Altered, Book 2 in the Crewel Series

Altered by Gennifer Albin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely brilliant.

The sequel to Crewel, this continues the struggle for Adelice to defeat the Guild, make allies on Earth and figure out her relationship with Jost. After landing on Earth, they find that they've been told lies about its desolation (or lack thereof). They encounter Kincaid, a sort of mob boss with his own goon squad. Erik, Jost's brother, figures prominently in a love triangle that is resolved within the scope of the book.

The world building in this story is flat out amazing. The way that Albin has taken the idea of space, time and matter and framed it in a setting where it is woven together like a tapestry is just brilliant. The science on which this premise is built is complicated and fascinating. Add to that the politics of the world, power plays, and a bit of romance and you have one amazing read.

Adelice was annoying at times; her angst over the romance got a bit tedious. That said, it was a good look at the way outlying issues can damage a relationship from the inside out. Jost got to be a bit of a boor and Erik was the trickster who really proved himself. There were some interesting reveals in terms of characters early on, which played into the whole world-building thing. The allies that Adelice, Jost and Erik found were solid - but then alliances with others were up for debate.

There is no suffering of "middle book syndrome" here. Altered has taken the world of Crewel and expanded it greatly. The ending held a twist that may have been expected on some fronts but completely took me by surprise. It is an interesting ride from beginning to end, and I can't wait to see how she winds up the series in the last book. It cannot come soon enough.

View all my reviews