Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff really surprised me. I knew I’d enjoy it, because the premise was intriguing, but the book definitely exceeded expectations. And it earns major points for unpredictability.

“Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school.” He’s a teen assassin for The Program, and he is very good at what he does. That is, until he’s assigned to the mayor of New York City, who reminds him of his own father and who has a beautiful and enigmatic daughter. This assignment is different. He’s given a much shorter time frame, he’s facing opposition from outside forces, and his handlers expect him to complete his assignment as usual. Suddenly, it’s just not enough to know only that he must kill his target. He wants to know why, and it’s these questions and his distracting memories that are most dangerous of all.

This is the simplest version of the story. It all gets very complicated. Just when I thought I knew where things were headed, something would cause me to change my mind. Zadoff throws a few curveballs, but they’re thrilling and add depth to the story.

There were so many things I admired about this novel besides the original and unpredictable plotline. Boy Nobody, or Ben (his name for his newest assignment), has such a distinctive voice. I love the way he is always calculating, always analyzing.

Scenes alternate between present day and Ben’s flashbacks. His backstory unfolds slowly and the reader begins to piece together his past. This, of course, is all relevant to understanding what he does for The Program, why he does it, and also why he’s changing.

Boy Nobody is an action-packed yet thought-provoking novel. I’m still not quite sure how I feel about how it ended. All I know is, The Mission (book 2) has made my TBR list.

*Note: Apparently Boy Nobody is the UK title. The American titles are I Am the Weapon and I Am the Mission.

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Panic by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Panic by Lauren Oliver was such a good book I read it practically from beginning to end without putting it down. And by this, I mean it was a fantastic read, even though I struggled with the subject matter.

This standalone novel is told from two points of view – that of Heather and Dodge, both recently graduated seniors who are competing in Panic. The game is open to any graduating seniors, who compete in challenges throughout the summer for the “pot,” a large sum of money that’s been collected throughout their four years of high school. The game is difficult, and often very, very dangerous.

Heather and Dodge are competing for very different reasons, but both are trying to escape their circumstances. Heather’s mother is an alcoholic, and so Heather herself is largely responsible for her little sister Lily. Dodge’s sister is handicapped, and he wants revenge. I sympathized with these realistic characters and even understood their original reasons for entering the game.

The game, however, disgusted me. Yes, I can understand why a large sum of money (in this case, $67,000) would entice teenagers to perform dangerous stunts. That doesn’t mean it isn’t stupid. The players know what they’re getting into, as they’ve been the audience for the previous games. Players have died, or been seriously injured, in the past. And yet Panic continues to be a tradition, and revered by all the students in Carp.

I thought Panic might be the way Heather and Dodge came to terms with their demons, but even after they conquered their inner conflicts, they competed until the end. In my opinion, it was frustrating when neither of them renounced the game. This was definitely my greatest problem with the novel. Otherwise, I quite enjoyed it. I liked the alternating perspectives. It was refreshing that Heather and Dodge were not each other’s love interest.

I know this book was supposed to be a study of fear and our reactions to it, but I didn’t really get that from it. Though I can respect a well-written novel and intriguing plot, I can’t really support the disregard for consequences shown in the book. This aspect of Oliver’s novel, I believe, undermined the characters’ strength rather than enhanced it.

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The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater, completely drew me in. It was a fascinating, interesting read, and I can honestly say I haven’t read anything quite like it before.

Blue is the daughter of a psychic, though she herself does not have psychic powers. The blurb reads, “Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them – until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.” Either Blue is his true love, or she killed him.

First of all, this is an intriguing premise. Second of all, “Blue” is a pretty great name.
The spirit who speaks to Blue on the corpse road is named Gansey, and he is a Raven Boy, because he attends the private school Aglionby and is very, very wealthy. Gansey is on a quest to find a Welsh king, aided by his good friends Adam, Ronan, and Noah. With this legend Gansey is completely obsessed. His research into magic and powerful ley lines running through their town brings Gansey to Blue’s doorstep. Once their paths cross, there is no going back.

I loved the juxtaposition between Blue’s family of women with Gansey’s group of boys. I love the way Stiefvater purposefully keeps secrets from her readers, but which are all revealed in due time. Take Gansey’s reason for the quest, Adam’s insecurities, Ronan’s anger, and Noah’s quietness, for example. And then, of course, there are the many interrelationships between her characters. The four boys are as close as brothers. And then there’s their interaction with Blue, who is the first female they’ve allowed to join their quest. Though it’s possible Gansey is Blue’s true love, she can hardly stand him at times and the tension is often very thick.

Throughout the book the author alternates perspectives, which is interesting because the reader gets a glimpse into the minds of many of the leading characters and is able to keep up with the story even when not all of the characters are present in a scene. There are even a few scenes told from the perspective of the villain, which allows the reader to begin piecing together certain mysteries as the story moves forward.

Each character is beautifully developed. The plot is intricate and captivating. The ending was not so predictable, and the very last line has you clamoring for book 2. If you’re into magic and clairvoyance and mystery, this book is a must-read.

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Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

As a fan of Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series, I was looking forward to Bloodlines, a spinoff series featuring a few of the minor characters of VA.

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, “one of a group of humans who serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires.” She’s been raised to distrust even the “good vampires,” the Moroi, and half-vampires, called dhampirs. But after she is befriended by Rose Hathaway, (protagonist of the VA books), Sydney realizes she may not wholeheartedly believe everything she’s been taught.

Bloodlines begins with Sydney’s newest assignment. Though the Alchemists are still wary of her due to her relationship with Rose, she’s been chosen to accompany Moroi princess Jill Dragomir into hiding. They’re sent to a boarding school in Palm Springs, California, where Sydney, Jill, guardian Eddie Castile, and bad-boy Adrian Ivashkov pose as siblings.

I love this book for many reasons. First, it maintains the feel of VA but is entirely different. The world of vampires is much the same. There are Moroi, Strigoi, dhampirs, and Alchemists, and they abide by the same social rules and taboos that were established in the Vampire Academy series. (Of course, the Bloodlines series can still stand alone, and so though it is helpful to have read the VA books first, it is not necessary.) Having said that, there is a new setting, and the book features entirely new conflicts and relationships.

Sydney Sage is not Rose Hathaway. She is responsible, intellectual, and cautious. She is remarkably real and relatable to the reader because she has both strengths and weaknesses. While she is adept in handling situations with a cool head, she also feels the pressure of the Alchemists and especially her father to conform to their beliefs and ideology. She lacks the social skills other teens her age have already developed (which makes for pretty hilarious dialogue and interactions), and on top of it all she is uncomfortable with her body image.

At the beginning of the book, she makes it clear the only reason she’s willing to take on this task is to protect her younger sister from the life she believes to be stifling. But the reader watches her grow over the course of the book, as her beliefs and ideas begin to change and she becomes more of her own person.

In this series, the Strigoi are much less of a threat, whereas in the VA books Rose often battled these undead creatures. The Bloodlines books give more insight into the world of the Alchemists, and introduce new groups that pose threats, like the vampire hunters.

There is action, drama, romance, moral dilemmas, and high stakes. I couldn’t put the book down because I got so caught up in the story. Richelle Mead is an incredible storyteller and I highly recommend both the Vampire Academy series and the Bloodlines books.

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Read my review of Vampire Academy and check out my review of the movie. 

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