Ensnared

November 15, 2014
Alyssa Gardner prepares to wage war on mad Queen Red, rescue her two loves and restore weirdness to Wonderland in this third and final book.With her mom trapped in a diseased Wonderland and her loves-human Jeb and netherling Morpheus-sucked into the prison-world AnyElsewhere with her enemy, Queen Red, Alyssa simultaneously tries to resolve her relationship woes and save the world. After restoring her father's memories and meeting his gatekeeping brothers, Alyssa and her father dive into the mutant-filled, landscape-shifting AnyElsewhere. But rescue proves difficult as artistic, tattooed and pierced, abuse survivor Jeb proves addicted to his new powers of creation and reluctant to hurt or be hurt by Alyssa again. Erratically English and sinisterly seductive Morpheus further complicates matters with his continual striving to wed Alyssa and rule Wonderland. Alyssa suffers literal heartbreak over Jeb and Morpheus and goes power mad while fighting Red but does so in trademark sartorial splendor. Alyssa's observation, "how convoluted the rules are. Nothing in Wonderland is simple," also applies to the novel, which is rife with unnecessary and nonsensical plot twists, darker than its predecessors-more gory than Gorey-and filled with unsettling sadism and borderline erotica. A visually rich but tortuous conclusion meant for hard-core fans of the goth-chic series. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2015

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

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.