caren's Reviews > Altered

4.5 Stars

Four years ago, Anna discovered a secret her father was keeping in their basement…

Boys.

Four of them.

Every teenage girl’s dream, right?

Except these boys are different. Genetically Altered and suffering from apparent amnesia. They’re all part of a puzzle Anna’s only been given small pieces to.

Dad wouldn’t tell me what the program tested for, despite my repeated questioning. When I’d first found the lab, it was all I could think about. What were four boys doing in our basement? Where were their parents? How long had they been down there? Dad knew exactly how much information to give to feed my curiosity and keep me quiet. I knew about the Branch, of course. But even though I knew who ran the program, I still didn’t know why.

In the four years that’ve passed since she discovered the lab below her house, Anna’s come to know each of these boys pretty well. There’s Cas, whose sharp wit and love of all things food is always good for a laugh. Then there’s Trev, who has a myriad of memorized quotes in his head and is always willing to share. He’s also probably her closest friend. There’s also Nick, who, out of all the boys is the one Anna doesn’t quite feel comfortable with. And lastly, there’s Sam. (Pardon me while I sigh heavily.) Quiet, intense, sweet Sam who Anna’s harboring a little—major—crush on.

And I really couldn’t blame her. Throughout the entire book, I found myself wondering what is he thinking right along with her. Especially when all hell breaks loose and suddenly, these boys aren’t in her basement anymore.

They’re on the run…with her at their side. At her father’s request.

”Anna. Listen to me.” Dad pulled himself up straighter. “Stay with Sam. Don’t come back here. Ever. Do you understand me?”

From pretty much the very beginning, this book was filled with non-stop guessing and action and OH MY GOD moments. There are twists and turns and guns and murders and secrets and a young girl discovering her inner badass. Seriously, there’s JUST SO MUCH. I could not put it down until I’d devoured every page. And then I was left wanting book two and kicking myself for breaking my own promise not to start any more trilogies before they’re complete. But I don’t even care now, because it was so worth it. Especially since I’ve been in such a slump this past year and it’s been really hard to find anything I could get into.

Altered was exactly what I needed to renew my faith in the idea that there are still good YA books out there left to be discovered. So don’t wait. Dive in and meet Anna and the boys, and enjoy the action, the humor and even the sadness. Oh, and did I mention the swoons? Because the UST level in this book was off the CHARTS.

I’ll leave you with a little taste…

He pressed into me as if he couldn’t get close enough, and I pressed back. Because I wasn’t close enough. Because I’d spent the last several years of my life wishing I could be closer.