Ensnared (UK edition): Splintered Book Three - Softcover

A. G. Howard wrote Splintered while working at a school library. She always wondered what would’ve happened had the subtle creepiness of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland taken center stage, and she hopes her darker and funkier tribute to Carroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a child. She lives in Amarillo, Texas.

Gr 9 Up—Alyssa may have survived the epic battle at end of Unhinged (Abrams, 2014), but things are still looking grim. Her mom is trapped in Wonderland while both of her love interests, human Jeb and magical Morpheus, are stuck in AnyElsewhere, a horrifying in-between world full of outcasts and mutants. Accompanied by her father, Alyssa must prepare to do final battle with the Red Queen while rescuing her loves. But when it turns out that Jeb and Morpheus have their own agendas, Alyssa is heartbroken by each in turn, leaving her unhinged as she enters the final ordeal. Though the story is convoluted and the writing overblown, this series has gained traction among teens. Fans are highly invested in the Morpheus-Alyssa-Jeb love triangle, and most should be happy with how Howard resolves the series. Librarians feeding a strong interest in goth-fantasy-romances may wish to take a second look at the trilogy. Otherwise, this conclusion is recommended only where the first books were popular.—Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA