Book Review: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Title:  Altered
Author:  Jennifer Rush
Genre:  YA Dystopian/Science fiction
Pages:  336

Rating:  A

Synopsis from goodreads.com:  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.

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. 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.

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Thank you, Jennifer Rush, for writing this awesome book!  From the minute I picked it up to the second I put it down, I was on the edge of my seat... well, edge of my bed in this case.  I started it so late last night because I got distracted by my iPod (I'm addicted to the Bejeweled Blitz app), and I only intended to read a few chapters before going to sleep.  Obviously that didn't happen.  The story is engaging and addicting.  There are so many twists and turns and revelations that I didn't want to stop reading until I'd discovered them all.

Altered has an incredible plot and amazing characters.  Every single one of them had a distinct personality, and each had a chance to shine.  Even the secondary characters never seemed flat.  I would have loved a little more development in the character's backgrounds, but since they don't even remember their pasts, I figured that it would be unlikely to happen.  

Cas is probably my favorite character because he's lighthearted and fun, and he helps break the tension during rapid-pace action.  And I do love the relationships that develop between Anna and the boys, whether it's friendship, romance, or animosity.  Just as each boy has a very different personality, they also each play a different role in Anna's life.

I love a book that's unpredictable, and Altered fits that description.  The plot is original and heart-stopping.  And I never knew what was going to happen next.  Every time I thought I'd figured it out, the book went in the complete opposite direction.  So exhilarating!  I cannot wait for the next book to see where things go from here.  A