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Guardian
(Proxy #2)
by
The pulse-pounding sequel to Proxy! Inspired by The Whipping Boy and Feed, this adrenaline-fueled thriller will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent.
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 hi ...more
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 hi ...more
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Kindle Edition, 352 pages
Published
May 29th 2014
by Philomel
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Start your review of Guardian (Proxy, #2)

[Insert internal squealing here]
I really want that to be Knox. Please let it be Knox. PLEASE. I'm hoping that it's not 'Liam' or whatever the guy mentioned in the blurb. You can never replace Knox's sassiness. ...more
I really want that to be Knox. Please let it be Knox. PLEASE. I'm hoping that it's not 'Liam' or whatever the guy mentioned in the blurb. You can never replace Knox's sassiness. ...more

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 STARS

*takes deep breath*
Story/Plot
One of the reasons why I loved Guardian was that unlike the usual dystopian series it's set after the revolution that destroys the old society.
Guardian is set a few months after Proxy,there is no longer a network and now Syd is considered by most a hero and by others a destroyer -most unaware that Knox was the one to bring down the system.
Syd is unwillingly taking part in the savior charade,we can tell from the start he feels guilty over Knox's death ...more

*takes deep breath*
Story/Plot
One of the reasons why I loved Guardian was that unlike the usual dystopian series it's set after the revolution that destroys the old society.
Guardian is set a few months after Proxy,there is no longer a network and now Syd is considered by most a hero and by others a destroyer -most unaware that Knox was the one to bring down the system.
Syd is unwillingly taking part in the savior charade,we can tell from the start he feels guilty over Knox's death ...more

4.25* When you get rid of slavery the world falls into communism.
This author is the best I ever read at writing fight scenes between people.
What a weird ending. I'm pretty sure the author meant for this to be a trilogy and then decided the open ending was ok. The difference between this and Proxy is that it was never boring throughout the story ever (unlike the desert section of Proxy). Almost all the characters were really unlikable however. It was done on purpose, but it's still a little irrit ...more
This author is the best I ever read at writing fight scenes between people.
What a weird ending. I'm pretty sure the author meant for this to be a trilogy and then decided the open ending was ok. The difference between this and Proxy is that it was never boring throughout the story ever (unlike the desert section of Proxy). Almost all the characters were really unlikable however. It was done on purpose, but it's still a little irrit ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

The second book in the Proxy trilogy had me worried. Proxy was an overthrow novel, a book about an unfair government being taken down by a ragtag band of desperate fugitives. Lots of Big Think, plus lots of chases! How do you follow that up?
Wow, though. Guardian is what happens when the oligarchs have been overthrown and the Maoists take over. Sort-of-Maoists. Let's not split hairs. Maoists. And man, you think oligarchs are fun enemies - ain't nobody you want to see get their teeth stove in like ...more
Wow, though. Guardian is what happens when the oligarchs have been overthrown and the Maoists take over. Sort-of-Maoists. Let's not split hairs. Maoists. And man, you think oligarchs are fun enemies - ain't nobody you want to see get their teeth stove in like ...more

GUARDIAN is the sequel I didn't realize I needed. Really incredible.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SHELF AWARENESS
Alex London settles scores in this stirring sequel to Proxy. In the first book, orphan Syd served as a proxy to Knox, a rich patron, accepting all the punishments for Knox's crimes since childhood. But after Knox met Syd, he aided him in a revolution and paid the price of his life for the greater good.
Knox's sacrifice has marked 17-year-old Syd as a symbol for hope--he's now Yovel, the ...more
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SHELF AWARENESS
Alex London settles scores in this stirring sequel to Proxy. In the first book, orphan Syd served as a proxy to Knox, a rich patron, accepting all the punishments for Knox's crimes since childhood. But after Knox met Syd, he aided him in a revolution and paid the price of his life for the greater good.
Knox's sacrifice has marked 17-year-old Syd as a symbol for hope--he's now Yovel, the ...more

