The Eleutians are dying out, one female at a time. To save their species, the powerful Alchemic Clan conscripts women from parallel worlds, altering them into the perfect breeding stock. Kitlyn, a retired circus equestrian broken in both body and spirit, awakens on a strange world in her own much-younger body. She has been transformed into a Made One, but the gift of youth and the promise of a … new life come at a terrible price. Rafe, the Wolf Clan’s warrior champion, vows to find the cause of the species’ decline. He’s certain the Alchemics’ bid to save the Eleutians is but a thin veneer masking a dark purpose. That vow becomes hard to keep with the threat of an inter-clan conflict and the arrival of the proud Made One named Kitlyn. To save herself and those like her, Kit must carve a dangerous path in this new reality and make a choice that may cost her her freedom, her life, and the life of the Eleutian warrior she’s come to love.
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To save their species from dying out, the powerful Alchemic Clan conscripts women from parallel worlds and alters them into the perfect breeding stock. Kitlyn has been transformed into a Made One but the gift of youth and promise of a new life come at a terrible price. The Wolf Clan’s warrior, Rafe has vowed to find the cause of the species’ decline and he’s certain the Alchemics bid to save the Eleutians is but a thin veneer masking a dark purpose.
This new series is starting off on the right track with a fascinating world and unique story elements that make for great reading. The characters are strong, bold and easily captivate readers with their stories and the romance between Rafe and Kit has lots of chemistry and they are made for each other but the relationship is hampered by the insistent of other clans wanting her for themselves so this happily ever is not a sure thing. Lots of emotional turmoil flows from the pages, making the characters come alive and ensuring that readers connect and understand where the characters are coming in their situations.
The plots starts off a little on the slow side before it picks up momentum, however this builds up the suspense and gives readers vital information about the world they are experiencing and lets them really get to know the characters and the politics. The only ones readers can’t get a true feel for is the devious enemy that seems to rule everything but this is probably because their overall plot is quite complex and has far reaching consequences so readers definitely wants to know more.
I thought this book was about werewolves, but oh, how wrong I was! But no worries, this book was still brilliant and amazing. I find it so enjoyable. Glad that I read it!
A 58-year-old Kitlyn was transported to another realm called Eleutia and suddenly she woke up in her 28-year-old body. Everything was new to her and she had a hard time trying to make sense of the changes. She met Rafe, a commander from the Wolf Clan who rescued her. Through him, she finally learned something about this new world and why she was named the Made One.
I’m not 100% sure about the concept of the story. I admit that I liked it due to the unique thing that happened to Kitlyn herself, which was the transformation of her body. I never read anything that involved your body being altered, how you were actually old and suddenly turned young. So, this is all new to me but I kind of digging it. The thing that I wasn’t sure was that, the whole Kitlyn being the Made One and why The Alchemics from Eleutia was experimenting on female from Earth and bringing them to Eleutia as the breeding stock, since the female population in the realm is decreasing. Kitlyn being the Made One and her only purpose is to breed a baby girl was totally off to me. I didn’t like how her character was viewed as the breeding stock, it was like she doesn’t hold a higher value there and that her importance is mainly to breed. I understood the desperation of the Eleutians male for wanting more female in their world, but bringing someone from another world to their world was a bit cruel to me. I feel bad for the women from Earth, it was like they don’t have any choice and all their choices was made and decided by The Alchemics and the Eleutians.
I didn’t put my hopes up for magic to appear in this type of story, but the little moment where Rafe was using a magical spell was shocking to me, but it was truly a special moment. To me it was special because this type of story doesn’t usually use/have any magical elements in it, and to see at least one character used it was really amazing. The magic that Rafe used was not like what I expected at all. He was using some sort of a magic spell and the effects it had on him and those who was using it along with him was a bit scary. Magic was forbidden in their world, but the moment Rafe break the rules, I was totally amazed by him. It just makes me adored him more than I already is. I get to learned the reason why their magic was forbidden and who forbid them from using it. I find the reason to be a bit lame.
