Feedback by Robison Wells

Feedback by Robison Wells
Variant #2
Release Date: October 2, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Bought
Goodreads Stars: 3
Rating: Enjoyable

Buy the Book: Amazon UK

Benson Fisher escaped from Maxfield Academy’s deadly rules and brutal gangs.

Or so he thought.

But now Benson is trapped in a different kind of prison: a town filled with hauntingly familiar faces. People from Maxfield he saw die. Friends he was afraid he had killed.

They are all pawns in the school’s twisted experiment, held captive and controlled by an unseen force. As he searches for answers, Benson discovers that Maxfield Academy’s plans are more sinister than anything he imagined—and they may be impossible to stop. - Goodreads

Daph sent me the first book in this duology for my birthday late last year, and I absolutely devoured it. I was super excited to get to this one because Variant ended on an epic cliffhanger, and I couldn't wait to see what new mysteries the characters would unravel next. So Daph and I planned a readalong, and we read this together in just a few hours. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed by Feedback. It didn't live up to my expectations at all.

The action scenes were, of course, very well done. They were my favourite part of the novel. Benson spent a lot of his time trying to figure out ways to escape the village he found himself in, as well as trying to convince the other teenagers that they shouldn't just settle for this life. This made for some great fight scenes, a couple of shoot outs, and a breathtaking climax. Until the great reveal was, well, revealed.

What even was that ending? I read over it a couple of times after finishing the book and I still don't understand it. It was the strangest ending I have ever read, and to break my heart even more, there isn't going to be another book! I cannot believe this series ended the way it did. Nothing was wrapped up, barely anything was explained, and there was a lot of mystery still to be looked into. It felt as though the villain was hinting at events that were to happen in the sequel. Except there isn't a sequel!

I kind of wish I had stopped reading this series after Variant. It was such an amazing book, and definitely a read I would have gone back to if I needed something fast paced and thrilling. Unfortunately, I kind of feel like Feedback has tainted my love for the first book.

I would compare the ending to Feedback to a sentence stopping before its completion. It's as though Wells simply came to a halt mid-sentence, and

Yeah, like that.

If you are a fan of Variant, then honestly I would recommend stopping there. This is a flop sequel, and while the action and Benson's character were enjoyable, the ending will leave you raging. I'm still annoyed by it, and I read this months ago.