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dearestdorian's review against another edition
3.0
The Hit/Boy Nobody may be over 300 pages, but it's written in such a way that it's possible to fly through it in under a day.
If you're looking for something packed with adrenaline, which you don't need to think too hard about, and you'd like a story where necks get snapped, stuff blows up, and people lie through their teeth, this is a good one to pick up.
While the characters are somewhat lacking and this story can't exactly be praised for its portrayal of women, it's not terrible and is worth reading if you need your fix of action and adventure, but don't have the time or concentration to focus on something a bit heftier. The chapters are short (I felt at times they were too short), and the sentences snappy.
I'd compare it to [b:I Hunt Killers|7766027|I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent, #1)|Barry Lyga|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333289403s/7766027.jpg|10644152], though this has much less plot going on. Again, that's not a bad thing. It all depends on what you like, and what you're in the mood for.
If you're looking for something packed with adrenaline, which you don't need to think too hard about, and you'd like a story where necks get snapped, stuff blows up, and people lie through their teeth, this is a good one to pick up.
While the characters are somewhat lacking and this story can't exactly be praised for its portrayal of women, it's not terrible and is worth reading if you need your fix of action and adventure, but don't have the time or concentration to focus on something a bit heftier. The chapters are short (I felt at times they were too short), and the sentences snappy.
I'd compare it to [b:I Hunt Killers|7766027|I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent, #1)|Barry Lyga|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333289403s/7766027.jpg|10644152], though this has much less plot going on. Again, that's not a bad thing. It all depends on what you like, and what you're in the mood for.
bluebeereads's review against another edition
5.0
Istyria book blog ~ B's world of enchanted books
God I love it when this happens! So much better than I expected at first! This is an action-packed, intense, page-turning thriller that hooked me right from the first page. I Am The Weapon is one hell of a debut.
This book was published previously under the title Boy Nobody. It's about a sixteen year old boy who is trained by The Program to kill people since he was twelve years old. He's the new kid in school that barely anyone notices. He makes new friends and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend's life to die of "natural causes". Then he disappears and moves on the the next thing. When he is assigned to the mayor of New York, something changes. The mayor and his daughter awaken things in him that he thought were long gone. But The Program is watching his every move. Because Boy Nobody is still a normal teen somewhere deep inside that wants a normal life. Maybe even bad enough to sabotage his new mission.
The blurb really doesn't do this book justice. There was so much more depth to this book than I thought there would be. I was hooked from the first page and I could not put it down until well into the night. If I hadn't forced myself to stop, I would've finished the book in one sitting. The story is very interesting and it kept me guessing the entire time. I didn't know what was going on, but I really needed to so I had to keep reading! And I didn't find out until I was at the end of the book. This really is a page turner. I was so engrossed in this story and these characters that I just picked up my Kobo and kept reading while I was walking to the bathroom or getting ready for bed and even cooking. (I nearly burned something.)
The thing that made me love this book was the main character. I'll call him Benjamin because that's the name he takes on in New York for his assignment. Benjamin had so much depth and he's such an original and complicated character! When we first meet him he seems like the deadly, emotionless assassin he's supposed to be, but throughout the story we learn more about him. And he learns more about himself too. He questions his assignment. Memories of his past come flooding back to him. Somewhere deep inside is a young man that just wants a normal life. And the cause of that, partly, is Sam. She's the daughter of the mayor, his new target. The characters in this book all had so much depth to them. Character development is top notch in this book. For me anyway. They were all so likable!
The only two characters I did not like were Benjamin's handlers of The Program. But I don't think it's right if you do like them, lol. When he communicates with them, they speak in code so he calls them Mom and Dad. I loved the way they communicated! It was so clever! I really liked that, but Mom and Dad themselves, not so much. Only because they're the villains of the story. You're supposed to dislike them. Benjamin is not the hero, he's the anti-hero. And I loved him and rooted for him.
With I Am The Weapon, Allen Zadoff has written an amazing debut. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. If you love a story with an anti-hero assassin (because there are so many of those, obviously), a lot of action and mystery and a ton of unexpected depth to the story, you will love this book. I really recommend it because it's awesome and it gave a lot of feels I didn't expect. That ending man. Phew.
kevinscorner's review against another edition
4.0
I Am The Weapon was not as great as I thought it would be, especially since it got several starred reviews. I liked the story and concept and I loved the protagonist, but I had an issue with the writing style. The sentences came in short chopped up blocks that does not bode well for depth or development. I will still read the next book though when it comes out.
read_and_shine's review
4.0
This has been sitting on my shelves for literally years. I bought it on a whim because it sounded cool to younger me but then I never actually got past the first page (I'm not even sure I ever opened the book at this point). Whilst I was clearing out and reorganising my bookshelves today, I was going to get rid of it but then the blurb caught my eye and I said I would at least try a chapter, so I could decide that it wasn't for me and get rid of it without guilt. So I tried the first chapter. And then the second. And then I tried the entire book.
And I loved it.
I read this in a span of few hours because I was utterly hooked. The writing kept me engaged and the pace never wavered and I was never bored. The plot had me guessing until the end and I couldn't put it down; I didn't even notice the hours passing by.
I used to like the Alex Rider books (until I stopped reading them because some issues became blaringly obvious to me as I grew up and I couldn't stand it) and this was somewhat reminiscent of that, except better. I have a hard time describing the main character, his personality and all that, mainly because it's not really given in the book -in fact, you only find out his real name until very late in the book. Its not in a "oh he doesn't have any personality he's so boring" sort of way; his emotionless facade is projected to try and cover up everything thats trying to surface on the inside, a product of being brainwashed by a system he doesn't really know but blindingly follows anyway.