The world-building was unique and just amazing even though it wasn’t as epic as I imagined it to be. The author did a good job at trying to make it unique and different from the other fantasy world that already existed. It sure does surprised me a lot, especially with all the different and more advanced technologies that existed in Eleutia. Flying cars? Check. Flying horses? Check. Wolves that can talk to humans through mind? Check. Eleutia has been described as the parallel of Earth, it’s not a planet, but instead it’s a realm. But it was more advanced than Earth. Also, learning more about the different clans that lived in the realm makes the whole thing more enjoyable to read. The differences between the clans was shown clearly. For example, how the Wolf Clan was like compared to the Cat Clan and the Falcon Clan. And what was the WolfHome looks like compared to the CatHome. Also how the Wolf Clan acts and fight compared to the Cat Clan and the Falcon Clan. I get to see the differences of these clans and what makes them unique.
The setting of the story was pretty interesting. Especially the one that takes place at the WolfHome. I imagined the WolfHome is bigger than the CatHome. I have my own imagination of what the WolfHome looks like and I’m sticking by it because to me it just look so majestically amazing, while the CatHome was just a simple place and there’s nothing special about it. I think Eleutia as a whole is beautiful, and there was a place which Rafe called as the moving city, the one where The Alchemics lived in. From the description itself I can already picture it being the most intimidating place. The Alchemics living in the city that moves around since the city is in the air, no wonder they can easily move from one place to another. But I was wondering how it works, like who moves it and how they did it? I was so curious about it, but the little description of the city itself makes me hope to see more of it in the future books. There wasn’t much detail about the moving city, so hopefully the next installment will address it.
The writing was pretty good, and I gotta admit that there was a time where I find it hard and complicated to understand some of the things that happens in the story, but I gladly read it repeatedly until I can understand it, which doesn’t took me long! The writing was a bit smooth, and even with so many bumpy road, the story was still great nonetheless. I didn’t find the whole story to be predictable, and thanks to the author’s writing for not making anything so obvious. There are so many great plot twists that I didn’t see coming, it was mega surprises to witnessed the shocking truths. And I was left satisfied by how everything turns out to be. The whole secret spies and untrustworthy people makes it more interesting, because at first I didn’t expect them to be a traitor since they were so good with their attitude, mannerism, and they didn’t look like someone who would betray their own clan. After finding out the truth, it was honestly the biggest jaw-dropping moment ever! So unpredictable.
The story was told from both Kitlyn’s and Rafe’s POVs. All the time we’re inside their heads and view the whole situations from their eyes. This also helps me to understand their feelings better, and know what type of person they are. I was glad Rafe gets his own POVs too, and not just Kitlyn. Dual POVs always been better than one, I wouldn’t mind if it only has one POV and that it’s from the female lead aka the main protagonist of the story, but dual POVs is more better. It gives the readers an access to connect with both characters more and also understanding the deeper aspects of the story from their views.
There are so many ups and downs with the characters that present in the story, not all of them are perfect because everyone makes mistakes and everyone has flaws too. The female lead/main protagonist, Kitlyn, she and Rafe has the best character development later on considering Altered is their story. Some other characters were also cool people and I’m so happy to be able to meet them in the story.
The book wasn’t too long or too short, it was just perfect as it is. I truly enjoyed it from the very first page, and I definitely recommend it. If you love an adult fantasy story full of great and lovable characters, amazing heroine, a caring hero, and intense actions, then I suggest you to try pick up this one. And lastly, the snippet of the sequel showed it will focus on Kitlyn’s other sister, so I’m looking forward to see what her adventure will be like.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
The Eleutians are a dying race, their female number has dropped so low, there are few children born anymore. So the Alchemic Clan devise a scheme to take women from the alternate universes they have discovered. Kit is one such woman. After falling down, she wakes up in a place she doesn’t know, in a body she doesn’t remember having. Rafe, of the Wolf Clan, finds Kit and makes her his. But there are bigger forces at work here, and Kit makes the difficult decision to walk away from Race, even though the thought kills her inside.
Different!! Very good different too.
A bit paranormal, a bit magic, a bit sci fi too. Quite a tricky one to tag outright.
There is, quite clearly, a much MUCH bigger picture to this story, and sometimes, it’s so bloody hard to see it! Everyone has a say, Rafe and Kit mostly, but some others who really do need that voice to give you a bit of that bigger picture, for things to mostly make sense.
I did get a bit lost sometimes, though, in the world as a whole, and the people in it.
