PROXY by Alex London, Book Review

By: Alex London
Published by: Philomel Books / Penguin Teen
Released on: 6/18/13
Source: ARC provided by the publisher for review
Series: PROXY #1
4 Stars: I Enjoyed It!
Purchase it from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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The adventure novel of the year! Inspired by The Whipping Boy and Feed, this adrenaline-fueled thriller will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games for its razor-sharp insights into the nature of human survival and its clever writing.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.

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 will be swept away by this story.

PROXY is this summer's new thrill ride. It's a fast paced, heart pounding, addictive read. This high stakes read is full of shocking twists, dangerous secrets, non stop action and friendship. This is one book you won't be able to put down until you get to the very end. 

PROXY was not at all what I was excepting, and so much better than I thought it would be. I've not read another YA book like this one. WOW! Talk about one thrilling read. PROXY has it all. Danger, action, cover ups, secrets, murder, and a whole cast of characters that make it hard for me to figure out what their motives were before it was too late. Just when I thought I could figure out what was going on / what was happening, Alex threw me for a loop. 

PROXY has a lot of layers to it. There's the character growth, the friendships, the reckless part of the story that sets off a whole chain of events that really make up this story's plot line, the danger, lies, and learning to own up to things and take responsibility for your actions. Responsibility is something Knox, one of the story's main characters has never worried about, until now. His reckless joy ride and showing off for the hot girl seated next to him in his daddy's stolen company vehicle are about to turn Knox's world upside down. Let's just say Knox's driving earned him a first class ticket to crazyville. 

This story starts off with a bang, and quickly takes readers into the heart of Proxy's world. It's called proxy for a reason. Knox, like many of those in his standing have a proxy, someone who pays the price for his wrong doings. What Knox has done puts his proxy Syd into a whole new world of hell, and Knox has to witness his punishment. Yeah, this book may not be for the squimish as there is some violence, which really sets for the tone for this book's world. One of the things I really liked about this book was the two different character's story's and then when their story lines merged together. 

Syd is a character who wasn't hard for me to like right off the bat. He's had it rough, and being Knox's proxy has meant receiving numerous beatings and spending a lot of time in places no one would want to be in. Determined to not deal with the new punishment he's now been handed thanks to Knox's actions, Syd and Knox's lives collide in the most unexpected way. Meeting each other in person for the first time is the first step into an unlikely friendship that's dangerous, loyal, and unravels secrets that will have one of them making the ultimate sacrifice. There is a lot more I'd love to say about these two, but I can't say more without giving anything away in the story. There's a complex web of lies at the heart of this story that center around Knox and Syd, and together these two unravel those bit by shocking bit, putting themselves and those around them in more and more danger. 

This is one dangerous, high tech, futuristic world that YA readers are going to enjoy reading about. I can't even compare this story to another YA book I've read. That's one of the things I loved about it. It's original. It's also one heck of a well written book. I'm looking forward to reading many more of Alex London's books. Oh, and speaking of Knox and Syd, take a close look at the cover and you'll see them both on there. Can I just say, whom ever designed this cover did an awesome job with it. It definitely fits the book. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel to Proxy when it's out next year. 

Don't miss my PROXY blog tour stop HERE. Read an excerpt, find out what's Alex's inspiration was for Proxy and enter to win!