Book: Variant by Robison WellsGenre: YA Dystopian
Rating: A
For: Support Local Authors!
From: Bought from Amazon
I first heard about this author and his upcoming book back in February at a local science fiction and fantasy conference that we like to call LTUE. My interest was peaked right away, and then it didn't hurt matters at all when I realized he's the brother of Dan Wells, author of my favorite I Am Not a Serial Killer series.
So this book came out last month and I got to it as fast as I could. Once picking it up though, bam, it goes fast and it's nearly impossible to put down!
This is the sad tale of Benson, one of those unlucky foster kids who gets lost in the system. He takes matters into his own hands and enrolls himself into what looks like a wonderful posh boarding school in New Mexico. Once he gets there, however, he quickly finds out it's exactly like Hotel California... you can check in anytime you like, but you can never leave!
Well, he is having none of that, and starts investigating and questioning things right away. This does not sit well with the rest of the kids. The school is run by three different gangs, and he ends up in the Vs (for Variants) because they seem to be the only group that wants to figure out how to get out. Well, sort of anyway. They are all nervous and scared too. Because if you break the rules, you get sent to detention, and no one ever comes back from detention.
Meanwhile, Benson tries to fit in and lives the life of this school, which on the surface isn't bad. He has friends for the first time in his life, after all. But we all know that sinister things are happening, and as Benson discovers these things, oh boy, stuff gets crazy.
And that's about all I will tell you because after that, it's full of twists and turns that leave you wondering what the heck is going on! Especially that last one. Beware the sentence "end of book one" because it will make you scream with frustration!
But buy/check out the book anyway! Read it, and then come and let me know what you think.
Bottom line: I loved it.
Other reviews:
The Allure of Books
The Reading Fever
Debbie's World of Books
He Followed Me Home... Can I Keep Him?
Is he as good of a writer as his brother? I need to get to this one. Everyone's talking about it.
ReplyDeleteVery different writing styles. Comparing them doesn't really work.
ReplyDeleteWhat a talented family! I'll have to check out both authors, since you say they're so good!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Usually our tastes are very in sych, Suey, but this book drove me nuts! I'm still planning to read the sequel just to see what's going to happen next even though there were so many things about the writing, the plot and the characters that annoyed me.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of Dan v. Robison, I'd say the former is a much better writer, but the latter deals with less grisly/disturbing subject matter.
I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this one too - definitely kept me turning the pages.
ReplyDeletethanks for linking to my review, I appreciate it!
Joanna: Yes do check them out. Both very fun.
ReplyDeleteSusan: Interesting! Yes, I would agree that Dan still has something over Robison, but I still did totally enjoy this book.
Allison: Thanks for dropping by!
Thanks for mentioning my review! I'm so glad you liked this one so much. I loved how suspenseful it was, and the twists were very cool. I just didn't like the rest of it, but I'm glad you did. :)
ReplyDelete