Altered - Revelations of the Evolved

#1 in The Evolved Trilogy series

by Shawnda Currie

Age: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal, Time Travel

Format: Ebook, 214 pages
Published On: March 25,2012
Publisher: Flea Circus Books
Source: Accepted review request

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First Sentence: I knew why I was going.

Summary

Abandoned by her family, Lacey is sent to a juvenile detention center known as Clear Waters. Her teen years don't look promising until she is befriended by a mysterious stranger named Taylor, a gorgeous guy whose captivating eyes seem to stare into her soul. Convinced she is in danger at Clear Waters, Lacey joins Taylor in a daring escape. As she meets Taylor's group of friends, she discovers that they're more than they seem – they've been sent from the future to head off an evil corporate plot that will lead to a world war unless averted. With Lacey as their only hope to prevent a grim future, Taylor shows Lacey how to tap into her psychic abilities known in his time as evolved humans. Travelling with her new friends, she discovers the magic of love while she grows into the powerful warrior chosen to make the difference to the world!

My Thoughts

I can honestly say that if I haven't received a review request by Shawnda Currie I would have never read Altered - Revelations of the Evolved. The cover is too plain and it would have never gotten my attention. It's a shame because hiding beside an ugly cover is a decent young adult paranormal novel that I think will be interesting for the fans of that genre.

Altered - Revelations of the Evolved has a lot of unexpected moments and twists, that is, if you haven't read the summary. Since the summary is literally the whole book. I kept waiting for something else to happen but all major twists in story are already told there. I hate it when summaries are too spoilerish, it really kills the tension in the story.

Lacey is introduced to us as a very interesting and unusual character. After all, she is on her way to juvenile detention center. But as the story progressed I just could not connect to Lacey. She suffered from Cinderella complex and had some very unfortunate statements that to me sounded like slut-shaming:

My cheeks blushed as a fantasy danced in my head of my lips pressing against him. What was wrong with me? I wasn't a harlot who searched for guys to randomly hook up with, especially in a place like this.

Everything came too easy for Lacey. She was The One. She knew how to use her awesome psychic skills without much practice. Romance was too instant for my taste too. I would have liked to see her working harder to achieve this.

Also, I didn't approve of the 'Robin Hood' philosophy Lacey's friends promoted and she accepted without second thought. Stealing from corrupt corporations who didn't earn that money the honest way is still stealing and no higher cause can justify that action.

Most of the things that bothered me in Altered - Revelations of the Evolved are my personal conflicts with ya paranormal genre. I hoped there will be more science fiction but it's only mentioned that some characters came to the present via time travel and that was it.

Don't let me complaining cool you down (if you don't have the same pet peeves like me). For fans of ya paranormal genre who can look past the cover, there is a big chance that Altered - Revelations of the Evolved will be enjoyable read.

All Books in The Evolved Trilogy series

Altered - Revelations of the Evolved Broken - Afflictions of the Evolved Choices - Complications of the Evolved - Expected pub. date: September 2013