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Rogue Spark #1
Altered
The moment you turn seventeen, they take you away. In the grim dystopia of what was once New York, orphans are forcibly herded into "Youth Improvement Centers.” There's one day every orphan looks forward to more than any other. Their seventeenth birthday, the day when they'll be whisked away to a better life.
But Ida Sarek knows better. The honey-coated promises are too good to be true. She yearns for the rough edges of the city streets, the companionship of the ragtag family she built among her fellow orphans.
They take her away like the others, imprisoning her in an underground lab. There, questions are met with punishment and silence rewarded with invasive experiments.
When despair threatens to break her, Ida uncovers an unexpected side effect of the genetic manipulation. A miraculous healing power pulses within her, as potent and baffling as it is empowering. Can she master this newfound ability in time to defy her captors and seize back her life before they shatter her spirit?
Fans of resilient heroines and harrowing quests for freedom, reminiscent of The Hunger Games and Divergent , will love Ida's courageous journey of rebellion and self-discovery. Book 1 in a complete 4-book series!
But Ida Sarek knows better. The honey-coated promises are too good to be true. She yearns for the rough edges of the city streets, the companionship of the ragtag family she built among her fellow orphans.
They take her away like the others, imprisoning her in an underground lab. There, questions are met with punishment and silence rewarded with invasive experiments.
When despair threatens to break her, Ida uncovers an unexpected side effect of the genetic manipulation. A miraculous healing power pulses within her, as potent and baffling as it is empowering. Can she master this newfound ability in time to defy her captors and seize back her life before they shatter her spirit?
Fans of resilient heroines and harrowing quests for freedom, reminiscent of The Hunger Games and Divergent , will love Ida's courageous journey of rebellion and self-discovery. Book 1 in a complete 4-book series!
199 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2018
211 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
About the author
Cameron Coral
32 books72 followersCameron Coral is an award-nominated science fiction author. Her book Steel Guardian about a post-apocalyptic CleanerBot was awarded second place in the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC).
Growing up with a NASA engineer in the family instilled a deep respect for science and for asking lots of questions. Watching tons of Star Trek episodes helped, too. Her imagination is fueled by breakthroughs in robotics, space travel, and psychology.
After moving around a lot (Canada, Arizona, Maryland, Australia), she now lives in Northern Illinois with her husband and a “shorty” Jack Russell terrier who runs the house.
Want a free novel, advance copies of books, and occasional rants about why robots are awesome? Visit her website: CameronCoral.com
Growing up with a NASA engineer in the family instilled a deep respect for science and for asking lots of questions. Watching tons of Star Trek episodes helped, too. Her imagination is fueled by breakthroughs in robotics, space travel, and psychology.
After moving around a lot (Canada, Arizona, Maryland, Australia), she now lives in Northern Illinois with her husband and a “shorty” Jack Russell terrier who runs the house.
Want a free novel, advance copies of books, and occasional rants about why robots are awesome? Visit her website: CameronCoral.com
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 26, 2019
Altered is the first book in a four book (so far) dystopian series about Ida Sarek, who has special powers as a result of being injected with nanobots by an evil scientist. I received a free copy direct from the author as thanks for reviewing one of her other books. It’s novella length and reads more like a prequel, but I enjoyed the fast paced action and Ida is a great character.
New York, 2039. Seventeen year old Ida, tough and streetwise, is taken from a group home by a couple who claim to be adopting her, but instead she imprisoned in a medical research facility, where she is subjected to secret experiments. Desperate to escape, she plots to overpower her guard, Peterson, a wolf-man hybrid, but when her captors put her in an impossible situation, she follows her instincts and they discover her special ability. Tricked into thinking she has been rescued by a soldier called Tyren, she agrees to join the military. The story then jumps forward four years, and we discover that aliens have invaded earth and Tyren has a special plan for Ida.
I do like bad-ass female heroines who stick up for the vulnerable. We first meet
Ida taking on a bigger boy who has been bullying her friend, and learn that she grew up on the streets with a gang of other kids, not remembering her parents.
Most of the action takes place within the research station as she tries to resist Dr Kenmore’s schemes. Animal lovers may be tempted to abandon this just before the halfway point, as I nearly did, but I would encourage you to continue. In a way it’s a shame that this is so short as I would’ve enjoyed reading about Ida’s training and experiences in the military before moving on to the main story which presumably will be developed in the next book.
