Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Pages: 384

Genre: High Fantasy/Gothic

Series: Splintered #2

Publisher: Amulet 

Release Date: Jan 7, 2014

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. 

After naming Splintered my favorite book of 2012, is it surprising that I've been dying for Unhinged ever since I heard it was a duology (and now a trilogy! Eep!)? No. No it isn't. So when I managed to get my hands on an early ARC, I was beyond thrilled. Because...MORPHEUS!

And Unhinged did not disappoint at all. Because with a guy like Morpheus on the cover, who can't love this book?
So I guess we should talk about love interests, since I've mentioned Morpheus a few times already. Of course I'm Team Moth so I'm both giddy and heartbroken at how Unhinged turned out. Morpheus definitely shows up in his old self again and I both wanted to strangle him (with all the love in the world of course) and cuddle him until Sisters One and Two pried me away from him. He's as arrogant as always, with that manipulative personality that's pure Netherling, and a sexy smirk that just makes you swoon. While he did have his weak points, he proved himself time and time again throughout the book. (And went to unbelievably great lengths for Alyssa. Alyssa, if you don't want him, can I?)
And...yes. Jeb's here too. Not that I like to admit it. I will admit, though, that he was...sweet...and kind...but he didn't really seem to pop up as much as Morpheus thanks to a mysterious art collector by the name of Ivy Raven. So his and Alyssa's relationship? A bit on the rocks...until the end.
The love triangle is sort of my favorite, since we're actually not quite sure who she'll end up with. It's really rare when that happens, but Howard manages to pull it off brilliantly. Like everything else of course!

Alyssa, our heroine, is definitely different from so many other typical YA heroines. She has her flaws (like not listening to Morpheus and not wanting to save her own kingdom--but both are decently understandable!), but she's kickass, fierce, and loyal to the end. The fact that we see her grow more into her Netherling nature made me love her all the more (because like Morpheus says--he and Wonderland are a package deal!) and when she unleashed her powers was definitely when I loved her most! Also--her gothic style. Love!

The worldbuilding. There must be some Wonderland blood in A.G. Howard for her to create such amazing creatures (read: creepy creatures) that still manage to tie in with the story. I seriously loved how she would use nonsensical words from Alice in Wonderland and twist them into magnificent and horrible creatures that roamed Wonderland. And we didn't even really visit the world! We see glimpses of the Wonderland that enraptured us in Splintered, but instead of bringing us to Wonderland...well, she sort of brings Wonderland to us.
We're introduced to a whole slew of new creatures that absolutely terrified me (I've never been afraid of wood until now) like "mome raths", toys and creatures back from AnyElsewhere (Exactly what is AnyElsewhere you ask? Read the book and discover the creepy.), and a stalkery clown doll. Literally. It follows her everywhere with a creepy blood red smile on its lips.

The plot. Oh my God. There are no ends to the twists and turns and the absolutely horrifying, heart breaking, gut wrenching things that happen to everyone around Alyssa. Unhinged is fast paced and it's a race against, not time (because there's never enough of that anyways) but a Queen hell bent on revenge. What can be more action packed?
And the ending. No. I can't. My mind can not comprehend it at all. Just...you'll see.

What's truly the best thing about this series is how the worldbuilding is so uniquely magnificent and so hauntingly gothic, you can't help but fall in love with it (or the guys.) The worldbuilding just hooks you in, the characters enrapture you, and then you just fall in love with the entire thing.
My two words to sum up the review? Read it. 

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