Impostor by Susanne Winnacker

Impostor by Susanne Winnacker
Series: Variants #1
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Publication Date: January 2nd 2014
Source: Publisher [Netgalley]

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.

Impostor was one of those books I'd had my eye on for ages. I didn't even realise that this was the same book when I first saw it on Netgalley, and when I realised that it was, I just had to request it! I'm so happy that Hodder accepted my request for this book because I absolutely loved it!

The whole idea behind this book is what made me want to read it so bad. Tessa is a Variant and she's able to change herself into anyone she wants just by absorbing their DNA. There are lots of Variants in the world and the FEA (Forces with Extraordinary Abilities) are trying to find them and help them. Tessa is given a mission when a serial killer strikes in Oregon. Tessa must impersonate Madison (a local teen who was killed) and try to find out who the killer is before they strike again. Tessa hates being an impostor, but she'll do everything she can to protect Madison's family.

Right from the start I was hooked. Any book that involves characters with powers/abilities is always going to interest me because it's just awesome! 

Tessa was a brilliant main character. She's been with the FEA for two years and her parents have shunned her because of what she is. I just adored Tessa. Her parents don't want anything to do with her but she manages to stay strong and she's determined not to give up on her mother. She's a brave and determined character. She hates everything about her ability. She hates the stress is brings on; she hates the danger is puts her in, but most of all, she hates deceiving people. When Tessa is given her mission to impersonate Madison, she doesn't think she'll be able to do it. But then she starts to care for Madison's family and realises she will do anything to protect them and prove their innocence.

Their is some romance in this book, but it definitely wasn't the main focus. Tessa has been in love with Alec ever since they first met two years ago. She's been pining after him, but Alec is with Kate and Tessa tries very hard to ignore her feelings. I felt so bad for Tessa! She was so in love with Alec, but she couldn't be with him. It was also kind of obvious that Alec had feelings for Tessa too, but there were complications keeping them apart. I was rooting for them to get together all the way through the book!

The storyline in this book kept me on my toes. It was interesting seeing all of the different Variants that were with the FEA and seeing what each of them could do. I loved all of the training sessions that Tessa did because it meant I got to see some of the other Variants using their powers too.
The serial killer storyline was the main focus of this book and it was brilliant! There were so many suspects and they all had a motive to kill Madison! It was interesting finding out about Madison's life because there was a lot she was hiding from her parents and her best friend. Trying to figure out who the killer was kept me on my toes. I was convinced at one point I knew who it was and then when it was revealed it just threw me! I was just in shock because all of the evidence pointed towards the other person! Well done Susanne for throwing in that brilliant twist!

The ending was definitely action packed and had me on the edge of my seat. There was so much going on and so much revealed that I was just in awe of how brilliant the ending was! I'm super excited for Defector now so June better hurry up!

Overall, this was such an interesting and thrilling book! There was so much going on that I was on my toes the whole way through the book. If you haven't read Impostor yet then I highly suggest you do. It was such a fantastic story.