I appreciated the absence of any romantic subplot - some YA authors can’t help themselves - and hope that Ida’s friend Reed will reappear in the next book. We definitely need to see Kenmore get his comeuppance. I look forward to continuing this series as soon as my current TBR is under control.
New York, 2039. Seventeen year old Ida, tough and streetwise, is taken from a group home by a couple who claim to be adopting her, but instead she imprisoned in a medical research facility, where she is subjected to secret experiments. Desperate to escape, she plots to overpower her guard, Peterson, a wolf-man hybrid, but when her captors put her in an impossible situation, she follows her instincts and they discover her special ability. Tricked into thinking she has been rescued by a soldier called Tyren, she agrees to join the military. The story then jumps forward four years, and we discover that aliens have invaded earth and Tyren has a special plan for Ida.
I do like bad-ass female heroines who stick up for the vulnerable. We first meet
Ida taking on a bigger boy who has been bullying her friend, and learn that she grew up on the streets with a gang of other kids, not remembering her parents.
Most of the action takes place within the research station as she tries to resist Dr Kenmore’s schemes. Animal lovers may be tempted to abandon this just before the halfway point, as I nearly did, but I would encourage you to continue. In a way it’s a shame that this is so short as I would’ve enjoyed reading about Ida’s training and experiences in the military before moving on to the main story which presumably will be developed in the next book.
I appreciated the absence of any romantic subplot - some YA authors can’t help themselves - and hope that Ida’s friend Reed will reappear in the next book. We definitely need to see Kenmore get his comeuppance. I look forward to continuing this series as soon as my current TBR is under control.
September 12, 2018
Fast-paced and full of action!
I love strong female characters and Ida Sarek definitely doesn't disappoint! Lots of action kept me wanting to know more. I probably would have finished this in one sitting if time had permitted. A great introduction to the Rogue Spark series - I can't wait to see what Ida gets up to next!
I love strong female characters and Ida Sarek definitely doesn't disappoint! Lots of action kept me wanting to know more. I probably would have finished this in one sitting if time had permitted. A great introduction to the Rogue Spark series - I can't wait to see what Ida gets up to next!
September 12, 2018
Cameron Coral has taken a tough street fighter and put her thru a painful and transformative process.
How will this new ability fit in to the tough persona that is Ida?
The first book was full of action and good characters. Reading it was fun.
I am eager to see how she uses her gift and how she deals with those trying to control her.
Good job Cameron Coral
How will this new ability fit in to the tough persona that is Ida?
The first book was full of action and good characters. Reading it was fun.
I am eager to see how she uses her gift and how she deals with those trying to control her.
Good job Cameron Coral
March 31, 2024
Different but so good
This book was different from my usual read but it sucked me in almost immediately! The author writes in such a way that you really feel empathetic for the MC
This book was different from my usual read but it sucked me in almost immediately! The author writes in such a way that you really feel empathetic for the MC
March 12, 2019
Action filled novella with ass kicking heroine, beginning of a series
I like books that careen around a plot like a mentally deranged roller coaster in an amusement park of the damned and that's what this is. A very assured debut with a memorable main character. Keep it up, Ms. Coral, you and your readers are on to a good thing.
I like books that careen around a plot like a mentally deranged roller coaster in an amusement park of the damned and that's what this is. A very assured debut with a memorable main character. Keep it up, Ms. Coral, you and your readers are on to a good thing.
March 18, 2024
Amazing first of this series, Really interesting story, amazing writing, great characters. Really enjoy the story and it was easy to read,
March 28, 2020
One of the few books like this I like.
When idea was placed in woodland, she thought she would be there until she agreed out. That is until a a man and his wife became her foster parents. From there, her life spirals out of control. Medical experiments, surgeries and more. Definitely a fascinating read
When idea was placed in woodland, she thought she would be there until she agreed out. That is until a a man and his wife became her foster parents. From there, her life spirals out of control. Medical experiments, surgeries and more. Definitely a fascinating read
September 12, 2023
Fast-paced plot and kick ass protagonist - a lot of fun. Looking forward to more!
