Update + Giveaway: Ensnared by A.G. Howard

I must admit I have a love and hate relationship with this series, but I can’t help waiting for it too. Weird eh? January is still a long way from now. I dig up updates so I can share it with you guys since like most of you, I can’t wait to get my hands on this book as well.

Name: Ensnared (Splintered #3)
Author: A. G. Howard
Number of Pages: 384 in Kindle Edition
Published: January 6th 2015 by Amulet Books
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings, Romance, Paranormal

After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She’s determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world–a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that’s gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?

I found a giveaway by Ms. Howard herself and I got so excited there’s no way I’m not sharing this with my friends. The ARCs for this book has finally come out and she’s sharing it with us. The book cover is amazing, I can’t wait to have mine. Please click the link below to enter the giveaway.

Giveaway: Ensnared by A.G. Howard

This is an international giveaway and here’s what’s up for grabs:

Book Review: Unhinged (Splintered #2)

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.

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If you have read my review for Splintered, you probably knew the reason that I continued reading this series. Don’t get me wrong, I like the series. I just couldn’t bring myself to actually love it. As in really love it. I’m not pretty sure why. I absorbed this a bit better than the first book though. Perhaps because I already had an idea of what was going on unlike when I first read it.

The book cover is beautiful, it’s Morpheus and it kinda freak me out because it is exactly how I imagined him to look like. I still hate him. Ha ha! The world building on this one didn’t disappoint. It’s still magical, graphic and wonderful. Yet, I’m not sure about the plot. The book got me hooked on the first five or six chapters, a chapter on the middle part and some parts from the last couple of chapters I believe, the rest is Alyssa being so confused and it got me annoyed. I really think that most of the plot included Alyssa being torn. Not so certain if she was really torn in staying in the human realm and being queen in wonderland or torn between Jeb and Morpheus. Honestly, I hate the love triangle. I also hate that it feels like the story revolved around it. Mostly. Like it overshadowed the real deal. It overshadowed the fact that they need to defeat Red for the sake of both worlds. Now I fully grasped why reviews indicated that it has “No Plot” at all. It’s because of this. This love triangle. Sigh.

Teaser Tuesday #3

I’ve decided to join this ’cause I think it’s pretty fun and easy. Plus I really want to quote smart retorts, full blown bullying, words of wisdom, swoon worthy lines and the like without giving much to readers about the entire book. A quote or two won’t hurt I guess. So this is how you do it:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Randomly open a page.
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is for this week’s Teaser Tuesday:

Unhinged (Splintered #2)

by A. G. Howard

“It’s too easy, when you have unharnessed power at your fingertips to forget you’re not invincible. To make rash decisions that can affect your whole future.”

“Morpheus turns his face to the sky. “I’m afraid you’re the one who’s mistaken, if you think I’m going to let Wonderland fall to rot so you can play ‘pin the male on the virgin’ with your mortal toy.”

You could share some teasers on your current read too. Comment the link of your own Teaser Tuesday so I can check it out and have an idea of amazing books that I would want to read.

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Teaser Tuesdays (TT) is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

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Book Review: Splintered (Splintered #1)

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

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Where else to start, but with the book cover? Gorgeous. Poster worthy. I love it so very much. That’s basically the reason this book caught my attention so that’s judging the book by its cover. Yeah. I’m guilty as charged. Who would not? Just look at that. Lovable. Enough said.

Currently Reading #8

Unhinged (Splintered #2)

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 haven’t posted my book review for Splintered yet. I’m torn in loving and hating it so I’ll think it over for now. Anyway, I love the cover of this one. There’s the freakish moth Morpheus on the cover and it is exactly what I assumed he look like. Pretty and creepy. I really wanted to like this at least. I have few issues with Splintered so I’m quite skeptical, but I’m still hoping that this would be a lot better.

Teaser Tuesday #2

I’ve decided to join this ’cause I think it’s pretty fun and easy. Plus I really want to quote smart retorts, full blown bullying, words of wisdom, swoon worthy lines and the like without giving much to readers about the entire book. A quote or two won’t hurt I guess. So this is how you do it:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Randomly open a page.
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is for this week’s Teaser Tuesday:

Unhinged (Splintered #2)

by A. G. Howard

My throat constricts at the thought of black wings, bottomless tattooed eyes, and a cockney accent. “He already has my nights. I won’t let him take my days, too.”

“The bugs and flowers have become my sidekicks.. charming reminders of a secret part of me. A part of me even my boyfriend is unaware of.”

You could share some teasers on your current read too. Comment the link of your own Teaser Tuesday so I can check it out and have an idea of amazing books that I would want to read.

 

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Teaser Tuesdays (TT) is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

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Teaser Tuesday #1

I’ve decided to join this ’cause I think it’s pretty fun and easy. Plus I really want to quote smart retorts, full blown bullying, words of wisdom, swoon worthy lines and the like without giving much to readers about the entire book. A quote or two won’t hurt I guess. So this is how you do it:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Randomly open a page.
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here’s for my Teaser Tuesday’s debut:

Splintered (Splintered #1)

by A. G. Howard

“Jen said some guy asked you but you didn’t want to go. Why not?” I shrug. “I have this character flaw? Called dignity?”

“Do you really think these are Alice’s tears?” I ask. “That I’m supposed to make them go away somehow?” “I’m the wrong guy to ask. I just saw a skeleton with antlers and a forest of aphid-noshing flower zombies.”

You could share some teasers on your current read too. Comment the link of your own Teaser Tuesday so I can check it out and have an idea of amazing books that I would want to read.

Click the link below so you can know more about my current read:

Currently Reading #7: Splintered (Splintered #1)

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Teaser Tuesdays (TT) is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

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Currently Reading #7

Splintered (Splintered #1)

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

+++

I’m so fascinated with the cover when I’ve stumbled upon this book. So gorgeous! This is love at first sight. I can’t even put it into words. I’m so judging the book by its cover. Ha! Ha! Plus it says, “Welcome to the Real Wonderland”. No-brainer with what comes into my mind when I’ve read that. It’s Alice! Then, the rundown confirmed it. Somehow, fairy tale adaptations are my favorite. Especially if the author comes up with an amazing twist. I’m really so thrilled in reading this.

Book Review: Lost in Babylon (Seven Wonders #2)

The adventure continues as Jack and his friends travel to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in the pulse-pounding second title in the Seven Wonders series

With Marco gone and the first Loculus lost, Jack, Cass, and Ally are no closer to saving themselves (or the world) than when they first arrived at the Karai Institute. But when Bhegad tracks down Marco deep in the desert, the kids are off on the next leg of their quest-to the ancient city of Babylon. There the kids find themselves faced with a daunting choice that makes them question everything they’ve learned so far. It’s a gut wrenching decision, but what the kids don’t realize is that it’s also a trap. Surprises pile on surprises until a long-lost figure from Jack’s past returns, and the kids find themselves forced to engineer an escape that might just turn out to be a different kind of trap altogether.

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Where would I start this? Well, the first couple of pages is like a sum up of the first book so it’s pretty much good. Like reliving the somewhat thrilling adventure. After that, it lost me. I’m really looking for justifications that I’ve not wasted time. Yes, there were chapters that thrilled me, but the rest of it spelled confusion. I truly tried to be fond of it and failed. Big time. Like the first book (The Colossus Rises (Seven Wonders #1)), there’s this feeling that you’re reading it and you were lost somewhere there. I don’t even have an idea where have I gone astray.