Jan 18, 2017
Connor
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
lgbt,
young-adult-science-fiction
[3.5 Stars] I think I agree with most of the reviews I've read that I liked the first book a tad better than this one, but I still liked it. I think the story really progressed organically, and everything that happened made sense in terms of the world and the characters' motivations. At times I could find the omniscient POV pushing me out of the story. We would get "X" character's feelings about something, and then in the next sentence it switches to "Y" character's thoughts on the matter. The t
...more

I liked this one soooo much more then book one. Holy shit did I not expect that. We still have three conflicting goals from the people we are following which is sometimes a pain because you feel most for one and therefore can resent the others. But they were authentic and well thought out and all around good storytelling. Add to that I actually shipped this romance and for sure preferred this kind of trajectory for humanity it’s seriously the better of the two books in this world. I’d recommend
...more

If Proxy felt like the progeny of Uglies and Legend, Guardian feels like the lovechild of The Maze Runner by James Dashner and Feed by Mira Grant. Now that former Proxy Syd has overthrown the old government with the help of his friends, he must deal with the Revolution, a new way of life led by Rebooters who want to use Syd as the face of their uprising. While battles erupt between revolutionaries and those who advocate for the old system, a disease starts to infect everyone, making their veins
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

May 29, 2014
Jesse
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
most-precious-of-all-preciouses
Yes. Just yes.
Note: I will hide spoilers pertaining to this particular book in this review, however it is impossible to discuss Guardian without mentioning some spoilers from Proxy (the first book in the series) so if you haven't read Proxy, stop reading this, go get Proxy immediately, read it, fall in love with it, and then come back and read my review :)
I was apprehensive, after the brilliance that was Proxy, wondering if the sequel would do it justice. It totally did, and cemented Alex London ...more
Note: I will hide spoilers pertaining to this particular book in this review, however it is impossible to discuss Guardian without mentioning some spoilers from Proxy (the first book in the series) so if you haven't read Proxy, stop reading this, go get Proxy immediately, read it, fall in love with it, and then come back and read my review :)
I was apprehensive, after the brilliance that was Proxy, wondering if the sequel would do it justice. It totally did, and cemented Alex London ...more

While I'm okay with this as an ending, I'm still so disappointed that there isn't another book. 😢
This is so not the story I expected, but it was oddly the one I needed.
Liam is wonderful, and I love Syd's evolution (it's kind of perfect).
However, I hate that I'll never get answers to my questions, especially regarding Cousin. A major missed opportunity, because he could have been a very interesting character. Instead, he's a half-disappointing mystery. ...more
This is so not the story I expected, but it was oddly the one I needed.
Liam is wonderful, and I love Syd's evolution (it's kind of perfect).
However, I hate that I'll never get answers to my questions, especially regarding Cousin. A major missed opportunity, because he could have been a very interesting character. Instead, he's a half-disappointing mystery. ...more

Guardian tried to accomplish so much, but it ended up being a flat sequel. Everything I had liked about Proxy (my review of Proxy) is not really here.
Overall, January hasn't been a good month for me in terms of reading. I hope I get to read better books during the rest of the year. ...more
Overall, January hasn't been a good month for me in terms of reading. I hope I get to read better books during the rest of the year. ...more

I really, really, really like the ideas behind Alex London's work, but unfortunately the writing is so sloppy and sometimes hard to read that it obscures what he's trying to do.
Guardian is a slog for the first 100+ pages. It picks up post-Jubilee, six months after Proxy. Everything is awful for everyone. The societies in this world seem to be very textbook Marxist; where the hyper-capitalistic society of Proxy is the thesis, the almost comical communism of Guardian is antithesis, and whatever ma ...more
Guardian is a slog for the first 100+ pages. It picks up post-Jubilee, six months after Proxy. Everything is awful for everyone. The societies in this world seem to be very textbook Marxist; where the hyper-capitalistic society of Proxy is the thesis, the almost comical communism of Guardian is antithesis, and whatever ma ...more