BUT!!!
A very well written, well delivered tale that I would love to follow up on, since the book is labelled as a saga, there will be more to come. How many?? I don’t know, but I suspect at least 2 more, to include Kit’s sisters. Couple of hints to other pairings, that may or may not be wishful thinking on my part, but we can only wait and see!
A good solid 4 star read
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Three and a half
This is a difficult book to categorise as its a mixture of science fiction spliced with fantasy elements and all wrapped around a romance. Kit is a fifty eight year old woman who finds her consciousness waking up in a different dimension and she is now inhabiting a twenty something version of herself ! You would expect she would run around screaming but actually no because she’s quickly taken in by a Clan who have a symbiotic relationship with Wolves . Initially Kit feels like a prisoner but she adapts and starts to form attachments but there’s a sinister plan taking place and Kit is slap bang in the crosshairs !
Such a lot going on here and it could have easily turned into a Shifter romance but I liked that the author took a different path. Make no mistake this is probably more sci fi than perhaps the cover indicates with its technology but there’s also magic present although it’s something that those in charge are seeking to eradicate. It’s a strange mish mash that oddly enough does work although I couldn’t quite believe the way these Clans blindly follow the Alchemist Clan . It was a very interesting idea and there’s a lot more to come although for this reader at times the characters didn’t feel realistic in their actions but as a first in the series it certainly felt unique and original.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
The first thing I have read by this author and I really did enjoy it.
Altered is the first book in a new series later books will explore what happens to Kitlyns sisters Bree and Sybi.
Kitlyn a fifty-eight-year-old retired circus performer with Huntington’s finds herself transported to a parallel world Eleutia and remade by the Alchemists as a made-one.
basically, the best version of herself with all her genetics corrected and in a much younger body.
The Elautians females are dying out and they need breeding stock hence the made ones.
Kit is taken in by the wolf clan and adopted into the pack.
Deeply fascinated by Rafe the wolf clan champion Kit starts to grow closer to him as he covertly courts her but with so much worry over her sister’s current whereabouts Kit also has other things cluttering up her mind.
Add to the fact that Kit seems to be in danger from various multiple sources also a jealous rival for Rafe’s affections and the Kat clan breathing down there necks this one was definitely ramped.
This is told from various POV and is also quite a lengthy read.
In terms of the romance, this is quite slow burn but this did work.
I am looking forward to picking up this story again in book two which will follow Kits sister Bree.
This one gets a thumbs up from me I really did enjoy myself.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of Altered: The Made Ones Saga Book 1.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9460945-bex-beckie-bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
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Altered is a gorgeous fantasy romance with elements of sci-fi, plenty of action, and richly developed characters and their symbiont animals. Vicki has built a compelling world on Eleutia, a parallel world to Earth, where we experience a more ancient way of life (think warriors and gladiator-style fights) with modern technology (hovercars and laseblasters).
I fell in love with the proud Kitlyn, a complex woman who finds herself in a new body on a strange world. And her love interest, the Wolf Clan alpha Rafe, is as deep and layered as she is. Watching their story unfold was beautiful and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.
Not only do we have amazingly developed main characters, but Vicki is as masterful in creating her secondary characters and villains into people that you actually care about. It all weaves together into a compelling story that draws you in and doesn’t let go until the satisfying conclusion.
I would recommend this book to any read who loves strong female characters, hunky but sensitive males, richly developed worlds, and love stories that develop realistically and beautifully. Lucky us – Vicki sets up the series to continue through Kit’s sisters, Bree and Sybi. I can’t wait for the next one!
Kitlyn and her sisters are snatched from our earth to a parallel universe where there are different clans who are allied with different species of animals, wolf, cat, falcon, etc. Lording it over all of them are the Alchemist who seem to have some sort of secret agenda. The females essense/souls are snatched and given their younger unblemished bodies back to live in. The only thing is, they are given no choice in the matter and are expected to be breeding stock to bring in more female births as the birth rates of females has dropped off and the world is going extinct. Kitlyn was a broken, scarred, ex-circus performer, but this new life gives her something that was long gone and she will do her best to stop a war. The war that is brewing between the wolves and the cats over her. She and Rafe have romance, but the cat alpha wants her breeding abilities, so there is a lot of conflict. This is a great story and I enjoyed it very much.
