Review of Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Release Date: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Amulet

Page Count: 400

Format: Hardcover

Genre: YA/Fantasy

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.

I want to start off the review by saying that Unhinged was AMAZING, it was even better than Splintered and definitely the BEST retelling I've read in 2014. Alice in Wonderland has always been my favorite fairy tale and reading this superb retelling about it was just fantastic.

 As always A.G. Howard did a beautiful job describing Wonderland even though the majority of the story took place in the normal world. Each time I read about Wonderland I just want to go there really badly despite all the dangers and threats. In both Splintered and Unhinged it's described so vividly and realistically that I can easily picture it in my head. During some of the more dangerous and suspenseful parts I had to stop reading and look around to make sure that I wasn't with the characters about to face the Red Queen or some other threat. Even the normal world had some kind of air to it that made it better than in other books. Even the cover is GORGEOUS, featuring Morpheus and therefore moths and multiple shades of purple. I can easily say that Unhinged is tied with or is the best descriptive book I have ever read.

The characters were just as amazing and well written as the the settings, each one with a unique and interesting personality. Rabid, Red Queen, and the others were wonderful additions to the book while Alyssa's dad was extremely annoying. While he meant best I think I disliked him even more than the Red Queen. However, the main characters were the ones that really had the spotlight on them, Alyssa, Morpheus, and Jeb. As I mentioned before they were very well written and I highly enjoyed reading about them and their actions. The love triangle in Splintered is continued with both Jeb and Morpheus vying for Alyssa's attention. I'm personally rooting for Morpheus and it's obvious that Alyssa should pick him, while he always seems to have ulterior motives he's always trying to help Alyssa and do what's best for her. They were childhood friends when younger and now that they've grown up are starting to become more than that. While some people may pick Jeb's side it's obvious that they are WRONG. Morpheus has an amazing personality (plus those awesome wings) and loves Alyssa fiercely, he'll do anything to help her and protect her. With characters like these accompanied by amazingly descriptive settings why wouldn't you want to read Unhinged?

Unhinged was a worthy sequel to Splintered and and improved upon everything and made it even better. It also ended with a really big cliffhanger, we won't get to find out what happens until 2015 which is both frustrating and torturous (I NEED Ensnared like right now). If you like Alice in Wonderland, retellings, or amazing books than you HAVE to (I'm serious) read Unhinged.

5/5 - Amazing book