Tehreem: Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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.

Nix is broken. He is confused, alone, and dangerous. He only knows one thing; the rush of killing. Nix doesn't kill for fun. He kills for a cause. "A greater good," his superiors would say. Superiors who had to set alarms to remind themselves of his existence. Even those who shaped him into the perfect assassin that he is cannot remember him. He is a nobody. Nothing.

Claire is a girl who lives in fantasies of her own making. Since no one ever seems to remember her - even her own parents - Claire keeps herself sane by creating situations in her head. Situations in which she saves someone, or they save her. Situations in which she gives her life for someone. Situations in which she matters. Deep down, Claire knows this is impossible. No one could possibly care for somebody who is a nobody. No one could care for nothing.

All they ever knew changes when they meet. Nix is staring down the barrel of his gun, his aim readied, when Claire looks at him. Not through him, but actually at him. She shouldn't have been able to look at him. She was a null. Somebody evil and without any sense of remorse. 

Or so he thought.

One event leads to another, and the two of them find themselves uncovering the past, present, and future. They learn more about themselves, and come to understand that they have been betrayed and led on for their whole lives. The only ones they can trust now are each other. 

What happens when you put two negatives together? They equal a positive. What happens when you place two nothings together?

They become everything.

Once again, Jennifer Lynn Barnes forged a story that left me breathless. Everything about this book was so compelling and beautiful. The writing was skillful and the words on each page spoke to me like the breath of the wind. The characters were raw and full of emotion. Even the nulls, who were described as heartless, gave off a sense of understanding. While there were flaws, the beauty of the story seemed to dismiss them. I found myself feeling for Nix and Claire. Their naked hurt and anger stirred emotions in me as well. I couldn't help but hope that they would find a way to escape those hunting them and finally live in peace.

I'm still in complete and utter shock after the events of this novel. While this may not be the best novel out there, it is definitely a jewel you don't want to miss.

My rating:

Four and a Half out of Five Stars!