Variant

After finishing Variant I actually just sat there mumbling “but…whaa…but…how!?” for a good 30 seconds feeling all twitchy before I immediately logged onto Goodreads to read the synopsis for book two. I’m just incredibly glad I waited until now to read it. If I’d had to wait an entire year for the next book I really don’t know if I could’ve handled it!

So first of all, I just want to say that I’m really not sure how people think Variant is a dystopian. Sure, the setting is apart from regular society, but that doesn’t make it a dystopian. Moving on now.

Variant is a thrill ride from the beginning. We’re talking “buildup? What buildup?” kind of thrill ride, and it’s oh so good. I’m fine and dandy with buildup, sure, but it’s quite the treat when I can be thrown right into the midst of things and not be terribly confused. Some books like to try to start out with a BANG by going for the shock factor or throwing the reader into the middle of a fight, but Variant just starts building a subtle creep factor right out of the gate and it totally works. I was completely hooked by page 7.

I can’t really say Benson was someone I could connect with, but I admired his perseverance. If I were plopped into Maxfield Academy I probably would’ve been lulled into a state of complacency by the simple fact that they have good food (what can I say, I’m a food girl). Plus, you know, I tend to play by the rules so the threat of death would’ve had me dressing in my uniform and sitting in my seat like a good little girl along with the rest of the students. And, even though Benson was all “fight the power!” he never wanted anyone else to get hurt. The only reason he tried to persuade anyone else was to save them from impending death (I totally wrote ‘doom’ right there, but it sounded too dramatic :P).
The Nutshell: Variant is a non-stop thriller that will have you hanging on the edge of your seat (or couch, or bed, etc) frantically flipping pages to find out the answers. The tension was often so high that I had to force myself to keep my eyes from jumping ahead to find out what happened. If you’re looking for a book that’ll keep you guessing until the very end (and after) then Variant is your book. Be warned, though, it ends in one heck of a cliffhanger and the sequel doesn’t come out until October ;]

This book is so good!!! I loved the idea of Maxfield Academy, how could someone come up with the idea of all the cameras and point system. I loved how their was no adults and yet the school was run so perfectly. It was kinda creepy when Benson finds out the girl he likes is a robot. I was so creeped out by that I didn't even think even close to that. I loved how they had the paintball games and all the other random stuff. This book is such a great read and I cannot wait for the next one to come out (I hope there will be a next one)!! Definitely recommended by me!

Variant

By Robison Wells



Benson Fisher thought that going to Maxfield Academy would be a good thing, he would be able to leave his old foster care family life and start fresh. But the second he gets there things start getting a little freaky. To get into Maxfield, you have to go through a chain link fence and a twelve foot high wall, then meet a girl named Becky, who will do his orientation. He goes in and meets Becky, who seems really nice, but when Benson tries to ask about the wall and fence, she won't give him any straight answers. She starts to talk about points and groups. About how there are three different groups and he'll have to join one, even though there are no rules about it and nothing to say they are official, but he HAS to. He is given a watch with a microchip that he has to wear at all times. Becky says that it is kind of like a key to the places he's aloud to go. Benson is really weirded out, and it gets worse when he makes his way to the dorms and sees cameras everywhere.

What is this place? That's what Ben is wondering. There is one thing that Benson wants now, and that is to get out. Can he?

An action packed book that has twists and turns that would blow your mind. It will keep you up all night reading, guaranteed.