Actual rating 4.25
soooooooooo this was not as amazing as Proxy (granted my expectations were hella high cause Proxy is life) But I still really enjoyed it. Alex London never fails to get me anxious, invested and worried about the characters in his books. He is not an author who is afraid of ruining his characters lives/murdering them. Which is something I really respect. Overall this was good but not something that I was in love with.
Booktalk - https://youtu.be/H4I5HHj_M4g ...more
soooooooooo this was not as amazing as Proxy (granted my expectations were hella high cause Proxy is life) But I still really enjoyed it. Alex London never fails to get me anxious, invested and worried about the characters in his books. He is not an author who is afraid of ruining his characters lives/murdering them. Which is something I really respect. Overall this was good but not something that I was in love with.
Booktalk - https://youtu.be/H4I5HHj_M4g ...more

Light-years ahead of the first book - it gets so much better as it goes along, too. Let's just say that if the Revolution apocalypse were to happen, better it happen now than in the future where the world is like the one featured here.
...more

4.75
Wow, this duology was so good. Like Proxy, I flew through the pages of this book. There were no dull moments and for that reason I started and finished it within twenty four hours of each other. Despite being such a breezy read, I was slightly underwhelmed with the very ending of the story so I couldn’t give the rating a full 5 stars.
Overall though, these books are incredibly underrated dystopians that I think a lot of people would enjoy.
Wow, this duology was so good. Like Proxy, I flew through the pages of this book. There were no dull moments and for that reason I started and finished it within twenty four hours of each other. Despite being such a breezy read, I was slightly underwhelmed with the very ending of the story so I couldn’t give the rating a full 5 stars.
Overall though, these books are incredibly underrated dystopians that I think a lot of people would enjoy.

(It's actually 3.5, but I need to differentiate somehow between this one and the previous one.) Definitely better than the first one! I read it with pleasure (though the POV switches... what a nightmare), but overall it was really interesting and, to my surprise, I enjoyed it a lot. Still, it'd be so, so much better if it was... like at least twice as long as it is. This world and these characters have so much potential! (Espacially the world, which was so intriguing in the first one, and so und
...more

DNF'd. I don't care about Liam, I care even less about Marie and Syd is starting to irritate me. I worship Proxy but Guardian has been disappointment in every way. I don't care about the characters left and I don't enjoy reading it, so yeah. Proxy will always be one of my favourites.
Maybe I'll read Guardian someday but not now. ...more
Maybe I'll read Guardian someday but not now. ...more

.......
i need to take a break from everything
more rambling (maybe) later...
...more
i need to take a break from everything
more rambling (maybe) later...


”Civilization without humanity was just a graveyard.”
★ ★ ★ . 5 / 5 Stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*note: As this is a sequel, it is going to be hard to review until I go into the spoilers*
Let’s talk about what I liked:
•The writing and the pacing were done so much better in Guardian than in Proxy.
•This was super action packed and descriptive.
-Also as this was a sequel and I did read it right after finishing the first one, it was super easy to get into.
•I personally just enjoyed this one mo ...more
★ ★ ★ . 5 / 5 Stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*note: As this is a sequel, it is going to be hard to review until I go into the spoilers*
Let’s talk about what I liked:
•The writing and the pacing were done so much better in Guardian than in Proxy.
•This was super action packed and descriptive.
-Also as this was a sequel and I did read it right after finishing the first one, it was super easy to get into.
•I personally just enjoyed this one mo ...more

