Variant

Yes, I know it's another science fiction book. Yes, I know I haven't been updating frequently. No, that's not a problem. It's really only because of my really crazy schedule that leaves me with no time to do any of the things I love (including blogging) for most of the week.

It's a book by Robison Wells, the author of Blackout, which I reviewed last month. I feel extremely sad that one of his books was sitting on my desk for nearly four weeks without me bothering to read it. Not what I intended, but I had almost five books to read before it.

Here's the cover-

Benson knows what it feels like to have to start fresh in a new area nothing like what you're used to. It's the drill. Being an orphan, he's used to moving from family to family. Some keep him from a few days to a week and others keep him for a few months. But no matter how attached he gets to his new family, Benson ends up having to move to a new family.
That all changes the year he signs up for a scholarship to Maxfield Academy. It seems like a prep school for smart kids, but Benson realizes that it's far from ordinary. In a school where there are no adults, there are three gangs of kids. One group is called Society, the keepers of the peace. Next is Havoc, the tough guys who think they're better than everyone. And last, Variant. The outcasts who didn't fit with either Havoc or Society. And they're probably the ones who haven't lost their sanity yet.
But soon their days of fun and games are over when Benson's friend Lily disappears and he has a disturbing vision about his girlfriend Jane that probably wasn't even a vision. After the two incidents, everyone is determined to break out. No matter what the cost.
However, there are spies within them and no one is safe. Who knows who is a spy and who is a student. Their last hope is to get out alive.


My thoughts-

Very well written. I'm not sure if I could call it science fiction. The androids could make it be science fiction, but I'm just not seeing it. Anyways, it was extremely well written. I felt like I was there along with Benson, struggling through each day.
I'm just having some after-finishing thoughts, but what happened to Lily? Was she kidnapped? Is she dead? Who knows. That's why there's a second book. And sadly enough, I have no clue what the name of that second book even is. So I have no way of requesting it. That's just horrible.
And also, the part where Benson woke up and saw himself in a well with Jane was a little weird. What bothered me enough was that she was drenched in blood and she pulled out her ear and plugged it in the computer. Not my type of thing. After reading that, I wanted to call it a night and go to sleep, but I kept reading.
And what makes me really sad was that Mason was also an android. He tried to kill Benson and Becky when they got over the wall because that was what he was programmed to do. He was programmed to kill anyone who got over the wall.
And honestly, why did Benson care to bring Becky with him, She's just a stuck up Society girl who is living her life having to suck up to the Iceman and the school. (the Iceman is the only adult in the school who gives out the morning announcements. He's nicknamed the Iceman because he reads the announcements each day in this sort of scary monotonous voice.)
But over all, the story was very interesting. It was full of crazy plot twists and all sorts of unexpected things got thrown at you. Which wasn't a bad thing in this case. Despite all the twists and turns, the story was relatively easy to follow. And simplicity is the best in novels. I honestly don't think anyone can stand reading a novel that has a way too complicated plot to even follow. (Actually, when I was a little younger, I wrote this really interesting story about animal-human shapeshifters that was so confusing even I couldn't follow it sometimes. That's why I know from experience that simple stories are usually much easier to read than very detailed stories with complicated plots. I guess I've gotten better as a writer. That's good to know.)

((I will find out the name of the second book in this series and definitely include it in my next post. Which might not be for a while because the first two weeks of November will probably leave me with almost no time to do anything.))

The Foundling (Monster Blood Tattoo Book #1)

It's been almost a month since I wrote an article. The reason- Life caught up to me and wasn't going to let me go. But I did get to read. Quite a bit. About this book, it's way better than the title sounds. Take it from me.

Honestly, if there's anything I'm really into, it's either monster hunting or alien attacks. Don't know why it appeals to me, but that's just how I am. Hey, I'm also into a few books about necromancy and some of the whole Angel and Demon fad.

The cover-

Rossamund is a boy with a girl's name. For all his years at the orphanage, he was always teased that his parents thought he was a girl and that he was a weakling just like a girl. Until the day where he was requested by the army to be a lamplighter, lighting the candles at night around the army camps.

Leaving the Orphanage is hard enough, but Rossamund is stuck trying to navigate in unfamiliar territory with his only guide, Fransitart the groundskeeper. 

When he is to board a boat that will take him to a town near to his destination, Rossamund meets a girl also headed for a destination in that area. Her name is Europe, a traveling monster hunter. Well, the trainer of a monster hunter. The real hunter is her partner who could be considered part monster himself.

They together make a duo that kills monsters that are bothering humans. They have a job to take care of in a forest in the province where the boat reaches. 

After finishing a fight and Europe's partner dead, Rossamund accidentally finds out her real identity. In truth, she is nothing like a monster hunter. In fact she has a more powerful role than he could have ever imagined. And since her partner has died, Rossamund is in for a very different occupation.

While traveling with Europe on their various quests, Rossamund is in for the ride of his life, finally realizing that "some people can be downright lethal."

Movie Rating- Rated PG-13 for violence and some disturbing scenes

My thoughts-

One of the most thought provoking monster novels I have ever read. The details are a little hard to grasp when you are beginning the book, but once you are probably half way through the book, you start to understand the amazing ways of Rossamund's world. 

And the last hundred pages are all an Explicarium which explains the workings of the land of the Half-Continent, giving answers to most of your questions throughout the book.

Rossamund is a really interesting character. He and Europe really do make the best team. They are pretty much exact opposites and their fights are what make the book very light at times. But the majority of the book was meant to be a scary novel meant for Halloween time with a very deep meaning.

What I must say is that you are provided with illustrations of the characters and the monsters, so it is actually a bit easier to picture the characters the way the author pictured them. Honestly, the monsters look way scarier when they are drawn than what I imagined. And I never imagined Europe to be the age she is. And Rossamund is described to be older, but in his picture, he looks like a little kid. I finally understand the ripping out hair that some authors might feel like doing when they find that everyone imagines the same character differently. That's why some provide illustrations. But never before have I seen a whole world laid out for me in this way.

I can't wait to get the other books in this series, but I put it on my hiatus list for a while because I have a lot of books to read, both for school and outside of school. And honestly, the stack of books on my desk is like a tower now. I don't even think it could be called a stack. And I bought a few more books to add to my library of a room and plan to buy some more tomorrow. More reviews on those coming up when life decides to let go of me (aka, when I actually manage to finish all my homework and studying. Which is just about never. Hey, I often struggle to find time to write during the day).