Altered

Very Good. I read the whole series in record time. Then I read it again. Fast paced, believable robust characters and a riveting plot drew me into Adelice's world. A world full of oppression, lies and death by the yank of a thread. One obstacle after another is thrown at the heroine and she rises to the occasion, sometimes in surprising ways.

Adelice's interactions with her arch nemesis left me impatiently waiting for their next encounter. Twist at ending is a little heartbreaking if you catch what happened.

(This review can be found on my blog The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl).


First off, I don't think Altered would work as a stand alone novel, so therefore, I'd suggest reading Crewel first so as not to be too confused. Oh, and if you haven't read Crewel, this review may contain some spoilers for it.

I really enjoyed Crewel, the first book in this series. I'd been wanting to read Altered since I finished Crewel. While this book takes a different direction from Crewel, I still really enjoyed it.

I like the title. It suits the book rather well. Even the Earth in this book has been altered from the Earth we know.

I really love the cover! I love the photo off Adelice within the whole sand timer thing. Adelice is running on show more borrowed time, and the cover depicts this perfectly.

The world building was done fantastically! It is quite a different world then that of Arras. Yes, I know it takes place on Earth, but this is a post apocalyptic type Earth with a sort of alternate history. In fact, there is one famous figure from history who makes an appearance in Altered which I didn't expect.

The pacing was done really well, and I was instantly drawn back into Adelice's world. I never wanted to put the book down!

Again, the plot is very original. I was confused a little bit through out the book, but I think that was because it had been awhile since I had read Crewel (well over a year ago). I had to try to remember how Adelice can weave and her abilities. Saying that though, I did enjoy the whole plot throughout especially the whole alternate history take. The cliff hanger at the end of this book leave it open for another book in the seires (which I will be reading). There's also the whole love triangle with Jost and Eric again. With the last book, I was team Jost, but this book, I was team Eric!

Again, Albin does a fantastic job in writing well developed characters. Adelice feels like she's grown a lot emotionally in this book. She's more of a stronger female lead and less sarcastic in this book. Jost, to me, shows his true colors in Altered. We also get to learn more about Eric and his background. We are also introduced to another baddie in this book named Kincaid. Kincaid is more of a snake in the grass compared to Cormac who was an up front, in your face, sleazeball.

The dialogue is fantastic and never once feels awkward. I don't remember any swear words, and there is minor violence.

Overall, Altered is a much different book from its predecessor, but that's not a bad thing. There's more gritty, fast paced action as well as a whole new cast of characters.

I'd recommend this book to those aged 14 who are into science fiction and post apocalyptic worlds.

I'd give Altered (Crewel World #2) by Gennifer Albin a 4.75 out of 5.


(I won this hardback book in a competition. I was not required to write a review). show less

Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 4.5 Controllers
Review Source: Publisher
Reviewer: Me




Crewel was one of my top reads of 2012 and left me panting desperately for the second book, Altered. With my expectations so high, and after meeting this wonderful author at a Fierce Reads event earlier this year, I pleaded with the book gods that I hadn’t set myself up for failure. Thankfully, after an EPIC all-nighter, my prayers were answered. Altered, was everything I hoped it would be. Complete with magnetic characters, intricate world building, and unpredictable twists and turns, Altered is a magnificent second book in the Crewel World Trilogy.

Full steam ahead, the story begins where we left off in Crewel. Adelice, Erik and show more Jost are on a Post-Apocalyptic Earth, a place they’ve only heard about that was kept hidden from most of the people on Arras, lives shattered by the epic ending in Crewel. On Earth, nothing is black and white. Run by a man with his own agenda, Kincaid, Earth is a planet trying to rebuild itself after Arras left it in ruin. It’s easy to see the vast differences between the old-world court style of Arras and the futuristic setting on Earth. While I loved Arras, the world in the sky controlled by the Guild, I also felt draw to the Sunrunners and the zombie-like “Remnants” on Earth. Most of this has to do with the science presented in these novels. While the gifts of the Spinsters who can manipulate the strands of life are borderline magical, I was surprised to learn all the science behind their abilities. I believe Albin does an excellent job introducing the science portion while making it feel believable, real, and somehow still otherworldly.

Everything unexpected that could happen in Adelice’s world does happen in Altered. Without giving too much away, our main character is bombarded with one revelation after another. Of course, you can’t have new revelations without introducing new characters. I really enjoyed the protective nature of Dante who turns out to be a major catalyst for everything that’s happened in Adelice’s life. Jax and Falcon are other interesting characters you’ll meet, along with a few from Arras you thought you’d never see again. With a vast array of people popping in and out of the story, never once did I feel their presence to be intrusive or storyline hard to follow.

Lastly, the romance from Crewel is still present though slightly altered (haha see what I did there?). This time around, the love triangle between Erik, Jost and Adelice has bloomed. I really adored the romance between Jost and Ad in book one, however, the more I got to know Erik and his past in book two, I felt myself shipping an Erik/Adelice relationship. Both boys are swoon worthy and each have the pains of their past to overcome. However, neither makes it easy for Ad to make a decision. And sometimes, even when you try to do the right thing, your heart will occasionally lead you in an unexpected direction.

