Proxy (Proxy #1) by Alex London

May 1, 2014     erinbook     Book review

 

Proxy (Proxy #1) by Alex London




Release Date: June 18, 2013
Publisher: Philomel
384 Pages
Received: Gift
Format: Hardcover


Rating: 

4 Stars
 
 
 
Warning: May contain spoilers
 
 
Description: 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.

Review: I’ve always thought the idea of a whipping boy, a person to takes another’s punishment, strange and yet the perfect concept for a dystopian world. It seems that Alex London agrees with me, and I am incredibly pleased with the outcome.

In a world of capitalism and high debt it’s actually not that far fetch that the world couple possibly become this way. It’s the plausible dystopians that really make you uncomfortable and make you think, this is one of those. With the rich currently able to buy themselves out of trouble, this is the next step. In the civil war, rich young men were allowed to pay for poor men to take their places in the war and escape battle, the concept of this world is very similar to that. It’s not a particularly encouraging thought. However, it does make for a more  of a  realistic than many that I’ve read since last summer.

I applaud the author for making his main character, Syd, gay. He likes boys, and that’s not a particularly huge deal in the book. I love that savior of the entire world likes dudes and that’s ok. It’s bold and even if it makes some people not want to read it, I think it’s a great step for young adult literature.

Speaking of Syd, he and Knox are great characters. Sometimes when I read dystopians I don’t connect with the characters very well. This wasn’t the case, although I don’t really care anything about Marie, the third character of the main trio. She’s annoying and drives me absolutely crazy with her zealous belief in Yovel.

Mostly, I really like the book. Sometimes certain character rub me the wrong way but the emotions I felt while reading this book were unbelievable. I cried at the end, so warning you may need tissues. I was so excited to read the sequel, but I won’t talk about that in this review.

What did you think of Proxy? Talk about it in the comments below!

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