Otherwise you will look up at 3am like we did after finishing the novel and wonder how you are even going to function at work the next day. Seriously, you should fully plan on devoting a few consecutive hours to this book. Then half-way through VARIANT comes the twist, and it will grab you by the neck and not let go until you have read the last half of the novel. The first half of the novel will keep you interested in a general mystery…or at least what you think is the mystery. But sometimes it is because we literally couldn’t put it down. Sometimes the novel sucks so bad that we just want to get it over with. “Don’t you do that with a ton of novels?” This is true, but there are very different reasons for it from book to book. Again, this partially relates back to the accessibility of the main protagonist. Not once did the novel get bogged down–an accomplishment for any novel. The pacing of the novel is undeniably smooth.
As a reader it is incredibly easy to just kick back and enjoy the mystery and the journey as seen through Benson’s eyes. Maybe it’s Benson’s tone, or just the way he thinks a little differently about things, but he is instantly accessible. This is one of Wells main strengths as an author. Since the novel is told from a First Person PoV, it’s important that the main character is easy to get behind. The mystery is introduced immediately, and it’s easy to share Benson’s sense of bewilderment at the crazy circumstances of the school. This is important in any novel, in in a YA novel especially. Wells grabs your attention right from the beginning.
What is really going on here? That is what Benson tries to discover, and it is what makes this novel so incredibly fun to read. The real story here is the mystery behind Maxfield Academy. They are split up into three gangs, each of which try to recruit Benson. Just students who can’t even really recall how long they’ve been there. Within the first few opening pages of the novel, Benson is dropped off at the front gate.īy the time Benson even has an inkling as to what is going on, it’s far too late to leave. He’s given a chance to go to a super exclusive private school, Maxfield Academy. The novel follows Benson Fisher, a perpetual foster care kid.
Let’s start with a brief little synopsis of VARIANT. That brings us to Robison Wells and his first major novel, VARIANT ( Amazon). If we had to point at one area where our appreciation has grown significantly, it would be with YA novels. Out of necessity–and due to our unwavering commitment to be being completely awesome–we read a pretty much everything that is sent to us. Ever since we started this lovely little blog we’ve found our horizons broadened.
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