How would you feel if the author of the bestselling Maze Runner trilogy, James Dashner, personally commented on how much he enjoys your book? Not many people get the surprise of a famous author not only reading your book but also enjoying it at the same time! This is what happened with Robison Wells, author of one of the best books of 2011, Variant. This is the first book in the Variant series, so there is no need to read other books before this. Variant follows the story of Benson Fisher, a seventeen-year-old foster child, who wins a scholarship to attend a distinguished private school named Maxfield Academy. After entering the school, he quickly realized that this school is not normal. The school is student-led, meaning there are no adults on campus and everything, including teaching, is done by the students. The school has rules such as no escaping the school or violent fights that when broken, students go to “detention” as punishment. Although no student has ever discovered what exactly is “detention”, they do know that the violators are never to be seen again. Communication is blocked from the outside world, so calling for help or browsing the internet is not possible. The school has three major groups or gangs, each with its own set of beliefs: Society, Havoc, and Variant. Society follows and reinforces the rule of the school, Havoc solves issues with violence, and Variant is like the “other” group where students that do not join Society or Havoc join Variant. Tensions can build between the groups which usually leads to conflict. As more conflicts occur at the school, this leads to Benson establishing his goal to escape this school somehow. Variant is one of the most intense books I have ever read. This book keeps me on the edge of my seat; I always wanted to keep reading it to see what happens next. There is never a dull moment in this book, mostly because Benson’s curiosity and ambition to discover and escape the school assisted in creating mystery and intense moments in its well-written plot. All of the characters including Benson are unique and do their role well in the story. Benson acts like the eyes of the reader; they are the same person, both trying their best to survive in this school. This is because of his great narration and relatable actions that the reader would also do, making this story seem real. The best part of reading Variant is its twists. The twists in this book are phenomenal and really emphasize the intense and surprising nature of this book. The first major twist in this book helps set the tone of the rest of the book and builds up to the climax of the story. Overall, this book is full of praise for its plot, characters, and flow which earns the top score by me and truly deserves the awards it received in its debut. If you enjoy books that are fast-paced, have those juicy intense moments, and “keep you on your toes” twists, for sure give this book a read. Trust me, you will definitely not regret your time reading this.
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