Altered (Altered, 1)

This is one of those books that truly kept me on the edge of my seat for half the time, cursing myself for not being able to read faster ... while at the same time cursing myself for not slowing down more so that I could savor the treat that I was reading. I LOVED this book. The description of the book does not do it justice. It is the type of book that I would have stuck on my wishlist, planning to read sometime in the future, but never jumping in to buy ... BUT I read some fantastic reviews that got me so excited to read it that I ran out and pre-ordered it so that I could grab it right away when it released. I. Was. Not. Disappointed. No. It was everything I hoped for and more.I don't want to give too much away about the plot. You have to let it unfurl before you. But basically this is the story of a group of young men who are being altered in some way by an agency which is not governmental, but is being run with the blessing and funds of the government in the hopes of receiving some benefit in the future. To be honest, even at the end of this book I'm not entirely sure how the alterations are meant to change each person, although one side effect is that the group of young men are able to function very effectively as a unit. Sam stands as the leader of this group of boys which include Cas, Nick, and Trev. They are being held in an underground lab beneath the home of Anna and her father. Anna assists her father in documenting results of the alterations, even though she really has no idea what the grand plan is involving these boys. She grows attached to them ... especially Sam. Eventually the boys manage to escape, and Anna's father begs them to take her with them. ... And that's when things get freaky. Things are not what they seem. Anna finds that her past is not what she believed it to be. The company running this lab is not a good one. They are in danger. The race for their survival is on. And what a race it is.What I loved:The mystery and intrigue of this was first rate. I could feel the floor fall out from under these people with each twist in the plot. I never felt as if I was standing on solid ground at all. Each new chapter seemed to bring a new revelation that throws everyone for a new loop. The only person I could really trust was Anna, and as the story progressed, even her motivations became murky. I haven't read a book that got my heart pumping like this in a long, long time. I simply couldn't put this book down until I figured out what would happen. I had to understand what was real and what was altered. I'm still not totally sure, and I'm almost afraid to put any trust in what I think might be happening, because every time I thought I figured things out, I was proven way, way wrong, and that was almost more jarring than if I had just let the information be revealed more naturally, if that makes any sense.The characters are wonderful as well. Anna is equally strong and vulnerable as she tries to fight her way through this new reality she has found herself in. Sam is strong and kind, and I was rooting for Anna and him to develop a relationship, but at the same time there is still so much to know about his past and how he fits into this master plan. Cas was the least memorable of the group, but still I enjoyed having him there. Nick was the token angry, distrustful guy who did not like or trust Anna, but there are enough layers to his personality to keep him very interesting as a character. In fact, the fact that he was so hateful toward Anna and yet worked to protect and help her became an important point of the book. And then there was Trev, Anna's best friend. Oh Trev! I love this character. And yet ... well, I'll leave it at that.There is romance in this book, but it is fairly subdued. The romance doesn't really drive the plot, although Anna's love for Sam does direct many of her decisions. It was just enough to make me happy without being so much that it took away from the suspenseful plot. Well written.I loved that this is part of a series. The book doesn't end with all the problems solved. The group is still in danger. There is a lot left to learn about this alteration program. But it did not end on a cliffhanger, and I appreciated that so, so much. I am tired of reading series books that leave me hanging at the end, having to wait months to see what happens next. This book ended perfectly. I will still be waiting months to see what happens next. But I am still amazingly satisfied with the ending of this book. It was perfect. I highly, highly recommend it. I know that it is only January 2nd, but I'm thinking that this one could easily be one of my favorite books of the year. Amazing!

