Jump to ratings and reviews

The Unaltered #3

The Diamond of Freedom

The Diamond of Freedom, book three in The Unaltered, melds together history, geology, metaphysics, science, and fantasy in this non-stop nail biter. Calli and Chris race against the clock to identify the power-neutralizing stone that prevents Calli from healing her life-threatening injuries. She must also learn how to counter its effects before she can fight against the rogue Diamond Bearer named Freedom to save the boy she loves and the world of her friends.In the epic battle between extreme cosmic-power holders, weaknesses are exploited and lifetime relationships shattered to gain the upper-hand. Sometimes having no special abilities is what makes someone the most powerful. General Harding, Chris's father, has made it his life's mission to eradicate all people with powers. Believing the lies fed to him, and misusing his status with the U.S. government, General Harding nears completion of a weapon designed to destroy cosmic-energy individuals.Calli meets Brand Safferson's half-sister, self-named Deus Ex, and proclaimed mercenary. Her repeating abilities are necessary to rescue Brand from General Harding's compound, but the risks of recruiting her to abandon Freedom's side and join Maetha's may be deadly.

262 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2013

Loading...
Loading...

About the author

Lorena Angell

14 books116 followers
I grew up reading Beverly Cleary and Madeleine L'Engle, loving their skillful way of weaving a story together. My children hooked me on the Harry Potter series, which inspired me to attempt to write my own books.

My book ideas come largely from dreams. My Lost Crown series (formally known as Scars of Defiance) began as a recurring dream in the early 1990s. In 2005, inspired by J.K. Rowling's author story, I began handwriting my dreams. I found I could type out my stories quicker and with better form. Unfortunately, it became painfully clear I should have paid better attention in English class.

Scars of Defiance and The Dictator’s Daughter have been rewritten and retitled. The series is called Lost Crown, with books one and two titled Royal Refugee and Royal Resistance. Book three will be titled Royal Redemption.

The Unaltered
Book one, A Diamond In My Pocket, began as a dream, also. However, it was a rare event for me because 1) the dream was fantasy, and I never dream in fantasy settings, and 2) the dream had a beginning, middle, and end. I remember waking up and thinking, Wow! I’ve got to write that down! I spent the better part of four days typing 50,000 words. Not much of the original storyline changed throughout the editing process. Some parts didn’t fit into the story, such as other powers and abilities, but those were worked into the following books in the series. My daughter, Luna, helped me immensely in developing the back story of the magical diamond and the possibilities of where the series could go. She is an active collaborator.

The Unaltered series is professionally edited and available in ebook and paperback. Audiobooks are available for books 1-4. There will be eight books in the series

A little about me -- When reading books, I love the unexpected twist, the ‘Prof. Snape’ characters who are not what you think, and good chemistry between the sexes. I try to incorporate these into my books because I write what I like to read.

My husband is very supportive of my writing. When I finally let him read my rough draft of The Dictator’s Daughter, (the first book I wrote), he was floored. He told me he had to keep reminding himself that his wife had written the book. He also wondered, “Who is this woman I’m married to?”

Some tidbits about myself: I married my husband in 1989. We have three daughters. I’ve worked in many fields and in many capacities, such as working the craft fair circuits selling my hand-painted wall hangings, a Pampered Chef consultant demonstrating over 250 kitchen shows and trade shows, operating a catering business specializing in wedding receptions and Christmas parties, running a State licensed home daycare for five years (gray hair from that one), working a short stint at a juvenile detention center, another short stint at a grocery store bakery (4 am shifts are for the birds), working in a family practice medical office as a file clerk, operating an online jewelry business buying from bidz.com and selling on eBay, working as a Beauty Consultant for Walgreens, and finally becoming a certified pharmacy technician (CPhT). All of these varying jobs, the people I've met along the way, and the life lessons learned have helped me with my writing and character development.

My life has never been boring.

Thanks for reading!