The only real issue I had was that some phrases such as "I projected my energy/attention" repeated a lot in the book, which started to annoy me, but it was a minor thing that I can overlook. The romance, if it can even be called that, was a bit insta-lovey for me, but since they were never in love or in a relationship at any point in the book, it was bearable. It was never really the main focus in the book, only aided in some aspects for character development, which I appreciated.
I have to admit I nearly shed a few tears at the end.
I'm thoroughly impressed with this book and I'm so glad that I gave it a shot. Apparently this is a series and I'm very much looking forward to continuing on with it.
And I loved it.
I read this in a span of few hours because I was utterly hooked. The writing kept me engaged and the pace never wavered and I was never bored. The plot had me guessing until the end and I couldn't put it down; I didn't even notice the hours passing by.
I used to like the Alex Rider books (until I stopped reading them because some issues became blaringly obvious to me as I grew up and I couldn't stand it) and this was somewhat reminiscent of that, except better. I have a hard time describing the main character, his personality and all that, mainly because it's not really given in the book -in fact, you only find out his real name until very late in the book. Its not in a "oh he doesn't have any personality he's so boring" sort of way; his emotionless facade is projected to try and cover up everything thats trying to surface on the inside, a product of being brainwashed by a system he doesn't really know but blindingly follows anyway.
The only real issue I had was that some phrases such as "I projected my energy/attention" repeated a lot in the book, which started to annoy me, but it was a minor thing that I can overlook. The romance, if it can even be called that, was a bit insta-lovey for me, but since they were never in love or in a relationship at any point in the book, it was bearable. It was never really the main focus in the book, only aided in some aspects for character development, which I appreciated.
I have to admit I nearly shed a few tears at the end.
I'm thoroughly impressed with this book and I'm so glad that I gave it a shot. Apparently this is a series and I'm very much looking forward to continuing on with it.
downthebookhole's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like the synopsis of this says a lot. With all mystery/thriller books I believe it is best to go into it kind of blind because knowing too much could ruin the suspense and give away answers/secrets that make the book pointless to read.
Overall I surprisingly enjoyed this book after almost putting it down being only a few pages in to the story. The reason for this was because I had a slight problem with the writing style/choice of words. The book was written in short, choppy sentences, but it did prove to create for a fast read due to sentence structure and also added to the suspense. That was not really the problem I had it was when we got to the dialog that really caused me issues and a great annoyance. Throughout the dialog the verb used of who was making the statement was the same every single time. The repetition of the word made the sentences not flow and legitimately got under my skin. But I digress.
I Am The Weapon was action packed and extremely fast paced.I was reminded of the Jason Bourne series/movies. Getting inside the head of an assassin makes for a gripping story and really draws you in. You see the main character go through so much and put through the internal struggles of what is really the right thing to do. There was also a strong intelligent female love interest and the funny sidekick. Another thing I found really interesting was the methods and tools of the main character, Boy Nobody, the assassin. In books like this is it awesome to see what type of stuff the author creates via spy gear, assassin tools and the way they communicate having certain things coded and meaning something completely different. As with many mystery and thriller novels, there were many twists and unforeseen outcomes that take you on an awesome suspenseful, intense journey.
Overall I surprisingly enjoyed this book after almost putting it down being only a few pages in to the story. The reason for this was because I had a slight problem with the writing style/choice of words. The book was written in short, choppy sentences, but it did prove to create for a fast read due to sentence structure and also added to the suspense. That was not really the problem I had it was when we got to the dialog that really caused me issues and a great annoyance. Throughout the dialog the verb used of who was making the statement was the same every single time. The repetition of the word made the sentences not flow and legitimately got under my skin. But I digress.
I Am The Weapon was action packed and extremely fast paced.I was reminded of the Jason Bourne series/movies. Getting inside the head of an assassin makes for a gripping story and really draws you in. You see the main character go through so much and put through the internal struggles of what is really the right thing to do. There was also a strong intelligent female love interest and the funny sidekick. Another thing I found really interesting was the methods and tools of the main character, Boy Nobody, the assassin. In books like this is it awesome to see what type of stuff the author creates via spy gear, assassin tools and the way they communicate having certain things coded and meaning something completely different. As with many mystery and thriller novels, there were many twists and unforeseen outcomes that take you on an awesome suspenseful, intense journey.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
4.0
subtle and surprising, this book completely took me by surprise. It's not my typical read - a male POV and he's a spy soldier kind of kid. The pace and story line drew me in and I loved every page.
Slowly with each chapter you learn a little more - you find out how he got here, why he's doing what he's doing and what he does. You learn his training, his contacts and how it all works. The gadgets and theories and the communication is interesting and I loved learning it all.
But truly his contact with people and his analyzing every situation is amazing. I loved his personality and voice and I thought he was very well done.
The supporting cast of Howard, Mother, Father and others kept me flipping the pages as I tried to learn more about each of them. The ending wasn't a complete surprise although there were some secrets revealed that I hadn't guessed.
I can't wait for book 2!!
Slowly with each chapter you learn a little more - you find out how he got here, why he's doing what he's doing and what he does. You learn his training, his contacts and how it all works. The gadgets and theories and the communication is interesting and I loved learning it all.
But truly his contact with people and his analyzing every situation is amazing. I loved his personality and voice and I thought he was very well done.
The supporting cast of Howard, Mother, Father and others kept me flipping the pages as I tried to learn more about each of them. The ending wasn't a complete surprise although there were some secrets revealed that I hadn't guessed.
I can't wait for book 2!!
eowyns_helmet's review
3.0
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.
bookswithlukas's review
2.0
Well-written overall (that's why two stars), but one of the most predictable books I have read in a long time. I wouldn't recommend it, and I won't be checking out the sequel.