Exciting romance, beautiful world-building and mysteries that keep you turning pages!
Imagine being a fifty-eight-year-old woman who’s disfigured and has a fatal disease. What would it be like to wake up in a parallel world? Even if you had a healthy, young body, would you have the courage to face such a situation when you’ve left behind everyone and everything you know and love?
Kitlyn finds herself facing such a challenge. Yes, her body is thirty years younger, and she’s beautiful again, but she’s been given these gifts for a singular purpose. She’s supposed to help the people in her new world by bearing female children, a capacity that its native people are losing.
The story’s premise proves to not only be thought provoking, it’s so well told that the ideas seem plausible and exciting to explore. Kitlyn is portrayed in a way that I found satisfying. Some heroines can be young and prone to making a lot of mistakes. Kitlyn isn’t like that at all. She’s learned a lot in her fifty eight years on Earth. Now, faced with a totally new life, she’s able to maintain a very wise and courageous approach in how she goes about adjusting to her circumstances. When she interacts with the people and her environment, she’s able to keep a lid on her fears for the most part. Yet, her strong, indomitable spirit is always questing for freedom not only for herself, but for the people in her new world.
Her involvement with a handsome, clan warrior is also handled in a way that keeps you turning pages, enjoying the fire that pulls them closer and closer together. Meanwhile, there are lots of mysteries that keep you wondering. Why have the people lost their ability to produce enough female children? Why are they denied access to the sciences? Who are the Alchemists and what is their plan for the planet and its peoples? There are also telepathic relationships with animals, magic that is yet to be revealed, and other elements that make this a must read for people who love fantasy, romance and discovering other dimensions and parallel worlds.
5 CRANKY STARS
This is a delightfully different book. I loved the characters and the world the author created. The whole subject of parallel universes is fascinating. It’s a simple story but tugs at your heartstrings. Makes one wonder, how would I react if this happened to me?
Kitlyn and her sisters Sybi and Bree are in their fifties. They live in northern Maine and are former circus performers. Their parents owned the circus. Kit was an equestrian performer and a tragic accident left her scarred and broken. She has not been able to ride a horse since the accident and is prone to flashbacks. As if life hasn’t been hard enough, she has been diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease. It’s not just her either, all three of the sisters are affected by this genetic disease. It means a terrible and painful death at some point. However, the women try to remain upbeat and live their lives to the fullest.
One sunny afternoon, they are hiking the mountains in Acadia when they stop on a cliff side to enjoy the view. The cliff gives way and all three tumble to “somewhere”. Kit wakes up at the bottom of a cliff in a cold creek and can’t find her sisters. She is in a thin dress and nothing looks familiar. All she knows is that she will freeze if she doesn’t start moving. Carefully, she fights her way up the steep cliffside to the top and passes out under a tree. When she wakes again, she is in a vehicle with a strange but handsome man. He takes her to a strange medical clinic where she sees herself for the first time since the fall. Who is she? The image staring at her in the mirror is a twenty something woman with no scars and a perfect body. After her medical exam she is told some shocking news.Where is she and what has happened?
New author. New read. New world. New characters. New chance at life in a different realm.
Altered was a fitting description of what happened to Kitlyn and the life she once knew to be hers. She one day wakes to find herself in a completely new body, new world, and surrounded by newer and stranger things.
This one was more than a fantasy, more than a romance, more than what it was. I found so much more in this world to question, to want to know more, to keep turning the pages for.
Altered was no afternoon in the sun and done. It was long and varied form one POV to the next. You most certainly needed to pay attention to all that you were reading and the various characters that you ran in to and the ones you only read about and not meet yet.
With this being the beginning of a series, I wanted more of it to get a deeper understanding. I am looking forward to book two and the new story along with having the opportunity to return and re-read book one with Kitlyn and Rafe as the star couple.
This was a first read for me by this author. Honestly, the blurb and cover sounded very intriguing. Sadly, I couldn’t fully invest/dive into the story. It could be lack of connection with the characters, or something about this fantasy/sci-fi setting was throwing off my interest in the story. To me, I think it just wasn’t flowing very well. It read very choppy to me.
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.