Publisher: Egmont USA (January 22, 2013)
Form: Hardcover, E-Book
Source: ARC for review
Audience: Young Adult
Fiction * Action/Adventure * Science Fiction
Description from Egmont USA:
There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away.
That’s why they make the perfect assassins.
The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.
Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Nix is a killer. Claire is his target. But from the moment he sets eyes on her, everything changes, because only the two of them can truly see each other – and two Nobodies are more than twice as dangerous as one.
My thoughts on the book:
When I was asked to provide a review of this book, I agreed based on the premise. The concept that there were these "Nobodies" who could be used as assassins just seemed intriguing. Once I actually picked up the ARC of the book and started, I wondered if it was all going to make sense.
Barnes has created a world where there are four different kinds of people - Normals, Sensors, Nobodies, and Nulls. There was initially a lot of explanation of who all these individuals were based on an energy theory. I have to admit I found myself having to read and re-read some sections trying to understand the "science" behind it. However, once I simplified it and realized that Normals were every day individuals, Nobodies were individuals who basically were not seen by Normals, Nulls were able to be seen and influence others (very much the exact opposite of Nobodies) and Sensors were able to recognize Nobodies and Nulls, then I was able to move on and the book moved quickly despite being nearly 400 pages.
Nix is a 17 year old Nobody who has been raised and trained by the Institute. Claire is 16 and has been raised in the world of Normals and is unaware of what she is. When Nix is sent after Claire to terminate her, he believes her to be a Null. For Claire, Nix is the first person who can really see her. Initially it was a bit difficult to connect with Nix and Claire which I felt was normal considering that for both teens, their lives lacked connections to others. As the book proceeds and the relationship between Nix and Claire develops, the readers connection to the two main characters grows as well.
As I mentioned earlier, despite the length, the book actually reads quickly. I found myself drawn into the story and wanting to know more about the Institute and Sensors and the conspiracy that surrounds/involves Nix and Claire. I recognize that there are a lot of mixed reviews out there regarding Nobody and I wondered what I would think. However, after the first couple of chapters, I found myself completely drawn into the story and not wanting to put it down. I would encourage readers who are intrigued by the concept of the book to pick it up and give it a try.
Check out this video of Jennifer Lynn Barnes talking about her writing process:
More about the author:
You can visit her online at www.jenniferlynnbarnes.com or follow her on Twitter @jenlynnbarnes or on Tumblr.
*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
Thank you to Egmont for sponsoring a giveaway of Nobody and Every Other Day. Please enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
