Altered by Gennifer Albin

Altered by Gennifer Albin
Release Date – October 29, 2013
Publisher Website – MacMillan/Raincoast Books
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 400 pages
My Rating- 4/5
**received from publisher for review via BEA**

**SPOILERS FOR CREWEL**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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.

Crewel was a surprise for me last year. A novel that I didn't have strong feelings for either way and ended up enjoying quite a bit. It was thrilling, different, and unique. After the shocking ending of Cewel, Altered was high on my list of books to get my hands on. Altered has taken the world we know in Crewel and expanded and changed it. Everything we learn in Altered impacts and changes the story in some way taking it into an unexpected direction.

Altered is going to be a hard book to review. So much of Altered is information based and therefore talking about anything will spoil the book. It's a fast paced, plot twisting ride that left me wishing I had the third book to read immediately. 

Adelice is now on Earth, and the story picks up right where Crewel left off. The time frame of these novels and when they take place was not apparent in Crewel. Altered clears that up and it's one of the many reveals in store. Prepare to have your mind messed with because things you thought were true may not be, and things you didn't expect all of a sudden come into play. I am not sure if Gennifer plotted this series in full before writing Crewel, but everything meshes together rather well in either case. 

There is a lot of scientific information is given in this novel. It does get a little heavy with the details, and at times it's given in a manner that is more telling than showing. Some of these reveals left me with an insane amount of questions, and others left tantalizing possibilities for plot points to come. I will admit that my head spun at some points as the pacing is rather quick in some parts and the amount of information can be overwhelming. This put me in Adelice's shoes as she is just as overwhelmed, and processing the information at the same time as the reader. It's a perfect case of the character being as informed as the reader.

New characters are plentiful in this installment. There are surprising connections that are revealed, and everything Adelice thought about herself gets turned upside down. I enjoy Adelice's determination, her unwillingness to stand back, and her honesty. She knows her limitations, and is equally aware of her strengths. She is someone who wants to help if her skills allow it and it is admirable. With all these new characters being introduced Adelice, Erik and Jost are forced to navigate the unfamiliar. The fact that nobody can be trusted is never far from their minds, and it's something Gennifer Albin makes sure that readers don't forget either. Crosses, double crosses, and lies are plentiful and knowing this doesn't make them any easier.

The romance, surprisingly, takes a backseat in this. I tend to not like triangles that involve brothers, but this one some how works for me. There are cute moments and that aspect of the story progresses, but Adelice has a lot going on besides Erik and Jost. I do believe that there is a decision of sorts made in terms of who holds Adelice's heart. Is it a permanent one? I hope so, but realistically there is one more book so it could always change. If Adelice's affections have be claimed I would applaud this development because it ties up that storyline before the finale, something no series has done yet (to my knowledge anyways). It would be welcome, and based on the events of this book, Adelice is going to have bigger things to worry about. 

I predict many people may be split on this one. There is a lot of new information, and crazy plot twists which will either thrill or put people off. It did the latter for me, and I devoured this. The plot is unexpected, and surprising. I appreciated the payoff from things set up in the first book, and delight in what has been set up for the finale. 

A surprising sequel that stays away from the second book syndrome of having nothing happen that progresses the plot. Altered is filled with many shocks, thrills, and a story that is interwoven to unravel at just the right time. The third installment can not come fast enough as Adelice's story is far from it's conclusion.