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Splintered #1.5, 3.5
Untamed
A post-Ensnared collection of three stories—available in both print and e-versions.
Alyssa Gardner went down the rabbit hole and took control of her destiny. She survived the battle for Wonderland and the battle for her heart. In this collection of three novellas, join Alyssa and her family as they look back at their memories of Wonderland.
In Six Impossible Things, Alyssa recalls the most precious moments of her life after Ensnared, and the role magic plays in preserving the happiness of those she loves. Alyssa’s mother reminisces about her own time in Wonderland and rescuing the man who would become her husband in The Boy in the Web. And Morpheus delves into Jeb’s memories of the events of Splintered in The Moth in the Mirror, available in print for the first time.
This collection expands upon Ensnared's epilogue, and includes some deleted scenes to provide a “director’s cut” glimpse into the past and futures of our favorite Splintered characters.
Alyssa Gardner went down the rabbit hole and took control of her destiny. She survived the battle for Wonderland and the battle for her heart. In this collection of three novellas, join Alyssa and her family as they look back at their memories of Wonderland.
In Six Impossible Things, Alyssa recalls the most precious moments of her life after Ensnared, and the role magic plays in preserving the happiness of those she loves. Alyssa’s mother reminisces about her own time in Wonderland and rescuing the man who would become her husband in The Boy in the Web. And Morpheus delves into Jeb’s memories of the events of Splintered in The Moth in the Mirror, available in print for the first time.
This collection expands upon Ensnared's epilogue, and includes some deleted scenes to provide a “director’s cut” glimpse into the past and futures of our favorite Splintered characters.
288 pages, ebook
First published December 15, 2015
About the author
A.G. Howard
19 books8,708 followers#1 New York Times and International bestselling Author of gothic / fantasy & paranormal tales, mystical & romantic with a side of horror. A.G.'s dark Alice in Wonderland inspired Splintered series has been published in over a dozen languages.
Young adult, Adult, and literary romance. Repped by Jenny Bent.
How A.G. Howard rates books on GoodReads:
"I only rate or review books I enjoyed reading, and won't give any rating below 4 stars. Please don't consider every high rating a personal endorsement / recommendation from me. My ratings here are subjective to me as an individual.
I don't rate books solely on style. Every writer's voice is individual and unique; I've come to respect this truth during my own personal journey. As long as a story takes me to another place and is well edited, I'm going to give it a good rating. And if, for some reason, a book doesn't entertain me or I don't finish it, I won't leave a rating or review at all.
If you're considering a book I've reviewed/rated, be sure to read other reviews/ratings alongside mine to help you decide if it's a read you might enjoy personally.
Happy book hunting!"
Young adult, Adult, and literary romance. Repped by Jenny Bent.
How A.G. Howard rates books on GoodReads:
"I only rate or review books I enjoyed reading, and won't give any rating below 4 stars. Please don't consider every high rating a personal endorsement / recommendation from me. My ratings here are subjective to me as an individual.
I don't rate books solely on style. Every writer's voice is individual and unique; I've come to respect this truth during my own personal journey. As long as a story takes me to another place and is well edited, I'm going to give it a good rating. And if, for some reason, a book doesn't entertain me or I don't finish it, I won't leave a rating or review at all.
If you're considering a book I've reviewed/rated, be sure to read other reviews/ratings alongside mine to help you decide if it's a read you might enjoy personally.
Happy book hunting!"
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September 13, 2022
Reread 2022 - I’m bringing this down to a 4 stars because I just wish there was a mention of some things in the book and the rest of the book about her and Morpheus. Tired of Jeb!! Sigh….
OMG! This one was my favorite! <—- Correction, the last little part was my favorite!
This is a novella telling of things that happened within the books. I loved it so freaking much!
First we have the families all together and then we have Alyssa's mom (Alison) telling her story of when she was little and met Morpheus and the things she went through.
Now I'm not giving out any spoilers so don't worry.
We also get to read about what happened, in depth, to Alyssa's father when he was young.
And finally we get to read about what happened after the last book. I will admit that it made me cry but you all know I cry in books all of the time so this is nothing new! It was just so wonderful and some sadness but mostly it was wonderful!
It's so bizarre to me how I can love this book more than the original trilogy, but it's not one to read before the other three. If you do that it will ruin the first three books. I think it was just the wrapping up of all that happened and getting to look into what happened after and a few other things that were told in the books. Either way, I loved it and I'm happy ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
OMG! This one was my favorite! <—- Correction, the last little part was my favorite!
This is a novella telling of things that happened within the books. I loved it so freaking much!
First we have the families all together and then we have Alyssa's mom (Alison) telling her story of when she was little and met Morpheus and the things she went through.
Now I'm not giving out any spoilers so don't worry.
We also get to read about what happened, in depth, to Alyssa's father when he was young.
And finally we get to read about what happened after the last book. I will admit that it made me cry but you all know I cry in books all of the time so this is nothing new! It was just so wonderful and some sadness but mostly it was wonderful!
It's so bizarre to me how I can love this book more than the original trilogy, but it's not one to read before the other three. If you do that it will ruin the first three books. I think it was just the wrapping up of all that happened and getting to look into what happened after and a few other things that were told in the books. Either way, I loved it and I'm happy ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Read
March 25, 2015The launch date for Untamed has just been moved up from Jan 2016 to Dec 2015. So you can put it on your wish list for Santa! :)
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
April 12, 2017Edit: Heard Jeb plays a big role here. He can just go jump off a cliff for all I care. Not coming within 10 ft of this.
I am dead SERIOUS
If Jeb is even mentioned in this book...
I am dead SERIOUS
If Jeb is even mentioned in this book...
January 25, 2016
I think Untamed was one of my most anticipated novellas, like ever… Morpheus is such a freaking dreamboat and his relationship with Alyssa is everything, my obsession with them throughout the Splintered series only grew and grew. For those of you who don’t know, Untamed is actually split into 3 short stories: The Boy in the Web, The Moth in the Mirror and Six Impossible Things.
The Boy in the Web: This was about Alyssa’s mother Alison; it focused on her past before she was a wife and a mother. We saw Alison from a young age, how she met Morpheus and her time in Wonderland, leading up to the moment she decided to betray Morpheus and save the young boy from a spider. The Boy in the Web was okay and that was all. I enjoyed reading about Alison but at the same time I wasn’t really interested, more on this later.
The Moth in the Mirror: Now this novella had already been released but I managed to avoid reading it until Untamed but my reaction would have been the same whenever I read it: TOO MUCH JEB. Plain and simple, also looking at past memories just isn’t very entertaining to read about, I kept waiting for something to happen to keep my interest.
Six Impossible Things: Finally some Alyssa and Morpheus, this is what us Splintered fans have been waiting for.. what 3 books now? This short novella was all dedicated to Alyssa’s life after Ensnared but what I didn’t expect was for Jeb to, yet again dominate another part of the book, I mean The Moth in the Mirror was all Jeb, damn it! So a few of the stories talked about Alyssa’s life with Jeb, their marriage, children, grandchildren, losing their parents and eventually Jeb’s death. Then we finally get to Alyssa and Morpheus but at this point it’s so long overdue and I look at how many pages I’m getting of their relationship and I’m instantly saddened (not enough, not by a long shot). So we look at three memories and they were lovely, I absolutely adore Morpheus and Alyssa but my only complaint was the length and the fact that they didn’t really show the fiery or the trickery nature of their relationship *sigh*, although there were some amazing moments it just wasn’t what I was hoping for.
I think my hopes were far too high for this one, although in my defense I didn’t actually think it was going to be riddled with Jeb and Alison’s stories but it would have been completely unfair to Howard for me to actually expect a book based on my favorite characters. However like I said earlier in my review, what I was reading was good but I wasn’t invested in it—this was just me as a reader so this may not be the case for everyone as we all read books differently. Nevertheless the moments I wanted happened, I only wish there was more of it, I will miss this series and characters so much.
