Variant by Robison Wells

Genre: Sci-fi

Hardcover: 373 Pages

Published: September 26, 2011

Series: Variant

            1. Variant

            2. Feedback

            3. TBA

Rating:★★★★

Goodreads 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.

My Review:

Variant is a fast-paced, gripping novel that slaps you with a doozy of a cliffhanger on the last page. It's told from Benson Fishers point of view. He is a 17 year old, who applies for and receives a scholarship to Maxfield Academy, thinking it will get him away from the numerous foster him replacements. Of course after attending the Academy he can see that is not the case.

There are no adults at Maxfield, just video monitoring and four rules: no 'violent fights, no refusing punishment, no sex, and no trying to escape. Breaking these rules results in detention and no one returns from detention. In my opinion it is basically like this: 'the inmates are running the asylum.'

Before Benson's arrival, the students at the Academy have been running the show like The Lord of the Flies. There are three ''gangs'' who have come to a truce, but still have competitions and fights against each other. This book has a chilling premise and for the most part it was well done. The author kept the reader entertained and on the edge of their seat. I liked the issues that were presented and how the tension kept rising as the story continued. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in sci-fi.