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greywuren's review
5.0
5/5 STARS THAT WAS FUCKING FANTASTIC
Okay, wow. this book.
Going into it, I knew it was dystopian. But this world was so much MORE than I was expecting. It was so complicated, yet so relatable to issues we face today. Social inequality, consumerism, social privilege and injustice were the main focus and main issues of this world and they were touched on so realistically that it actually scared you as a reader, because it's written as if it could be real.
Going off the realistic world, each characters opinions and reactions to world were equally as realistic. Knox's arrogance, selfishness and indifference to what happens to those less fortunate than him was so real and in complete contrast to Marie's personal moral duty to change things because of her guilt to being born privileged. Both ends of the spectrum were there and portrayed so realistically that you wanted to hate them both, but boy did they develop beautifully. Up until the middle I was afraid they wouldn't but they finally did and it was a wonderfully journey.
I absolutely loved the metaphors in this book; debt being the biggest. Syd going from having to repay his debts by sacrificing his life, his choices to him being the one who others sacrificed FOR was so beautiful and his internal struggle with it so realistic. Marie was the most badass female character I have read about. I love her to fucking death. Seeing Syd and Knox's friendship grow into something so profound was so amazing and so heartbreaking at the same time. I'm so utterly in awe of this book, this world and these characters. So many layers to all of them and it's so wonderful.
****SPOILERS****
______________________
I just. I can't get over the ending? I hated Knox at first, then i sympathized with him, then I fell in love with him, and then I cried and a bit of my soul died because of him. I can't believe it, I can't believe he's gone and it hurts so much because the reason he did is so... So profound? Especially for his character. As someone who never cared for anyone but himself, who was only doing things for attention, even running away with Syd was for attention. Then, he sacrifices himself for Syd. He takes Syd's debt and punishes himself for all the years that Syd took his. It's so beautiful, it's so heartbreaking and I hate myself. And seeing his Dad crying for him, seeing him finally get the attention he craved was even worse and even more soul crushing??? I HATE THIS WHY DID IT END THIS WAY
I'm so sad
I'm just gonna pretend it never happened and that Knox and Syd and Marie all lived happily ever after in the desert loving each other and being wonderful little shits okay? Okay.
IDK HOW IM GONNA READ THE NEXT BOOK IF KNOX ISNT IN IT I MISS HIM SO MUCH ALREADY
Okay, wow. this book.
Going into it, I knew it was dystopian. But this world was so much MORE than I was expecting. It was so complicated, yet so relatable to issues we face today. Social inequality, consumerism, social privilege and injustice were the main focus and main issues of this world and they were touched on so realistically that it actually scared you as a reader, because it's written as if it could be real.
Going off the realistic world, each characters opinions and reactions to world were equally as realistic. Knox's arrogance, selfishness and indifference to what happens to those less fortunate than him was so real and in complete contrast to Marie's personal moral duty to change things because of her guilt to being born privileged. Both ends of the spectrum were there and portrayed so realistically that you wanted to hate them both, but boy did they develop beautifully. Up until the middle I was afraid they wouldn't but they finally did and it was a wonderfully journey.
I absolutely loved the metaphors in this book; debt being the biggest. Syd going from having to repay his debts by sacrificing his life, his choices to him being the one who others sacrificed FOR was so beautiful and his internal struggle with it so realistic. Marie was the most badass female character I have read about. I love her to fucking death. Seeing Syd and Knox's friendship grow into something so profound was so amazing and so heartbreaking at the same time. I'm so utterly in awe of this book, this world and these characters. So many layers to all of them and it's so wonderful.
****SPOILERS****
______________________
I just. I can't get over the ending? I hated Knox at first, then i sympathized with him, then I fell in love with him, and then I cried and a bit of my soul died because of him. I can't believe it, I can't believe he's gone and it hurts so much because the reason he did is so... So profound? Especially for his character. As someone who never cared for anyone but himself, who was only doing things for attention, even running away with Syd was for attention. Then, he sacrifices himself for Syd. He takes Syd's debt and punishes himself for all the years that Syd took his. It's so beautiful, it's so heartbreaking and I hate myself. And seeing his Dad crying for him, seeing him finally get the attention he craved was even worse and even more soul crushing??? I HATE THIS WHY DID IT END THIS WAY
I'm so sad
I'm just gonna pretend it never happened and that Knox and Syd and Marie all lived happily ever after in the desert loving each other and being wonderful little shits okay? Okay.
