I honestly can’t remember why this book came up or why I chose to read it but I am glad I did. It was a dastardly dark little tale which I could really sink my teeth into.
The simply titled Hit is about a teenage girl who gets recruited (by threat of death to her mother) to become an assassin for the bank. In this twisted dystopian fantasy debt collectors become killers in order not to be killed themselves. People who refuse to immediately pay up have two options – become a killer themselves or immediately get shot to death. HARSH. So I was struck by the grotesque humor of such a situation even though this book is not funny.
Basically our heroine, who is written beautifully, has decided to be an assassin and is given a disguise, a truck, a rouse, several arms, and several days to take out ten people. In this process she learns in only the most awful ways about herself, her past, the people in her life, and just how fucked up the adult world can be.
Somewhere along the way she picks up a potential boyfriend who she may or may not have to kill and they spend several tense days and nights trying to predict each other’s actions which adds for a lovely extra layer of drama. Still this burgeoning potential romance doesn’t get into any iffy territory which is great considering the age of the characters. And even though it’s super dark it remains lighthearted enough to keep me wanting to read more. I feel for this girl and her plight!
The mysteries deepen, the plot lines start to collide, and just when you think there’s no where else to go there’s this masterfully done ending that leaves it open for a sequel. I really enjoyed this book. It was adventurous and critical with just the right amount of angst. Well done!