Review: Variant By Robison Wells

Benson Fisher thought 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. Where video cameras monitor his every move, there are no adults, and the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publish Date: October 4, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen

When you are moving from one foster family to another, and nobody seems to care about you, going to an upscale private preparatory school seems like a dream come true. At least that is what Benson Fisher thinks when he gets accepted into Maxfield Academy. Unfortunately, within minutes of being on campus, Benson realizes that this dream come true is actually a nightmare from which he may never escape.

I have to say that Robison Wells did an excellent job at keeping me guessing what exactly was going on in this novel. I kept wondering who was watching the students from the hundreds of cameras on campus, what was over the razor-wire fence, and most of all, what really happened when a student was sent to detention? Every time I thought I was figuring it out, there was a brand new turn in the story.

I really enjoyed the character Benson Fisher aka Fish. He is a strong willed character that refuses to sit around and wait for more students to disappear to detention. Instead he tries to come up with ways to escape Maxfield Academy. The only problem: he realizes he does not know whom he can and cannot trust. Eventually Benson discovers the secrets hiding with the school grounds, and must make one last attempt at an escape.

Does Benson ever make it over the fence? I won’t ruin it for anyone planning on reading the novel. What I can tell you is that you will not be disappointed as you discover all the secrets hiding in the school. The truth about what happens at Maxfield Academy is shocking to say the least. By the end of the novel you find yourself asking even more questions and begging for the answers. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Guest Reviewer J. Martinez is the husband of Maria @ GCR and is happy to bring an occasional male perspective to the blog. He loves to read all kinds of books, but his favorites lean toward fantasy/fiction novels like Harry Potter and Eragon.