Blog | Twitter | Instagram
The Boy in the Web: This was about Alyssa’s mother Alison; it focused on her past before she was a wife and a mother. We saw Alison from a young age, how she met Morpheus and her time in Wonderland, leading up to the moment she decided to betray Morpheus and save the young boy from a spider. The Boy in the Web was okay and that was all. I enjoyed reading about Alison but at the same time I wasn’t really interested, more on this later.
The Moth in the Mirror: Now this novella had already been released but I managed to avoid reading it until Untamed but my reaction would have been the same whenever I read it: TOO MUCH JEB. Plain and simple, also looking at past memories just isn’t very entertaining to read about, I kept waiting for something to happen to keep my interest.
Six Impossible Things: Finally some Alyssa and Morpheus, this is what us Splintered fans have been waiting for.. what 3 books now? This short novella was all dedicated to Alyssa’s life after Ensnared but what I didn’t expect was for Jeb to, yet again dominate another part of the book, I mean The Moth in the Mirror was all Jeb, damn it! So a few of the stories talked about Alyssa’s life with Jeb, their marriage, children, grandchildren, losing their parents and eventually Jeb’s death. Then we finally get to Alyssa and Morpheus but at this point it’s so long overdue and I look at how many pages I’m getting of their relationship and I’m instantly saddened (not enough, not by a long shot). So we look at three memories and they were lovely, I absolutely adore Morpheus and Alyssa but my only complaint was the length and the fact that they didn’t really show the fiery or the trickery nature of their relationship *sigh*, although there were some amazing moments it just wasn’t what I was hoping for.
I think my hopes were far too high for this one, although in my defense I didn’t actually think it was going to be riddled with Jeb and Alison’s stories but it would have been completely unfair to Howard for me to actually expect a book based on my favorite characters. However like I said earlier in my review, what I was reading was good but I wasn’t invested in it—this was just me as a reader so this may not be the case for everyone as we all read books differently. Nevertheless the moments I wanted happened, I only wish there was more of it, I will miss this series and characters so much.
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October 13, 2021
Star Rating: —> 5 Stars
[After my re-read (12/18/2020): I'm bumping this up from 4 stars to 5! Reading this a second time, I fell even harder for this, and I was so happy to find that the sharp, nagging pain I felt the first time around, like something was MISSING, had completely faded, and that I was left with just... contentment! I, of course, still need me some mo' of A.G. Howard's vivid, incredible envisioning of Wonderland, but I think after 5 years, the painful, ravenous NEED for more turned into hope, acceptance, & a quiet curiosity as to whether Howard WILL still someday pen more stories set in her brilliant version of Wonderland. I really hope she does!
Please excuse me so that I now may ponder this whilst casually (not pretentiously, obvs) taking drags from my (nonexistent) hookah pipe (on the basis of clarity, duh... 😉)]
This really was an incredible book; it’s just hard, because I wanted so, so, so, much MORE. But thats just me being greedy. No fault of this novella's!
A.G. Howard has said before that she is not done with the story and characters 😉, just yet, though...
So let me just start this by saying:
[ I love A.G. Howard ]
I messaged her about a year ago and then more recently checking in (I know, I know... I couldn’t help it lol) saying please, PLEASE, please write another novel or series of novels on *specific characters* lol; There is still an eternity to explore! There’s gotta be more crazy shiz going down in Wonderland! There’s no way there’s not, infinite trilogy worthy happenings that could go down... it could happen at ANY TIME, I mean they literally have forever! They’re immortal ! :-).
I was like I think I might die if I don’t get some more of her amazing worlds and characters (wasn’t exaggerating at all ;-) but let’s be real here; that’s at least partly the way I feel haha) but yeah she said she plans on something, for sure! That she’s not done with Wonderland either; just said it’s way down the road bc she was working on roseblood and now her adult series of novels that are all also standalones! We can only hope that she has ideas swirling around in her genius mind haha and is at least THINKING about plot lines! I mean those things were only said informally through GR message, so WE’LL SEE. But if so... omfg I CANT WAIT.
But seriously, that’s what was missing from this novella for me. A whole new book... or three. But I get it; I just can’t help but want to read more more more more more about the future of Wonderland! lol. just being greedy I suppose haha.
And btw, this series is by far the most imaginative, amazing, SICKKK, detailed, unique retelling of AAIW I’ve ever read. One of my fav series of all time.
one more time...
[ I ADORE A.G. Howard ]
Her worldbuilding is just... it's... you feel like you could really BE there... and you feel like you know the characters inside and out by the time the story is complete. Ugh. SUCH A GOOD SERIES. REEEEAAAAAAAD IT!
[After my re-read (12/18/2020): I'm bumping this up from 4 stars to 5! Reading this a second time, I fell even harder for this, and I was so happy to find that the sharp, nagging pain I felt the first time around, like something was MISSING, had completely faded, and that I was left with just... contentment! I, of course, still need me some mo' of A.G. Howard's vivid, incredible envisioning of Wonderland, but I think after 5 years, the painful, ravenous NEED for more turned into hope, acceptance, & a quiet curiosity as to whether Howard WILL still someday pen more stories set in her brilliant version of Wonderland. I really hope she does!
Please excuse me so that I now may ponder this whilst casually (not pretentiously, obvs) taking drags from my (nonexistent) hookah pipe (on the basis of clarity, duh... 😉)]
This really was an incredible book; it’s just hard, because I wanted so, so, so, much MORE. But thats just me being greedy. No fault of this novella's!
A.G. Howard has said before that she is not done with the story and characters 😉, just yet, though...
So let me just start this by saying:
[ I love A.G. Howard ]
I messaged her about a year ago and then more recently checking in (I know, I know... I couldn’t help it lol) saying please, PLEASE, please write another novel or series of novels on *specific characters* lol; There is still an eternity to explore! There’s gotta be more crazy shiz going down in Wonderland! There’s no way there’s not, infinite trilogy worthy happenings that could go down... it could happen at ANY TIME, I mean they literally have forever! They’re immortal ! :-).
I was like I think I might die if I don’t get some more of her amazing worlds and characters (wasn’t exaggerating at all ;-) but let’s be real here; that’s at least partly the way I feel haha) but yeah she said she plans on something, for sure! That she’s not done with Wonderland either; just said it’s way down the road bc she was working on roseblood and now her adult series of novels that are all also standalones! We can only hope that she has ideas swirling around in her genius mind haha and is at least THINKING about plot lines! I mean those things were only said informally through GR message, so WE’LL SEE. But if so... omfg I CANT WAIT.
But seriously, that’s what was missing from this novella for me. A whole new book... or three. But I get it; I just can’t help but want to read more more more more more about the future of Wonderland! lol. just being greedy I suppose haha.
And btw, this series is by far the most imaginative, amazing, SICKKK, detailed, unique retelling of AAIW I’ve ever read. One of my fav series of all time.
one more time...
[ I ADORE A.G. Howard ]
Her worldbuilding is just... it's... you feel like you could really BE there... and you feel like you know the characters inside and out by the time the story is complete. Ugh. SUCH A GOOD SERIES. REEEEAAAAAAAD IT!
July 19, 2016
"Your eyes were the color of freedom. Of my future. They were full of so much sorrow, so much determination. And strength... Waking in your bed was like waking from a ten-year coma and seeing an angel...Because just looking at you, with or without wings, I was reborn."
You want to know what Untamed is? I'll tell you what Untamed is.
It is a neverending clusterfuck of men telling their female partners they are lovely and special and made of unicorn hoof shavings.
Of course women should be made to feel special. Of course we should be worshiped. Like my girl Beyonce says, we run the damn world.
But there's a point when feminism becomes misandry, and there's a point when worshipful devotion becomes cheesy tripe. It's the ridiculous the amount of praise these Splintered women get. The Boy in the Web is about Thomas (Al's dad) wanking on about Alison (Al's mom). The Moth in the Mirror, which was already released, is about Jeb wanking on about Al, with a bit of Morpheus thrown in. Six Impossible Things is about Morpheus wanking on about Al.
