Review: I Am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff

I Am the Weapon (The Unknown Assassin, #1)
by Allen Zadoff
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Paperback (purchased)
YA, contemporary, mystery, thriller

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.

Well, if this isn't a book with many names then nothing is. Previously published under the name Boy Nobody, then under The Hit and I Am the Weapon (if I'm right, UK the previous and US the latter).

I Am the Weapon is unique and unlike anything else I've read so far. It's gripping story about Boy Nobody who's assassin, a nameless weapon against those who The Program deems dangerous. In a way the story was amazing and genious, and Zadoff's writing style was interesting; short sentences, to the point and unembellished. Just like Boy Nobody's character. I read hundred pages without even realizing I did that, and it happens almost never.

Boy Nobody didn't have high morals, so to speak. If honest, I liked that a lot. I waited for the whole book the moral speech and the usual high moral act every YA book seems to have. But there wasn't one. Boy Nobody was a weapon; he did what he was told to do, didn't question things (much) and yes, practically he was a perfect assassin, a perfect human robot, without emotions and feelings. I liked that. It was different, intriguing and so addicting. I Am the Weapon truly is a story about unforgettable antihero.

Besides Boy Nobody there was some interesting characters. The hit, mayor of New York, was quite interesting persona and I liked scenes with him as his words made me really think. However, the mayor's daughter, Sam, wasn't much my liking. In a way she was the love interest but let me tell you, there was nothing traditional in it and there's some big twists at the end that I won't spoil but it's huge and genious. Sam was good, solid character and really intriguing but somehow she was a little hypocrite and there was something that irked me through the story so Sam definitely wasn't my favourites during the story. However, I liked Erica very much and I loved the banter between her and Boy Nobody.

I Am the Weapon was truly good, gripping story and I loved it with all the twists, and I'm so glad I finally got to read great story about unforgetable antihero! I'm itching to read the sequel and you can be sure I'll read it as soon as I get my hands on it. So yes, I highly recommend this book to everyone because it's just one of those books that needs to be read. Although I gave four stars it was quite perfect. There was just some aspects I didn't like that much, mostly they had to do with Sam and the romance but I can't say much without spoiling anything. Although, the ending almost made up everything because it truly was unexpected and blew my mind.

Worthy read, definitely.

4 of 5 stars.

 

I Am the Weapon on Goodreads.