Altered: The Made Ones Saga Book 1
by Vicki Stiefel
Reviewed by S. S. Bazinet

Description: 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.

Review: “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.

Five exciting stars for this first book in a series!

Visit Vicki Stiefel’s website, her author page on Amazon, and her Facebook page.