Altered (The Academy #1)
Author: Aubrey Coletti
Genre: YA Thriller/Suspense
Release Date: June 6, 2012
Description:
When Toni, Joseph and Charlie arrive at their new boarding school, they are glad to leave their families - and respective problems - behind. Isolated as boarders, they meet a handsome senior with a personality like iced snake's blood, teachers with a penchant for physical punishment, and four other outcasts who reveal that their being brought to the Academy wasn't random at all. When the arrivals discover that their new school is engaged in "behavior modification" through electric shocks, isolation, restraints, and an ever-evolving set of methods to "fix" them, they declare war on their Academy. During their campaign of sabotage, they fight, hate, scorn, love, and begin to uncover the reasons why they were brought to the school. But as their war against the school escalates beyond their control, will they become the very things the Academy believes they are: dangerous, delinquent - and mad?
Altered is the first book in a young adult series that focuses on three different main characters - Toni, Charlie, and Joseph - as they arrive at their new boarding school. This school seems to be a lot different than other schools - the main problem being that they are experimenting with "behavior modification" techniques on their students. Will our three outcast heroes be able to uncover the truth behind all the lies at the Academy and expose them for what they really are? Or will they be modified before they have a chance of escaping?
This book was definitely different from most books out there. It has three different main characters, and the story is told from varying points of view. I didn't like how the changes in POV just happened without letting you know - it halted the flow of the story and confused me for a little while until I realized who was now narrating. The plot is an interesting one and is definitely unique. I liked that the school was trying to modify behavior through various horrifying techniques - it made the book into a serious thriller with suspense and a bit of horror mixed in. The characters were good, but felt a bit flat to me with no real personalities of their own. We don't see much character growth in the book, but I'm hoping that will change with the second installment. The writing was erratic but that may have been the author's intent. Like I mentioned above, it switched narrators without notice and was confusing to the reader. I wasn't able to really immerse myself into the story because I was always trying to get my bearings and remember who was narrating. This series has definite potential and I really hope that the second book will sort a few issues out and achieve the greatness that it is capable of.
I like multiple POV's if it is done well. I don't think that I want to read along guessing whose voice it is that I am hearing. Thank you for your review.
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