Monday, January 23, 2012

Variant by Robison Wells



From the first time I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I needed to read it.  When I finally had it in my hands, I couldn't put it down.  I enjoyed every second of it and was sad when I hit the last page.   Here is the synopsis:


Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.
He was wrong.
Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.
Where breaking the rules equals death.
But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.


It sounds fantastic, right? The synopsis can't do it justice.  He does such a great job of shaping Benson. You felt for him and just wanted things to be good for him.  Which, of course, in this type of book just doesn't happen. 


Imagine arriving at what promises to be a nice, posh academy, only to have two students try to escape as soon as the doors open.  There are no adults and all the students have their own jobs - which includes teaching.  


There are specific rules that they have to follow and if they don't they get detention - which you really don't want to get!  The students decide to team up and get their specific jobs in order to keep the peace because of the violence in the past.  Benson comes in and messes it all up by trying to do jobs his own way - resulting in chaos.


I couldn't get enough of this book. The writing style was amazing. I felt that I was there and I could feel the adrenaline rushes along with the characters in the book.  The horror of some of the experiences just made me want to keep reading until the very end - late into the end.


I highly recommend this book. I can't wait for the sequel!


You can buy his book here: http://www.amazon.com


His website is here: http://www.robisonwells.com/