Variant audiobook

That's a completely unbiased rating.

I can't think of a single reason why I shouldn't give this a five-star rating. I loved everything about it. First of all, Variant is one original little book. Yeah, everyone says the same about all the books they read, but I definitely found Variant refreshing and unique. And I really enjoyed Benson's voice. Variant hooked me right in since the very beginning—I couldn't put it down. I found it original, thrilling, compelling, and so easy to read. Interesting from the first page to the very last one, where it left us with a cliffhanger. There were parts where my heart was pounding in anticipation, and I was pretty much biting my nails—I couldn't read fast enough—because just when I thought he—and I—had something figured out, surprising little twists happened. It was nice to read a good YA book that had an unpredictable plot for a change. I wanted something different and this absolutely delivered. I cannot wait for the sequel.

4ish stars (yes I'm a little wishy-washy on this point)Variant is one of those books that's hard to review. (Yes I know I say that a lot!).It's a book with a First Half. Then a Second Half. And I want to judge them separately. Because by the end I couldn't put the book down, almost finishing it in a loud chinese restaurant because I was that engaged. But as much as I enjoyed the second half, I can't ignore the first half of the book.The first half I kinda wanted to smack the main character. Have you heard that famous Albert Einstein quote? "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." For me that's the first half of this book. Benson has only one thing on his mind. And it's something he SHOULD have on his mind. Only problem is that Benson has a bad case of the "doesn't stop and think.""No one talked about escape. I tried to bring up the subject once, but it died out fairly quickly." Benson my friend, I hate to tell you this but you did not bring it up once. I searched on my Kindle. The word escape appears 76 times. You might have been a wee bit obsessed.BUT then comes the second half where everything changed. And I could not put the book down. The problem? I can't actually TELL you much about the second half without ruining the nicely done twist.When we first meet Benson (which FYI had me thinking of Law & Order SVU every time they said his name) he's on his way to Maxfield Academy. He thinks a scholarship to an elite private school is his escape from the foster system. But Maxfield Academy is not what he thinks. It's not a wonderful opportunity, it's more like a prison than school. Instead he's trapped behind bullet proof glass and barbed wire fences, with no adults. The school is controlled by 3 different gangs and breaking a rule equals detention and detention equals death. It's not exactly the bright future Benson hopes for .I feel like I should be able to sympathize with Benson. Maxfield Academy is horrible and it does suck. He's RIGHT about pretty much everything. But his approach is wrong. He is single-mindly obsessed with escape. He's practically banging his head against the wall hoping to knock a stone loose. I spent the first half of the book wanting to shout at him. "QUIT RUNNING HEADLONG INTO DANGER! STOP AND THINK!!!!!" Benson is not much of a thinker, at least not at first.But then about halfway through the book, just when Benson is finally calming down, falling for a girl and starting to get complacent, everything suddenly changes. Like BOOM I'm going to be a different book now. Like me better now? As a matter of fact yes I do like you better. You should have dyed your hair this color pages ago, does wonders for your pacing! Honestly the second half of this book made me question my opinion of the first. "Surely it can't be that annoying Cassi? Look how much you like it now!" So I suppose there's always the chance I was in a bad mood when I read the first half. I don't think so, but you never know.Suddenly you can't trust anyone. Benson finally stops running in circles and starts thinking strategically. For me that's when the book gets good. When he stops banging his head against the proverbial wall and starts planning. Finally he's trying to figure out the big mystery of the school and tries to come up with a feasible escape plan (whereas his plan before was just jump the wall and hope not to die). This gives the reader the opportunity to follow his investigation and put the pieces of the puzzle together along with Benson.Then ending is twisty, leaving the reader on a cliffhanger that made me say "HUH". I re-read the passage and I was still confused, but it was a good confusion (I was a Lost fan, clearly I have a thing for confusing cliffhangers). The ending left me curious enough that I want to read book 2.This book has a Dystopian-vibe without actually being a Dystopia. It's a little bit sci-fi, a little bit thriller and a little bit something else that I can't place my finger on. But overall I liked it. The first portion may be a 3, but the last part is solidly 4+. In fictional math that equals a 4 star review for me.So even though Benson is a little obnoxious at the beginning of the book, bear with him because he gets smarter. There's an interesting mystery, a creepy school and life or death stakes. The book is clearly meant to be part of a series (trilogy is my guess) because you don't get all the answers in this book. Assuming that the new and improved Benson plans to make an appearance in the next book I want to continue this series. And the cliffhanger better be worth it! Not just a shark with a random dharma logo!