IDK HOW IM GONNA READ THE NEXT BOOK IF KNOX ISNT IN IT I MISS HIM SO MUCH ALREADY
aoosterwyk's review
5.0
The Whipping Boy meets Feed meets The Hunger Games in this fast-paced dystopian fiction. The society of the future is based on commerce and technology, with the very rich living the "lux" life at the expense of the desperately poor. Wealthy children are raised by nanny bots and have proxies to endure punishments that they themselves have earned.
This story shows a future where tech is implanted in humans and identities can be altered by slapping on a patch. Hackers carry their tech with them and work on the fly to gain access or alter evidence.
This story kept me wide-eyed and breathless as I waited for the next surprise twist in the plot. They kept coming.
The characters are dynamic and the interactions between them felt real. The overarching theme of debt and repayment timely and relevant today, with extreme excess and poverty existing side by side.
I liked everything about this book and even though it works as a stand alone, I look forward to the next.
This story shows a future where tech is implanted in humans and identities can be altered by slapping on a patch. Hackers carry their tech with them and work on the fly to gain access or alter evidence.
This story kept me wide-eyed and breathless as I waited for the next surprise twist in the plot. They kept coming.
The characters are dynamic and the interactions between them felt real. The overarching theme of debt and repayment timely and relevant today, with extreme excess and poverty existing side by side.
I liked everything about this book and even though it works as a stand alone, I look forward to the next.
reuben_surrender's review
5.0
As an action science fiction, it's a great read - it's fast, it's light, the ideas are interesting. It's not very deep philosophically when compared to other great science fiction writers
wannabekingpin's review
3.0
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: In this world you can be born with a debt. And it can grow deeper by decades if you need something basic, essential, and can’t afford it. The debts are paid by suffering for crimes, discrepancies, rebellions the patrons who bought the debt have committed, things you didn’t do. Needless to say, there’s varied levels to the suffering, and so people in the lowest casts have turned to hope, and legends. One in particular speaks of a rogue code, engineered to erase all the debt. And that one day it’ll spread through the system…
My Opinion: Poorly written characters break otherwise good stories. In this case it is not much of either. Characters are shallow and are easily traced in their trope or type, where nothing unexpected happens, where their decisions are basic, and require no basis for it. This leads to events that merely fill the gaps between steps in the story, and more often than not – add nothing to it. No character growth, development, no substance in the story. The only thing that was good were the jokes.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: In this world you can be born with a debt. And it can grow deeper by decades if you need something basic, essential, and can’t afford it. The debts are paid by suffering for crimes, discrepancies, rebellions the patrons who bought the debt have committed, things you didn’t do. Needless to say, there’s varied levels to the suffering, and so people in the lowest casts have turned to hope, and legends. One in particular speaks of a rogue code, engineered to erase all the debt. And that one day it’ll spread through the system…
My Opinion: Poorly written characters break otherwise good stories. In this case it is not much of either. Characters are shallow and are easily traced in their trope or type, where nothing unexpected happens, where their decisions are basic, and require no basis for it. This leads to events that merely fill the gaps between steps in the story, and more often than not – add nothing to it. No character growth, development, no substance in the story. The only thing that was good were the jokes.
mikaiten's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, and was pleased to see a protagonist that wasn't the sterotypical heteronormative male lead. Syd definitely isn't a stereotype, and I thought it rather apropos that I picked this book up during Pride Week.
I loved the fast pace of this book and the diverse characters. I can't wait to see where things go from here.
I loved the fast pace of this book and the diverse characters. I can't wait to see where things go from here.
thedistortedbliss's review
4.0
First off this was a GoodReads win :)
Thank you!
Also this was an Advance Uncorrected Galley
Thank you as well to the author for giving me the opportunity to read it!
This book was really good! I was hesitant because I am into mythical creatures and blah blah blah! but shockingly I really liked this book!
I was a little bit confused in the beginning, I wish the author explained the beginning alittle better. I guess I am just slow on how everything worked. Like the datastream or all the weird stuff they could do to their bodies with just a patch. Other then that the plot was great!
