{Review} Nameless by Jennifer Jenkins is INTENSE and Not to Be Missed!

Title: Nameless
Author: Jennifer Jenkins
Series: Nameless, book #1 in a two-book series
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication Date: October 6, 2015
Source: ARC received for review from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Four clans have been at war for centuries: the Kodiak, the Raven, the Wolf and the Ram. Through brutal war tactics, the Ram have dominated the region, inflicting death and destruction on their neighbors.

Seventeen-year-old Zo is a Wolf and a Healer who volunteers to infiltrate the Ram as a spy on behalf of the allied clans. She offers herself as a Ram slave, joining the people who are called the “nameless.” Hers is a suicide mission – Zo’s despair after losing her parents in a Ram raid has left her seeking both revenge and an end to her own misery. But after her younger sister follows her into Rams Gate, Zo must find a way to survive her dangerous mission and keep her sister safe.

What she doesn’t expect to find is the friendship of a young Ram whose life she saves, the confusing feelings she develops for a Ram soldier, and an underground nameless insurrection. Zo learns that revenge, loyalty and love are more complicated than she ever imagined in the first installment of this two-book series.

If I hadn't seen so many other bloggers raving about this book, I never would have requested it. It sounded kind of dystopian/post-apocalyptic, and I'm all but over that subgenre. But that many friends and fellows couldn't be wrong, so I took a chance on Nameless and requested a copy when the Month9 email hit my inbox.

And it was a chance not wasted. Nameless isn't perfect, but it was exhilarating and fun and completely frustrating in the best possible way. Because not only this a book about a world in which everything's gone wrong, one where war is constantly at your doorstep, but it's also a world in which there is magic. It's not in-your-face magic, but it's there nonetheless.

I immediately connected with Zo, who was ready to die for her clan in order to get the intelligence they needed to defeat their enemy. She is equal parts brave and scared, and she knows that her time among the Ram is limited, so she makes every moment count. I felt for her as she was forced to alter her course when her younger sister became a liability. I rooted for her as she was able to overcome her prejudices of the Rams and become friends with Joshua, even if doing so meant one more person she'd have to take into consideration when her mission was at stake. I stood proud with her as she battled every obstacle she was confronted with, even when it was the eventuality of her own death.

And I fell with her -- hard -- for the Ram soldier who showed hints of a conscience. Gryphon may not have immediately trusted Zo, but when she healed the young Ram he was mentoring, she proved her worth to him. Honor meant everything to Gryphon, but when all hell breaks loose, he lets go of his pride and lets his heart be his guide. He proves that he's not just a heartless soldier like the rest of the Ram, and in doing so, he proved his worth to me. Gryphon was at times violent and cold in his endeavors to overcome the shame his father brought before him, but throughout the story, he gets glimpses of why his father might have made the choices he did, and it changes Gryphon for the better.

Both Gryphon and Zo are calculating and so it takes a very long while for anything more to develop between them because of their trust issues, but when it does, watch out. And fair warning, there is another player on the field, but he's more of the she thinks of him like a brother type, so I don't see that developing into much, especially since this is only slated to be a two-book series. But, yeah...I am all about the enemies-turned-lovers story line.

Told from both Zo and Gryphon's perspectives, I can see why so many have been captivated by this story already. Nameless is fast-paced and intense, a story that sticks with you long after you've turned the last page. There were moments when I thought the dialogue or thought processes were a little immature for the characters and the situations they faced, but they were far and few between and compared little with the awesomeness of the overall story. This is one of those times where I wish I'd waited until both books were out so I didn't have to wait for the sequel, especially after that jaw-dropping ending. I can't wait to see what Jennifer Jenkins brings to the table next.

GIF it to me straight:

That was intense! And slightly painful. o_O

About the Author:

With her degree in History and Secondary Education, Jennifer Jenkins had every intention of teaching teens to love George Washington, the Napoleonic Wars, and Ancient Sparta . . . until the writing began. Author of Young Adult fantasy and co-founder of Teen Author Boot Camp, she divides her time between reading, writing music, taking spontaneous trips, and researching random events from the past. NAMELESS, a Young Adult tribal fantasy, releases October 6, 2015, with Month9Books.

Find Jennifer:

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Labels: dystopian, fantasy, jennifer jenkins, magic, month9books, nameless, reviews, sci-fi