We get it, Al is Christ reborn. I was hit over the head with it from Ensnared. Howard mentioned Untamed is supposed to help readers better understand the events and ending of Ensnared. Since I was one of those sorely disappointed, I looked forward to viewing the story through a wider lens.
Instead it shrunk to Al-this and Al-that.
The romance aspect is very vanilla, very old-fashioned. Jeb and Al got engaged, as we remember, at divorce-statistic age of sixteen and don't sleep together until they get married in their early twenties. This is probably a personal thing and each to her own, though Morpheus's restoration of Al's virginity when she officially becomes Wonderland's queen and is made young again made steam gush out of my ears.
"Against every impossibility, I'm innocent and untouched once more."
I hate that word innocent. I hate what it implies, that women who have had sex are somehow impure and dirty. I hate that Morpheus believes Al's virginity is important enough to restore for their relationship to begin.
The other thing that pissed me off is a spoiler. Read at your own peril.
Some novellas bring something new to the table. This one brought me nothing but rage, disappointment, and a renewed conviction that Splintered should have been a standalone.
My review of Splintered
My review of Unhinged
My review of Ensnared
May 3, 2018
A.G. Howard did a great job of refurbishing Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland for a new generation in the Splintered series. She made as much sense of the universe as anyone could, but avoided imposing artificial order on it. It was dark and weird and gothic, but maintained its whimsical spirit and illogical rules. The series didn’t spend nearly as much time on the world as it could/should have, being overly preoccupied with a certain love triangle instead, so it’s not surprising that fans wanted more of this Wonderland.
Most of the readers of this series I know, myself included, also wanted more of Morpheus, the snarky, eccentric, gorgeous, impeccably-dressed antihero of the trilogy, who was consistently mistreated by every single other character in the story even though he did nothing but help them, even at great cost to himself. The seemingly selfish, “solitary fae” was really a big softie striving to save his country, his people, and the girl he loved. He was moody but kept his sense of humor. He was thrillingly romantic but never sappy. He was just, but he was merciful too. So of course readers wanted to know more about him.
And while this book does include enjoyable segments of Wonderland and/or Morpheus, it also suffers from way too much of Jeb Holt, one of the weakest characters in all of fiction.
In my review of Ensnared, I ranted at length about Jeb being dead weight in the story. As Mark Twain said in Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses:
I’ve never read any of the Deerslayer books, so I don’t know if Twain’s criticism was justified regarding its original target. But I’ve found myself quoting his rant, particularly the passage quoted above, when reading other silly books. It is highly applicable here.
Without repeating my other review, Jeb is an unlikable character with no reason to exist, and not only is he shoehorned into this series despite not fitting, but the author stretched her own work almost beyond recognition to accommodate him. Even in this collection of appendice-like, fill-in-the-gaps novellas, she had to make Jeb a central character in two of them, even though he adds nothing.
Story #1, The Boy in the Web, is narrated by Alyssa’s mother, Allison. It describes how she first discovered her Netherling powers and made the acquaintance of Morpheus. Despite the title, Allison’s husband, David/Thomas, is a side character in the story, even though he’s supposed to share Main Character duties. The flashbacks are great, but the present-day frame story is drippy and kind of uncomfortable. I got used to Alyssa in this series. Reading about her parents making out felt as icky as going over to a friend’s house and seeing their parents having an intimate moment.
Story #2, The Moth in the Mirror, follows Morpheus in third person as he magically accesses Jeb’s memories and experiences Wonderland through the eyes of a normal human who doesn’t belong there (or in the story at all, for that matter). Jeb’s brain is a mighty boring place to be, but Morpheus is his usual fun self. He’s talking to the moth in the mirror, but not quite yet asking him to change his ways. But the one who needs to make the world better by looking into themselves and making a change is Alyssa, and she never does it. The story did get Michael’s Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” stuck in my head, though, and that’s a good song.
Story #3, Six Impossible Things, explains how Alyssa, having grown old in our world, returns to Wonderland for good, regains her youth in body and mind, marries Morpheus, becomes Queen, and finally has that kid from the prophetic visions. About time, right? But even this one is marred by the first half being The Jeb Show. I am not ashamed to admit that I skimmed that chapter. None of the information in it had any effect on the story anyway.
One mildly noteworthy character in the human-world segments is Corbin, boyfriend and eventual husband of Jeb’s sister Jenara. I had forgotten his existence. Corbin is not interesting in his own right—he’s just a cute, clean-cut football player with reddish-blond hair and the personality of apple pie. I just bring him up because if Howard really wanted a love triangle that badly, she should have scrapped Jeb (should’ve done that anyway), and Jenara (who serves no purpose), and made Corbin Alyssa’s childhood buddy-turned-love-interest and go to Wonderland with her. He’s actually nice, and he’s actually normal, and he’s actually innocent, so he would at least be a good foil to Morpheus.
Content Advisory: A lot of slobbery kissing between Jeb and Alyssa (ew), Thomas and Allison (bleh, those are her parents!) and finally Morpheus and Alyssa (as it should be). A handful of mild off-color jokes. References to intimacy between married couples. Jeb has a racy but brief dream about his other girlfriend which quickly turns into a nightmare.
Jeb has to use his own blood as paint to unlock a magic box. The child David witnesses another kid get turned into a gibbering monkey creature, and himself is captured in the web of a human/spider hybrid so grotesque she gives Shelob a run for her money.
Morpheus smokes a pipe.
There is no foul language, save Morph saying “bloody Hell” a few times. The nightmare fuel is really toned down from the rest of the series. This collection was meant to be fluff, I think.
Conclusion
Sometimes fun but often frustrating, which pretty much sums up this series. I’d love to hear more about Morpheus and Alyssa’s kids and the world they live in.
Although our heroine’s absolute faith that her two families will never run into each other is a bit maddening. Portals between worlds are like hydra heads—close one and at least one more will spring up to replace it. Her insistence on having a family with Jeb is terrible royal strategy and could lead to serious problems if one of the mortal descendants woke up to the other dimension and decided “Hey, I want to take the throne from this blue-haired freak cousin of mine.”
Most of the readers of this series I know, myself included, also wanted more of Morpheus, the snarky, eccentric, gorgeous, impeccably-dressed antihero of the trilogy, who was consistently mistreated by every single other character in the story even though he did nothing but help them, even at great cost to himself. The seemingly selfish, “solitary fae” was really a big softie striving to save his country, his people, and the girl he loved. He was moody but kept his sense of humor. He was thrillingly romantic but never sappy. He was just, but he was merciful too. So of course readers wanted to know more about him.
And while this book does include enjoyable segments of Wonderland and/or Morpheus, it also suffers from way too much of Jeb Holt, one of the weakest characters in all of fiction.
In my review of Ensnared, I ranted at length about Jeb being dead weight in the story. As Mark Twain said in Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses:
3. [The rules of storytelling] require that the personages in a tale shall be alive, except in the case of corpses, and that always the reader shall be able to tell the corpses from the others…
4. They require that the personages in a tale, both dead and alive, shall exhibit a sufficient excuse for being there…
6. They require that when the author describes the character of a personage in the tale, the conduct and conversation of that personage shall justify said description.
I’ve never read any of the Deerslayer books, so I don’t know if Twain’s criticism was justified regarding its original target. But I’ve found myself quoting his rant, particularly the passage quoted above, when reading other silly books. It is highly applicable here.
Without repeating my other review, Jeb is an unlikable character with no reason to exist, and not only is he shoehorned into this series despite not fitting, but the author stretched her own work almost beyond recognition to accommodate him. Even in this collection of appendice-like, fill-in-the-gaps novellas, she had to make Jeb a central character in two of them, even though he adds nothing.