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
118 (39%)
4 stars
116 (38%)
3 stars
56 (18%)
2 stars
7 (2%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
59 reviews
April 14, 2013
I have been waiting for The Diamond of Freedom to be released. I went back and read the first two books in anticipation of the third book. I feel that this book isn't as strong as the other two. I still really liked it, but I was confused by some of the new information gathered in this book. I felt that all of the relationships felt slightly stilted. I also wasn't crazy about the introduction of all of the searching for crystals and rocks. For some reason I went into this book thinking that it was going to be a trilogy. Now that I know there will be a fourth book, I am hoping that I will see where everything comes together in the end. I loved that some favorite characters come back to the story. There are some shocking developments that come up that are truly unexpected! Oh, the ending! I am now completely confused and in shock. Thank goodness that there will be a fourth installment. Like I said before, I didn't know there would be a fourth book. As soon as I finished A Diamond of Freedom I got online to make sure this wasn't the end. I am looking forward to seeing what will happen next!
Profile Image for Ashleigh Motbey.
363 reviews42 followers
October 2, 2023
3.75/5.

This series by Lorena Angell keeps hooking me in as I'm reading it, but then I forget about it, and then I pick up the next book and am promptly immersed in the world again. It is a fairly simple, complex-free series which is easy to read, easy to follow and also possesses an interesting and unique magic system that requires actually having stones inside your body in order to possess powers.

It took me a while to remember what occurred in book two before I could get fully invested in the story, but once I did, I found myself really enjoying the progress.

Not only did we see the return of characters such as Calli, Chris and Maetha, we saw some new characters such as Deus Ex who appeared vaguely at the end of book two as a side character. She became more prominent this book and was very interesting as it was never certain where her allegiance lies and the book left it open-ended still.

This story progressed really nicely, leading into the next book. It left us on a cliffhanger that had my jaw almost on the floor, because as part of me suspected it potentially could happen, I never actually really thought that it truly would. So when I finished, that left me feeling rather shaken.

This is a type of series that is good to read in the moment. The story is enjoyable and it's rather well-written, which I enjoy for an author who publishes more in the indie line. It's by far not one I will dwell on until I pick up the next book, but enjoyable in the moment.

Definitely a series worth reading if you're after something fun, easy to read but with an enjoyable and interesting plot then this is a great series!
8 reviews
May 28, 2019
This book is one in a series where it doesn't really get better. I quite enjoyed the world building in the first book, thought the second was okay, but this book seemed to drag for me. The excitement about the characters was gone and the ending left me a bit confused and wholly unsatisfied.

I am a sucker for a series, but I think I end this series here. It was mostly just talking and inner dialogue along with veiled references to oddness and threats for the entire book, with the climax ending quickly and sort of ridiculously. The main character just doesn't move me and I have no idea why she is so special, nor why her mentor is so shady.

For me, this is it. I just can't keep going.
Profile Image for helen.
139 reviews1 follower
June 6, 2020
Once you get started you want to read the whole series in one sitting. Holds your interest. Good for mature young readers. Even though it is fiction, it has a lot of good lessons about human nature. Lorena Angell wrote a great series with The Unaltered series. I strongly recommend that you read this book!

I received this audio book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Golda.
237 reviews2 followers
October 31, 2019
This is the continuation of a story. You need to have read the books before to have a clue what is going on, as it's like a chunk of one large story with no real beginning or end. The story is pretty good.
98 reviews
January 21, 2019
Third

Just finished " The Unaltered Book 3" and another Cliff hanger so it's on to book 4. I keep trying to figure out the ending so far close but missed again😁 love this author.
Profile Image for Merary.
11 reviews
April 1, 2024
The plot is super interesting which is why I keep reading. But the more I read the more annoying Callie and Chris become to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Author 4 books14 followers
December 3, 2013
Book Review: A Diamond Of Freedom (The Unaltered) Book #3
By: Lorena Angell

Great book, I definitely recommend it as a great romantic fantasy adventure. The action and suspense is non-stop in this book. The ending shocked me, totally unexpected. I now have to wait till mid month to read the next book in the series. It is going to be a tough wait.

