Review: Nameless by Jennifer Jenkins

Nameless by Jennifer Jenkins
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication Date: October 6, 2015
Amazon  B/N

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.

 My Thoughts...

Read this now!!! Nameless is an amazing story crafted with many unforgettable characters. I LOVED this book to pieces! Please, please let there be a number two!!!! I want more Gryphon and Zo!
Nameless has a permanent space on my 2015 Favorites Shelf.

With a forbidden love trope, the slow building chemistry between Zo and Gryphon was perfection, no insta-love, which left me cheering for them until the very last page. Nameless’s cast of characters grew on me quickly, especially little Joshua. His heart was bigger than the beastly men manning the gates. As a reader, I was quickly pulled into the harsh world Jenkins created.

Zo takes on a mission that could be her last. The Allies desperately needed information that only she could provide, if they hoped to defeat the most powerful military force in the region: Ram’s Gate. Gabe, Zo’s guard tried everything to convince her to back out of the mission. He’d done so much for her and her eight-year-old sister, Tess, since they’d journeyed from the Valley of Wolves to live with Commander Laden and the Allies. Commander Laden told her she needed to look desperate if she wanted the Ram to believe her story, her lie. She’d do anything for the Cause.

“Look after Tess. Tell her I’m doing this for her. Tell her I’m doing it for our parents.”

Inside the wall, there was hundreds of acres of farmlands, mountainous forests, and enough homes to house thousands of Ram and the slaves they called “Nameless.” Zo had a goal, but it’s jeopardized as she finds her younger sister appears and is captured too. Not only did she have the burden of the mission, she had to protect her sister who followed her unknowingly. Zo’s savior was her quick thinking, telling the Ram she was a third generation healer. Zo is given a chance to prove her abilities by healing a young boy, Joshua. The Ram, notoriously known for their brutality and unwavering rules, is very unlike the other clans. Zo learned from her mom, you had to love to heal. She couldn’t see herself loving a young Ram any more than an adult Ram, but she had to try for her sister’s sake and safety. They were all horrible. But, over time, Zo grew a fondness for the young boy.

Gryphon had grown to care for Joshua like a father since the boy’s father had died before he was born, and Gryphon understood what it was like not to have a man around growing up. Gryphon had his own demons to battle, but proved his worth and given the honor of “Striker” which was given to someone with more experience. Second-In-Command. “It was a dangerous gift.” Gryphon wasn’t like his clansmen. He has a heart and perhaps it’ll be his downfall, but he has a conscience, and that I liked vs the hardcore ruthless jerk.

Rumors spilled that the Raven clan had stockpiles of grain hidden somewhere in the mountain range. Food the Ram needed if their crops didn’t produce higher yields than the last. Gryphon realized Zo saved Joshua with her healing and Joshua grew fond of Zo despite being a Ram, and it forbidden. She’s a nameless, a nobody—the very essence of slave in their eyes. Gryphon took liberties that were against the rules, but his heart won out, and feelings developed for Zo.

Dangers present themselves in various ways, such as the creepy Gate Keeper, prohibited feelings, and much more. In this harsh, cruel society, Zo, Gryphon, Tess, Joshua, and others work together undetected to regain their freedom. Everything about this book was perfection. I really liked all the characters and how Jenkins wove their stories into one beautiful compilation. With plenty of action, romantic elements and emotional attachments to the characters, I simply didn’t want this book to end. I was seriously yearning for more, and I really, really, really want to know what’s to become of Gryphon, Zo, Joshua, Tess and the others.