Altered by Jennifer Rush

What you should know right off the bat: there is only really one romantic interest in Anna's eyes. What does that mean? No love triangles or, uh, hexagons. Also, I am not going to touch on what leads to the boys escaping because I feel like Altered is more fun to read when you go in blind. Yes, this is what I'd classify as science fiction but it's definitely easy to follow along. What makes it science fiction? Genetically engineered boys, of course!

But wait, I feel like I need to talk about the boys for a moment--by which, I mean dedicate a paragraph to. For the record, they are all good looking, but I have a feeling that readers might have different favorites. Mine? Cas. He loves food and is almost always in a good mood. I'd say that Trev is a close second though. He's Anna's best friend (but yes, he's locked up too), is always there to lend an ear, and he's got a quote for almost everything. Don't get me wrong, I love Sam too, but I love him for different reasons. You know, like how determined he can be and how he really has the group's best interest in mind. (And how wonderful I think his relationship with Anna will be as it continues to grow.) Lastly there's Nick and don't get me wrong, I don't dislike him, I just think that I started to warm up to him late in the game. I think it's going to take another book for me to really form an opinion about him.

Then there's Anna. She's a little insecure at times--which is completely understandable--but then we get to my favorite bit about her, she's had self defense classes. Why am I so happy about that? Because it means that she's got a good grasp on what to do in some situations. Guns on the other hand, she needs some help with. She feels like a believable character given her situation and while there are things that I could add about her, I won't. Yes, because they're spoilers. Trust me, you'll want to read Altered to find out.

In all, I'd recommend this to you if you're looking for an interesting new science fiction read featuring some pretty cute boys. However, I would mention that I'm curious as to what the second book will bring to the table considering how well I felt Altered wrapped itself up. It feels like Branch, the organization responsible for altering the boys, is going to continue to play a large role--or so I'd imagine--but I'm not sure what else to expect. Regardless, I will be looking forward to the second book and I'm hoping to see a lot more of Anna and Sam! (And the other boys, of course!)

Overall Rating: ★★★★

Altered by Jennifer Rush

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: January 1, 2013

Edition: e-copy

* Received for review via publisher and NetGalley.