Monday, September 1, 2014

Review: Guardian by Alex London


Hi guys! Sorry for the hiatus - school became a hindrance to my REAL life. I'm so so sorry.
Before I get teary-eyed, here is my review for the sequel to Alex London's novel Proxy, Guardian!!!
And also be warned: 1) I changed my URL so as not to confound anyone 2) I will try a new format for reviewing books, and, 3) I miss Alex London so much [recap coming soon]

Details

Title: Guardian
Author: Alex London
Number of Pages: 352
Publication Date: May 29, 2014
Publisher: Philomel

Synopsis

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.

This heart-stopping thriller is packed with action, adventure, and heroics. Guardian will leave you breathless until the final page.

A fast-paced, thrill-ride of novel full of non-stop action, heart-hammering suspense and true friendship—just as moving as it is exhilarating. Fans of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series, James Dashner's Maze Runner, Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking series, and Marie Lu's Legend trilogy will be swept away by this story.


Review

Let me start off by saying that I liked Guardian more than Proxy. 

The world in which Guardian was presented was really captivating. I imagined the vines and overgrowth that devoured the crumbling buildings and establishments in Old Detroit. I imagined how the Guardians were acting. How ''it'' spread to the people, and how those people reacted. Guardian legitimately maximized the usage of the senses, and thus, the world and the culture (in that particular timeline) were vivid enough to visualize.

Another thing is the building of the characters' relationships in the story. We all knew the Syd before. But in Guardian, the readers were given a new perspective about Syd. How he managed the guilt and the pressure the ''Rebooters'' were dumping on him. Liam also showed a good construction of personality. As I went through the pages, Liam gradually and gradually exposed more of himself and then suddenly, it was as if we knew Liam from the beginning. Lastly, Marie. Marie used to be so fierce and brave and courageous. In fact, she still is. But again, Guardian introduced a different side to Marie's life. It showed how fragile she can be, especially when it comes to her loved ones. Generally, we knew more about the characters in Guardian. We knew what they went through and what they experienced.

Much like Proxy, the pacing of Guardian was perfect. It was really fast, twisting and turning at every chapter. When a problem was solved, a new and bigger one emerged. It's kind of scary, actually. 

And I also liked how dark and graphic some scenes were. The gore was subtle, yet enough to provoke attention, and I enjoyed it.

Lastly, the ending. The ending was actually mysterious, because no one knows (except Alex) how that happened. I was really satisfied though, and the feelings that I had inside me were so intense I was afraid I could tear the book apart. That's how good it was.

Rating

I give this book 5 out of 5 grenades! The world of Syd was really ensnaring and awesome I wanted to live in it and not live in it.





Author

 C. Alexander London grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. He's an author of nonfiction for grown-ups (under a slightly different not very secret name), books for teens (as Alex London...see above), and, younger readers. He once won a 12-gauge skeet-shooting tournament because no one else had signed up in his age group. He's a Master SCUBA diver who hasn't been diving in way too long, and, most excitingly, a fully licensed librarian. He used to know the Dewey Decimal System from memory.

He doesn't anymore.

While traveling as a journalist, he watched television in 23 countries (Burmese soap operas were the most confusing; Cuban news reports were the most dull), survived an erupting volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a hurricane on small island in the Caribbean, 4 civil wars (one of them was over by the time he got there, thankfully), and a mysterious bite on his little toe in the jungles of Thailand. The bite got infected and swollen and gross and gave him a deep mistrust of lizards, even though it probably wasn't a lizard that bit him.

Although he has had many adventures, he really does prefer curling up on the couch and watching some good television or reading a book. He enjoys danger and intrigue far more when it's happening to somebody else.

He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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