Story #1, The Boy in the Web, is narrated by Alyssa’s mother, Allison. It describes how she first discovered her Netherling powers and made the acquaintance of Morpheus. Despite the title, Allison’s husband, David/Thomas, is a side character in the story, even though he’s supposed to share Main Character duties. The flashbacks are great, but the present-day frame story is drippy and kind of uncomfortable. I got used to Alyssa in this series. Reading about her parents making out felt as icky as going over to a friend’s house and seeing their parents having an intimate moment.
Story #2, The Moth in the Mirror, follows Morpheus in third person as he magically accesses Jeb’s memories and experiences Wonderland through the eyes of a normal human who doesn’t belong there (or in the story at all, for that matter). Jeb’s brain is a mighty boring place to be, but Morpheus is his usual fun self. He’s talking to the moth in the mirror, but not quite yet asking him to change his ways. But the one who needs to make the world better by looking into themselves and making a change is Alyssa, and she never does it. The story did get Michael’s Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” stuck in my head, though, and that’s a good song.
Story #3, Six Impossible Things, explains how Alyssa, having grown old in our world, returns to Wonderland for good, regains her youth in body and mind, marries Morpheus, becomes Queen, and finally has that kid from the prophetic visions. About time, right? But even this one is marred by the first half being The Jeb Show. I am not ashamed to admit that I skimmed that chapter. None of the information in it had any effect on the story anyway.
One mildly noteworthy character in the human-world segments is Corbin, boyfriend and eventual husband of Jeb’s sister Jenara. I had forgotten his existence. Corbin is not interesting in his own right—he’s just a cute, clean-cut football player with reddish-blond hair and the personality of apple pie. I just bring him up because if Howard really wanted a love triangle that badly, she should have scrapped Jeb (should’ve done that anyway), and Jenara (who serves no purpose), and made Corbin Alyssa’s childhood buddy-turned-love-interest and go to Wonderland with her. He’s actually nice, and he’s actually normal, and he’s actually innocent, so he would at least be a good foil to Morpheus.
Content Advisory: A lot of slobbery kissing between Jeb and Alyssa (ew), Thomas and Allison (bleh, those are her parents!) and finally Morpheus and Alyssa (as it should be). A handful of mild off-color jokes. References to intimacy between married couples. Jeb has a racy but brief dream about his other girlfriend which quickly turns into a nightmare.
Jeb has to use his own blood as paint to unlock a magic box. The child David witnesses another kid get turned into a gibbering monkey creature, and himself is captured in the web of a human/spider hybrid so grotesque she gives Shelob a run for her money.
Morpheus smokes a pipe.
There is no foul language, save Morph saying “bloody Hell” a few times. The nightmare fuel is really toned down from the rest of the series. This collection was meant to be fluff, I think.
Conclusion
Sometimes fun but often frustrating, which pretty much sums up this series. I’d love to hear more about Morpheus and Alyssa’s kids and the world they live in.
Although our heroine’s absolute faith that her two families will never run into each other is a bit maddening. Portals between worlds are like hydra heads—close one and at least one more will spring up to replace it. Her insistence on having a family with Jeb is terrible royal strategy and could lead to serious problems if one of the mortal descendants woke up to the other dimension and decided “Hey, I want to take the throne from this blue-haired freak cousin of mine.”
May 15, 2021
reread #____ I don't know, I've lost count. I just know that every time I read it I love it more and more.
This book contains three short stories about Wonderland, in my case, it is the story, "Six Impossible Things", my favorite, the one I always reread.
It is a more extended epilogue to the end of the trilogy. I love the way it breaks and mends my heart at the same time, I swear. 💖
This book contains three short stories about Wonderland, in my case, it is the story, "Six Impossible Things", my favorite, the one I always reread.
It is a more extended epilogue to the end of the trilogy. I love the way it breaks and mends my heart at the same time, I swear. 💖
September 22, 2017
These were really cute companion stories to the series. I adored this series more than I truly expected. In my experience, you just never know how you will like a book when it comes to retellings but this series was awesome from book one! A bit sad to be done all the books because I really liked the characters and world built by Howard.
February 9, 2021
Fue el cierra que necesitaba
March 7, 2018
Warning: this review contains spoilers from the previous three.
Seven stars for Morpheus (my precious netherling deserves nothing less)
Negative three stars for Jeb (but then what else is new)
Plus a star
Negative star for something that made me really mad (if you want to know then read the spoiler tag below)
Negative star for not enough Morpheus
Total: Three stars
So I didn't care for the ending of Ensnared, but I read this book for two reasons.
1.) Morpheus (come on, you all saw THAT coming)
2.) Closure (cause I'm the type of girl who needs closure to sleep at night)
This book is divided into three short stories
The Boy in the Web:
Alison's and Thomas/David's story. The first part where we get Alison's view point was interesting. I liked seeing her and Morpheus's relationship, but then we get to Thomas/David's POV, which would have been interesting... except it was just showing things that had already been discussed in the last book. I was hoping for some new fodder not stuff I already knew. I would have rather have seen more of Alison and Morpheus being a team (perhaps her betraying him) rather than simply viewing something that I already knew happened.
The Moth in the Mirror:
Do not let the title deceive you, there is actually very little Morpheus in this. We get his viewpoint in the first and last chapter (which was awesome to see what was going on in his devious mind). However the rest of the story was told from Jeb's memories (WHY???)
It's not even that interesting because this is already stuff that is shown and talked about in the previous books. Like The Boy in the Web, I would have actually preferred a fresh story.
And seriously, why is it more about Jeb than Morpheus??? I don't give a... well anything about Jeb. He can walk off a cliff, or vanish off the face of the earth, or just leave me alone for all I care! Why do I care what he was thinking during these scenes, the worthless mortal is an open book. He wears his heart on his sleeve. It was a sneak peek into Morpheus's crafty mind that I wanted to see.
P.S. Morpheus, I would have been completely behind you in your plan to kill Jeb.
Six Impossible Things:
This was probably my favorite story. It was divided in half with half focused on Alyssa's life with Jeb and half on her life with Morpheus. And by half I mean that the first half (the one with Jeb) is longer. I was mad, until I realized that a large portion of the story actually takes place after Jeb is already dead and has a lot of Morpheus. All Jeb got were three memories, which I grudgingly allowed him since he was in the very least doing me the favor of finally dying. I was feeling charitable toward him until...
The parts with Morpheus though? Are perfect and definitely make up for all that Jeb I had to go through. Though, he melted my heart like candle wax which I thought was rather unfair of him since I rather need my heart.
On a whole, only Morpheus salvaged this story for me, but then he was the only reason I liked the whole series so...
Seven stars for Morpheus (my precious netherling deserves nothing less)
Negative three stars for Jeb (but then what else is new)
Plus a star
Negative star for something that made me really mad (if you want to know then read the spoiler tag below)
Negative star for not enough Morpheus
Total: Three stars
So I didn't care for the ending of Ensnared, but I read this book for two reasons.
1.) Morpheus (come on, you all saw THAT coming)
2.) Closure (cause I'm the type of girl who needs closure to sleep at night)
This book is divided into three short stories
The Boy in the Web:
Alison's and Thomas/David's story. The first part where we get Alison's view point was interesting. I liked seeing her and Morpheus's relationship, but then we get to Thomas/David's POV, which would have been interesting... except it was just showing things that had already been discussed in the last book. I was hoping for some new fodder not stuff I already knew. I would have rather have seen more of Alison and Morpheus being a team (perhaps her betraying him) rather than simply viewing something that I already knew happened.
The Moth in the Mirror:
Do not let the title deceive you, there is actually very little Morpheus in this. We get his viewpoint in the first and last chapter (which was awesome to see what was going on in his devious mind). However the rest of the story was told from Jeb's memories (WHY???)
It's not even that interesting because this is already stuff that is shown and talked about in the previous books. Like The Boy in the Web, I would have actually preferred a fresh story.
And seriously, why is it more about Jeb than Morpheus??? I don't give a... well anything about Jeb. He can walk off a cliff, or vanish off the face of the earth, or just leave me alone for all I care! Why do I care what he was thinking during these scenes, the worthless mortal is an open book. He wears his heart on his sleeve. It was a sneak peek into Morpheus's crafty mind that I wanted to see.
