Thursday, February 14, 2013

Review: Nobody

NOBODY
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Paranormal Young Adult
400 pages
EgmontUSA
Available Now
Received from Media Masters Publicity for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away.

That’s why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.


MY THOUGHTS
Nobody is a bit of a strange read, almost as though the story itself takes on the qualities of the Nobodies themselves, becoming something our minds can’t quite wrap themselves around and hovering in a sort of intangible state where we’re never clearly able to determine how we feel about it. A Nobody is someone who goes essentially unnoticed, taking up space but never truly filling it as not a single person around them recognizes they’re there; not truly invisible but for all intents and purposes, transparent just the same. Much the same way, we read Claire and Nix’s story with a kind of detachment, finding ourselves intrigued and fascinated by what’s unfolding chapter to chapter, but for some reason the events and characters themselves don’t quite brand themselves in our memories, and we’re able to move on to the next book without thoughts of Claire and Nix lingering.

Claire is someone we can’t help but like instantaneously, her inner monologue as she humorously despairs of her social invisibility both at home and school bringing a big smile to our faces. Once she meets Nix some of that humor slips away as the seriousness of her Nobody status is brought to her attention, but she remains a young woman who keeps a level head and approaches revelation after revelation with an admirable positivity and maturity. Though her attraction to Nix can be described as instant and powerful, the fact that she’s gone virtually unseen throughout her entire fifteen years in existence provides a believable explanation as to why finding someone whose eyes don’t simply focus somewhere over her shoulder is such a heady thing for her.

Nix is a bit harder to connect to, his brutal life as an assassin and pawn of a powerful society rendering him a shell of a human being, a strong and unbreakable carapace protecting a heart that by design and nurture is empty of love, compassion and feeling in general. He is simply his job until he meets Claire, and as his world is turned upside down, we have the pleasure of watching as Claire finds a tiny crack in that hard outer shell and begins to fill the empty spaces with all the affection and understanding they’ve both been denied for so long.

Overall, Nobody is an entertaining read, though those who like clear explanations for any paranormal abilities may find themselves a touch frustrated with the lack of information regarding Nobodies and Nulls. The romance, after the initial instant attraction, settles into something a bit more subtle, both Claire and Nix trying to navigate the heavily potholed road of young love, a road made all the more difficult given their deeply rooted loneliness and sense of unworthiness. The ending is neither wide open nor perfectly wrapped up, leaving us in the same kind of odd limbo we’ve been in throughout, everything about Nix, Claire and this world having a slightly blurry edge to it where no matter how long and hard we stare, nothing ever becomes perfectly clear.

Rating: 3.5/5


37 comments:

  1. *crawls into your review* *rolls around*

    (But, but... lack of information? Ugh. My not-so-inner information whore would not appreciate that.)

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    1. I just didn't quite understand the Nulls I guess - they just seemed like sociopaths rather than something paranormal. And we didn't get much explanation as to how people discovered Nobodies or Nulls in the first place. I just wanted a little bit more on that front:)

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  2. Have you read "Every Other Day"? I loved this book but also here we never have got too many information about the backgrounds.

    I had high hopes for this book, but I know from what you said that I will probably have the same issues. First, being confused never suits me well, and second... ugh... subtle romance? ;((

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    1. I haven't read that one, but I read her werewolf series and LOVED it, so that's why I had really high hopes for this book. Her wolf characters were layered and hugely memorable, but Nix and Claire didn't really stick with me. It was still a very interesting read though, and she of course writes beautifully:)

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  3. I don't know about this one. I have it, I think, but I'm not sure if I'm going to read it, I need a lot of convincing with that one, because not a lot of people seem to love it. Plus, I enjoy my books with information about the world in dystopian-ish books. I like the synopsis and that cover is so pretty, but I'm just not sure at all :( I may have to start google'ing more reviews and see what other people think of it. Ugh.. It's so frustrating, because I really want to love this book, but I don't want to be disappointed. I don't know what to do.. Hmhh....... -.-

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    1. You may love it! She's a great storyteller, I just didn't quite grasp the world itself and would have loved a few more answers to the why's and how's of it all:)

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  4. Well that's freaky, people no one sees, that would suck

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  5. I've been hearing mixed things about this, so I never bothered to read the blurb or anything...but from your opening paragraph I'm REALLY intrigued by the premise. I think this will be one of those books that I'll read if it conveniently lands in my lap but won't bother deliberately hunting it down. It's a pity you couldn't quite connect with Nix...I was hoping the love interest would be swoonworthy :P

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    1. He's kind of dark and damaged and I always love those kinds of characters, but there was something missing for me with him and I just never really felt like I could love him.

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  6. I've seen this around lately and it sounded like an interesting read, but I hate open endings! I'm all for the HEA and neatly (I don't care if it's too neatly, either)tied up loose ends. It's fiction, darn it! So why can't it all be happy? *ends rant now* Lovely review Jenny. ;)

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    1. I KNOW! I'm all about the HEA too, unless it's a series, then I can tolerate an open ending. But I believe this is a standalone, so the openness of was both intriguing and frustrating at the same time:)

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  7. I have seen this book around but haven't read any review for it. Duh...I mean it does sounds interesting but I don't like banging my head on the wall because I wanna know what happened. Maybe I'll give it a try once. Great review Jenny.

