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cassie_in_the_void's review against another edition
4.0
Okay so I read Proxy a year or two ago and I really liked it. I have had this book with me for a while but I only just got around to reading it. The first book was really good and the sequel was not a disappointment.
Guardian doesn't pick up directly after Proxy, instead it starts a few months after the events of Proxy and throughout the book it fills in the blanks of what happened in those few months that created the current form of government. The government that was created and the peoples reactions to it felt very true to how humans react to things for me. The need for some people to want to get revenge was an important aspect in how the society was now run and it was portrayed in a way that was very true to human nature.
I loved how it showed that the aftermath of the revolution and destruction of the society wasn't clean and orderly.
I felt that Syd's struggle to figure out what he was supposed to do next fit well, considering that he's a 17 year old that just became an symbol of change it wouldn't have made sense if he had all his thoughts together. I also liked how Knox's death was never brushed off by the main characters, they knew how important his actions were and they wanted him to be remembered.
Liam's character was an interesting add to the mix. I think he fit well with Syd and seeing the progression of that relationship was a nice sort of side story that didn't take anything away from the plot. It just added a good depth to the characters. Liam's remorse for what he did and his desire to change made his development more apparent.
Cousin confused me. He was just a force of chaos. He was insane. He was like the horror movie villain that kills just to kill and never dies. I kinda liked him. In a twisted way.
Marie kicked ass and was kinda sassy and just wanted to save people but still wanted to stick with her values. And I can respect that. I liked her.
Overall it was a very good book and if you liked Proxy then I believe it is worth it to read Guardian and find out what happens next.
Guardian doesn't pick up directly after Proxy, instead it starts a few months after the events of Proxy and throughout the book it fills in the blanks of what happened in those few months that created the current form of government. The government that was created and the peoples reactions to it felt very true to how humans react to things for me. The need for some people to want to get revenge was an important aspect in how the society was now run and it was portrayed in a way that was very true to human nature.
I loved how it showed that the aftermath of the revolution and destruction of the society wasn't clean and orderly.
I felt that Syd's struggle to figure out what he was supposed to do next fit well, considering that he's a 17 year old that just became an symbol of change it wouldn't have made sense if he had all his thoughts together. I also liked how Knox's death was never brushed off by the main characters, they knew how important his actions were and they wanted him to be remembered.
Liam's character was an interesting add to the mix. I think he fit well with Syd and seeing the progression of that relationship was a nice sort of side story that didn't take anything away from the plot. It just added a good depth to the characters. Liam's remorse for what he did and his desire to change made his development more apparent.
Cousin confused me. He was just a force of chaos. He was insane. He was like the horror movie villain that kills just to kill and never dies. I kinda liked him. In a twisted way.
Marie kicked ass and was kinda sassy and just wanted to save people but still wanted to stick with her values. And I can respect that. I liked her.
Spoiler
The whole comparison to the disease the people had and withdrawal didn't truly hit me until the end where you found out only some people died from it. When it did hit me, it was amazing. Even though it was mentioned much earlier in the book it still took me a while to be like "oh yeah, some people die during withdrawal but some people don't and this is exactly like withdrawal". I was concerned about how the story would wrap up in only a few pages but then the realization struck and everything made sense.Overall it was a very good book and if you liked Proxy then I believe it is worth it to read Guardian and find out what happens next.
jenergizer's review against another edition
4.0
So fast. Still good. Too bad there aren't any more, but that's how it goes! A fun couple of books when you need something to pass the time (and are into dystopian novels),
nina378's review against another edition
4.0
Ok so this book was pretty good. I really enjoyed all of the characters. They were all really unique and I loved seeing all of their different motivators and how that affected their actions. I also loved the little relationship in this and I ship it so hard! As far as the plot goes I think it was pretty good. I just think there were too many deaths for my taste. Like I get that it's a dystopian, and people are going to die, but it just hit my really hard and weirdly enough I found it kind of hard to deal with just the sheer amount of deaths. I think it also just bugged me because of how the first one ending and knowing that that was all for nothing. I also found one plot hole that just wouldn't stop bugging me. This may sound really negative but I actually did still enjoy this book. It was just as fast paced as the first one and I loved seeing the characters grow. I would still recommend reading it if you read the first one.
beerandskittles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
pineconejam's review against another edition
3.0
"Some must die
So others can live."
I've never even thought of picking up this duology until a friend dropped it onto my hands. And I must say, I do not regret flipping through these pages.
The sequel to Proxy where Syd once brought down the networks with his friend Knox, thinks he might've done the wrong thing. The world is divided into two. The proxies who now join the Reconciliation, and the patrons who hide and call themselves the Machinists. In a world where everyone's blood is programmed, what will become of those who are far into the system? In Guardian, we follow the story of Syd as Yovel, or the Jubilee, and his bodyguard Liam. The Reconciliation is the new future. But when a disease arises and people go down one by one, will this new future be what they hoped for?
