Zach spends months undercover in school settings in order to complete his assignments that come from "The Program." In those assignments, he is to use his training to kill someone in a way that makes it look like something other than murder. He was given the job when he came home one day and found his father bound with duct tape and bleeding, being led to believe that his father was being killed because he was a traitor. The choice he made was to live rather than die, leaving his only option to be trained as a killer. Zach's current assignment is to kill the mayor of New York City, but when he gets to know the mayor and his daughter, Sam, he discovers that this time, killing isn't as easy as just following orders.

While on this assignment, Zach's feelings for the mayor and his daughter cause him to question his training and everything he has ever been told, especially about his dad. For the first time, Zach understands that he has choices. These revelations add depth to the story. In addition there is plenty of action and suspense to keep readers glued to their seats. Overall, Boy Nobody is a cut above the average teen spy novel and well worth the read. ( )

If an autopsy is done, it will show nothing at all.
Natural causes.
That's my specialty. People die around me, but it never seems like my fault. It seems like bad luck following good.
Good luck: You meet a great new friend at school.
Bad luck: A tragedy befalls your family.
The two don't ever seem connected, but they are.

I picked this up to fulfill a challenge requirement, but I didn't have high hopes for a YA book in the assassin genre, especially based on the GR description, which makes it sound like instant romance takes down shadowy government agency against all odds, with high school drama on the side. But I figured I could choke down a book about an assassin.

Imagine my delight when it turned out so much better than I expected. I'm in a little bit of a bind, though; I can't tell you exactly why it's so much better without spoiling it. Maybe I can walk around the perimeter.

There is indeed a shadowy government agency, but it is not the focus here. Our assassin and his mission stay firmly in the foreground. And our assassin is a very well drawn character, restless and unsettled from the beginning. His point of view is very rapid, cold, and immediate; he is hyper-aware of his own mind trying to tell him something. A sixteen year old with two years of training in the Program, he is believably damaged rather than heartless.

His target is the Mayor of New York; his path to the Mayor is the man's daughter, Sam. Sam herself is strong and quick on her feet, and does not suffer fools gladly. The high school drama is kept to a minimum; most of the students are not the focus here. The people who are remain in the shadows to great effect; the assassin 'family,' the terrorists. They are very convincing when they are glimpsed.

The writing itself is effective. The chapters and sentences are very short, giving the book a speedy, rushing effect as it plunges into the action. Some of the MC's musings are a little over the top, but even then he is fascinating enough to carry them.

I feel I am not expressing this very well. I reserve the right to rewrite. This is a promising book. I will definitely be picking up the the next in the series.

(In some places, this has been retitled I Am the Weapon, in others, The Hit.)

**Initial reaction**
That didn't go where I thought it was going. Review to come. ( )

Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hooked. Woah. Wait a minute. Are you for real? Confused. No way. These are just a few of the thoughts I had when I was reading this book. I couldn't go to bed until I knew how it ended. It was fast paced and held my attention. Yes, there were parts that didn't quite fit in the story but at the same time, I didn't much care. I really enjoyed this fast paced action story and am looking forward to more in the series. I can see young adults, especially young men interested in action stories liking this author/series. Can't wait for more of Boy Nobody. ( )

For the most part this is a fast-paced, action packed book. The characters are little underdeveloped but the the emphasis is on the plot anyway so it still works. There are numerous flashbacks to give us the history of the main character and to show how he was "changing" but often I just wanted to get back to the "current" story and find out what was going to happen next. ( )

“Not a sensation...a feeling.” Boy Nobody

This one did not end the way I thought it would. I love when that happens! As a series starter, there was a bit of world building, with rather a lot of “inner narration,” but I didn’t mind it. We still have questions at the end from the over arching plot, but the main one in this novel is wrapped up. Boy Nobody reminded me a lot of [b:I Am Number Four|7747374|I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies, #1)|Pittacus Lore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1305807140s/7747374.jpg|10576999]I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, the differences being no aliens, and the hunted being the hunter. But the similarities were numerous. There is a friendship with the awkward outcast, romance with the popular girl, grudgingly given respect from the jock, previous moves from place to place, no real parent to speak of and no real happy ending, either. Is Allen Zadoff Pittacus Lore? Hmm, I’ll have to compare the next two books to see if my hypothesis holds. I am seriously intrigued.

I think, my boys will like this book. It’s not as long as some others, so maybe it won’t be s intimidating. The action moves fairly quickly even with all the thinking Boy does in his head figuring out the next step. I liked the defense tips, so we weren’t surprised when he did what he did. The ending may disappoint girls who read it, if they are looking for a book with more romance, but the boys may feel a bit justified.
( )