Okay, I went into this book not expecting an amazing read. I had liked the premise and then I decided to try the sample. I started reading it and couldn't put it down and immediatly went an bought the book. This is one of those book that keeps you up until one in the morning. The only reason I was able to put this book down was because I was sick, had wake up at five the next day, and had a test, but I put it down with a huge regret. The next day I came home and finished it right after school! So let me break this book down:THE PREMISEAnna has grown up without a mother and with her father for her whole life. Her father runs a lab where they are experimenting on for boys who look younger then they really are. Ever since she was thirteen she has been sneaking downstairs to visit the boys. So when the government comes to take them away she wants her dad to stop them, but he doesn't and thankfully Sam has a plan. He is able to get a gun and he shoots like everyone. Then Anna's dad asks for him to take her and never come back.THE PROS1. Action packed. There was a lot of action and not much sitting around, the characters were always doing something. I loved this, it kept my attention! I get bored with books extremely easily, but a book like this is unputtdownable.2. The characters. Ahhh, I loved them all. Anna was fun and sweet and smart. Sam was mysterious and I was dying to find out his secret. Cas was funny and hyper. (That's my kind of person!) Trev was the good guy. And Nick, well he's just Nick. I really didn't like him at first, but by the end I tolerated him.3. THE TWIST. OMG I did NOT see that coming! Was that just me? But anyways... I was like What the heck! Then I started to jump up and down, then I went into shock, and then finally I picked up the book and continued reading. You might not be able to tell what the twist was because there were several, but there was one big one that just blew me away!!4. The concept. I've read similar concepts like this, where there are people being experimented on who then escape. (The Sphinx Project) The way that Jennifer Rush wrote this was amazing! She had great twists and turns and used a great concept to make an awesome book!5. The bad guys. I love having characters that I am freely allowed to hate.6. The cover. The cover fits the book so well. The whole tree on Sam's back plays such an important role throughout the book.THE CONS1. I'm dying to know what happens. It wasn't a cliffhanger, but it was like OMG what are they gonna do now?!2. The above con was my only con. I love when I hate basically nothing about a book! :)3. Okay I've thought of another. The killing was taken very lightly. The boys showed no remorse for their actions. I would have liked to see a bit more emotions, maybe a dialogue that goes something like this:Sam: "Oh, no! I've just killed more people and I don't regret it because it was nessasary, but just think about it those guys had families." Ana: "Yes, this is tragic, but we must move on." *Others nod heads in agreement as tears fall down their cheeks.*OVERALLI really liked this book. Basically everthing about it made me think it was more and more awesome!WOULD I READ THIS BOOK: YESWOULD I BUY THIS BOOK: YESWOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK: YES, although if death and guns really bother you,then this book is probably not for you.WILL I READ THE NEXT BOOK: WITHOUT A DOUBTWOULD I READ OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR: YEPAM I HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK: YEAH!!!!!

So Anna is pretty much living the dream; four years ago she found 4 boys locked away in her basement/dad's lab. Four hot boys.Like I said, she's living the dream, right?Intelligent Trev, playful Cas, Moody Nick and the one Anna is secretly in love with, Sam.All four boys have had their memories wiped so nobody has a clue how or why they're down there. Anna sneaks in to see the boys almost every night so they've bonded a little over the years, (apart from Nick who isn't a big fan of Anna)She sees them as family and brings them things when she can.(I found it a little odd that Anna had never really questioned the whole thing much but I went with it)I don't want to say too much or give anything away so I'll try to keep this simple...The boys break out and Anna goes with them. While The Branch are looking for them, they try to discover bits from their past and follow Sam's pre-memory-wipe clues with the hopes of filling in some of the blanks in their memories and getting answers.It's intriguing and exciting and I raced through the book trying to figure out what was going to happen next. The thing I loved about this book was that I didn't find it predictable. I couldn't guess the next revelation so was genuinely surprised each time the group found something new.The reason I deducted a star was because I felt like the relationship between Sam and Anna could have been better explored. It was meant to be quite a big part of the story but somehow I felt it took a back seat and when something did happen, it was brief, it was unexplained and it left me unsatisfied.Other than that though I really liked it and I'll definitely be picking up the next one when it comes out on Kindle ;)

I absolutely loved this read, I'd spotted it several times in my suggested books, skim read the description and thought I'd give it a try (after struggling to find a good read for a few days) and I'm so glad I did! I couldn't put it down, after reading until God knows when in the morning (resulting in a very tired day at work!) I read it in 2 days. Admittedly, at the start I was a bit unsure of the story, finding the idea of having four boys locked in your secret basement lab a tad strange! After a few chapters in I was hooked! The story gets going quickly and soon turned into a gripping adventure full of twists and turns as Anna and the boys find there escape and unlock the secrets of their past. I love how loveable the characters are and how they each have very unique personalities (Cal definitely being my favourite!!) Overall beautifully written and I can't wait to get lost in the second book!!!!

Action books are never usually my thing but boy did this get me hooked! It (along with the 2nd book in the series and probably the 3rd when i read that too) is easily one of the best books i have read, the story had me hooked and I plowed through the 2 books in about 26 hours (this is including time spend sleeping etc), I just could not put it down!I definitely do recommend this book to anyone! I wont give the plot away but its full of twists and turns that you will not expect and will leave you wanting answers! I promise you will not be disappointed!

This book had me hooked from chapter one. It's original and not your typical girl-meets-boy (although there is an element of this, it's not the base of the whole plot or the focus of the novel) and as though she's the usual helpless girl etc. Instead, the protagonist demonstrates that girls are just a capable as boys as she learns to defend herself and doesn't give in to anything easily. I bought this when I was I'll and I literally couldn't put it (or the sequels) down, which prevented me from boredom. I think I finished this one in about a day or two, which doesn't very often happen for me with books, as much as I enjoy them. Overall, I'd most definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fast paced, action-adventure type books mixed with a bit of romance and a lot of twists. To be honest, I'd recommend it to anyone who reads as it it just brilliant!

I chose five stars because this book really did have everything you want in a book. Relatable characters a brilliant plot and many twists and turns! No spoilers but I don't think you will be disappointed! I am off to read the next book in the series ;)