Book Review: Guardian by Alex London

Hello, people of the world! It's exactly 7 days 'til August 30 and you all know what that means... Only 7 days left until Alex London's book signing event! WOOHOO! I can't believe it's almost here! I remember writing about it just after it was announced which was more than a month ago. How fast time flies. Anyway, after reading Proxy, I read Guardian next. Although I read Proxy in a flash, I took it slow for Guardian this time and trust me, you would realize why.

• Title: Guardian
• Author: Alex London
• Genre: young adult, dystopia, sci-fi, thriller 
• Pages: 352 pages (hardcover)
• Published: 29 May 2014
• Series:  Proxy #2

"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."

SPOILER ALERT! Well, not really. Just a little. *evil laughs* 

You know what I thought about Guardian? Well first, remember Proxy? Proxy was the sci-fi dystopian book that started this story. But after reading Guardian, I thought that Proxy was more on the sci-fi side. Guardian, on the other hand, was brimming with dystopia. In the first book, we were taken to a world where people were almost semi-robotic with their program-written blood. But this time, Guardian had the word DYSTOPIA written all over it. With the network taken down, the once systematized community of Mountain city was destroyed by the supporters of the Revolution. What was left of the once beautiful Mountain city is now nothing but deserted ruins and abandoned buildings. But that's just the tip of the iceberg! With the network gone, people start to fall ill due to an unknown disease that slowly kills them. With these events, you are taken to a world where society is crumbling. I thought it was a very depressing environment. I had to take it slow because I was overwhelmed with all the suffering and violence (but not in an OA way). But that's just dystopia doing its job, people! No need to worry about me haha. 

Anyway, on the bright side some of our old friends return but some are... well... let's just say that they won't be returning once they go away again, if you know what I mean (I'm looking at you, Allegiant). But my favorites lived until the end, I'll tell you that much. What I loved about Guardian was how cunning the bad guy is. I found myself sharing the anger when the bad guy succeeds on his devious plans (or if he simply still lives, really). The antagonist in this novel is somewhat naive and I think he's going to be one of the book antagonists that I am going to remember, simply because he pissed me off so much. Good job, Alex London! 

Another thing I ought to add is that I thought the story was slow during the first half of the novel. But the other half was where all the good stuff was. If you halved the pages, the right part is where all the action is and the left part is where everything was just still falling into place. But apart from that, I still loved Guardian. It was full of action and Michael Bay explosions that I enjoyed it so much! There was so much emotion, too. It wasn't too complicated as well. There were no confusing parts that some novels always have. I was okay with the sudden ending but I think Guardian ought to have an epilogue, just so we could clear everything up. Or is there going to be a third book??? Remind me to ask Alex London about that on Saturday. Haha!

THE VERDICT:

Guardian is excellent! (but not perfect-excellent) It is certainly one of the dystopian novels that had really affected me. I suggest that you read this if you get the chance! But read Proxy first, of course. I think that you would experience the same roller coaster ride of emotions that I have experienced with Guardian. And maybe you could go to the book signing, too! I hope to see you there! Hope you liked my book review! What are your thoughts about it? Let me know in a comment! 'Til next time!