Orphan X: A Novel

Evan isn't your normal man. He's more commonly known as nowhere man. If somebody is in trouble, all they have to do is call a number that they are given by somebody else who was in trouble in the past. He comes in and saves the day, so to speak. Everything is going smoothly for him until somebody starts hunting him. They use his need to protect people against him to lure him out. Soon he discovers he's not the only Orphan left. (More on blog: Star's Books & Tea)

I am not usually a big fan of vigilante types of reads but for some reason this one caught my eye and I actually enjoyed it. It isn't one of those reads where the characters grab you because I mean like Jason Bourne these folks have no emotional genes so robotic because of what they do and X is that in spades. Watching/reading him processing how to interact with people or people in real life situations is almost painful with the level of immaturity, the type that comes over time with exposure. Then you catch him in action and his responses, the way the author writes them makes you feel like it's automatic, hence the robotic nature. It's a great read watching him go from being hand selected and trained and released which we get mostly through flashbacks. There's trouble brewing and they have made the mistake of drawing X into the mix. Well there's danger, action, intrigue and yup betrayal so tons to keep you entertained. I haven't read this author before but I am intrigued so I will be reading a little more of this series.

Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz Orphan X #1 Grabbed in the first chapter and held firmly till the bitter end…this book was unputdownable! The first chapter introduces 12-year-old Evan and the man who will train him. In the next chapter much has happened and Evan is in his mid-thirties with a whole lot of living that has happened that I wanted to know about. The introduction to the series was superb with flashbacks and snippets that fleshed out Evan illuminating his past and ultimately creating a very compelling story. What I liked: * Evan Smoak: orphan, determined, intelligent, professional, skilled, lethal, forged in fire, potential to grow, uses his skills to right wrongs, lives by a set of commandments, intriguing, a bit Zen and a whole lot more that I eagerly wait to learn about * Jack Johns: one of Evan’s trainers, teacher, protector, handler, and a father-figure of sorts * Mia: neighbor, single parent, attorney - prosecutor, widow, potential friend-love interest for Evan * Peter: adopted son of Mia, active, aware, intelligent, livewire, may reach a part of Evan that has been submerged over time * Tommy: arms procurer and provider of arms and other items for the government and for Evan…intriguing person that may show up in future books * The flashbacks that gave hints to Evan’s life * The Nowhere Man idea that provides unlimited opportunities for Evan to right wrongs * The Commandments – had to look them up then copy and paste into a document to refer back to throughout my reading – would love to see them on a page in each of the books to refer to when I forget what they are ;) * The various training techniques: pain tolerance, meditation, shooting, martial arts, defense-offense, etc * Being reminded of other characters similar to but not quite like Evan * Morena: seventeen-year-old who called the Nowhere Man to help save her eleven-year-old sister * Memo Vasquez: good father to Isa, in a jam, hopes the Nowhere Man will help * The twists and turns and surprises that popped up making me wonder who might/might not be good/bad * Feeling I was there with Evan from beginning to end * The rather surprising conclusion * Knowing that I will read the next book in the series…soon What I didn’t like * That a government would choose to use orphans to create expendable assassins…and wondering if in fact this might exist in the world * Thinking about how difficult Evan’s life must have been… * The people and events that I was meant not to like Did I enjoy this book? Yes Would I read more in this series? Definitely Note: Having read books 3, 4, and 6 of the series but never having read book 1…I had to request a copy to read/review to find out how Evan’s series began. Definitely a series I hope to eventually read all of! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Minotaur Books for the ARC – This is my honest review. 5 Stars