he says...
Just do us all a favor and fly out of the book and into existence. Alyssa doesn't deserve you.
My final words...
Love triangle:
"You've been given a chance at two lives and two loves. That is nothing short of a miracle. Cherish the gift for what it is."
Hell to the NO! Don't feed me that crap. This isn't Clockwork Princess where was the only place I might have considered that ending. I don't want a repeat.
One of the things I adored about Splintered was the chaos and darkness of Wonderland. Something we saw nothing of in this book. We didn't see the madness of the creatures or the dangers of the landscapes. I wanted the wonders of Wonderland!
I'm kind of dissapointed to say nothing really happened in those 387 pages that added to the plot unless you count the inevitable second books syndrome twist. You know which one I mean. The one that occurs on most second books in a trilogy just to get us to read the final book. There was no need. I would have still read Ensnared.
So, instead of upping the fun, the author upped the angst. Instead of a gripping plot, it drags and instead of intense and exhilarating characters, they've lost their shine, they're boring and they suck--except Morpheus. NEVER MORPHEUS.
The characters:
Alyssa:
This is a character that had previously proven herself to be strong willed and courageous. She was not to be pushed down and ignored. She was smart, cunning and selfless in Splintered and I felt proud rooting her on as the story progressed. So when I read Unhinged here all I have to ask is:
Where the hell is that Alyssa???
She is a self serving coward that only cares about her inadequate, mediocre mortal boyfriend that I ever had the displeasure of reading.
Alyssa is informed by Morpheus in so many ways that Wonderland is dying. It's being destroyed by the Red Queen and do you know what she does? She sticks her head in the FN ground and acts like Morpheus is just full of it and isn't capable of doing right. It is a constant repetitive, UNENDING circle in the book where Alyssa is just "I hate Morpheus. I don't trust Morpheus. Maybe I should believe what Morpheus says. Morpheus is a lair. I should have never trusted Morpheus. Morpheus help me." AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT AND REPEAT. Doesn't that bother you? Well join the club!
Jebediah Holt:
I hate this character with raw unadulterated passion. He is a stoic cliche of a character with the corniest one-liners one could ever read. He has turned Alyssa into a insecure, attention seeking, spineless, little twit who thinks of nothing beyond their idiotic and meaningless relationship.
"I want him in on this. Maybe because I know he'll try to convince me it's okay not to leave. Not for something so dangerous. I want to hear that it's okay to be a coward"
Let me put that on repeat in case you didn't catch that:
"I want to hear that it's okay to be a coward" Do you see that right there? This is what he is for. Why would anyone want a relationship with someone who holds you back. Someone who is too afraid to take a chance. Someone who for fear of heights won't let me soar.
Jeb you are the bane of my existence.
lol melodramatic much. I don't care.
Morpheus:
The moth is the saving grace of this book. He is everything and more. The things he says...
Just do us all a favor and fly out of the book and into existence. Alyssa doesn't deserve you.
My final words...
Love triangle:
"You've been given a chance at two lives and two loves. That is nothing short of a miracle. Cherish the gift for what it is."
Hell to the NO! Don't feed me that crap. This isn't Clockwork Princess where was the only place I might have considered that ending. I don't want a repeat.
♥Until next time♥