P.S. Morpheus, I would have been completely behind you in your plan to kill Jeb.
Six Impossible Things:
This was probably my favorite story. It was divided in half with half focused on Alyssa's life with Jeb and half on her life with Morpheus. And by half I mean that the first half (the one with Jeb) is longer. I was mad, until I realized that a large portion of the story actually takes place after Jeb is already dead and has a lot of Morpheus. All Jeb got were three memories, which I grudgingly allowed him since he was in the very least doing me the favor of finally dying. I was feeling charitable toward him until...
The parts with Morpheus though? Are perfect and definitely make up for all that Jeb I had to go through. Though, he melted my heart like candle wax which I thought was rather unfair of him since I rather need my heart.
On a whole, only Morpheus salvaged this story for me, but then he was the only reason I liked the whole series so...
March 9, 2015
As one of AG's lucky crit partners, I've had the pleasure of reading this book while it's being written and...OMG! I didn't think it was possible to fall further in love with these characters but she's managed to make it happen.
I won't give any spoilers, but I will say this: UNTAMED is like a decadent dessert that follows the best meal you've ever eaten.
I won't give any spoilers, but I will say this: UNTAMED is like a decadent dessert that follows the best meal you've ever eaten.
December 18, 2015
A stunning finale to the epic series, tying up loose ends and creating beautiful beginnings.
March 10, 2017
Thank you Melissa for recommendin me to read this novella! ♥
This novella is a must for all you Splintered lovers out there.
We finally get to see some of
Oh, there also are the story of how Alison met Morpheus and what Jeb endured during Splinter, when he wasn't with Alyssa.... but that isn't important....
This novella is a must for all you Splintered lovers out there.
We finally get to see some of
Oh, there also are the story of how Alison met Morpheus and what Jeb endured during Splinter, when he wasn't with Alyssa.... but that isn't important....
June 4, 2016
Absolute perfection.
Review to come.
Review to come.
Currently reading
December 19, 2015There aren't even words how much I need this.
December 31, 2020
4 out of 10
ревью на русском/review in russian
I think I'm just tired of this world and of Jeb in the first place (be ready, he's everywhere).
So all I can say:
The Boy in the Web
(4 out of 10)
I liked young Alison, liked young Tom-David, but I didn't get how she lied to David about his parents' death (in a car accident) and he believed her, even though he'd never seen their graves ('cause, duh, they didn't exist). Oh, and who I loved the most was Morpheus. He was the same but different, his relationship with Alison is indeed aren't like the one he has with Alyssa.
The Moth in the Mirror
(4 out of 10)
review
Six Impossible Things
(5 out of 10)
The first half was dedicated to Ali's life with Jeb, I suffered. But Jeb was mentioned not once in the second part too, I suffered more. I was happy to see how M and A are finally together, but my joy is already poisoned, I can't get over her years (I know it was necessary, but still) with Jeb. I have nothing against a few loves in our lives, but I'm certainly against these loves to know each other and being agreed to sharing a girl.
M and A were sweet, all this Wonderland-ish labor was funny, but the rest... it's like that magic and chemistry between these two are gone. I did love them as they were in the main trilogy: he - wise, cunning and experienced and she - innocent, silly and, well, inexperienced. I mean, virginity (which was like a bonus after Alyssa's comeback to Wonderland, and a weird one) isn't equal to innocence. She's a granny in a 16-year-old body now. I can't forget it.
So... the final of Ensnared ruined this bonus for me in advance.
Splintered (Разделенная надвое):
— Splintered (Разделенная надвое) #1/3
— The Moth in the Mirror (Мотылек в зеркале) #1.5/3
— Unhinged (Слетевшая с катушек) #2/3
— Ensnared (Угодившая в сети) #3/3
— Untamed (Неукрощенная) #3.5/3
December 16, 2015
me: hey it's been a while since i've been emo over morpheus maybe finally i'm over him-
morpheus: “Most impossible of all is a lone creature, who never once needed another living soul, having a family he would die and kill for.”
me: ♫♪ hello darkness my old friend ♫♪
morpheus: “Most impossible of all is a lone creature, who never once needed another living soul, having a family he would die and kill for.”
me: ♫♪ hello darkness my old friend ♫♪
November 12, 2021
11/11/21 reread edit: I still love this series, but I think if I do another reread I might skip this book. It is definitely worth the read the first time, but I'm not so sure I need to again. And the whole 'solution' to the love triangle still bugs me.
“An old childhood playmate once told me ‘second guessing every step prevents any forward momentum. Trust yourself. Forgive yourself. And move on.”
― A.G. Howard, Untamed
I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.
Art credit goes to @fairies_rule_
Art credit goes to fairies-rule
“An old childhood playmate once told me ‘second guessing every step prevents any forward momentum. Trust yourself. Forgive yourself. And move on.”
― A.G. Howard, Untamed
I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.
This is a three part collection of short stories. It mostly takes place after the 3rd book. The first part gives a better insight into both Allison's childhood and Thomas's. The second part is seeing some of the things from the first book in Jeb's point of view. Which truely shows Jeb's love and devotion to Alyssa. Finally, the third part is a bunch of short stories ranging from the end of the third book to the birth of her and Morpheus's son. It hops around but it has it reasons.
Art credit goes to @fairies_rule_
This book gives insight and closure to the splintered series. I loved all of it really. It makes me sad because this truely is the end of the series. I know that this will definitely be on my list of rereads eventually, but for now it is goodbye. After reading the third book of the series I had felt not as satisfied as I would have liked. I still feel that allowing her to have both was a bit of a lazy way to end the love triangle, but this book did help me come to terms with it lol. I think that anyone who loved the Splintered series, should read this book. Its a great way to wrap it all up.
Art credit goes to fairies-rule
How I choose my rating:
1* Did not finish, or hated it but forced myself to finish.
2** Didn't really like it. Didn't hate it but not sure why I finished it other then for some closure.
3*** I liked it. I had some issues with it, but as a whole it was good. I probably won't reread again ever, but there is a chance I might finish the series. (If part of one) But if not it's not a huge loss.
4**** I really liked this book. Maybe not a work of genius, but highly entertaining. I might reread this again, and I will finish the series. (If part of one) I would recommend to those I know hold interest in this books content.
5***** I loved this book. I found little to no issues with it at all. I will definitely be rereading this and probably more than once. I will finish the series and reread it multiple times. (If part of one) I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!!
February 24, 2018
Full review posted.
SPOILERS ALERT!!
I’m glad it is over. I’ve had enough.
This book is a novellas compilation that follows the events before, after and during the other books in the series.
Note: I highly recommend you read it after the 3rd book or you will get spoiled.
The boy in the web:
This was the second-best novella and it’s Alyssa’s mother story before she came crazy and when she met Thomas in the Sister Two's nest. This novella is the perfect background story to the series and we get to see Morpheus and Alyssa’s mother relation.
The moth in the mirror:
This story is more about Jeb and what he endured while staying with Morpheus. Not my favorite but if you’re one of those who doesn’t like Jeb (like me), after reading this you may hate him a little bit less.
Six Impossible Things:
We have a wedding, oh yeah!!!
This was the most emotional and the best novella of the book. It tells us the story of Alice getting married, having children, losing her beloved ones and going back to Wonderland to live the rest of her immortal life with Morpheus as The Red Queen.
If you’re as emotional as me, you won’t survive to this novella. Despite all the feelings, I couldn’t give the book a higher rate because it reaches a grade of cheesiness that makes it feel unrealistic and boring. I know, it’s a fantasy book and of course, it must be unrealistic, but this goes beyond that. As in the previous books, there were some unnecessarily poetic paragraphs. And at this point of the series, Alyssa shouldn’t be questioning her feelings anymore.
It’s not a bad book but it isn’t for everyone.
SPOILERS ALERT!!
