Allen ZadoffBesprekingen

I received an e-copy of this story for an honest review.
An intriguing idea: using teens as soldiers. Because, let’s admit it, sometimes adults don’t always pay attention to teens. But it brings a few questions to mind. Is The Program part of the Government? Does the Government acknowledge it? Is it an unofficial program, or does it have nothing to do with the Government, and is funded and operated by someone else? Then it brings a few other personal questions to the surface: How do they find these teens? Is it some sort of Big Brother operation? Who can you Truly trust? How well do you Really know someone?

Zach continues to have doubts and questions about The Program. To get away from these doubts, he escapes the wait for his next mission by signing on to be a counselor in training at a summer sports camp. When The Program discovers his location, Father is sent to retrieve him and find out where his loyalties lie. After a grueling physical exam, Zach and Father embark on a mission in which Zach is to kill the man who is running a survival camp during a recruitment seminar, but when the man is attacked by one of his own followers, Zach saves his life and is immediately taken to the camp. Once there, Zach realizes that their agenda involves much more than training recruits, but when Zach can't reach Father, he knows that he has either been labeled a traitor by his organization or The Program has been attacked and needs help. Unfortunately, he is afraid it is the former.

I Am the Mission continues the story of Zach, the teenage assassin, but the twist in this story is that Zach is beginning to feel too much for his targets, raising questions about trusting big government and blindly following rules. These questions are amplified by the people at Camp Liberty who are questioning the same things that Zach is. Overall, this is another good entry in this series, which asks bigger questions than the average teen spy series.

When Zach finds where Howard is being kept, he uses his skills to rescue him, but discovers that Howard is being held with a girl named Tanya. Howard won't leave without her, so the three of them go on the run. As the three of them delve more deeply into The Program, Zach uncovers more questions than answers.

In I Am the Traitor, Zach faces difficult choices based on information that may or may not be correct, making him examine everything he has done and what he has been told. The most difficult choice he faces is what kind of person he wants to be and ultimately that is what drives most of this final entry in the Unknown Assassin series. The big twist near the end of the book is somewhat predictable based on the foreshadowing throughout the rest of the series, but the final resolution of the story was a bit more unexpected. Overall, this is a very good ending for a spy adventure that is a cut above others of this type.

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.

teen fiction; school romance/boy point-of-view. Here's another sweet highschool romance (comparable to getting the Girl, but sans the mystery). This time the protagonist is a theater geek--not even a "theateriffic" thespian but a very non-glamorous, behind-the-scenes techie. He can't talk to girls, least of all the ones he likes, and he has acne. He's also, ever since his father's death two years ago, afraid of the dark.

Sanskrit's mom has to go on record as one of the worst (well...all things considered). I had no patience for her, and none of the real issues that needed to be confronted were ever confronted. Sanskrit may be immature, but it still feels like he got the short end of the stick here. Between this and Resau's Notebook series, I think I'm done with flighty mothers for a while.

Can I get an "OH VEY!"?

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.

My biggest critique of this series so far is that the names keep changing making the books hard to find and review! I really enjoyed the pacing and the story of the first book. The second one was good but didn't hold the thrill the first one did in my opinion. It's clear Boy Nobody is struggling and I hope that he gets some sort of relief soon before everything implodes in his face.

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.

The second book adds additional layers of intrigue and danger. A fun, exciting page-turner.

Satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

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.

Cleaning off my kindle, and decided to read this one first. It was quite interesting.

Wow! I can see this going somewhere. The world development and conflict was extremely well done, and I really liked the characters.

Recommended for fans of Eon, The Grisha, Fire and Thorns, and Graceling

This was engaging, "thrilling," interesting, as a boy assassin filters into other people's lives and kills with an injection from a pen. So why not a total thumbs up? I felt like I was being manipulated for the soon to be released film. This read way too much like the pitch for a blockbuster (as it will be, with Jaden Pinkett-Smith rumored to be in the running for the lead). I want something different from a book than a movie. Of course, both can be equally good, but they are good in different ways. The book, for me, has to have more nuance, more depth, more exploration of character and ideas. The film can be rock-em, sock em, or whatever, but it's fundamentally a different aesthetic experience.

Despite how thick this book is I flew through it! It was very a good read and I have not read the first book in the series. I plan on getting the 1st and 3rd books. I enjoyed the mystery and thrill of this book and seeing how the mission would end.

I really liked this book. I can't say that the story of a teenage assassin was entirely believable but it was thoroughly entertaining. I plan to read the next book to see where the story goes.

I received a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ben was taken away from his home and given a choice: stay loyal to his parents and die or join The Program, an organization of assassins.His decision transformed him into a killer who moves from place to place, making friends, and killing those friends parent. He takes on his targets with a poison pen. He takes on his enemies with his wits and strength. He's very methodical in his actions and doesn't see anything beyond his mission. Anything but he does question when it will all be over.

In The Program there are two major leaders that he gets training and target info from whom he has to call Mother and Father. That is totally messed up. Not only did you kill my father but he has to talk to them like they were his parents. The Program is very much a brainwashing system where they take away your past and instead make you mindless and loyal to one cause. Ben has this moment in the beginning where he isn't that mindless machine. He wants to leave the program but, it's not something that he can control.

I really enjoyed the beginning of the story. The plot and protagonist intrigued me. Then the story continued on and the character felt stagnant to me. I know he's supposed to act a certain way but he felt flat for me. The whole story was really interesting and at times suspenseful especially towards the end yet Ben was not a character I could like. I know he's a killer so the initial reaction is not to like him. The thing is I should at least care about him. I needed to feel like his voice in the story was worthwhile to read about.

