Altered picks up immediately where Crewel left off. Adelice, Jost and Erik are on Earth and searching for a way to get back to Arras to save the ones they left behind and overthrow the Guild. They find themselves in the middle of a rebellion they never knew existed nor truly wanted to join. All three characters have their own motivations and secrets that they are hiding from each other, and very quickly the reader realizes that this will not be a smooth or safe journey. Adelice grows immensely in this novel, and Albin really excels in giving this character a voice and personality that shifts with her experiences. As Adelice learns more about the history of Arras, and her abilities, she realizes there is more at stake than she could have ever imagined. Adelice is the key to uniting the worlds and ending the reign of the corrupted Guild.
There a many twists and turns, and whenever I thought I had something figured out, Albin would throw a wrench into story and I would be back at the beginning. Albin mixes fast-paced action with a slow building of relationships and introductions to a new world. When it would get to a point in the narrative where I might start to lag, Albin would write a twist that had me sucked back into the story and flipping the pages at rapid speed. It was a great sequel, and I absolutely need to read the third novel!