Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff
Boy Nobody #1
Release Date: May 23, 2013 (UK)
Publisher: Orchard (UK)
Source: Publisher
Goodreads Stars: 2
Rating: Bland

Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school in a new town under a new name, makes a few friends, and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend's family to die-of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target.

But when he's assigned to the mayor of New York City, things change. The daughter is unlike anyone he has encountered before; the mayor reminds him of his father. And when memories and questions surface, his handlers at The Program are watching. Because somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and parents; a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's mission.

In this action-packed series debut, author Allen Zadoff pens a page-turning thriller that is as thought-provoking as it is gripping, introducing an utterly original and unforgettable antihero. - Goodreads

Boy Nobody started off really well. The book opens with the main character, who I shall call Benjamin because that's one of his undercover names, killing an important Chinese business man after gaining entry to his house through the guy's son. It was all very interesting because Benjamin was cold, calculating, and he got the job done. Later on he took out four Chinese guys by himself. Did I mention that he's sixteen?

Unfortunately it went downhill from there. Benjamin goes on a new assignment, which is to kill the mayor of New York. He joins a private school to get close to the mayor's daughter, and oh my gods, it was dull from there.

I wasn't expecting insta-love. I really wasn't. In a book about an teen assassin I expect action and maybe a hot romance, not one that progresses to love after just four days. Benjamin meets Sam on Day 1, they talk about having developed feelings for each other during Day 2, and then by Day 4 Benjamin says something about being in love with her. No. Just... no.

I liked Benjamin before all this love nonsense. It was great being inside his head as he calculated every move he made and everything he said. It made everything quite suspenseful, in a way, because you could literally watch the cogs turning in his head.

But like I said, it went downhill. There were very few interesting or action-packed scenes that could keep me  intrigued to the end. Honestly, by the "explosive" ending, I was so bored that I just wanted to skim it to get it over with.

I wouldn't recommend this book for older YA readers, but maybe the younger ones would like it. I don't know, it was just boring, which is very disappointing because I was excited about the whole teen assassin thing. *sad face*