And the winner is...NOBODY!

Hi guys!

Welcome back to another satisfying day here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers because really...any day that you manage to sneak in at least a little time for reading can't be a complete loss, now can it?  ^_^

QUICK REMINDER...the Printed Books Giveaway Hop is still going on now!  TWO DAYS (that's today and tomorrow) left to get your entries in for the US or INTERNATIONAL prize packs so don't delay, submit yours today!  Just click on the link in the right hand sidebar under 'Current Contests'.  Now, on to today's combo post...

How is it a "combo post" you might ask? Good question!  It's a review and winner reveal all in one...hence the punny post title choice there (hehe).  I've been holding off on the review specifically for today and believe me, it WASN'T easy as is often the case with books you'd rather stand on a mountain top and shout all about than hide it within a stack of books for discovery at another time.  This one DEFINITELY falls into the first category, trust me.  Without further ado, today's book of choice is...

Nobody

by

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

About the book...

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 can really see them. 

At first confusing, but then...MESMERIZING.

As much as I will sing the praises of this book, I have to admit I WAS confused at first.  I had never read any of the author's previous works so I had no exposure to her writing style and I had to wrap my mind around the characters and their voices before I could easily proceed.  Hindsight tells me it may actually be something specific to this book considering the character types we're dealing with (Sensors, Normals, Nobodies, and Nulls...more on those later), almost like we're Normals and having a hard time noticing our leads because of their statuses...in which case I say GREAT JOB to the author!

Nix and Claire are our primary narrators and seeing the world through their eyes is like...a cold splash of reality.  Haven't you ever felt looked over, forgotten or cast aside?  Oh come on....raise your hand; I've already got BOTH of mine raised.  It's an inevitability for most...sad but true...but the level to which it occurs here is beyond anything you or I have ever faced.  I mean, her folks had to leave notes at home to remind them they HAD a daughter so that if she wasn't with them when returning from the store they could go back and get her.  *-*  Talk about bad parenting...and yet, not really; not in THIS reality.  It's a symptom of their condition, their lot in life...simply tagging them as a Nobody.

Nobody.  This story certainly puts that term into a new light and will definitely make you think twice before calling anyone that again (not that you have, just sayin...).  It's a condition that gives others a sort of blindness to their presence.  Like they could be standing right in front of you and for all intents and purposes, you being a Normal would see nothing.  Almost like the Invisible Man except that it's not THEIR problem, it's YOURS.  No really, it's yours because let's just say that if you crossed them (or someone they work for...*ahem*), you'd never see them coming...literally.  But being a Nobody isn't all bad.  You can ease drop all you like, achieve the perfect balance of being "nothing" and walk through walls, or even travel like so much mist on a darkened night to any point in the world you wish to be.  Yes, the perks are nice and definitely lend to the allure, but before you get in line for genetic modification, remember this...you won't only be unseen and unheard, you'll be unloved (or so they say...dun dun dunnn) and that can be a fate worse than death.

Though Nobodies are the primary focus in the story, there are other sorts that make their existence known for better or worse.  We've met the Normals who are simply...normal.  We've mentioned the Sensors who are in fact able to sense Nobodies and Nulls with their enhanced senses; sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.  The one we've not touched on yet though are the Nulls and they are by far the most dangerous.  How so?  Well, they would be the equivalent of what we call sociopaths (and some psychopaths) in today's society...which ironically was a topic of discussion recently at one of my jobs and TOTALLY brought this book to mind (no really, I even made the correlation out loud...^_^).  They make no attachments to others though not by choice but by design, though they draw others to them.  They almost always get what they want for better or worse; usually worse.  They feel nothing for anything or anyone around them.  If a five car pile up were to occur directly in front of them with body parts flying this way and that and someone was screaming for help before their vehicle caught fire...they might simply stand there and watch detached from everything occurring, watching it as if it was a movie.  Scary, huh?  Told ya.  *-*  These are the people that Nix was trained to take out; the threats to society.  Or was it?  (*dun DUN dunnnnn*)  It is often said with extreme power comes extreme corruption and buddy boy this system definitely has a lot to answer for...and if Nix has anything to say about it, those answers will be coming post haste.

In conclusion (because otherwise I'll go on about this one for days), this is one book good for teen boys and girls through adults that will have you on the edge of your seat.  Aside from the world building within a society recognizable as our own, you have a story filled with action (mentioned), danger (also mentioned) and romance (not mentioned but imagine finding that one person that actually SEES you, not just physically but in all ways?!) that's a pleasure to get lost within...even if there is a danger of your flesh and bones melting (I did mention that, didn't I?  Hehe...).  One warning for readers...there is A LOT of internalizing here of feelings, thoughts, and emotions; so much so that you may want to throttle a character or two from time to time.  My advice...go with the flow; it's a part of who they've been brought up to be.  I mean how open would YOU be to expressing yourself if no one ever paid you any mind?

ARC for review and giveaway opportunity received courtesy of Karen at Media Masters Publicity and Egmont USA.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as their complete catalog, be sure to visit them online, like their Facebook page or connect via Twitter.  To discover more about author Jennifer Lynn Barnes as well as her complete bibliography to date, stop by her site, check out her blog, or follow along on Twitter.  The paperback of EVERY OTHER DAY and the hardback of NOBODY were both released this past January, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf near you.  No time to run out just this second?  No worries!  It's available online as well; here are a few retailers to get you started...Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound.

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Now, for the news you've ALL been waiting for.  No really, many of you were because there were A LOT of entries this time around!  The winner of ONE paperback edition of EVERY OTHER DAY and ONE hardback edition of NOBODY both by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is...

Eric Townsend!

CONGRATULATIONS Eric!  I've sent you an email requesting your mailing information.  Be sure to respond within 48 hours or else...or else I have to choose a NEW winner and though everyone else might be excited by that, you probably wouldn't be.  ^_^

Until next time...happy reading!