Review originally posted in January 2011:I have the honor of being in Rob Well's writer's group, so I got to read the final manuscript before even the ARC was ready. This is one of the best books I've read in the last year. The main character, Benson was someone I could relate to--maybe because I teach school and he reminded me of several of my students--and the plot was compelling. I couldn't read it fast enough--yet the themes and final questions continue to haunt me--and now I'm begging to see the next book in the series, eight months before this one even comes out. Variant is already available for pre-order on Amazon, so jump over and put your copy on reserve today so you don't forget. This book will be a Whitney nominee for sure, and I'm certain the national buzz will also go crazy.

One of the lucky people who got to read a pre-press copy. Now that it's out, my 16YO son devoured it.This is easily my favorite YA book of 2011. Edge-of-your seat action, twists, turns, moments where my jaw dropped and I yelled things like, "NO WAY!" and, "That DIDN'T just happen!" (But, of course, it did.)I'd recommend it for anyone 12ish and up, but especially for boys. No content issues, just a great read.

I was fortunate to have read this book before final edits and I still can't wait to get it in my hands and read it again as a finished product. The characters, the twists, the mind-blowing premise of this YA thrill ride has left me needing the next book. Benson is the perfect reluctant hero, and I really hope he figures this thing out. Mr. Wells, get on that.Oh, and the cover? I'm not ordering it for my Kindle. I want to SEE it up close in all its shimmery beauty. I can't wait until its release. This one is going to be fun to watch.

Okay, October 4th is finally here--official release date of VARIANT.This book is a definite must-read for 2011. It's being promoted as dystopian, but it could easily take place in our day. Benson is a foster kid, moved from place to place for as long as he remembers. So when he gets a "scholarship" to Maxfield Academy, he jumps at the chance, thinking he can finally get out of the rut he's lived in for so long.When he arrives at Maxfield, he immediately starts noticing strange and bizarre things. First of all, there are no adults. Second of all, no one can leave.In this rollercoaster of a plot, readers will soon discover that nothing is as it seems at Maxfield, and when rules are broken, detention is the least of Benson's concerns.

VARIANT is the kind of book you race through, unable to stop even though you're eyes are tired and it's late at night. Wells has created a compelling closed society, with characters that live and breathe on the page. Not really a dystopian, but with the chills and twists of a boarding school that creates a dystopian-esque atmosphere. One of the best reads of 2011 for me.

Okay, another book about a boarding school. Not original except there are no vampires. But, oh. It gets good. It really is different. Very different. First of all, the protagonist is a 17 year old boy. Second, the school has no teachers and the most bizarre curriculum. And it's a prison. Nobody gets out. The rules are odd and social mores are determined by a talking head on the television and the students themselves. Punishment is severe and inconsistent. Death is a real threat.Benson arrives at the school and quickly wants to leave. He is approached by the leaders of the three gangs; The Society, Havocs and the Variants. In order to survive, he must choose one. Guess which one he chooses. Go ahead. Guess. They play paintball for high stakes. A prissy student teaches odd subjects dictated by someone nobody has seen. If someone is sent to detention, it can be assumed they are killed. There is blood. There are cameras and microphones. The Society are the security and the revel in their duties. Their behavior is rewarded in points which is currency. It just gets more and more bizarre and just when I thought I had it figured out, the author threw in a curve ball. No way. That's about the time Benson understands how precarious his position and his life really is. And then another curveball. And another. And then the ending left me with my mouth hanging open. What the crap? Not a "what the crap" stupid ending but "what the crap" I can't wait for the next book. Then being the weirdo I am, I read the acknowledgments and I realized the author lives in the same county I do.Dude. Don't make me stalk you.

I am SO angry with this book...I just started some early start online college classes and I was so addicted to Variant it caused me to have to procrastinate with school! Hahahaha! I regret nothing. Variant was 100% incredible! I could not put it down. Whenever I was forced to step out of the world for a while, it was all I could think about. The author (Wells) had me hooked on every single word. If I had to compare to other books, I would compare it to The Maze Runner by James Dashner and Quarantine by Lex Thomas. The twists were great, the characters were great, and the world created was...guess what..GREAT!! If you have not picked up this book yet, I urge you to. You won't regret it!