The characters were good!
I love Syd!
Knox..dude, I just don't know what to think!
The ending.. Tears! I was in shock and tears and WHY!
There is going to be a second book but I am so scared to read it without
that certain person being in it :(
Also, I have to wait till 2014 >,< AH! sucky!!
It will be forever till I know what happens!
Good book!! Definitely will tell people about it ^.^
Thank you!
Also this was an Advance Uncorrected Galley
Thank you as well to the author for giving me the opportunity to read it!
This book was really good! I was hesitant because I am into mythical creatures and blah blah blah! but shockingly I really liked this book!
I was a little bit confused in the beginning, I wish the author explained the beginning alittle better. I guess I am just slow on how everything worked. Like the datastream or all the weird stuff they could do to their bodies with just a patch. Other then that the plot was great!
The characters were good!
I love Syd!
Knox..dude, I just don't know what to think!
The ending.. Tears! I was in shock and tears and WHY!
There is going to be a second book but I am so scared to read it without
that certain person being in it :(
Also, I have to wait till 2014 >,< AH! sucky!!
It will be forever till I know what happens!
Good book!! Definitely will tell people about it ^.^
blueloris's review
3.0
Ok, so on the one hand, I read this very fast and definitely was interested to see where it was going. However, the farther along I got, the less interested I was.
Proxy is yet another take on the "this is the future and it sucks" theme so prevalent right now. In a nutshell, there's only the very rich and the very poor, so rich "patrons" hire "proxies" to take their punishments for them; in this way proxies can then pay off part of the debt that virtually every poor person is burdened with.
Which brings me to our teen hero, Syd. He's been under contract to his patron, Knox, since they were kids, and unfortunately Knox is a jerk who gets in trouble all the time which leads to copious amounts of corporal punishment for poor Syd, who nevertheless, still has years of debt to pay off. But this time Knox has gone too far, and Syd's about to be shipped off to a labor camp, but through a series of lucky escapes and coincidences, Syd and Knox end up going on the lam.
This is where the book started to lose me and I find I can't write about it without spoilers galore so.
For a world in which high tech security and data literally streams in everyone's blood, it's pretty darn easy for Knox (conveniently a skilled hacker) and Syd to continually elude their trackers. Especially after Syd has made the boneheaded move of going STRAIGHT TO HIS HOME to warn his surrogate father, Mr. Baram, that he's in trouble.
But lo, Mr. Baram has a secret! He's been helping Syd all these years because Syd is the key to the revolution that will liberate the people from debt and oppression. There's a rebel camp that Syd needs to find in order to set this revolution in motion, so he helps Syd, Knox, and a girl who's been aiding them get away. The journey to the camp is treacherous, they almost die several times, but finally, finally, they make it to the camp, where.... Mr. Baram greets them.
Um, hey Mr. Baram, how'd you get there so fast and maybe you could've brought Syd with you instead of leaving him to deal with bandits, the desert and a flash flood. And actually, while we're at it, why did you wait until special savior Syd almost died at the hands of his patron before you sent him off to do his world saving?
Anyway, plot holes aside, we come to the twist that anyone who's seen Buffy probably already guessed, and while I like the idea in theory, it doesn't have much of an emotional impact because the character development/motivation all around has been lacking.
But in some ways, the most important thing about this book isn't the world-building or the twists and turns; it's that the main character is gay. I found this extremely refreshing, especially because while there's some homophobia throughout, Syd being gay isn't the point of the book. He's the hero, he's the key to changing the world, and he also happens to be gay.
So here's hoping that he'll get a love interest in the sequel, which yes, despite my misgivings, I'll probably read.
Proxy is yet another take on the "this is the future and it sucks" theme so prevalent right now. In a nutshell, there's only the very rich and the very poor, so rich "patrons" hire "proxies" to take their punishments for them; in this way proxies can then pay off part of the debt that virtually every poor person is burdened with.
Which brings me to our teen hero, Syd. He's been under contract to his patron, Knox, since they were kids, and unfortunately Knox is a jerk who gets in trouble all the time which leads to copious amounts of corporal punishment for poor Syd, who nevertheless, still has years of debt to pay off. But this time Knox has gone too far, and Syd's about to be shipped off to a labor camp, but through a series of lucky escapes and coincidences, Syd and Knox end up going on the lam.
