Altered by Jennifer Rush

Altered by Jennifer Rush
Publisher: Little, Brown
Release date: January 1, 2013
Pages: 336

Summary: Four young men have lived in Anna’s basement for five years. They’re part of her dad’s research, which involves genetically altered humans. When Dad’s boss comes to collect the experiments, they break free—and they take Anna with them. Sam, Trev, Nick, Cas and Anna are now on the run, trying to evade the scientists and uncover their missing memories.

My thoughts: What a thrill ride! Altered is fast-paced, exciting, and easy to devour in a matter of hours. If you’re into non-stop action, Altered is a good pick.

Altered is filled to the brim with hot boys, as the cover would suggest. Luckily, all four of them have their own distinct personalities—meaning there’s something for everybody. Even more impressive is that the male characters in Altered don’t solely function as eye candy: they are dynamic and occasionally provide comedic relief. I liked the fact that the males of Altered were more than just abs.

Anna doesn’t stand out too much as a protagonist—she is a bit overshadowed by the quirky males that accompany her on a wild goose chase. But her narration is still fun: Rush uses Anna’s voice to keep the story upbeat. Anna also comes in handy during fight scenes, where she constantly surprises us by managing to kick and shove her way out of a tight situation. I think that’s what makes Anna a tough character to put your finger on: she’s still not sure who she is, and so we don’t really get a good idea of who she is, either. This works both ways—it makes her the epitome of a teen, but it also makes her a tad unmemorable.

One last thing of note: Altered also contains a scavenger hunt, of sorts, in which the main characters are trying to find clues that will help them uncover their pasts. Rush constructed this hunt very well: there are many “aha!” moments because the clues are so complex.

4/5 stars
For those who like: action, scavenger hunts, hot guys

Comment question: If you were on the run from a secret organization, what’s the one thing you’d take with you?