Bem's latest mission is to insert himself into the life of Samara, the New York mayor's daughter. She's completely unexpected in her brashness and strong sense of morals which I absolutely loved about her. She was actually a great, dynamic character although a moment in there was a little iffy. She's a great love interest however, Ben's mission to kill her father is supposed to last him up to 5 days. They seriously fell in love in less than that time? I find that ridiculous. I also didn't like this secondary character that Samara defends who turns out to be really disgusting. I know he's a guy and he's being bullied but what he did was completely gross and creepy. I have no idea why that whole situation would be put in this book.

The suspense and plot of The Hit was very interesting and kept me turning the pages. I really wanted to know what was going to happen. The downside was that I didn't like the main character and the instlove. It did end amazingly however, The Hit fell a bit on its mark for me.

I AM THE TRAITOR by Allen Madoff is the third book in a trilogy and I feel it is a suitable finale to end it. While the first two books were slam-bang action tales, this is more of a maturing look at Boy Nobody. The acton is here, the heroics, the life-threatening situations, but there is an added element of humor and more intimate relationships for our young assassin,
The Program tried to remove the humanity from its “soldiers”, making them perfect little killing machines, but in reality, the entire cadre of killers are nothing more than highly trained, yet lost, murderers. When Boy Nobody finds his growing list of questions, especially the one about the reality of his parents “deaths”, coming into the realm of maybe getting some answers finally, he is torn between loyalty and the need to know.
He has a growing friendship with a kid from a past mission, and a possible love relationship with a young woman who puzzles him on so many levels. To see Boy finally coming to grips with his feelings and his past sets up a nice ending. When he finally faces The Program head on, he, and you, will receive shocks and stunning revelations.
In short this is a great ending for this tale of tragedy, death, betrayal, love and friendship.
And keep in mind, Boy Nobody does not make it out unscathed.

I AM THE MISSION is the second book in a new young adult series by Allen Zadoff and it is a tight, fast paced action adventure that reintroduces Boy Nobody from the first book, I AM THE WEAPON. Boy Nobody is an assassin for The Program who is highly successful. He manages to infiltrate close in to his target, kill and remove himself from the scene without raising suspicions.
He is 16 and for all intents appears to be a normal, maybe slightly above average looking high school kid, but that is his cover. He infiltrates through the teens of his target and then goes for the kill. In this outing he must close in on an ex-Army officer who is running a survivalist camp for teens. The last agent from The Program to go in has been lost so Boy has strict orders not to go into the camp, merely complete the mission at an introductory meeting for the next group of summer campers held far from the compound.
But when Boy feels the need to enter the camp to complete his mission, The Program disavows him, leaving boy to face a camp full of armed zealots who would stop at nothing to stop Boy from completing the mission.
But even when the mission is over, it isn’t. There is an even greater terror facing Boy, a terror he may not be able to overcome.
Along the way Boy begins to acknowledge that the Program may not be what it appears to be, his reason for being caught up in it may all belies, and that he has been used by people he might not be able to trust.
The thought of a teen assassin who wouldn’t question what he is doing, who feels no feelings, well that does not make me sleep well at night. But there is more to Boy Nobody than mere blindly obeying orders: there is a growing awakening within the character that makes him more than a puppet and something worth following.
This was a Goodreads winner from start to finish, made even better in that I received both books in the series. Now I just have to find time to read the first.

I AM THE WEAPON by Allen Madoff is the first book in a trilogy and it comes out with a bang. We meet this unknown assassin, which for the purpose of this mission is named Benjamin. He is a highly trained, superbly trained assassin, a killer weapon operated by the mysterious Program. We find out little about the Program except it has a corp of killers at its disposal and “Ben” is one of the very best.
He should be after the four years of intensive training. Now, at the ripe age of 16 he has a mission, he is to befriend New York City’s mayor’s daughter, get close to the family, and kill.
The how and why of Boy Nobody’s recruitment into the Program is slightly detailed, but it adds to the feel of the story. We see a part of why and how Boy Nobody becomes the near robots soldier for his government. We also see some beginning cracks in the facade.
The Mayor’s daughter is Samantha, Sam to her friends, and she appears to be a typical young adult heroine, but she is more. In some ways she is a perfect match to our Boy Nobody. But it is not a nice, falling in love meeting, and the relationship is strained from the beginning.
The writing is well done and fast paced, what should have been stereotypes get turned about 90 degrees into some fun surprises, and what could have been teen-aged background tropes actually flesh out the story.
This is a YA book that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. I’m looking forward to the other chapters in the tale.

Dudes eyeball gets popped out by a cellphone before page 20. The kids will love it. A fun, teen spy thriller and an easy read.

I Am the Mission explores the blurred lines between patriot and terrorist....
Bourne Identity, Mission Impossible, and 007 made accessible to teen readers. A great surface-level read for low readers, with relevant and timely themes for stronger readers to uncover.

Reading The Hit as a parent was quite a tough experience. Teenagers should be emotional, selfish, full of promise and personality. Instead what we get in Boy Nobody is an emotionless killing machine.
The idea is very clever, like in the wonderful Cherub series by Robert Muchamore, teenagers are used as agents to avoid the suspicion that an adult would bring. However in Cherub the teens live and play together between missions. Boy nobody is on his own, constantly taking on new identities and having to make new friends in order to get close to his target (usually his new friend’s dad!). It’s a lonely existence which is clearly illustrated when ‘Ben’ begins to start to feel again and question his latest mission.
For teenagers I think this is an exciting and thrilling read and I’m sure that many of them will take a look at their own lives and try and imagine living like Boy Nobody. For me it was actually one of the saddest books I’ve read and I shall read the follow up hoping for a happy ending.