Title: Altered
Author: Gennifer Albin (Twitter)
Publisher: FSG BYR
Publish Date: October 29, 2013
Genre: YA, Dystopian, Sci-Fi
Pages: 400
Source: Publisher

Life. Possibility. Choice. All taken from Adelice by the Guild—until she took them back.

But amid the splendid ruins of Earth, Adelice discovers how dangerous freedom can be. Hunted by soulless Remnants sent by Cormac Patton and the Guild, Adelice finds a world that’s far from deserted. Although allies are easy to find on Earth, knowing who to trust isn’t. Because everyone has secrets, especially those Adelice loves most. Secrets they would kill to protect. Secrets that will redefine each of them. Torn between two brothers and two worlds, Adelice must choose what to fight for.

In this thrilling sequel to Crewel, Adelice is about to learn how tangled up her past and future really are. Her parents ran to protect her, but nothing can save her from her destiny, and once she uncovers the truth, it will change everything.

Adelice's life has gone from bad to worse. Once forced to live a lie to save herself, she's now fated to run from those who seek to hunt her down. Though the Guild wants her back, Adelice knows she needs answers. She can't go back now. It's her turn to fight for what she believes in and what she knows is right. But the truth is often hidden by the best kept secrets - and the ones we trust aren't always the most trustworthy. Will she learn who and what to believe in time?

Crewel, the predecessor to Altered, made a big splash in the blogosphere about a year ago. Though I enjoyed it, I also had a few qualms with it, so I was hesitant to actually give this sophomore installment a try. Gennifer Albin, it seems, has seriously stepped up her game with this novel. Upping the ante tenfold, Altered whisks us into an already broken and corrupt society and gives us a heroine in impossible circumstances. Equal parts whodunit mystery, gentle love and raging action, this book has it all, and it will grip you from start to finish.

It isn't often that you'll hear me rave about the second novel in a planned series. Too often, books fall prey to the sophomore slump, so I generally don't invest my time and energy in them anymore. Altered, however, completely caught me off guard. When I reviewed Crewel, I remarked that the biggest flaw of the novel is that we're given this incredible setup to a broken society, but the world-building never really took off. In fact, I felt it took a back seat to the plot in book one, and it definitely bumped my review down. Altered, however, gives us everything we could want and more. We finally understand why the world is the way it is today, we can fully sense just how dangerous the society is in which Adelice lives, and we know why she needs to run. Because of this, I was able to find myself wholeheartedly invested in her journey and her plight. Adelice, too, becomes a more powerful female protagonist. She seems to be discovering her own strength as the story progresses, and it gives us this wonderful sense of satisfaction when we see her hold fast to her beliefs and refuse to back down when things get tough. In terms of the romance in book two, I was actually pleased to see that it too a bit of a back seat to the rest of the story elements. There is just so much happening throughout the novel that too much romance would probably actually remove us from the story. As it is, Altered commanded my attention from start to finish. Whereas my mind wandered a bit in the first book, I was riveted this time around, and I'm so excited to find a series in which I can truly become invested again.

Overall, I really just loved Altered. It is a fantastic follow-up, and it's such a strong story that even the most diehard against series will love it. I give it a 4.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy dystopian and science fiction stories.

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.

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.