Altered by Vicki Stiefel - NO

Altered by Vicki Stiefel, 396 pages.  Afterworld Publishing, 2019. $1.

Language: R (95 swears, 5 “f”); Mature Content: R; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - NO

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

When Kit miraculously survives fall she and her sisters were in, her first thoughts are about her sisters -- did they survive, too? -- and how to continue to survive the new situation she’s in. Only once Kit meets Rafe and is out of immediate danger does she start to realize something isn’t right about the world around her. Kit bides her time, waiting for more information, but then she plans on making her own decisions regardless of the plans others have made for her.

I found the premise exciting and enjoyed chunks of the book, but I think it was poorly executed overall. Out-of-character moments were confusing and frustrating as I tried to understand the world being created; contradicting and unaddressed details were merely distracting at first but became annoying as the problem persisted; and I didn’t like how this strong-willed woman allowed the many inequalities in her relationship go unaddressed. I also did not appreciate the graphic sex scenes.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen