Book Review: I am the Weapon (aka Boy Nobody) by Allen Zadoff

I am the Weapon (aka Boy Nobody) by Allen Zadoff

I was introduced to I am Weapon (Previously published under the title Boy Nobody) a few weeks ago when it showed up on the 2015-16 Abe Lincoln Book Award nominee list.  My teammate had previously read it and said that it was one her reluctant readers really enjoyed.  When a copy became available at our school library, I grabbed it.

Summary by Goodreads:

They needed the perfect assassin.

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 to die -- of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target. 

But when The Program assigns him to the mayor of New York City, things change. Somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and a girlfriend; 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.

My Thoughts:

Here is my warning:  Once you start I am the Weapon, you won't want to put it down.  Zadoff writes in a way that gripped me and pulled me in.  Within the first twenty pages "Ben" kills his first target and from there it only gets more exciting.  Who wouldn't want to read about a teenage assassin who deep down wants what every teen wants:  a family to love him/her, a place to call home, friends that he/she can count on, and a normal life? 

What I loved most about I am the Weapon is that I never fully knew where the story would lead.  The author takes us through several plot twists that I did not predict would be coming yet made sense once they arrived. The story isn't too deep and the character development is thin, but I was engaged in this book and had to keep reading - so engaged that when I took a quick break from reading, I hopped on my computer and checked to see if book two - I am the Mission was at my library (It was!!!!).

Who will like this one?  Anyone who is looking for an action-packed thriller!  Everyone I have talked to who has read it, liked it.  I know that both my reluctant readers and my good readers will gravitate to this one, because of how fast paced this story moves.  And even more exciting... the third book in the series comes out in June!  If you are like me, I hate when I start a book and realize it is a series where the next book isn't coming out until the following year.  

If you haven't read I am the Weapon yet, I definitely recommend adding this to your to-read list!