Author: Alex London
Publication Date: June 18 2013
Publisher: Speak
Format: Trade Paperback
Price: ₱419 (Philippines) - $8.99 (Amazon)
Plot Synopsis:
Knox was born into one of the City's wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.
Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own.
Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid..
The Review
I was initially uninterested in reading this even though Alex London's book signing's gonna happen this August 30th but when I read the first chapter, I knew I was hooked! This is one of the first novels I have read that I couldn't put down since Four! The concept was very awesome and interesting and I instantly knew that there was no way I was going to put this down once I read it in full!
Here was my first impression of the book:
Seriously, Biotech shiz-whiz fed into your bloodstream to remove diseases, Syntholene drugs, and EpiCure pills! Finally, pills that give you all the necessary nutrients and leaves you fit and healthy without even chewing!
I initially got intimidated by the amount of technology and terms in the first few pages alone, but I devoured the chapters (Which is beginning to sound more and more cliché) after the first one like they were spaghetti!
This is a really futuristic and dystopian book. I mean, the Patrons (Which I'll explain later) have zoos filled with "extinct" animals like penguins and polars bears. (Relatively speaking) And everyone has actual, computer-like data infused into their bloodstreams!
I'm pretty intrigues by their concept of "Free market", which is basically this;
The rich guys called "Patrons" who can afford it can have this kind of exchange program with a lower city kid called a "Proxy", the Patron pays for the Proxy's debts like his/her 18-year debt for going to school and such, and in return, if the Patron commits a crime like felony, his/her Proxy must endure the punishment in his/her place. A free market.
Like when Knox Brindle gets into a car accident and kills someone and his Proxy, Sydney Carton, must take his place for sixteen years of extremely hard labor--when he's almost out of his eighteen-year debt from school. From being free of debt and of being free.
“A life for a life. All debts have to be repaid.”
The Main character, Sydney Carton, is from the Valve, but he's a sweet guy who works hard to pay off his debts and he also hates his Patron for all the punishment he received for his shenanigans. What a douche.
And Knox. He's the you-can't-but-love-him kinda guy. A big, smooth charmer who'll run his mouth even when in the face of death.
The characters all-in-all were dynamic to the very last pages, like how Knox became less of a douchebag at the end, but still the charmster.
The "romantic" parts weren't all that cliché, which was refreshing for me and I think it will be too to you!
The ending--Ugh! The ending! I'm not known for my emotional reactions but after I read the last page, I just sat down, put the book down and just stared at the wall for, like, five minutes. It kinda left me feeling empty, like when I finished Into The Still Blue, like "What do I do now?",
It was perfect! It kinda gives you a sense of closure yet it also gives us a somewhat cliffhanger ending of sorts that's so damn perfect that it could've been a stand-alone book!
I don't know what Alex London's gonna do in Guardian--if it'll be a sequel or a prequel--but one thing is certain; my expectations for the next book is high!
“I believe you, Knox . . . And I don't care...Got it? I believe you're sorry. I. Don't. Care. I don't want your sorry. Live with your guilt. It's the one debt you owe me and I don't ever, ever want it repaid.”
My Rating:
4 out of 5 Fallen stars
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