I’m glad it is over. I’ve had enough.
“You're exquisite. You're transcendent. And you are mine.”
This book is a novellas compilation that follows the events before, after and during the other books in the series.
Note: I highly recommend you read it after the 3rd book or you will get spoiled.
The boy in the web:
This was the second-best novella and it’s Alyssa’s mother story before she came crazy and when she met Thomas in the Sister Two's nest. This novella is the perfect background story to the series and we get to see Morpheus and Alyssa’s mother relation.
The moth in the mirror:
This story is more about Jeb and what he endured while staying with Morpheus. Not my favorite but if you’re one of those who doesn’t like Jeb (like me), after reading this you may hate him a little bit less.
Six Impossible Things:
We have a wedding, oh yeah!!!
This was the most emotional and the best novella of the book. It tells us the story of Alice getting married, having children, losing her beloved ones and going back to Wonderland to live the rest of her immortal life with Morpheus as The Red Queen.
If you’re as emotional as me, you won’t survive to this novella. Despite all the feelings, I couldn’t give the book a higher rate because it reaches a grade of cheesiness that makes it feel unrealistic and boring. I know, it’s a fantasy book and of course, it must be unrealistic, but this goes beyond that. As in the previous books, there were some unnecessarily poetic paragraphs. And at this point of the series, Alyssa shouldn’t be questioning her feelings anymore.
It’s not a bad book but it isn’t for everyone.
December 23, 2015
Morpheus & Alyssa parts: 5/5 stars
Jeb parts: 1/5 stars
So saying that, I had to rate it in the middle. The first two stories had me very bored and wanting to just skip over everything. But I reminded myself this: If Morpheus can wait 64 years for Alyssa to finally return to him and Wonderland, then I can be patient and wait for the Morpheus and Alyssa parts.
Even though the first 3/4 of the book were dragged, the last 1/4 with Alyssa and Morpheus totally made up for it.
Morpheus as a dad though, I cannot. Be still my beating heart.
Jeb parts: 1/5 stars
So saying that, I had to rate it in the middle. The first two stories had me very bored and wanting to just skip over everything. But I reminded myself this: If Morpheus can wait 64 years for Alyssa to finally return to him and Wonderland, then I can be patient and wait for the Morpheus and Alyssa parts.
Even though the first 3/4 of the book were dragged, the last 1/4 with Alyssa and Morpheus totally made up for it.
Morpheus as a dad though, I cannot. Be still my beating heart.
July 21, 2016
Oh how I have missed Morpheus! Full review on my blog https://literarydust.wordpress.com/20...
March 28, 2016
Well as satisfied as I was with the ending of Ensnared I couldn't fathom that A.G. Howard would bless us with an epilogue so perfect. It was sweet as blue icing tasting of anise. Bravo Miss Howard 5 fluttering moths to you.
This book is broken up into 3 separate novellas. 'The Boy in the Web' which is in the point of view of Alyssa's mother Alison. In this novella we learn more back story to Alison saving Thomas from the clutches of the ruthless Sister two and her dream webs. I loved how these two characters acted. Even though Alyssa is 18 making her parents maybe in their 40's they act like teenagers which I found adorable.
The second story is called 'Moth in the Mirror' and this had been published previously in ebook form. I did purchase and read it last year. It was a lot of fun re-reading this novella in Morpheus's POV. In this novella Morpheus goes to the Iron Bridge to the memory train to find out Jeb's weaknesses by watching his memories of Wonderland. Although the point of this excursion was to learn ways to defeat Jeb, Morpheus finds ways that Jeb is admirable.
The last story is what I was waiting for. It is the true epilogue to the trilogy in my eyes. This novella is called 'Six Impossible Things'. We learn what is in store for Alyssa and her future at the end of Ensnared and we are, at least I was, completely happy with the ending. But this epilogue is the icing on the cake. It gives us another happily ever after. It completes my sutured heart with both sides the human and the mad. I just pretty much choked up the entire time.
LOooooVvvvEEEeee this trilogy thank you A.G. Howard for writing it.
This book is broken up into 3 separate novellas. 'The Boy in the Web' which is in the point of view of Alyssa's mother Alison. In this novella we learn more back story to Alison saving Thomas from the clutches of the ruthless Sister two and her dream webs. I loved how these two characters acted. Even though Alyssa is 18 making her parents maybe in their 40's they act like teenagers which I found adorable.
The second story is called 'Moth in the Mirror' and this had been published previously in ebook form. I did purchase and read it last year. It was a lot of fun re-reading this novella in Morpheus's POV. In this novella Morpheus goes to the Iron Bridge to the memory train to find out Jeb's weaknesses by watching his memories of Wonderland. Although the point of this excursion was to learn ways to defeat Jeb, Morpheus finds ways that Jeb is admirable.
The last story is what I was waiting for. It is the true epilogue to the trilogy in my eyes. This novella is called 'Six Impossible Things'. We learn what is in store for Alyssa and her future at the end of Ensnared and we are, at least I was, completely happy with the ending. But this epilogue is the icing on the cake. It gives us another happily ever after. It completes my sutured heart with both sides the human and the mad. I just pretty much choked up the entire time.
LOooooVvvvEEEeee this trilogy thank you A.G. Howard for writing it.
January 12, 2016
*spoliers if you haven't read the series*
THIS BOOK WAS NOT WRITTEN FOR THE FANS. JEB IS EVERYWHERE IN THIS FUCKING BOOK.
I had to DNF this book after months of waiting. I dreamed, like I'm sure everyone who's read and liked the series, that we would have some great stories of Alyssa and Morpheus in Wonderland after they get married and she becomes queen. All through Ensnared Alyssa has visions of their son. How about a fucking story about that part of her life??
Nope. MORE SKATER GIRL JEB BULLSHIT FOR HUNDREDS OF PAGES. Overall, this book could've been amazing. Imagine actually reading about Alyssa and Morpheus' wedding. Imagine hearing about their child. Wonderland was what made the books so great. If you take that aspect out its nothing more than another bullshit love triangle between an annoying needy loser and a bad boy that's not good for you. WHERE IS WONDERLAND???
I read half of the first story, The Boy in the Web; which is about Alyssa's mother's memories of meeting Morpheus and her memories of wonderland. Or what would've happened if she didn't save Thomas. Idk. I honestly don't care. Her mom irritated me through the series anyways. I stopped halfway when I realized that it was a serious waste of my time reading a story about a character I don't enjoy just for tiny mentionings of Morpheus.
The second story, The Moth in the Mirror, I read right after Splintered on ebook. I remember it being all. about. Jeb. I'll copy and paste that review here: "This was pretty good. I don't really like Jeb's character but he wasn't as annoying in these stories besides the Caged one. I really wish it was showing Morpheus' memories instead of his though." This was obviously before my rage for Jeb started. This story is disguised to be about Morpheus but it's not. It's about Jeb. Trust me.
The third story Six Impossible Things I thought would definitely have to be about Morpheus. I flipped through the pages to see if I could find his name. It was there but even more than his name was fucking Jeb's. Even worse than that. Jeb's sister and her boyfriend. I DONT FUCKING CARE ABOUT THESE BORING SIDE CHARACTERS. ANY PAGES MENTIONING JEB CAN BE BURNED OUT OF THE BOOK FOR ALL I CARE.
*The last 70 pages are about Alyssa giving birth to Morpheus' son in wonderland. Yes it's what I wanted. No it was too short and didn't actually involve anything else except strictly the birth. Still extremely an underwhelming read*
THIS BOOK WAS NOT WRITTEN FOR THE FANS. JEB IS EVERYWHERE IN THIS FUCKING BOOK.
I had to DNF this book after months of waiting. I dreamed, like I'm sure everyone who's read and liked the series, that we would have some great stories of Alyssa and Morpheus in Wonderland after they get married and she becomes queen. All through Ensnared Alyssa has visions of their son. How about a fucking story about that part of her life??
