Altered by Jennifer Rush

Summary: "They were made to forget. But they'll never forgive. 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, solemn and brooding, Cas, light-hearted and playful, Trev, smart and caring, and Sam, who's stolen Anna's heart. When the Branch decides its time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape. Anna's father pushes her to go with them, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch at all costs. On the run with her fathers warning in her head, Anna begins to doubt everything she thought she knew about herself. She soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if there 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." - Amazon

I had really high hopes for this book as a few people have recommended the series to me as great YA Sci-Fi.  It did not meet those hopes. :( 

This novel has potential.  The premise is good, but the characters are flat in the most extreme sense.  The main problems with this book, however, lie within the overall plot and with the decisions and qualities of the characters.  I found the twists predictable and felt the big reveal about Anna did not support her choices and traits.  In fact, my main issue with this book is Anna.  She is supposed to be the heroine, but she is naive, rather weak, and extremely inconsistent.  There is nothing that will turn me off of a book faster than a whiny, simpering, lead female character.  

That being said, a whole lot of people like this series, so I am pretty sure I am the outlier.  My recommendation is to read the summary, read some reviews, and decide for yourself if this is a book for you.

2/5

323 pages