Overall, Altered is a phenomenal follow up to Crewel. With tons of action and feels, I couldn’t have asked for a better second book. I’m eagerly anticipating book three and I hope, after all the conspiracies, risks, drama, angst, and revelations, Adelice will soon get her happy ending.



Edible Quotes:
After a few awkward pants, I laugh, and his mouth splits into a wide grin.
“We have horrible timing,” I say.
“No,” he says, showering me with dozens of tiny kisses. “Better late than never.”
He hovers over me, and I know we have to go. We have to find the others.
“We’ll have our time, Ad,” he promises.
I reach up and brush his hair behind his ears, noticing my fingers still tremble even though I’m no longer cold. I want to believe him.
–Adelice and Erik p. 332 show less

Hmmm...I'm not sure where I sit with this one.
Originally, after I'd finished book 1, I wasn't sure I'd continue. The weaving and explanations got so confusing at the end, I wasn't sure what to make of it all.

But this was tied a lot of that together for me. It explained a little more and gave a lot of details about Earth and how thing started and how it all went down. You also learn some secrets you didn't even know where being kept from Adelice.

and although it was all really interesting, I'm not sure I 100% bought off on the explanations.

First and as usual, I received this book for the ripe sum of nothing through a giveaway of some sort. This time it was via Shelf Awareness. It's also worth noting that I haven't read the first book in the series so I'm coming into this one a bit cold. Because of that it was a rather rough first 20 pages or so but the first book is not a requirement. From the look of things though it would be highly recommended as background, if nothing else.

Moving on, this book is marketed to teens so my first direction for criticism lies along the lines of the question of whether I would want my own teenage daughter to read this. To that question I raise no objection. The book contains only vague references to sex which never actually come about, no show more drugs of any kind and really only mild violence. Thematically I'm not sure if it has any grand life lessons that I'd like passed along but it is at least in no way promotional of negative lifestyles.

To sum up the plot, I'd categorize this as a dystopian alternate history novel in which the Allied powers during WWII opt for a less destructive and more technologically advanced response to Axis threats to the security of the planet. The whole thing reads rather like a slightly watered down version of Herbert's Dune novels. For a novel targeted at the teen demographic it carries with is a subtle level of complexity and sophistication of story and character. I didn't realize it was aimed at the teen crowd until late in the book when I happened to glance at the back cover.

In summary, this one was a surprise. I expected a rather vapid and hollow story but 'Altered' defied those expectations and if my reading pile did not already extend far too close tot he ceiling I'd consider strongly going back for the beginning of the series. As it stands though I'll never know the outcome or the origin like so many series I drop into the middle of but I won't deny this one has a lot to offer, especially when you consider it's aimed at a younger crowd. show less

To say that I was disappointed would be a huge understatement. I was so eager to read Altered after finishing and absolutely loving Crewel. Now I find myself wondering what happened because that something that made Crewel so entertaining, so different was completely missing from this second book. The setting was new, some characters were new, and things like Tailors and the Whorl were also new (which confused me at times). But it, I’m afraid to say, was just not interesting. I was bored in the middle and even at the end I just didn’t care anymore.

The only character I liked was Erik, but he seemed to mainly get scenes when Jost wasn’t around/involved with Adelice. The whole Adelice/Jost thing was terrible. I just hated Jost’s show more character so much. I actually think I liked the bad guys better than Adelice and Jost. And that’s not really a good thing. Also, Amie should just die. What a sister she is, wow. That girl needed to be ripped.

So with my disappointment, I’m not sure I’m going to bother reading book three. Maybe if I find it at the library or see it really cheap somewhere, then I may continue on. My luck with finding a series I like is still terribly low. show less

My Review of Book One: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

What to say, where to start? I wasn’t a huge fan of the first book Crewel. I know maybe that leaves some people wondering why I would read Altered? It’s because I definitely saw some promise there and I was honestly curious about how things were going to pan out for them after they slipped into that “other reality” so to speak. However, where I felt Crewel was underdone and lacking in oomph – I think Altered packed so much in that while the ryhtym of the book felt a bit off it was definitely an improvement for me. There were surprises here that I didn’t see coming. The pace moved much faster and I was engaged much more in the story and the characters where as before I was show more somewhat apathetic. It was a great followup and oddly took the reader in such unexpected directions that I have to give her credit.

I do have to say I wasn’t thrilled by the inclusion of the Remnants. Perhaps that was just me but I’ve seen the zombie-esque card played too frequently lately – I wish something else could have been used instead but they did the job to thrill/give tension/add suspense. I both liked and disliked the use of the alternate reality / time displacement things that was going on. While I liked the element I didn’t like how it made a few aspects into convenient stressors for Adelice and Jost. So that was how I came to be such a fence sitter – I had both positive and negative vibes in equal measure while reading. I will say that I am the odd ball out among my friends who loved Crewel so I think those that did will oooze love for Altered as well.

Cover – 3 stars – Why is the hourglass here you might wonder? – I’m thinking it has something to do with how time runs differently in each reality
Story- 3 – A marked improvement but needed a bit more spit and polish. show less