Nope. MORE SKATER GIRL JEB BULLSHIT FOR HUNDREDS OF PAGES. Overall, this book could've been amazing. Imagine actually reading about Alyssa and Morpheus' wedding. Imagine hearing about their child. Wonderland was what made the books so great. If you take that aspect out its nothing more than another bullshit love triangle between an annoying needy loser and a bad boy that's not good for you. WHERE IS WONDERLAND???
I read half of the first story, The Boy in the Web; which is about Alyssa's mother's memories of meeting Morpheus and her memories of wonderland. Or what would've happened if she didn't save Thomas. Idk. I honestly don't care. Her mom irritated me through the series anyways. I stopped halfway when I realized that it was a serious waste of my time reading a story about a character I don't enjoy just for tiny mentionings of Morpheus.
The second story, The Moth in the Mirror, I read right after Splintered on ebook. I remember it being all. about. Jeb. I'll copy and paste that review here: "This was pretty good. I don't really like Jeb's character but he wasn't as annoying in these stories besides the Caged one. I really wish it was showing Morpheus' memories instead of his though." This was obviously before my rage for Jeb started. This story is disguised to be about Morpheus but it's not. It's about Jeb. Trust me.
The third story Six Impossible Things I thought would definitely have to be about Morpheus. I flipped through the pages to see if I could find his name. It was there but even more than his name was fucking Jeb's. Even worse than that. Jeb's sister and her boyfriend. I DONT FUCKING CARE ABOUT THESE BORING SIDE CHARACTERS. ANY PAGES MENTIONING JEB CAN BE BURNED OUT OF THE BOOK FOR ALL I CARE.
*The last 70 pages are about Alyssa giving birth to Morpheus' son in wonderland. Yes it's what I wanted. No it was too short and didn't actually involve anything else except strictly the birth. Still extremely an underwhelming read*
March 31, 2019
Creo que le tenía muy altas expectativas a este libro.
Hay partes que me aburrieron porque son recuerdos del pasado, sobre la vida de los padres de Alyssa o sobre JEB. Jeb lo sentí completamente plano en este libro, y a eso hay que sumarle que nunca ha sido mi favorito.
Lo mejor para mí fue leer las partes de Morfeo, sus recuerdos con Alyssa y por fin su vida juntos en el País de las Maravillas. Aquí se siente la magia, lo extraño y la locura que envuelve este país del cual estoy encantada.
Aunque no es mi libro favorito de la saga, fue un placer reencontrarme con los personajes y aprender un poco más de ellos y del futuro que les esperaba después del tercer libro.
Hay partes que me aburrieron porque son recuerdos del pasado, sobre la vida de los padres de Alyssa o sobre JEB. Jeb lo sentí completamente plano en este libro, y a eso hay que sumarle que nunca ha sido mi favorito.
Lo mejor para mí fue leer las partes de Morfeo, sus recuerdos con Alyssa y por fin su vida juntos en el País de las Maravillas. Aquí se siente la magia, lo extraño y la locura que envuelve este país del cual estoy encantada.
Aunque no es mi libro favorito de la saga, fue un placer reencontrarme con los personajes y aprender un poco más de ellos y del futuro que les esperaba después del tercer libro.
Read
March 10, 2015I don't know about this.
January 10, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqR35...
This says it all.
ACTUAL REVIEW: RATING 2 STARS
OH, A G HOWARD, I AM SO DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED BY YOUR TREASON! I expected so much MOOOOORE of this book, but instead I was presented with something that resembles fanfiction. It was okay from the start and kept getting progressively worse. WHY OH, WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?
I'll confess - The story of young Alison was very interesting, because it had that intense factor going on and it had more Morpheus than other parts of the book. After that it kept getting
Let me give you an accurate description:
SPOILERS:
Embark on this epic journey as A G Howard promises a book solely about Morpheus and Alyssa's future and INSTEAD gives you:
All the boring dumbass disposable characters you never knew you hated so much and - hold your breath - THEIR BACKSTORIES AND PERFECT DUMBASS SUGARCOATED FUTURES...
Be amazed as Alyssa's parents are finally reunited in the world's shittiest attempt at flashbacks I've ever seen - I'm talking about the 5 pages of Alison describing how Thomas is taking a shower, thus making her actually interesting childhood flashback very confusing and inconsistent.
THEN dive back into Alyssa's dad memory as David tells the story of how he was trapped in Wonderland...WAIT wait wait...Who was that again? Oh, yeah - that one character who was so sidekicked that you even forgot that he is actually called David and not Thomas.
Now comes the great treat, as we watch Thomas and Alison sit and talk, lie on the bed and talk, take a trip down the memory lane and talk, hang out with their children and talk...
DIVE NOT INTO DESPAIR, FANS OF SITTING AND TALKING, because JUST as Alyssa is preparing to jump into the Rabbit hole, she stops to tell us everything about her human life with Jeb along with all the things we didn't fucking care about.
And you know what absolutely fucking kills it? PAGES AND PAGES AND PAGES filled with description about her mourning Jeb and preparing the procedure to fake her death. Then after she is ready to go to Wonderland, for INEXPLICABLE reasons, she decides it's high time for a flashback.
INCONSISTENT AS FUCK.
Drag down the mud of Alyssa's 3 fucking long, boring, cheesy as hell memories where everyone gets what they want. There's nothing that can express my feelings (and probably the feelings of anyone else who read it) than Sherlock.
Memory one with Jeb: FUCKING USELESS. So much so, that I don't even remember what it's about.
Memory two with Jeb: Slightly better. It's their wedding. I think half a star from my 2 star rating goes to it.
Memory three with Jeb: PREPARE TO SWOON (I'm sarcastic, prepare to puke from boredom) as we are presented with Jeb and Alyssa's grown up kids with ridiculous names, the kids' backstories and the kids' kids backstories. BECAUSE WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING HAS TO BE CONNECTED, RIGHT? EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER SHOULD BE BARED IN FRONT OF US LIKE A LEXICON. Charming....
And then, my dear friends, if you've survived this far and want Morpheus and Alyssa's part as reward for your grit and determination, prepare for the BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF ALL TIME.
You know, at first it sounded SO promising. We saw Morpheus and Alyssa moments before their wedding and talking about their wedding night. A conversation full of promise and innuendos. YOU KNOW, I ACTUALLY WANTED A WHOLE BOOK FILLED WITH THAT. But fuck it, let's be humble. I would've settled for the Morpheus and Alyssa part to be filled with that and would've given the book 4 stars.
BUT NO. AFTER BEING DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD I GET NO REWARD.
It hurts my soul to say it, but A G Howard even managed to make Morpheus boring.
BE UNDERWHELMED, when isntead of simply stating that Alyssa is having trouble with childbirth and the baby needs the collective memories of Morph and Al to shake his fears, YOU DEAR READER... well, you have nothing to do. They aren't doing anything. Alyssa is panthing. Morpheus is talking. Still nothing happens. The dialogue is forced, out of place, boring and doesn't fit the current situation. They break the dialogue and kiss for no reason. All the magnetizing energy in these kisses between them is gone. Before there was that attraction and uncertainty. Now it's just A G Howard shoving it down your throat: LOOK! THEY'RE KISSING. THEY LOVE EACH OTHER.
AND I'M NOT FUCKING BUYING IT...
To top it all off, the moment is unnecessarily prolonged by the sprites, who are peeking and Morpheus shooing them away. FUCKING USELESS.
Then, we have 3 Morpheus and Alyssa...MEMORIES.
FOR GODS SAKE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE, I DONT WANT FUCKING MEMORIES I WANT NEW SCENES, I WANT THEIR MARRIED LIFE IN PROGRESS, NOT IN FLASHBACK...........
Memory one: Alyssa and Morpheus during their childhood. This was still boring, but more bearable then everything else. Half a star for it.
Memory two: Honestly, so badly written that I don't remember already. AND I JUST FINISHED THE FUCKING BOOK.
