When the man who raised and trained him warns him that secret government forces are trying to eliminate all surviving members of the Orphan Program, Evan Smoak is challenged to track down and protect his teacher's last protege from a brutal new Programleader.
"Taken from a group home at age twelve, Evan Smoak was raised and trained as an off-the-books government assassin: Orphan X. After he broke with the Orphan Program, Evan disappeared and reinvented himself as the Nowhere Man, a man spoken about only in whispers, reachable only at a secret phone number passed around by those in need, and dedicated to helping the truly desperate. But this time, the desperate voice on the other end is Jack Johns, the man who raised and trained him, the only father Evan has ever known. Secret government forces are busy trying to scrub the remaining assets and traces of the Orphan Program and they have finally tracked down Jack. With little time remaining, Jack gives Evan his last assignment: find and protect his last protégé and recruit for the program. But Evan isn't the only one after this last Orphan--the new head of the Orphan Program, Van Sciver, is mustering all the assets at his disposal to take out both Evan (Orphan X) and the target he is trying to protect." --
4.5★⎮Other than the first installment, Hellbent was my favorite book in the series. I was skeptical going into it because the previous installment was a bit of a letdown. But Hurwitz bounced back, all thanks to the inclusion of a new character named Joey. It's not surprising that Joey's introduction was such a hit with me, given how much I loved Evans relationship with Peter, a young boy and his condo complex.
Joey is a teenage girl Evan takes under his wing. He becomes a father figure to her, albeit reluctantly. Their dynamic was pure gold, providing comic relief at times and pulling on my heartstrings at others. It was funny to see how Joey could beat Evan at his own game, using her tech skills. That drove the point home that they needed each other, each possessing skills that the other lacked. There's certainly a generational lesson to be learned there.
There was something so heartwarming about Evan becoming a reluctant parent. He's only ever had one family member and has spent his life trying not to get close to anyone, and then here comes this teenage girl. I'm sure raising a teenager is difficult enough, without all of Evan's professional oddities to consider.
Joey was a fantastic character. She was written exceedingly well. Like an adult, but you know, younger. Which is exactly what teenagers are. She wasn't whiny or petulant. She certainly wasn't bratty. I've thrown a lot of complaints at teenage characters before, but none of them could stick to Joey. I became attached to her really quickly, almost as quickly as I became attached to Evan in the first book. Hurwitz develops his characters beautifully.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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11 May, 2019:
Finished reading
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11 May, 2019:
Reviewed