I really liked the first half of this book. It reminded me of The Maze Runner which I really enjoyed. It's a unique read that would appeal to a wide audience including teenage boys. The second half of the book was good but took some really bizarre turns.I can usually figure out where a book is going but was completely wrong with this one. It was completely unpredictable. The cover says Trust No One on it but I didn't realize how literally I should have taken that warning. It was full of twists and turns I didn't see coming. It made for an interesting read although it was almost a little too far fetched to be completely believable.I'll be picking up the sequel Feedback which will be released in October just to see where the author heads next after the cliffhanger ending this book had.Rating: 3.5 Stars - Good BookContent: a couple mild swear wordsSource: Library

It was a very good book at first it was a little slow but after I got more into it, it started getting better

Now this is the type of book I've been looking for since I devoured the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix back in middle school. It's not a dystopian America. Benson is the type of kid you'd hear about every day, shuttled back and forth through the foster care system, getting nowhere. But unlike most down-on-their-luck little orphans, Benson doesn't look for a pair of parents for his very own, or tap-dance his way into the spotlight of some very impressed agent slash manager slash future father-in-law. He sends in for a scholarship to Maxfield Academy, a mysterious boarding school for kids like him who are down on their luck, hoping that maybe it can get his life going.He's right, but not in the way he thinks.Okay, now I must confess: for the first half of the book, I DETESTED BENSON. He sort of reminded me of Katniss (I'm sure I don't have to give a link for you to know who that is) - running against brick walls, constantly causing trouble without getting anywhere for his pains...oh yeah, and he is completely gullible when it comes to a cute girl. One thing is for sure, though, the plot wouldn't be carried off without him...and it probably wouldn't have been as fun with an infallible, all-wise and dashing hero.Other than the initial setback of a rather irritating protagonist, this book was completely awesome in that it never delivered exactly what you'd expect. Even the end was a cliffhanger and, although I'm not approving of series recently, I will definitely set aside my misgivings for a sequel.Bravo, Mr. Wells. I'm looking forward to more.Warnings: A brief mention of exactly what teenagers are apt to think of when privacy + no adults are combined. Perhaps some language too, though I can't exactly remember at the moment. Just...proceed with caution.Final verdict: Yes, and eagerly awaiting more.

Hold on to your hats! Variant, by Robinson Wells, is a ride into a young adult fantastical mystery that keeps you reading and reading. I stayed up to midnight, I couldn’t put it down. Published by HarperCollins, it runs 223 pages and is part one in a series.The Story- Foster child Benson Fisher wants to improve his life. He’s tired of switching homes every few months and applies for a scholarship at a prestigious private school, Maxfield Academy. He begins to doubt his good luck when he arrives at the school, fifty miles from no where, surrounded by two huge walls, and evidently, no way out.His school mystery only deepens when he enters the building. There are no adults, the students rule things in gangs and teach their own classes. Plus, there are security camera’s everywhere. Benson is told the rules and warned that if he messes up bad enough, he’ll get detention, and nobody returns from detention.Benson is determined to escape, but the harder he tries, the more strange information about the school comes to light. Is this some kind of strange experiment? Are the kids being trained to be super soldiers? Nothing makes sense.My Thoughts- I loved this book. I read so much that often books with common themes blur before my eyes. This one stood out, full of excitement that did not end. Plus, I could not figure out the mystery of the school; that alone kept me reading. If you’ve read Maze Runner by Dasher, this book is in that same vein. You spend the whole book trying to figure out the mystery, only to have it solved at the end and a whole new one put before you. Go buy this book! It totally ranks high on the creepy suspenseful scale.For Parents- There is violence, lots of fighting and some death. There is no sex.www.dorinewhite.blogspot.com

Having been bounced around in the foster care system for years, Benson Fisher ends up at Maxfield Academy, a cloistered private school. What looks like an opportunity for this lonely, outcast kid quickly degenerates into a nightmare scenario. Maxfield Academy is a bit like a roach motel: bugs check in, but they don’t check out. There are no teachers; the kids run the classes; food and supplies are delivered via an elevator (reminiscent, actually, of The Maze Runner, whose Lord of the Flies dystopian premise certainly informs this book); and the kids have divided up into gangs; and those kids who break the rules enough to warrant “detention” never return. It was a fun-enough scenario to get me interested, and the book’s pacing was just great . . . Until I hit a major reveal that happens about, oh, halfway through the book, I think. It was such a jarring and unexpected reveal that I actually stopped reading because there really wasn’t much in the way of clues or preparation. The thing felt as if it came out of the blue, a little like bringing in the aliens. It really is a deus ex machina moment, literally. There’s just no getting around that. But I let myself simmer down, and then instead of chucking the book, I just did a mental shrug and kept going. The book is a fun, fast read and if it were not for that stumble, I wouldn’t have any problems with this at all. While I saw the final plot twists and end coming, that didn’t keep me from reading right up until the end either. So, if you can get past the big reveal–and I’d encourage you to–you won’t be sorry. I’ll be interested to see where the sequel goes with this.