One of my favorite things about reading that I truly enjoy is looking for what I can learn from the story. Even fiction books have important life lessons within the story line. This book expresses the lengths someone who truly loves another will go. It shows that never giving up on something no matter the obstacles that present themselves along the way, will get you to your desired outcome. Another lesson in this book is never mess with natures will. The importance of teamwork is also evident in this book and book series.

Written By: Jesenia Sanabia
Profile Image for Dorian.
121 reviews5 followers
March 26, 2016
The Diamond of Freedom is book three of the Unaltered Series and I loved it. If it were a movie I would be on the edge of my seat. The relationship between Chris and Calli is like a roller coaster ride. Just when you think they can have a future...I was completely floored by the ending. I didn't see it coming. Unfortunately, I feared that something was going to happen but I had no idea. This book so well written I couldn't put it down. My heart broke for Calli and I feared that she would not survive the mission. Freedom was a more than worthy adversary that was frightening and shrewd. This book brings General Harding into the forefront of the story. I was completely captivated and excited with every step of the mission to stop Freedom.
8 reviews
May 1, 2015
What a story!!!

This book holds so much adventure, with so many questions to be answered and so many futures waiting to be decided, you'll find yourself anxious to move from page to page, chapter to chapter. I'm happy to tell you that there are many turns of events that were fully unexpected and not (to my mind) predictable. As would be expected, such surprises really served to ratchet up the levels of tension and excitement. Who lives, who dies? Who's on the side of the good guys and who's not? Who can be trusted? Most of all, what will Calli's future hold? I strongly recommend that you read this book!
Profile Image for Jessie.
274 reviews2 followers
June 5, 2013
This book is inconsistent with the one that preceded it. In book two, Brand was able to Repeat back through a period of time when he didn't have his powers (i.e. Freedom had the watch open). In this book, Brand and Deus Ex are unable to Repeat through the time they didn't have their powers.

Aside from that, it was a great novel, and I can't wait to purchase and read the final book in the series!
Profile Image for Veray.
1,413 reviews
February 5, 2014
Lorena's writing is getting better with each book and she finally wrote a convincing kissing scene. Yay! That is always my favorite part and she did it well in this book. I loved the rest of the story too of course and the plot has thickened. I am wondering what Chris' dad is going to do now and I hope somebody takes out that Duec Ex, because I can't stand her. On to the next book in the series. I can't wait!
Profile Image for Vicki.
443 reviews
March 26, 2014
Loved it , right up there with the other 2.....

Calli Courtnae and Chris Harding race against the clock to identify the mysterious power-neutralizing stone that will help them hide from their enemy, but that will also prevent Calli from healing her life-threatening injuries. Their challenge is not simply to identify the stone; they must also learn how to counter its effects so they can fight against the rogue Diamond Bearer named Freedom.
Profile Image for Kari.
12 reviews2 followers
June 6, 2013
Let me begin by saying that I read the 2 other books again before reading this one to refresh my mind. I really liked this one and super excited to learn that there is going to be 4th book. I love how everything is unraveling I dont really want to give anything away but its a good continuation...looking forward to the next..
Profile Image for Brooke Woods.
143 reviews1 follower
February 13, 2014
Still not sure how this series sucked me in, but it did, and I'm loving it! If you haven't read the first 2, make sure you do that first. These books don't stand well alone, but man what a great series for fans of paranormal/fantasy fiction!
4 reviews
April 25, 2015
Amazing book! Lorena Angell is my favorite author. (= If you want to spend your time reading a great book, I high recommend the Unaltered series!
Profile Image for Rachael .
28 reviews
August 30, 2015
The Diamond of Freedom(The Unaltered Book 3)

Great read, over two day period. I hardly wanted to test or do any thing that didn't involve finding out how this would end.
968 reviews2 followers
September 5, 2016
I don't have words

The end of this book left me flabbergasted. I don't know how I feel....sad, angry, bereft. Just when you think things are going to work out...boom!
Profile Image for Megan.
6 reviews2 followers
December 21, 2013
Good read again... I can't put it down and now I'm onto the fourth book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews