Book Review: Defector

Defector (Variants #2)

By: Susanne Winnacker

Published By: Razorbill

Publication Date: June 26, 2014

Page Count: 288

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: Purchased by Reviewer

Audience: Young Adult - Fantasy/Paranormal

Review of Book #1: Impostor

Defector is a really apt title for this book. In fact, it kind of gives the game away... Tessa starts the book back at the FEA, the secret branch of the FBI which consists of a team of mutants (except we can't call them mutants, so we have to call them variants). These variants are possibly the good guys or possibly the bad guys, but Tessa doesn't really know. She knows that they call themselves the good guys though. 

 Her previous mission went quite well for her, so she is sent back out into the field, to take the shape of a pretty obnoxious senator who has received a death threat. Rather than investigate from the side-lines, Tessa is sent to step into the cross-hairs. That seemed quite short sighted and silly to me, as she is infinitely more valuable than him. Her best friend, Holly, is also sent in to test her invisibility power, and things don't go well. Holly is taken by Abel's Army, the possible villains, and Tessa decides she needs to personally do something about it as no one else seems that interested in rescuing her at the FEA. 

Tessa and Alec also run into seriously stony ground, which is a little disappointing, as they experience a pretty serious relationship breakdown, leaving both hurt and suspicious. I was disappointed with how easily Tessa moved on from this. Her attention is diverted fairly easily towards a new interest - finding out the truth about who is good/bad from her drunken, drug addicted mother. *sigh* 

 Despite all the poor choices from Tessa, I liked her and I enjoyed this read. I am gripped by the uncertainty of the FEA vs Abel's Army, and it would be good to find out who, if anyone, is in the right. The writing is very good, and the pacing is set well enough to keep the pages ticking over at a good rate.

Summary:

Tessa has finally made peace with her life as a Variant. She and long-time love Alec are officially a couple, and for the first time, she has everything she wants. 

 But the air is tense at FEA headquarters. An agent has disappeared, and rogue variant organization Abel’s Army is likely the culprit. 

 When Tessa is summoned for her second mission, she is unexpectedly launched into a massive conspiracy. Her best friend Holly is kidnapped and Tessa knows it was meant to be her. But who is after her? And more importantly, why? 

 When the FEA’s efforts to rescue Holly don’t yield any results, Tessa takes matters into her own hands. Desperate to save her friend and uncover the mystery behind Abel’s Army, Tessa launches her own investigation—but nothing could prepare her for what she finds. Everyone in her life is harboring secrets: Alec, her estranged mother, even the father she never knew. 

 The truth will take her out on the road and out of her comfort zone, with danger lurking everywhere. Summoning all of her courage and strength, Tessa must decide who can be trusted and what is worth fighting for—even if it means going against the life she thought she wanted. Her final decision will leave readers breathless.