August 10, 2019
Review originally published here at Reedsy Discovery: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/alt...
A tough homeless teen from Hell's Kitchen is kidnapped and turned into an experimental super soldier in Book One of the Rogue Spark series.
Never trust something that's too good to be true. When a suspiciously nice couple comes to Woodlawn Youth Improvement Center to adopt Ida Sarek on her seventeenth birthday, Ida knows that something's wrong--and she's absolutely right. Instead of landing in a comfortable family home in Connecticut, Ida ends up imprisoned in a secretive medical facility and subject to strange experimental surgeries.
Altered (Book One of author Cameron Coral's Rogue Spark series) posits a world slightly in the future, where the US government rounds up homeless youths and forces them to live in dangerous camps. Unbeknownst to the rest of the population, the government is also anticipating an alien invasion. The military wants to create super soldiers for the inevitable upcoming battle: what better experimental group than a bunch of lawbreaking teens with no families to protest? Unfortunately for those in charge, Ida Sarek--a scrappy rebel with a powerful roundhouse kick who grew up on the streets of Hell's Kitchen--isn't going to go down gently.
Coral creates some great characters in the medical laboratory, like the evil head of surgery Dr. Kenmore, who views his charges as research subjects to be used and easily discarded, and the kind security guard Peterson, who is a test subject himself. Peterson is a Hybrid, a half-man half-wolf product of DNA splicing, but he's also a sensitive soul who keeps a mouse as a pet in his pocket and slips Ida chocolate bars. Ida undergoes nanobot implant surgery, with abnormal results that surprise her superiors--and put her life at risk.
The choice of setting unfortunately causes the pacing of this novel to be uneven at certain times. When Ida is confined, the plot proceeds a little slowly, while the ending epistolary passages about the alien invasion go by very quickly. But now that her backstory and the world have been established in the first book of the series, we can start to see Ida on the move, navigating the challenges of her new life--which is when Coral's writing really shines. Altered is not only an enjoyable sci-fi adventure, but also a smart commentary about government and military corruption and the treatment of the oppressed. Similar to Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga series, Coral delves into the social consequences of mistreating the underprivileged--and what happens when the underdog is given the tools to fight back.
A tough homeless teen from Hell's Kitchen is kidnapped and turned into an experimental super soldier in Book One of the Rogue Spark series.
Never trust something that's too good to be true. When a suspiciously nice couple comes to Woodlawn Youth Improvement Center to adopt Ida Sarek on her seventeenth birthday, Ida knows that something's wrong--and she's absolutely right. Instead of landing in a comfortable family home in Connecticut, Ida ends up imprisoned in a secretive medical facility and subject to strange experimental surgeries.
Altered (Book One of author Cameron Coral's Rogue Spark series) posits a world slightly in the future, where the US government rounds up homeless youths and forces them to live in dangerous camps. Unbeknownst to the rest of the population, the government is also anticipating an alien invasion. The military wants to create super soldiers for the inevitable upcoming battle: what better experimental group than a bunch of lawbreaking teens with no families to protest? Unfortunately for those in charge, Ida Sarek--a scrappy rebel with a powerful roundhouse kick who grew up on the streets of Hell's Kitchen--isn't going to go down gently.
Coral creates some great characters in the medical laboratory, like the evil head of surgery Dr. Kenmore, who views his charges as research subjects to be used and easily discarded, and the kind security guard Peterson, who is a test subject himself. Peterson is a Hybrid, a half-man half-wolf product of DNA splicing, but he's also a sensitive soul who keeps a mouse as a pet in his pocket and slips Ida chocolate bars. Ida undergoes nanobot implant surgery, with abnormal results that surprise her superiors--and put her life at risk.
The choice of setting unfortunately causes the pacing of this novel to be uneven at certain times. When Ida is confined, the plot proceeds a little slowly, while the ending epistolary passages about the alien invasion go by very quickly. But now that her backstory and the world have been established in the first book of the series, we can start to see Ida on the move, navigating the challenges of her new life--which is when Coral's writing really shines. Altered is not only an enjoyable sci-fi adventure, but also a smart commentary about government and military corruption and the treatment of the oppressed. Similar to Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga series, Coral delves into the social consequences of mistreating the underprivileged--and what happens when the underdog is given the tools to fight back.
