"UNTAMED," by A.G. Howard, Abrams, $16.95, 273 pages (f) (ages 14 and up)
Fans of A.G. Howard's Splintered series have not seen the last of teens Alyssa, Jeb and Morpheus. Howard resurrects the series and revisits the rabbit hole with a new companion collection, titled "Untamed."
While fans will want to read the series first to avoid any spoilers, these stories stand alone as magical tales full of mystery, madness and a lot of romance. Howard refers to these stories in the book's dedication as the reimagined beginning to the end of her series.
The first tale is "The Boy in the Web." This is Alyssa's mother, Alison's, story of her time spent with Morpheus when she was younger and how she eventually saved Thomas, her husband, from the spider web. This story adds depth to Alison's character and a new back story to her role in "Splintered."
The second story, "The Moth in the Mirror," is deceiving in its title. While it is told from Morpheus' point of view, it is actually about Morpheus viewing Jeb during the events of the "Splintered" story and is seen from Jeb's point of view. This story was originally released in 2013, but this is its first time in print.
"Six Impossible Things," the third and final tale, is told by an elderly Alyssa as she looks back on her life and remembers all of the happiness, magic and adventure she has experienced.
Alyssa is 80 years old and has kept her promise to Jeb and lived a long life by his side. It is now time for her to return to Underland and fulfill her 63-year-old promise to Morpheus to reign as the Red Queen with him by her side. In doing this, she is giving up her life on Earth completely and thus thinks back on special, fond memories.
Fans of the series will appreciate the closure that comes with this final tale, as well as the hints of future stories involving Alyssa, Morpheus and any family member who follows Alyssa's magical trail.
"Untamed" has mild swearing, basic fight scenes without excessive blood or gore, and sexual innuendo throughout, but any scenes of described romance don't go beyond kissing.
Tara Creel is a Logan, Utah, native turned California girl and mother of four boys. Her email is taracreel@gmail.com, and she blogs at taracreelbooks.wordpress.com.