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Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Ensnared (Splintered, #3) in Books

Jun 24, 2019

I read the first novel of the Splintered series and immediately fell in love with it - purchasing the entire series as paperbacks. This is book #3 in the series by A.G. Howard.

If you haven't read the first two novels then I don't want to spoil anything for you. But I will say what I can about the plot and character development (of which there is plenty).

Alyssa takes us on another crazy journey, from the human realm through AnyElsewhere and, of course, Wonderland. Again, she finds herself stuck between her two halves - and between her two loves.

Along with her parents, Morpheus and Jeb, Alyssa must banish Red's spirit forever, return Wonderland to its former glory, and find a way to balance the two halves of her heart. But the travel to this magical realm has changed Jeb, and he's found something he's not willing to leave behind anymore.

There's a lot of madness and magic in this, which is my favourite part. The pure craziness and mystery of Carroll's Wonderland is captured beautifully by Howard. There are weird and terrifying creatures - my favourite being the strange butterflies native to AnyElsewhere, even if they do endanger the life of one of our beloved characters - as well as beautiful landscapes and clever backstories. The whole origin of Carroll's story is put into question, Alyssa slowly uncovering how he discovered the magical land all those years ago.

The main part of this is about Alyssa trying to placate the two halves of her heart. After her previous run-in with Queen Red, there's something strange going on inside her heart - something that hurts when her human side and netherling side are fighting. What's wrong with her? How can she live like this?

And Morpheus and Jeb still aren't the best of friends, either. They're almost constantly competing for her affections - despite being stuck alone together for who knows how long. I'm always routeing for Morpheus, even if he is a bit of a troublemaker.

The ending is quite a nice compromise, a clever and clean way to stitch everything together. And the epilogue is really good, in my opinion. I won't tell you what happens. But it's short and brief, leaving so many questions and opportunities at the end that makes me reeeally want to read the next book.

It is sometimes a little too perfect, if you know what I mean, but it's not sickeningly good or sweet. I think the solutions they conjure are really creative and clever, and when they're in trouble I'm always wondering what they'll come up with this time.

As for development, Jeb and Morpheus have a clear "epiphany" sort of moment toward the end. But I found that Alyssa also developed a lot, slowly - little realisations that shape her being over time, shape her as a queen.

I do love a good Wonderland story. This isn't, in my personal opinion, quite as the first novels, but I still really enjoyed it. 4 stars for Ensnared.