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 SPLINTERED is a modern retelling of the classic Lewis Carroll tale, ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Alyssa Gardner's ancestor was none other than the original Alice of the famous story, but this version is darker, creepier, and deliciously evil. 
 Alyssa's mother lives in a mental hospital, for hearing voices that aren't there and seeing things that aren't real. The problem is, Alyssa sees and hears the same thing. Convinced she will end up like her mother, some sleuthing uncovers secrets and lies, and Alyssa finds out nothing is what it seems. 
 "I scroll past images every bit as violent and beautiful as Jeb's paintings: luminious, rainbow-skinned creatures with bulbous eyes and sparkly, silken wings who carry knives and swords; hideous, naked hobgoblins in chains who crawl on all fours and have corkscrew tails and cloven feet like pigs; silvery pixielike beings trapped in cages and crying oily black tears." 
 Ohmygoshthiswasnearperfect. I put off writing this review for three days, wondering if the stars would fade from my eyes and I could gather myself to write a coherent review. I still love it just as much, so that's got to be a sign that it was really that great. It definitely brought me out of a reading slump. 
 If you have read my other reviews of popular retellings, you'll know I absolutely love them. If done well. Alice in Wonderland was probably one of my favorite kid's stories when I was younger. The Cheshire cat was creepy, sure, but the story was original and captivating. Dare I say that this is better than the original? It just has so much imagination! 
 "No one knows what he or she is capable of until things are at their darkest." 
 I respect books that come up with new worlds and characters, because having fresh ideas is so difficult, especially in literature. It takes a great mind to think of all the disturbing, fantastical things in this book. It has so much personality and guts. I'm still not quite sure if I understand everything that happened! There was things you need to connect in your mind and I LOVED that. 
 Everything in this is twisted, it seems poor little Alice retold the story to Carroll a little...incorrectly. Turns out the White Rabbit is a little more...skeletal. And rabid. 
 It was a little slow in the beginning, but things pick up fast. Once Alyssa "falls down the rabbit hole," the action and mystery is non stop until the very last page. 
 Alyssa is a great protagonist, all the characters were written excellently. Even the secondary characters were lovable and had their own backgrounds. The romance was a little iffy but it grows and makes sense later on. 
 I really can't sing my praises for this enough, so go check it out for yourselves! The only thing I ask is, be open to the story, because it has teeth! Metaphorically, of course.