Hello Book Lovers!

How the heck are ya? I hope you’re having a great reading year so far. Personally, I’m having really great luck in 2023 to-date. Speaking of reading, I finished another book!

Right now I’m binging Maria DeVivo’s Altered series, so I continued onward with the second book, The Altered: Plague Within.

I loved the first book (click here for my book review), and I even got a chance to interview Maria about her inspirations and writing process (you can check that out here). Needless to say, I was super excited to continue this series, so I jumped right in!

On to the review!

Blurb

Two years after the closing of the Altered Re-Assimilation Centers across the United States, infected-turned-back-human Griffin King is trying to rejoin a vengeful society that is still rebuilding from the outbreak years before. While various forces align against the Altered, a new breed called the Ferals look to bring about a second wave of the virus with the help of a black market drug known as The Black Death.

Walking the lines between the humans and the Altered, and compelled to continue the work left behind by his former caretaker, Dr. Holston, Griffin is both helped and hindered by faces new and old. But in a fractured landscape on the verge of war, how can Griffin be sure who is friend and who is enemy?

This time, if he chooses poorly, he may not be so lucky.

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

I loved the first book in this series, and I loved this installment just as much!

Two years after the events of the first novel, Griffin’s life has changed quite a bit. He’s got an Altered girlfriend named Amber and a job as a janitor, but life is far from perfect. The politics surrounding the Altered are increasingly heated, people discriminate against him and his kind daily, and Amber seems to be pulling away from him. To top it all off, a surprise visit from Dr. Holston suggests that the Altereds’ struggles may be even worse in the near future. Can Griffin help sort out this mess and avoid catastrophe, or is history doomed to repeat itself?

What worked most for me in this book was the worldbuilding. The first novel had me aching to know more about this alternate version of Earth on the outside, and I got that and so much more . The politics, how the Altered situation was handled, everyday life, every little detail was engaging and kept me coming back for more.

Griffin seems to have settled into his new life, but he is forced into action with Dr. Holston’s visit and this brings about some really great character depth and progression, especially in his relationship with Amber.

I really loved the parts with little Tony in them. He is an enigma and also super cute! His Altered mom Crystal care for him shines through. Eugene was gross, but he’s kind of that gross methy kinda guy so that felt authentic to me regardless of the ick factor.

Plot was really important in this book, especially with the events that occur and how they ramp up. I liked that we spent more time in the present since we established Griffin’s past, and it made this story feel even more cohesive and easier to follow. There was plenty of action throughout and some shocking developments I didn’t see, and I love how that kept me on the edge of my seat.

If you want a great, epic zombie adventure, you can’t get much better than this!

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

Join My ARC Review Team | Subscribe

 Facebook | GoodReads | Bookbub | Tumblr | Instagram