Review: Impostor (Variants, #1)

Author: Susanne Winnacker
Series: Variants, #1
Published: January 2nd 2014
Publisher: Hodder Children's
Format: Paperback, 320 pgs
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

Tessa is a Variant with extraordinary abilities. She could be a hero, but all she wants to do is fall in love ...

Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she's spent the last two years with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. There she trains with other Variants, such as long-term crush Alec, who each have their own extraordinary ability.

When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again. Tessa hates everything about being an impostor - the stress, the danger, the deceit - but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she'd do anything to keep.

Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

If Veronica Mars was in X-men… the world would rejoice… and the world has every reason to because that description, taken from the back cover of the UK edition of Impostor, is actually pretty accurate.

Tessa is a Variant, a human with the ability to become anyone she’s ever touched. She was taken in by a secret branch of the FBI and trained to use this power in a way that benefits the government. So when a serial killer’s victim doesn’t die right away, Tessa has to become her, become a bait for this sadistic murderer.

For Tessa, who’s never known the warmth of a family, becoming Madison even for a short time was exceptionally difficult. Experiencing a parent’s unconditional love, all the hope and kindness Madison’s parents gave her when they thought she was their miraculously recovered daughter, made her want to abandon her cold life and become Madison forever. The pain she experienced while she was Madison and when she was forced to turn her back on Madison’s life was came across very clearly. While all the other characters were somewhat underdeveloped, Tessa was extraordinarily well done.

Although I’m quite fond of this book as a whole, romance is by far my least favorite part. Alec is your typical overbearing love interest. He tends to suffocate Tessa with his overprotectiveness, but at the same time, he wishes to keep her at arm’s length, for reasons seemingly known to everyone but Tessa herself. He seems to genuinely care for Tessa, yet he refuses to treat her like an equal, which makes him less than desirable in my eyes.

I’m very excited about the upcoming sequel. I don’t trust Alec in the least – it’s quite obvious that he’s hiding something big, and discovering what might just break poor Tessa. In fact, there’s not a single trustworthy person around her, except maybe Madison’s twin brother. One thing is certain: I’ll be following Tessa’s adventures very closely.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.