Altered Helix by Stephanie Hansen is a fast paced, coming of age mystery where the life of one teen becomes intertwined with a group of similarly aged young adults. Join Austria as she learns more about where she came from and what life has in store for her.  

Readers will enjoy the twists and turns of this quickly pivoting plot, at once drawn in by a sneak peek of the main character’s face with danger: being kidnapped from her job. The author introduces a variety of characters and the reader is left wondering who might be responsible for the kidnapping, who can be trusted and who cannot.  

The plot is amazingly easy to follow and moves quickly so readers are always awaiting the next event. The situations the characters are in are believable as related to the plot line and anyone who has wondered what to do with their futures will instantly relate to Austria, the main character.  

I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. While Austria is a character well developed by the author there are some interactions between characters that did not seem realistic. Early in the book Austria first meets one of the other boys her age. She is instantly attracted to him, but her reaction is quick to judge. Pg. 21: “Well signed up for or not, Joshua excites me. I just need to show him that I make the decisions here.” 

Hansen has set up this story with a nice conclusion in addition to leaving enough ends open to incite you to read the next story in the series. I do look forward to reading about Austria and how she continues to develop.  

©2020 CBialczak Book Review