This is where the book started to lose me and I find I can't write about it without spoilers galore so.
Spoiler
For a world in which high tech security and data literally streams in everyone's blood, it's pretty darn easy for Knox (conveniently a skilled hacker) and Syd to continually elude their trackers. Especially after Syd has made the boneheaded move of going STRAIGHT TO HIS HOME to warn his surrogate father, Mr. Baram, that he's in trouble.
But lo, Mr. Baram has a secret! He's been helping Syd all these years because Syd is the key to the revolution that will liberate the people from debt and oppression. There's a rebel camp that Syd needs to find in order to set this revolution in motion, so he helps Syd, Knox, and a girl who's been aiding them get away. The journey to the camp is treacherous, they almost die several times, but finally, finally, they make it to the camp, where.... Mr. Baram greets them.
Um, hey Mr. Baram, how'd you get there so fast and maybe you could've brought Syd with you instead of leaving him to deal with bandits, the desert and a flash flood. And actually, while we're at it, why did you wait until special savior Syd almost died at the hands of his patron before you sent him off to do his world saving?
Anyway, plot holes aside, we come to the twist that anyone who's seen Buffy probably already guessed, and while I like the idea in theory, it doesn't have much of an emotional impact because the character development/motivation all around has been lacking.
But in some ways, the most important thing about this book isn't the world-building or the twists and turns; it's that the main character is gay. I found this extremely refreshing, especially because while there's some homophobia throughout, Syd being gay isn't the point of the book. He's the hero, he's the key to changing the world, and he also happens to be gay.
So here's hoping that he'll get a love interest in the sequel, which yes, despite my misgivings, I'll probably read.
tclaussen's review
2.0
Most of this book was very predictable, like Egan unknowingly betraying Syd and that Syd would need to die in order to send out the virus. I appreciated the end but I don't feel compelled to immediately read the sequel. I usually like shifting points of view, but it was a little disorienting in this book. Also, I don't think Knox's character was really fleshed out. He seemed mentally not there for the majority of the book. I understand that he was supposed to be shallow, but he seemed "tweaked out" for most of the book.
goosemixtapes's review against another edition
2.0
(2022 monthly goals: whichever book has been on my TBR longest)
i mean, it's... fine? it's fine. it was entertaining. the political aspect was good for a YA novel (actual discussion of debt and capitalism and taking down systems in a dystopia! a dystopia that actually has teeth!) though even that could have used a bit more nuance. my issue is that the writing style just feels so unpolished. very first-draft. the head-hopping must have been on purpose, but it drove me fucking insane (please just let me settle into a POV please please). this reads like it has all the ingredients for a great story, but like it also needs a lot more editing, and i'm not sure how much interest i have in the sequel. shoutout to syd for the gay rights though (also knox is definitely bi idc)
i mean, it's... fine? it's fine. it was entertaining. the political aspect was good for a YA novel (actual discussion of debt and capitalism and taking down systems in a dystopia! a dystopia that actually has teeth!) though even that could have used a bit more nuance
Spoiler
uhhhhhh what was that thing about the virus at the end shutting down medical patches for people who need them? we're not even gonna debate about that?leeknow's review
3.0
i finished this book over a year ago but the let down of an ending still haunts me to this day. i loved the majority of it. the concept was great and the characters were interesting. it was messy at times, but i didn’t mind it.
then we got to the ending and i have never read a book where i was so against picking up the sequel. i was more disappointed in the ending than my mother was when i was failing an art class. dying as a form of redemption is the worst trope and i am honestly worried about picking up his other books out of fear that they’ll have that same shit. he had already redeemed himself decently and was getting better! i just sighed and took the sequel of my “to read.”
then we got to the ending and i have never read a book where i was so against picking up the sequel. i was more disappointed in the ending than my mother was when i was failing an art class. dying as a form of redemption is the worst trope and i am honestly worried about picking up his other books out of fear that they’ll have that same shit. he had already redeemed himself decently and was getting better! i just sighed and took the sequel of my “to read.”