Altered by Jennifer Rush Review

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Title: Altered
Author: Jennifer Rush (Twitter)
Publisher: Little, Brown BYR
Publish Date: January 1, 2013
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi
Pages: 323
Source: Publisher

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.
Anna's life has never been truly normal. With a father that's deeply embedded in the inner workings of a secret government project, homeschooling, daily duties in their underground lab and a long-since passed mother, she's never really looked for normalcy in everyday life. But there's something about the boys on whom her father experiments that intrigues Anna. They don't remember life before Branch. There are files stashed in her house with cryptic messages and, for some reason, Branch will do anything to get the four boys back. But Anna's on the run, and she's in so far that she's a part of the program, too, whether she likes it or not. 

I've professed my love for science fiction on this blog many times now. I've also stated that I absolutely love stories about characters with unique powers and abilities. These storylines speak to me. Altered by Jennifer Rush promises readers all that and so much more. From page one, we're thrust into a high-speed, action-packed chase in which we can only hope that we, as well as the characters, survive this story in one piece. Altered sends readers on a whirlwind plot of adventure, clever mystery and intrigue, never letting up until we ultimately get the answers we seek.

For all intents and purposes, Altered was a good book. The first thought that entered my mind about two chapters into the book was that the writing was incredibly cinematic, if you understand my meaning. The author has created a book that reads very much like you would expect an action movie to play out. It jumps, it twists and we're thrust from event to event, trying to connect the clues as we go. In some ways, this really works because it forces us to absorb every intricate detail we come across. In other ways, however, I felt as though it left the true development of the story and the characters' individual arcs on the backburner, which is a bit of a tricky element for me. In terms of characterization, the author does a great job of creating individual personalities for these four boys, Nick, Cas, Trev and Sam. Each one is extremely distinct, and I found it easy to associate the boys with a character trait, which set them apart as I read the story. On the flip side though, I felt as though a lot of Altered spent time telling me about these characters and their emotions, rather than showing me who they were and what they were going through. Anna was also a bit of a tricky one for me. I found her to be largely self-deprecating at the beginning of the story, despite the fact that she's pretty, she's smart, she is self-sufficient and she can defend herself. I find it to be extremely aggravating when we see a potentially powerful heroine stripped down to a meager facade that is, well, pretty lackluster. In my humble opinion, her character could have been so much more. All that aside though, I'd be remiss if I didn't state the storyline for Altered is really well done. Every element was thought out and carefully pieced together so that the action and adventure never stops. There are plenty of unexpected turns that surprised and pleased me, and that is a really strong trait for a book to have. 

Overall, I think Altered was a successful debut, albeit mildly flawed for a demanding reader like myself. I find myself becoming pickier and pickier, and this book has received a lot of good reviews, so it could very well be me. I give it a 3 out of 5, and I'd recommend it fans of YA fiction that enjoy science fiction and adventure.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

16 comments:

  1. I'm feeling pickier and pickier myself lately as well. I love action books and really want to read this one but my horrible horrible library doesn't have it -.- I'm interested by the plot and character here. Glad you enjoyed this one whole!

    Lovely review as always, Melissa! <33

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    1. I think you might enjoy it, Melanie! It's definitely intriguing, and the concept is really solid. What can I say? I just want it all haha ;)

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  2. Definitely very cinematic! I feel like I'm reading more and more books like that these days. Not that I mind! But it does seem like a lot of these books have an end game of being on TV or made into a movie. Maybe that's just me. Either way, they're usually pretty enjoyable, though they seem a bit fluffier than their compatriots. Luckily, I like fluff.

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    1. I definitely agree with you on that, Mary. I enjoyed this one, don't get me wrong. I just think that it would serve far better as a film.

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  3. Wonderful review, Melissa. I agree with what you said it being very cinematic. That's exactly what I thought when I read this too. I can say that it did has some flaws and needs some room for improvements too but I still really enjoyed this book. Hopefully the second book would be much better. I'm glad you still enjoyed the overall. :)

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    1. I'm glad I'm not the only person who felt that way! I felt like it would make an excellent movie/television show!

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  4. All of the reviews I've read about this book have been very similar to yours and yet I find myself really interested in the story. I wonder will you continue with the series? TELL ME. You know what I like and I wonder should I start this series? It sounds kind of fun, particularly if I go into it knowing how everyone already feels that it is a little on the flawed side.

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    1. I'm honestly not sure. I'm divided on it! I want to continue, but I also want so much MORE. I think if the tell vs. show thing doesn't improve, I doubt I'd finish book two.

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  5. Ah, I know what you mean about telling instead of showing. That does make the characters less.. interesting. I really like the sound of the experiments and the lab, so that might be enough for me to pick this one up :)

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

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    1. I love the premise from this one. Perhaps I'm too picky, but I just wanted so much more!

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  6. I like books which keep the action moving and this sounds like one, even though it's lacking some elements.

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  7. I've seen mixed reviews for this one, though I know the series isn't for me just based on the synopsis, but I'm glad you did like it despite your reservations. Your qualms would grate on me too - I know that tell not show has done that to me countless times before. Great review, though, Melissa! :)

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  8. I get what you mean about it being cinematic. It had a sort of CSI feel to me, I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of it. I agree that Rush did a brilliant job with the characterization, the boys definitely all had distinct voices. Despite having some issues I'm glad you enjoyed this overall. Great review, as usual, Melissa!

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  9. I really enjoy books with a cinematic feel to them. They're usually quick reads and quite exciting. I don't think of myself as a sci-fi person when reading books but I really should, because I do love stories like these. I'm totally a sci-fi nerd when it comes to shows and movies, though. Lovely review, Melissa. Nice to see you enjoyed this overall. :)

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  10. I'm not sure how I feel about this book yet, which is why I haven't picked it up. I love that you describe it as cinematic, since I do enjoy stories that I can visualize very well in my mind. But I would probably have a problem with the lack of characterization!

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  11. This is a great review - I agree! I remember worrying that the author wouldn't be able to distinguish the voices, but feeling like she did a great job. And I love how you talk about this book being cinematic. So true! I read it at a time that I needed a light, fun book and that's exactly what I got. Lots of action and excitement, plus a plot that got a lot more complex as it progressed. I'm hoping that we get more development from the characters in book 2. I also wish the covers weren't so cheesy.

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