Imposter (Varient #1)

The powers are introduced in ways that make sense and assume we read the back cover and know the general gist of the story. They have supernatural powers, it is something we should already know, and it moves past that point very quickly. What was more interesting to me was the way they introduced those powers. It was done in a flowing thought process, as if it is something we are already supposed to know, and is just being reiterated because sometimes that is how people actually think.

All within the first chapter we get a clue into who each person is. Whether it be by their subtle actions, or their more clear ones. For example, Tessa, once she gets out of the first predicament she is put into and is being dried with a towel, wishes that she could be snuggled up in Alec's chest instead of snuggled up in the towel. It isn't subtle, but it is only one line and is treated as a common occurrence in her head, which I personally believe can allow more immersion into the book when done correctly. Especially for smaller details that aren't directly relevant to the storyline, and are things that set the story more than anything.

One thing I would have liked more from this was establishing the main characters. Yes, characters did have things about them put into these first few chapters, but within these chapters, you are trying to get your reader to read more of your book, and make the characters seem interesting. There is only so much that a very intriguing plot can do for a book at the start. It isn't something that is needed necessarily, but I do think that it is something that could improve this book specifically because of the way it is written.

Just as I was starting to wonder how long she had been associated with the organisation because her reactions weren't that of someone who had been there for a long time when they told us. Two years was how many she had been a part of the agency. Willingly given away by her mother into the arms of Major, their leader. Now, knowing that she was going to have to be put into an extremely dangerous situation, having to replace a person who was attacked and suffered serious brain damage while having not been out in the field beforehand.

Anyone in her situation would feel the same fear, pressure and everything else that comes from their life being put into harm's way.

What Tessa did to Alec was completely unjustified, and that gets close to being unforgivable. What this showed us about her character was that she is immature, acts based on what she wants and rather than the potential fallout of her actions. She regrets getting caught, of course, but that doesn't prove anything as while she did show regret beforehand, by the time she did it some of the trust was already broken. This instantly puts her in a situation where she is looked down upon by the reader. Instead of instantly getting us to root for the downtrodden character they make her easy to dislike, even with her harsh past and present that are still being established.

I thought that this would hold more weight over her mind when she was interacting with Alec later on, but it seemed to be all but forgotten for her, which was something that I believe she would do based on what we know of her.

But on top of what it showed about her character in a negative light, it also brought to the forefront how she is a deeply flawed person because of her upbringing. Mentioning how her mother got extremely angry at her and they would have to move when she involuntarily changed into another person, how she had been locked in the closet while her mother was beaten by one of her partners, and that her mother wished she had never been born. With this accumulation of horrible things that have scarred her, together with her being given away by her mother to an organisation that doesn't care about her feeling it is no wonder that she instantly latched into the first person who showed her any affection, Alec. As the book carried on I started to understand her decisions more, and sympathise with her actions and feelings. It is also why, when put into a loving family she starts to wonder if she could just live with them her whole life, and not have to worry about anyone else anymore.

When we were first being told about Tessa's life and introduced to the fact that she had been giving up to a secret organisation that have special powers, the book took on a certain tone. There was always anxiety, but there was a level of familiarity and comfort. This part also felt like the typical teenage spy books, which was decent but was lacking compared to what the second half provided. In the second half, even after only a couple of chapters into being Madison, there was an instant difference. It felt more like the teen mystery-thriller genre, which fit in with the writing style much better. The only difference, of course, is our main character not having lost her memory, or struggling to return to normalcy after being attacked, but knowing everything that happened, and trying to piece the mystery together.

There were so many different plot points in this book that although it added to the book most of the time, there were moments where I wondered whether it was really necessary. The whole precedent of this book is that the things that would generally be the main plot points are now not, with the main plot being behind the scenes, and to do with the fact that she has powers and is part of the secret organisation. This change doesn't allow Susanne to add as much to the side, which is something that she doesn't fail in doing, for the most part.

Throughout all these different plot points it didn't really feel like Holly was Tessa's best friend. It felt like she was more of a device to have a connection to home base and make anything that happened there have more impact. I would have liked her character to interact with Tessa beyond just being a communication device. For us to learn more about her, the interests she has and her life. That, or don't have her being a best friend, just a friend.

Major's arrogance, and Alec's tendency to treat her like a kid come back to bite them as they keep a suspect on the list that she has long removed because she is the one interacting with these people the most, as the potential murder victim, so she has the best insight. But Major trusts his instincts more than what she believes based on what she knows which brings about the question of why did he send her on the mission in the first place if he was just going to dismiss her feelings about who and who wasn't the killer. Unless he genuinely viewed her as expendable and disposable.

I think that the relationship between Alec and Tessa didn't feel natural. I didn't really latch onto any chemistry between the two characters, and because they introduced us to them after they had already been introduced to each other, especially since they interacted within the first few pages, it removed some of the tension that could have been created if we had some kind of knowledge, even if it just ended up being a flashback, of all the moments alluding to how Tessa fell in love with Alec. It felt incomplete without more information.

I did think that it was very clever to not have her know what she is on the inside, but able to change her appearance at will on the outside. That contrast really helped make those scenes more impactful and by Susanne's own words, it was intended.

Overall I thought that this book was decent. I hope the second one adds to this series and maybe helps plaster over some of the things that I thought could have been done better. I would recommend reading it.

7.1/10

book: Imposter (Varients #1)

author: Susanne Winnacker