December 1, 2018
“Altered” a futuristic action-packed story opens in the year 2039 with the abduction of spirited, streetwise seventeen-year-old Ida Sarek from the Woodlawn Youth Improvement Centre. Imprisoned at the Frontier Medical Laboratory where she’s guarded by an enigmatic mutant, and desperate to escape the medical experimentation of Dr. Kenmore, Ida will experience a powerful change that will send her life spinning in a different direction.
Short in length much of the plot is compelling as Ida, a tough teen who’s had to survive on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen, New York gets swept up in a venture to steal and experiment on troublesome youngsters. Much of the intensity and suspense revolves around her fight for freedom only to discover a unique talent that leads to military intervention.
Although at first a delightfully contagious sci-fi thrill-ride with a strong, unmanageable character who’s considered a lost cause, the plot begins to breakdown after Ida is rescued. Not only is there a lack of development of the relationship between Ida and Petersen whose life she saves but there is also a break in the flow of the story after she’s rescued by the military. No background information is included as to the intent behind Tyren’s rescue mission to the lab; his reference to an alien invasion; or his devotion to his new recruit so for me the book loses the power the author had begun to build.
“Altered” is a great concept with a wonderful character but needs to be revisited and details added to make it exceptional.
Short in length much of the plot is compelling as Ida, a tough teen who’s had to survive on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen, New York gets swept up in a venture to steal and experiment on troublesome youngsters. Much of the intensity and suspense revolves around her fight for freedom only to discover a unique talent that leads to military intervention.
Although at first a delightfully contagious sci-fi thrill-ride with a strong, unmanageable character who’s considered a lost cause, the plot begins to breakdown after Ida is rescued. Not only is there a lack of development of the relationship between Ida and Petersen whose life she saves but there is also a break in the flow of the story after she’s rescued by the military. No background information is included as to the intent behind Tyren’s rescue mission to the lab; his reference to an alien invasion; or his devotion to his new recruit so for me the book loses the power the author had begun to build.
“Altered” is a great concept with a wonderful character but needs to be revisited and details added to make it exceptional.
September 17, 2018
Dystopian Read
I thought the book was going to be about a girl against society who is trapped by the powerful and tries to fight her way out. Instead it went in a different direction and I honestly got kind of lost. I feel like the author rushed through the book instead of going into details about the future of the world the novel takes place in, the relationship between the main character and her guard, what exactly the “new threat” comes into play..? It also left a lot of questions unanswered for. So at the end I’m just like what even happened?
I thought the book was going to be about a girl against society who is trapped by the powerful and tries to fight her way out. Instead it went in a different direction and I honestly got kind of lost. I feel like the author rushed through the book instead of going into details about the future of the world the novel takes place in, the relationship between the main character and her guard, what exactly the “new threat” comes into play..? It also left a lot of questions unanswered for. So at the end I’m just like what even happened?
January 27, 2024
It was an okay dystopian/sci if novel. I felt it was much too short for my liking and that some of the action could’ve been more drawn out. There was so much jumping around from one scene to the next, I thought that took away from everything. I did really enjoy the last 30 pages of the book though, they were action packed. But the ending was such a quick wrap-up. I was looking for more with a book titled altered than what I got.
March 19, 2019
Genetic experiments
Quite fast paced. The jump from genetic experiments to alien invasion was a bit abrupt but I'm sure it will make more sense once I've read the next book. Ida is a good character, likeable, strong and a protector to others. An.ok book, bit short perhaps.
Quite fast paced. The jump from genetic experiments to alien invasion was a bit abrupt but I'm sure it will make more sense once I've read the next book. Ida is a good character, likeable, strong and a protector to others. An.ok book, bit short perhaps.
April 11, 2020
I wanted to love this book but it failed to capture me enough to want to pick up the next book right now. I might read more later but I feel like this story didn’t accomplish anything. The idea behind it is good and so are the characters but there wasn’t any development.
October 28, 2024
I am so sorry but I can’t finish this book at this time it is so repetitive it’s driving me crazy same thing over and over I just couldn’t buckle down and force myself to finish it I seemed like it was going to be a good read but I just can’t get over the repeating itself over and over
January 13, 2025
If you are into YA angst this is a very good story
I don't usually give anything but 5 star ratings anything less and I just don't rate them. In this case the story was excellent but the teen angst was over the top. Maybe I'm unusual but I never was that messed up by my emotions.