Memory three: How they spent their one last day before she went to Jeb. They spent it in the most boring and unromantic way imaginable. I didn't want this mystery solved then, NOT AT ALL. I have my version of this day and it's so much better.
FINALLY, THE LONG PATH DOWN THE MEMORY LANE IS OVER AND ALL I GET IS A SHORT SNIPPET FROM MORPHEUS AND ALYSSA IN THE HERE AND NOW.
The baby is born. It's adorable. I love the name. Here their dialogue and actions actually fit. But it's like...2 pages long.
SO, IS IT WORTH IT FOR YOU TO READ ALMOST A 300 PAGE BOOK FOR THE 2 PAGES THAT MATTER? Not at all. Just turn the last 2 pages at the back, read them and you'll be perfectly fine. Yes, I did spoil the entire plot. Or the absense of one.
YOU ARE ALL WELCOME.
This book was a fucking money-grab and complete waste of my time. It'll probably end up being the worst book I've read this year. I just won't tolerate such incompetence. I turly hated this and I want to forget I ever read it. So, I don't concider it canon.
I didn't want to experience a boring Morpheus.
I know, my beloved Darth Vader. It's a tragedy.
Now, under spoiler tags I'm going to put 10 moments, which I actually consider to be worthy. You can see any quotes that I liked in my updates. Everything else is dogshit.
This says it all.
ACTUAL REVIEW: RATING 2 STARS
OH, A G HOWARD, I AM SO DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED BY YOUR TREASON! I expected so much MOOOOORE of this book, but instead I was presented with something that resembles fanfiction. It was okay from the start and kept getting progressively worse. WHY OH, WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?
I'll confess - The story of young Alison was very interesting, because it had that intense factor going on and it had more Morpheus than other parts of the book. After that it kept getting
Let me give you an accurate description:
SPOILERS:
Embark on this epic journey as A G Howard promises a book solely about Morpheus and Alyssa's future and INSTEAD gives you:
All the boring dumbass disposable characters you never knew you hated so much and - hold your breath - THEIR BACKSTORIES AND PERFECT DUMBASS SUGARCOATED FUTURES...
Be amazed as Alyssa's parents are finally reunited in the world's shittiest attempt at flashbacks I've ever seen - I'm talking about the 5 pages of Alison describing how Thomas is taking a shower, thus making her actually interesting childhood flashback very confusing and inconsistent.
THEN dive back into Alyssa's dad memory as David tells the story of how he was trapped in Wonderland...WAIT wait wait...Who was that again? Oh, yeah - that one character who was so sidekicked that you even forgot that he is actually called David and not Thomas.
Now comes the great treat, as we watch Thomas and Alison sit and talk, lie on the bed and talk, take a trip down the memory lane and talk, hang out with their children and talk...
DIVE NOT INTO DESPAIR, FANS OF SITTING AND TALKING, because JUST as Alyssa is preparing to jump into the Rabbit hole, she stops to tell us everything about her human life with Jeb along with all the things we didn't fucking care about.
And you know what absolutely fucking kills it? PAGES AND PAGES AND PAGES filled with description about her mourning Jeb and preparing the procedure to fake her death. Then after she is ready to go to Wonderland, for INEXPLICABLE reasons, she decides it's high time for a flashback.
INCONSISTENT AS FUCK.
Drag down the mud of Alyssa's 3 fucking long, boring, cheesy as hell memories where everyone gets what they want. There's nothing that can express my feelings (and probably the feelings of anyone else who read it) than Sherlock.
Memory one with Jeb: FUCKING USELESS. So much so, that I don't even remember what it's about.
Memory two with Jeb: Slightly better. It's their wedding. I think half a star from my 2 star rating goes to it.
Memory three with Jeb: PREPARE TO SWOON (I'm sarcastic, prepare to puke from boredom) as we are presented with Jeb and Alyssa's grown up kids with ridiculous names, the kids' backstories and the kids' kids backstories. BECAUSE WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING HAS TO BE CONNECTED, RIGHT? EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER SHOULD BE BARED IN FRONT OF US LIKE A LEXICON. Charming....
And then, my dear friends, if you've survived this far and want Morpheus and Alyssa's part as reward for your grit and determination, prepare for the BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF ALL TIME.
You know, at first it sounded SO promising. We saw Morpheus and Alyssa moments before their wedding and talking about their wedding night. A conversation full of promise and innuendos. YOU KNOW, I ACTUALLY WANTED A WHOLE BOOK FILLED WITH THAT. But fuck it, let's be humble. I would've settled for the Morpheus and Alyssa part to be filled with that and would've given the book 4 stars.
BUT NO. AFTER BEING DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD I GET NO REWARD.
It hurts my soul to say it, but A G Howard even managed to make Morpheus boring.
BE UNDERWHELMED, when isntead of simply stating that Alyssa is having trouble with childbirth and the baby needs the collective memories of Morph and Al to shake his fears, YOU DEAR READER... well, you have nothing to do. They aren't doing anything. Alyssa is panthing. Morpheus is talking. Still nothing happens. The dialogue is forced, out of place, boring and doesn't fit the current situation. They break the dialogue and kiss for no reason. All the magnetizing energy in these kisses between them is gone. Before there was that attraction and uncertainty. Now it's just A G Howard shoving it down your throat: LOOK! THEY'RE KISSING. THEY LOVE EACH OTHER.
AND I'M NOT FUCKING BUYING IT...
To top it all off, the moment is unnecessarily prolonged by the sprites, who are peeking and Morpheus shooing them away. FUCKING USELESS.
Then, we have 3 Morpheus and Alyssa...MEMORIES.
FOR GODS SAKE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE, I DONT WANT FUCKING MEMORIES I WANT NEW SCENES, I WANT THEIR MARRIED LIFE IN PROGRESS, NOT IN FLASHBACK...........
Memory one: Alyssa and Morpheus during their childhood. This was still boring, but more bearable then everything else. Half a star for it.
Memory two: Honestly, so badly written that I don't remember already. AND I JUST FINISHED THE FUCKING BOOK.
Memory three: How they spent their one last day before she went to Jeb. They spent it in the most boring and unromantic way imaginable. I didn't want this mystery solved then, NOT AT ALL. I have my version of this day and it's so much better.
FINALLY, THE LONG PATH DOWN THE MEMORY LANE IS OVER AND ALL I GET IS A SHORT SNIPPET FROM MORPHEUS AND ALYSSA IN THE HERE AND NOW.
The baby is born. It's adorable. I love the name. Here their dialogue and actions actually fit. But it's like...2 pages long.
SO, IS IT WORTH IT FOR YOU TO READ ALMOST A 300 PAGE BOOK FOR THE 2 PAGES THAT MATTER? Not at all. Just turn the last 2 pages at the back, read them and you'll be perfectly fine. Yes, I did spoil the entire plot. Or the absense of one.
YOU ARE ALL WELCOME.
This book was a fucking money-grab and complete waste of my time. It'll probably end up being the worst book I've read this year. I just won't tolerate such incompetence. I turly hated this and I want to forget I ever read it. So, I don't concider it canon.
I didn't want to experience a boring Morpheus.
I know, my beloved Darth Vader. It's a tragedy.
Now, under spoiler tags I'm going to put 10 moments, which I actually consider to be worthy. You can see any quotes that I liked in my updates. Everything else is dogshit.
February 25, 2017
Datemi un altro libro su Morpheus, di lui che respira, che parla o fa il folle.
Le ultime 80 pagine le più belle ed intense. Jebbediota chi?!
Le ultime 80 pagine le più belle ed intense. Jebbediota chi?!
April 16, 2017
Oh quanto mi era mancato Morpheus!!
March 9, 2015
AG is still hard at work writing this, but the passages she's shared with me so far are INCREDIBLE. Oh my goodness, I was laughing and crying and ugly crying and laughing some more. What an emotional roller coaster and fantastic look into these characters lives. You are all in for another stellar novella from A.G. Howard. Add this to your must read piles STAT.
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