Nobody
Day after day, Claire walks through life largely unseen. Then one day, she finds herself in the crosshairs of an assassin’s gun. Nix is a nobody, an excellent assassin who takes out individuals dubbed dangerous by the Society. But his perfect kill record ends when he and Claire encounter each other. They join forces to discover why Nix was sent to kill Claire and whether the previous assassinations Nix carried out were as necessary as the Society claimed. Claire is the perfect foil for Nix, countering his strong, action-oriented mind-set with a more reflective approach to problem solving. Barnes skillfully captures the internal monologues of the characters, placing the reader inside the heads of both Claire and Nix, and nicely balances that interior focus with fast-paced adventure. The novel’s imaginative mixture of supernatural elements with action and romance will appeal to a broad range of readers. Grades 7-12. --Eve Gaus