I read this as a book club read, and no one in the group enjoyed it much. One of the members didn't even finish it, and the rest of us struggled to geI read this as a book club read, and no one in the group enjoyed it much. One of the members didn't even finish it, and the rest of us struggled to get to the end (honestly, I would have put it down if it weren't for the book club) Variant is a pretty bland YA sci-fi, that doesn't go deep enough into any technology or characterizations to make it believable or entertaining.
My biggest issue with the book were the characters, and how their actions didn't make sense within the world.
For one, this should be a very secretive society, it's reminiscent of 1984, in the idea that big brother is always watching. Basically, you step out of line at all, and the government has goons to take you out...and yet...no one can keep a secret. That includes the main character, who has had to hide her abilities all her life, the boy who grew up in a secretive group of rebels, and even one of the main leaders of the rebels. They all pretty much tell everyone their secrets, even secrets that don't really belong to them, with hardly any prompting.
Along the same lines, when someone keeps even the slightest thing from another character, usually because things should be on a need-to-know basis, it's portrayed as though the secret keeper is the bad guy, and they should be telling everyone everything. But that simply doesn't make sense in this type of world.
There should have been a lot more suspicion of one another. It would be natural, growing up in a world like this. Paige, the main character, has stated time and again that everything the government does is to keep the citizens on their toes. You never know when they're going to decide to search your apartment, uphold curfew, or scan the factory workers and make sure they're not variants or using illegal technology. Yet, when a hot guy starts stalking Paige, she confronts him, and when he tells her he's part of the resistance, she automatically believes him. No questions asked. Hm... Not only that, she starts working on technology to help this guy, with no thought that she could possibly be helping the enemy in any way?
I also took a lot of issue with Paige being literally good at everything. She is super smart. It pretty much seems like she's smarter than anyone else in the resistance. Which is fine, considering she has to have something to offer, right? But she's also super-fast, which apparently everyone in the resistance "has to be". And she picks up fighting so well, that she ends up standing toe-to-toe with a big bad who already killed other much more experienced variants, and she survives. At this point, she's only had a few weeks of training...if that.
Simply put, Paige is too much of a Mary Sue, and her only flaw is that she's impulsive (Which really isn't shown as a bad thing, it's simply my opinion that she's impulsive...though her impulsivity ends up causing no issues for her), and she really doesn't understand what a friend is supposed to be. There's a point where her best friend, Becca, tries to tell her that she shouldn't go and do the stupid thing she's about to do. And Paige's response to this? She says she's going to turn off communication with Becca if she's not going to support her. Sorry, but friends are there to tell you when you're being stupid, not support your every move.
There are other things that I felt just didn't line up, but I don't want to spoil anything, in case someone is still planning on reading the book.
I know that there are a ton of good reviews for this one, and hardly anyone online who's said they didn't enjoy the book. The only thing I can figure is that the author has been good at finding their readership, considering they have so many books out, and these are all reviewers who have read and enjoyed previous books as well. I think it's great that the author has their own following, but as for me, I prefer my books with a little more grit, more intriguing world building, and characters who make sense within the world they grew up in....more
You just know when you see a book with a title like this that it's gonna be a fun story. And this one was definitely written to be such. The setup wasYou just know when you see a book with a title like this that it's gonna be a fun story. And this one was definitely written to be such. The setup was perfect. It's right before Christmas, everyone is at the mall shopping for their "materialistic" gifts, and a demon is set loose, locking everybody in.
I enjoyed some of the dialogue and characters. Though, other characters felt superfluous, and at times, it was hard to remember who was who by name. The overall story was good, and perfect for the season, but by the end, I was a little worn out by some of the "action" scenes feeling repetitive, and much of the same internal dialogue was coming from the priest trapped inside with the demon.
I think a story like this, that takes place in one building, and over a short amount of time, has to be told a certain way so as not to bore a reader. This was done pretty well in Mall Priest, though it could have been tightened up a little more.
There were still some really fun moments, and I'm happy I read the book. I love that it was set in the 80's. Retro horror books like this written from the present-day perspective are so fun.
I would definitely read book two, but will probably wait to read it as a Christmas in July read, or even until the next Christmas season. I need a few books in between to cleanse my pallet for another go.
I was given an ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily....more
I've read a few of Robbie Dorman's books by now, and this is definitely one of my favorites.
I love the idea behind the book. It's original and yet stI've read a few of Robbie Dorman's books by now, and this is definitely one of my favorites.
I love the idea behind the book. It's original and yet still feels like a classic in its own way.
It's fun because...well... It's a killer hockey mascot (need I say more?). And I love titles and books like this that are blunt in telling you what you're getting without giving it all away.
Dorman's books are always easy reads due to his smooth writing style and just enough description. This one has plenty of gore, but not to the point where it seems entirely pointless or you become numb to it all.
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