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    1. I'll be interested to see what you think if you pick it up Tanja!

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  8. You're giving me an inferiority complex, woman! And I have a healthy ego. :)
    I can understand why Claire would be so attracted to someone who can see her after being invisible all her life. It makes sense, although I'm not sure how much sense it makes long term. I'm sorry this didn't have a strong impact on you, the reviews have been all over the place and frankly, I am still unsure about it.
    Fantastic review, Jenny!

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    1. Pffft, I could say the exact same thing to you! But thank you:) I didn't mind the instant nature of their attraction, I just wanted more information in general on their purpose, and how the society that controls Nix came to be, etc.

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  9. Yep. Right there with you. I had a sort of detachment from the characters, too, though Claire was a bit easier to understand because of her monologue. More explanation might have satisfied me a bit but this was still an intriguing read.

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    1. I really liked Claire in the beginning - she was really funny. I was sad that humor went away when Nix came in the picture, though someone trying to kill you isn't necessarily the situation that calls for humor:)

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  10. Oh I do not know, the lack of world building might frustrate me. The ending would be ok, as I do not need it wrapped in a bow. great review Jenny!

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    1. I just need a few more questions answered Kimba, then I would have been good to go!

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  11. Still can't decide whether to give this one a shot or pass it up. Like many other reviewers, you too mentioned about the lack of important information. Sounds like a good premise but the execution didn't follow through. Thanks for the honest review, Jenny!

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  12. Hmm...from what you've said, I think I'd be a little irritated with this. I've liked a few of Barnes's previous novels, but not a whole lot, so I think I'll still be skipping this. Still, I am thrilled that you enjoyed it so much, dear! :)

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  13. Hmmmmm...I've been considering reading this but now I'm not so sure. I really liked the premise but I like explanations. Love the review! :D

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  14. I think this kind of sounds like a middle of the road type of read...I may skip it, especially because you say there aren't clear expectations regarding the paranormal abilities. That kind of thing drives me nuts. Thanks for the honest review, Jenny! Have a great Valentine's Day!

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  15. So far this one has been getting very lackluster reviews. It sounds so interesting but it just fails in execution I guess. The romance does sound good and I am glad that it settled into something more believable after the instant connection, no insta love, right?

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  16. I never had problems with the definitions of the various groups, but I have to say I agree it was hard to connect with Nix. Plus, you are so right... this is probably the first book in which that insta-connection works. It makes sense. I also loved Claire. I mean how strong is she? Dealing with what she had to and yet still kept that sense of self. I really enjoyed her character. I do get what you mean about the world though. However, if it was clearer, it may not have worked with who we followed in this book.

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  17. Love your review...as usual...but I'm not so sure this one is for me...I have a feeling that this might be a story for whcih I can't accept vague explanations.

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  18. This book has such a great premise and gorgeous cover too, but I think the lack of information and answers in this book would hugely frustrate me. I was one that used to love open endings and books that didn't go into too much detail, but with Nobody I think I would want to know more about the nulls and nobodies. But despite some of the issues you mentioned, I think I will still be willing to give this book a try, as the book sounds utterly fascinating!

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  19. I'm not sure if this book is for me. I have read quite a few reviews and none have given me the urge to pick it up. Your review is pretty fantastic though and has given me a better idea of what the book IS exactly cause I don't know, I have just felt confused about it I think.

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  20. I really loved Every Other Day, and have been kind of so-so on whether I want to read this book because of so many middling reviews. This is the first review I've read where the book actually sounds interesting. It sounds like I would like Claire, but I would probably be frustrated with the lack of explanation and with the limbo ending. I might skip this one, but I'm glad you found enough enjoyment for a 3.5 rating. Great review! :-)

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  21. Ehh, I've been seeing alot of low ratings on this book. I'm kind of unsure if I want to read it or not. Thanks for sharing Jenny!

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  22. I love the concept of the story... but I'm a character girl and I'm not sure that "forgettable" characters would work for me. Thanks for the honest review!!

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  23. Hmm. I honestly don't know if this will be for me! On one hand, I like the concept, and am glad to hear the romance eventually develops into something subtle (my favourite kind), but I do need memorable characters and thorough explanations. Nevertheless, I'm curious. :) Great review, Jenny!

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  24. I always hate lack of information.. World-building is important to me. Claire sounds like a good character though and I think Nix might grow on me :) I might try it out soon. Great review!

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

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  25. I've read so many mixed reviews for this one and still am not sure whether I'll end up enjoying it or not. I'm leaning towards the not right now because it sounds like there's a case of insta-love (even if it's subtle) and like my worldbuilding to be pretty clear.

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  26. While I LOVE your review, I think I'll skip this one. It sounds pretty great but many other reviews have given me the feeling that I won't like this one!

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  27. I don't think I could deal with the lack of information. I would go batty!

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