Okay so badhgkfshbsd
I wasn't really enjoying this book very much???? I was around 2/5 into it and I was like "meeeehhh."
However, somewhere around the middle of it, the book became AMAZINGLY GOOD. I spent 4 hours reading it nonstop until it was finished while barely even drinking water. There was a scene where I thought (view spoiler) that my medication-induced hand tremors became EVEN WORSE. Seriously, my hands were shaking as I grabbed the book and moved it ...more
I wasn't really enjoying this book very much???? I was around 2/5 into it and I was like "meeeehhh."
However, somewhere around the middle of it, the book became AMAZINGLY GOOD. I spent 4 hours reading it nonstop until it was finished while barely even drinking water. There was a scene where I thought (view spoiler) that my medication-induced hand tremors became EVEN WORSE. Seriously, my hands were shaking as I grabbed the book and moved it ...more

3.0 out of 5 stars
While this was a good duology overall, I think I liked this first book much better than this one. I just thought Syd was too whiny and Liam gave me a weird vibe from the start. The cult like fashion of the different groups was too much for me and I felt like I pushed myself through most of the book unlike with the first where it pulled me through it.
While this was a good duology overall, I think I liked this first book much better than this one. I just thought Syd was too whiny and Liam gave me a weird vibe from the start. The cult like fashion of the different groups was too much for me and I felt like I pushed myself through most of the book unlike with the first where it pulled me through it.

Q: What is one word you would use to describe Guardian?
A: Pointless.
(note: you will see the word above multiple times in this review)
Proxy's next installment Guardian is a perfect example of a sequel without a proper planning. My reading experience of this sequel feels like reading a draft of an author's writer's block. Every page feels heavy, as if I'm sitting right next to Mr. London as he struggles trying to get his idea out for the manuscript. Unnecessary action sequences and pointless(#1) ...more
A: Pointless.
(note: you will see the word above multiple times in this review)
Proxy's next installment Guardian is a perfect example of a sequel without a proper planning. My reading experience of this sequel feels like reading a draft of an author's writer's block. Every page feels heavy, as if I'm sitting right next to Mr. London as he struggles trying to get his idea out for the manuscript. Unnecessary action sequences and pointless(#1) ...more

Guardian is an excellent sequel to Proxy, and a great breath of fresh air as far as sequels go. In a way of sweeping generalization, many books these days seem to continue on in a series without really exploring the fallout from the book previous, almost rehashing exactly what went on prior. Guardian is an exception to this. Continuing on after quite some time after Proxy, Syd Carton is definitely changed from his experiences. Only a few people still call him by his orphan name, opting instead t
...more

After Proxy´s ending, I needed to read its sequel immediately. And I really enjoyed Guardian.
The story begins six months later after Proxy and Syd is now known as Yovel and is the face of the revolution, his savior, a key part of the Reconciliation (formerly known as Rebooters) and while he is adored by many, he´s also hated by the Machinists, they want him dead (They were the rich people of Mountain City and await the return of technology), and for this last thing Syd needs a bodyguard all the ...more
The story begins six months later after Proxy and Syd is now known as Yovel and is the face of the revolution, his savior, a key part of the Reconciliation (formerly known as Rebooters) and while he is adored by many, he´s also hated by the Machinists, they want him dead (They were the rich people of Mountain City and await the return of technology), and for this last thing Syd needs a bodyguard all the ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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What happen to Syd in guardian? | 5 | 59 | Jan 20, 2015 04:04PM |
The Short Version:
Alex London writes books for adults (One Day The Soldiers Came: Voices of Children in War), children (Dog Tags series; An Accidental Adventure series) and teens (Proxy). At one time a journalist reporting from conflict zones and refugee camps, he is now a full time novelist living in Brooklyn, NY, where he can be found wandering the streets talking to his dog, who is the real bra ...more
Alex London writes books for adults (One Day The Soldiers Came: Voices of Children in War), children (Dog Tags series; An Accidental Adventure series) and teens (Proxy). At one time a journalist reporting from conflict zones and refugee camps, he is now a full time novelist living in Brooklyn, NY, where he can be found wandering the streets talking to his dog, who is the real bra ...more
Other books in the series
Proxy
(2 books)
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