Honestly thought it was a bit slow at first but I came to like it after a while. Liam will never replace Knox, sadly, but he's an even sweeter gentleman. The death count is pretty high in this book which startled me. Although I didn't connect with the characters that much that their death didn't even bothered me. All in all, it was a good read.
"It's your future. Choose."
So others can live."
I've never even thought of picking up this duology until a friend dropped it onto my hands. And I must say, I do not regret flipping through these pages.
The sequel to Proxy where Syd once brought down the networks with his friend Knox, thinks he might've done the wrong thing. The world is divided into two. The proxies who now join the Reconciliation, and the patrons who hide and call themselves the Machinists. In a world where everyone's blood is programmed, what will become of those who are far into the system? In Guardian, we follow the story of Syd as Yovel, or the Jubilee, and his bodyguard Liam. The Reconciliation is the new future. But when a disease arises and people go down one by one, will this new future be what they hoped for?
Honestly thought it was a bit slow at first but I came to like it after a while. Liam will never replace Knox, sadly, but he's an even sweeter gentleman. The death count is pretty high in this book which startled me. Although I didn't connect with the characters that much that their death didn't even bothered me. All in all, it was a good read.
"It's your future. Choose."
catsandcamera's review
4.0
I can't really say much about this book without spoiling Proxy, but what I can say is that this is a great continuation and conclusion to the story started in Proxy.
The new character Liam gets a lot of time to develop and become just as important as established ones.
The way the politics and power struggles played out was wonderful, and the ending had just the right mix of hopeful and hopeless, a perfect balance. 'and they all lived happily ever after' has never worked for me - especially in dystopias or books about really big changes in how society is run. Leaving a hint of doubt or giving a slightly open ended resolution is definitely the right way to conclude, and Guardian did just that.
The new character Liam gets a lot of time to develop and become just as important as established ones.
The way the politics and power struggles played out was wonderful, and the ending had just the right mix of hopeful and hopeless, a perfect balance. 'and they all lived happily ever after' has never worked for me - especially in dystopias or books about really big changes in how society is run. Leaving a hint of doubt or giving a slightly open ended resolution is definitely the right way to conclude, and Guardian did just that.
jennifrencham's review against another edition
4.0
This book is very similar to [b:Mockingjay|7260188|Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)|Suzanne Collins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358275419s/7260188.jpg|8812783] or [b:Allegiant|18710190|Allegiant (Divergent, #3)|Veronica Roth|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395582745s/18710190.jpg|15524549]. London conveniently skips the irritating 2nd book trope of a story that exists to bridge the gap between the interesting first book and the concluding book. This book focuses on the rebellion and restructuring of society that happened after [b:Proxy|16101023|Proxy (Proxy, #1)|Alex London|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391051757s/16101023.jpg|19075979]. Things are turned on their heads. And then turned again. It's a good book, and much better than I expected a second book to be.
jacobmccabe's review against another edition
4.0
Finito.
I'm not sure if I like Guardian as much as Proxy because Proxy was much more action-packed, which this author was very good at. Guardian was much slower and almost a completely different book than Proxy, while it was still REALLY good at the same time. Great characters, great plot, great message. The ending was bit too ambiguous for me so I hope there's a 3rd book to smooth all the loose ends I felt really ought to have been addressed by the end (or at least embellished). Also, the main romance in Guardian was a bit too forced (at least on Liam's side in the first half of the book, in my opinion), so that bothered me at some points.
THIS (current) DUOLOGY IS SO GOOD. READ IT.
I'm not sure if I like Guardian as much as Proxy because Proxy was much more action-packed, which this author was very good at. Guardian was much slower and almost a completely different book than Proxy, while it was still REALLY good at the same time. Great characters, great plot, great message. The ending was bit too ambiguous for me so I hope there's a 3rd book to smooth all the loose ends I felt really ought to have been addressed by the end (or at least embellished). Also, the main romance in Guardian was a bit too forced (at least on Liam's side in the first half of the book, in my opinion), so that bothered me at some points.
THIS (current) DUOLOGY IS SO GOOD. READ IT.
bibliorow's review against another edition
4.0
I first read Proxy years ago, when I was assigned it for a college class, and I’ve always wanted to read the sequel, but I just never got around to it until now. I didn’t reread Proxy ahead of this, so my memories of what happened in the first book aren’t all super clear, but I felt like I remembered enough of what happened to comfortably read this book. I loved this book far more than the first one, and the only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is because I feel like I do need to reread Proxy and this one right after to connect some things I was missing. I really enjoyed this dystopian world of what happens when a futuristic capitalist society collapses, what happens when absolute power corrupts absolutely, and I really loved Liam and Syd’s relationship. I loved Liam’s unwavering devotion to Syd. But what I loved most of all was the writing, and it makes me eager to read more of Alex London’s books faster. I’ve had Black Wings Beating on my list for a while now, but now I feel motivated to move it up a little higher. There was something about this that I just really was invested in, and now I want to reread Proxy to see if I’ll bump my rating up to 5 stars.