I don't usually give anything but 5 star ratings anything less and I just don't rate them. In this case the story was excellent but the teen angst was over the top. Maybe I'm unusual but I never was that messed up by my emotions.
September 26, 2018
I’m going to buy the second book. That good.
December 29, 2018
Short but sweet
Liked the main character and the story line left you wanting more. Left a few loose ends though (Patterson). Will keep reading the series.
Liked the main character and the story line left you wanting more. Left a few loose ends though (Patterson). Will keep reading the series.
August 23, 2023
Fast short book. An interesting premise, but it felt rushed through and large chunks of time were missing. A good concept that fell flat.
2023 colour reading challenge-orange
2023 colour reading challenge-orange
January 2, 2024
wish it was longer
February 19, 2024
Very rushed and not well fleshed through
August 26, 2024
a bit short
Good character building, a world that has enough for the story but tons left to fill out, and an interesting story line. It’s just…. Short.
Good character building, a world that has enough for the story but tons left to fill out, and an interesting story line. It’s just…. Short.
November 19, 2025
It's ok
The story is interesting at the beginning. When the war starts it turns into an action film. Th author should have suck to the original story.
The story is interesting at the beginning. When the war starts it turns into an action film. Th author should have suck to the original story.
January 7, 2019
Good hero
The MC is fun to read and makes sense for the most part. The action around her, not so much. The background universe is sketchy but hopefully, will be filled in.
The background has an alien invasion but fighting hasn't reached North or South America. The point of the alien attack isn't clear and how the rest of the world is faring isn't mentioned. The U.S. military hasn't been mobilized, expanded or anything? With the U.S. dependent on foreign trade, the alien invasion must have a severe economic impact that's not mentioned. That's a big story hole and it should be cleared up in the next volume.
Her time in the experiment and her attempts to escape are interesting. She comes closer than she realistically should but I'm cheering her on. The experimental piece is interesting, though the science seems very off but it's 20 years away so who knows.
Dystopian hardly applies to this book. Unless a U.S. where nothing bad ever happens to an unidentified shrinking majority, suddenly has bad things happen to them (which happen to the blacks, browns and others everyday already) counts as dystopian. I did social welfare work a long time ago and there's nothing in the foster system described that was worse than I had seen or as bad as some. The Tuskegee experiments treated black men who had syphilis with placebos in order to "chart" the course of the disease. A U.S. government program did the same in Central America. Dystopian would seem to suggest that the bad things haven't happened yet.
The MC is fun to read and makes sense for the most part. The action around her, not so much. The background universe is sketchy but hopefully, will be filled in.
The background has an alien invasion but fighting hasn't reached North or South America. The point of the alien attack isn't clear and how the rest of the world is faring isn't mentioned. The U.S. military hasn't been mobilized, expanded or anything? With the U.S. dependent on foreign trade, the alien invasion must have a severe economic impact that's not mentioned. That's a big story hole and it should be cleared up in the next volume.
Her time in the experiment and her attempts to escape are interesting. She comes closer than she realistically should but I'm cheering her on. The experimental piece is interesting, though the science seems very off but it's 20 years away so who knows.
Dystopian hardly applies to this book. Unless a U.S. where nothing bad ever happens to an unidentified shrinking majority, suddenly has bad things happen to them (which happen to the blacks, browns and others everyday already) counts as dystopian. I did social welfare work a long time ago and there's nothing in the foster system described that was worse than I had seen or as bad as some. The Tuskegee experiments treated black men who had syphilis with placebos in order to "chart" the course of the disease. A U.S. government program did the same in Central America. Dystopian would seem to suggest that the bad things haven't happened yet.
October 23, 2018
Good read
Great story-line. Short. I will be getting the next one to see how Ida's story plays out. Great quick read.
Great story-line. Short. I will be getting the next one to see how Ida's story plays out. Great quick read.
May 27, 2024
Could not mesh with the main character. purchased this edition on March 27, 2024, from Amazon for free. Own the four book set.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews