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June 10, 2014 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Guardian by Alex London

June 10, 2014 by Karen Jensen, MLS   12 comments

In the new world led by the Rebooters, former Proxy Syd is the figurehead of the Revolution, beloved by some and hated by others. Liam, a seventeen-year-old Rebooter, is Syd’s bodyguard and must protect him with his life. But armed Machinists aren’t the only danger.

People are falling ill—their veins show through their skin, they find it hard to speak, and sores erupt all over their bodies. Guardians, the violent enforcers of the old system, are hit first, and the government does nothing to help. The old elites fall next, and in the face of an indifferent government, Syd decides it’s up to him to find a cure . . . and what he discovers leaves him stunned. All that he and Knox worked for hangs in the balance, and can he and his friends figure out how to help everyone- even though everyone is against them?

 The second in a duet, Guardian is the brilliant conclusion to Proxy, and tells the story of Syd and what happens after the Network fell. Knox sacrificed himself in the Network in order to take everything down and rebuild the world, and to give Syd a life. Now Syd is the messiah of the Revolution, yet no more than a prop. Give a speech here, give a speech there; nothing is what it is supposed to be. And now things are worse:  literally, everyone’s blood is turning against them because the datastream in everyone’s blood is turning corrupt and killing people from the inside out, starting from the Guardians who had the most access and working the way down. Meanwhile the Rebooters are turning more and more violent, and the Council heads seem to have their own agenda, none of which seems to be working with the stated goals of the Revolution. When things fall apart, Syd and Liam must run to the City and find allies in unlikely places in order to save the world once more- and possibly save each other as well.

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As much an action adventure bromance as Proxy, Guardian delves deeper into more thinking issues and what happens when the sacrifices aren’t worth the promise. What can you do to fix things, how far will you go? How much will you deny yourself love and a future for the sake of atonement for the past? How far does debt go? Not one of the characters is exempt from the action and heartbreak, and that is a wonderful thing for readers. Still ever-present is the widely diverse cast, and the discussion of race, class, and now retribution among the Rebooters, including playing God with respect to whom to save and whom to let die, all extremely relevant topics today.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those loving action/adventure and dystopias. Could definitely pair on a level with the Hunger Games and Divergent series, especially with the machinations and turns within the “governments” and “players.”


My feels when finishing the book:
http://replygif.net/thumbnail/700.gif


My one problem with the book is that now I want Liam’s story, and Alex says that it’s a duet. *sigh* Maybe I can convince him to just tell me in secret….

KAREN is giving away her SIGNED ARC of Guardian (and an unsigned hardback copy of Proxy)! To win, put your email or twitter handle in the comments, along with your favorite dystopia author so far and why. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents. Leave a comment by Sunday, June 14th to be entered.

Filed under: Alex London, Book Reviews, Guardian

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About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bev says

    June 10, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    Twitter= imaginemischief

    My favorite dystopian author so far has to be Patrick Ness. I haven't finished reading all of the Chaos Walking books, because the first two were so intense. However, the ones I've read contain so much raw emotion and powerful characters without sacrificing plot or leading to convoluted ideas like some of the other dystopian authors I've encountered.

  2. Killian says

    June 11, 2014 at 4:44 am

    email: talesfromtheteenzone@gmail.com
    twitter: ksheawes

    I hate the “pick a favorite” game – I'm so bad at it! I'm a HUGE fan of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, but if I'm looking at YA dystopian authors, I would have to say Marissa Meyer for Cinder/Scarlet/Cress – I love the combination of fairytale retelling with a futuristic dystopia. It's hard to go wrong when two of my favorite genres are combined.

  3. Joanna says

    June 11, 2014 at 4:53 am

    Moira Young's Blood Red Road is one of my favorite dystopians. I thinks its setting is wonderful, the Dustlands. There's not too many western-like books out. The dialogue and the way it's written makes for an unique and fun read. Plus, the story is action-packed (WORMS) with great supporting characters. It's A-MUST-READ in my book! 😉
    alazydaisy [at] yahoo [dot] com

  4. Ember says

    June 11, 2014 at 12:21 pm

    email: rainbowlol13@yahoo.com (Pardon my email address from 13-year-old me. I regret everything I promise.)

    Picking a favorite anything is really difficult for me. There's good and bad to every book and series I've read. But, other than Proxy and Alex London— one of the best books I've read this year and one of the nicest authors I've ever met— and other than The Maze Runner series and James Dashner— my favorite book series because of the friends I've made through it— I'd have to say Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam Trilogy(which is dystopian/post-apocalyptic). The world she builds is amazingly complex, and the characters are similarly well-developed and it's just… amazing. It's the kind of story that sticks in your head for a long time.

  5. Ashley Jellison says

    June 11, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    Email: pinto.lover.2@hotmail.com
    Twitter: @ashjellison

    My favorite dystopian author is James Dashner. He is original and the books are so amazing. I cried at the end, but I loved the end. Everything made sense and his style is phenomenal. Also, the whole book doesn't revolve around a love story. Yeah, there might be a tiny bit in there, but it's not to the point of an entire chapter is two characters making out. Thank you, Mr. Dashner. Last, he's just so nice. I've met him and he was great. Alex London is so high up, though, because he has much of the same applying to him!

  6. Mallory Alcala says

    June 11, 2014 at 3:05 pm

    I'm a huge fan of London and Proxy is waaaayyy up there on my list of favorite dystopias. Having now read Guardian (and I agree with you, I was all 'I want to know your story Liam!!!') I'm excited to see if he will continue to write books in this genre.
    Proxy was recommended to me by a group of book bloggers who are also huge fans of Marie Lu's Legend series… This is absolutely one of my all time favorite books (not just dystopian) the world building is phenomenal and she literally pulls the 'dystopia' right out if the news… I love when an author makes me think like that!

  7. Mallory Alcala says

    June 11, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    Twitter @malalcalaS

  8. Sadie says

    June 11, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    squirrelmaid13@yahoo.com

  9. Sadie says

    June 11, 2014 at 3:27 pm

    At this point my favorite dystopian author is probably London; I really appreciate the minority representation he takes care to showcase in his books!

  10. Erica Thompson says

    June 12, 2014 at 2:42 pm

    ekthomp2@illinois.edu

    Right now Mindy McGinnis is my favorite dystopian author. Not a Drop to Drink was one of the best books I read this year and I am not so patiently waiting for the release of In a Handful of Dust. McGinnis crafted such believable and relate-able characters in Not a Drop to Drink.

  11. Liviania says

    June 15, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    inbedwithbooks AT yahoo DOT com

    (I'm not sure if commenting today counts or if I'm too late, but I'll go for it anyway.)

    My favorite dystopian author is probably Steven dos Santos. I've really enjoyed the Torch Keeper books so far, although I can only read them when I am in a good place to handle the intensity.

  12. Lezbrarian says

    June 19, 2014 at 3:27 pm

    Twitter handle is @lez_brarian

    I think my favorite dystopian book will always be The Giver by Lois Lowry, maybe because it was unlike anything I'd ever read before. But as for authors, Alex London is probably at the top of my list at the moment, tied with Veronica Roth. And Margaret Atwood. There are TOO MANY GOOD ONES!!!

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