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calycooper's review
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Right after reading Guardian boy was I disappointed! Ran to Goodreads right away to check if that was really it! Found out about this short story as "grand finale" so it kinda redeemed itself but my oh my just when I could've liked Liam here comes Knox knocking back! I've said before that this should've been added as the final chapter for Guardian to tie some loose ends instead of leaving it hanging like that for 3 years but now that Knox's in the picture, I kind of understood why that's how Guardian ended and this was separately released, whether intentional or not. Smart ass pretty boy would've definitely stolen the spotlight from Gingersnap if this was ever added to Guardian instead.
laura_liisa's review
5.0
When I first read the Proxy series I had no idea there would be a short story coming out one day also. I loved the series, it was a new interesting story with good writing and I liked the characters, but at the end of both books I was left slightly frustrated, because I need a bit more closure than was given. I was afraid this short story would somehow be more of a tease and just make me wish for a third book. Now, while I still wish there was a third book, because I enjoy this story and these characters, I felt like in only 28 pages I got enough closure with still enough interest left in me for what happens next to not just forget about the story.
Basically, I had missed the characters and loved that this short story was written!
Spoiler
I wish Syd had woken up earlier, because I really would have liked to hear a bit more of him from him himself, but other than that I was happy to get more of a backstory to Liam and the Resistance/Rebooters, as well as getting to see Marie’s part in building everything up again and Liam (and Marie) caring for Syd. Also, I wasn’t ever expecting to hear more about Knox again, which was what left me frustrated from the end of book 1, so getting the copy of Knox was a nice surprise and he added enough comedy to the story, although Liam managed the comedy quite well also. So, I liked the balance between the jokes, the harsh backstory and the fact that the society was left in a bittersweet state of going from the Old order to the unknown New order of things and how everything was kind of up in the air, but hopeful.Basically, I had missed the characters and loved that this short story was written!
bunnila's review
5.0
This was AMAZING!!!!! I cried! I love Liam so much and it's wonderful to know more about his life, I'm just so proud of him! Marie also is great and healthy! Knox was a surprise, and a good one, his interaction with Liam made me so emotional because they both love Syd, and they both want what's best for him!!! The ending was amazing, I love Syd & Liam so much, and how they're set on making new stories and WOW. I needed that closure, and I'm happy Syd, Liam and Marie are alive and well!
rebecafedrick's review
5.0
I read Proxy and Guardian back in 2014, and it has been a story that has always come back to mind. To this day, it is one of my most impactful reads and I have always remembered it dearly.
Without giving too much away (if you haven't read it), the ending of Guardian had left me a sobbing puddle of snot and tears and on occasion I sometimes go back and re-read the last chapter and give myself all those feelings again (I'm a masochist, sue me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Daydreamer gave me the closure I so desperately needed and wanted, while still keeping the ending open should Mr. London decide to continue the story (... please continue the story)
It should come to no surprise that I give all the stars to this little piece. hopefully we will see our fearless revolutionaries again.
Without giving too much away (if you haven't read it), the ending of Guardian had left me a sobbing puddle of snot and tears and on occasion I sometimes go back and re-read the last chapter and give myself all those feelings again (I'm a masochist, sue me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Daydreamer gave me the closure I so desperately needed and wanted, while still keeping the ending open should Mr. London decide to continue the story (... please continue the story)
It should come to no surprise that I give all the stars to this little piece. hopefully we will see our fearless revolutionaries again.
ishmael's review
3.0
The whipping boy set in a future capitalist dystopia. While I found most of the plot silly or predicable, I did find the characters engaging. The rich kid didn't have a sudden magical epiphany where he understands the plight of the disadvantaged, allies didn't always understand how they helped or hurt and clearly had their own agendas, and there was no instant romance or love triangle.
davida's review
3.0
Very enjoyable, and I liked that the main character was a gay dude and that's neither ignored nor a big deal. The characters were shallow, and the plot was non-subtle (the final twist was pretty obvious), but a fun quick read.
thehmkane's review
4.0
You know how we need diverse books? This is a good one. Queer POC main character, yay! I also started a new shelf for people who want to read YA that doesn't include (or focus on) romance, and this book fits the bill. I love the world London builds here, and the characters -- even those that seem one-dimensional at first -- really flesh out.
I still want to punch Knox in the face, though.
I still want to punch Knox in the face, though.
rsngphoenix's review
2.0
Interesting world concept, but I never really felt connected to any of the characters. Also, the author kept changing the point of view between characters inside the same paragraph which was very weird, distracting, and meant that everyone sounded the same. I probably won't be picking up any of the other books in the series.
clairespaulding's review
4.0
ARRGGHGHS:LJDFLKS THIS BOOK GAVE ME SO MANY EMOTIONS AND WOW
Such flawed, lovable, well-developed, great characters!! Such excellent plot twists, pacing, and structure! Such immersive worldbuilding! Great queer representation! JEWISH REPRESENTATION, CAN I GET A HELL YEAH?? Plus, a main character named for Sydney Carton and some darn fantastic A Tale of Two Cities parallels: be still, my heart.
I found this book so satisfying in every way, from the first page to the last sentence. The characters' relationships developed naturally but strongly, and the unresolved romantic tension between Knox and both Marie and Syd was beautiful and complicated and satisfying without taking anything away from the arguably more important bonds of friendship that formed between all three. The worldbuilding, despite seeming to borrow practically all of its elements from the other YA dystopias I've read in the past few years (the plot, setting, and general tone all felt like a mashup of Feed, Legend, and Cinder to me, though all three of those elements worked a lot better for me in this novel than in Feed and Cinder), still managed to feel fresh and exciting. The plot twists were unexpected and yet made sense. The ending was utterly satisfying without pulling any punches.
And yet, bafflingly, the writing itself had two major flaws: dizzingly frequent POV shifts, and a tendency to over-explain characters' thoughts. The first issue, in which the point of view would jump between characters willy-nilly in the middle of scenes and even paragraphs, seemed like an amateur writing mistake, and yet somehow it permeated the entire novel (how did an editor not catch this?). Besides being lazy writing--we are always told the thoughts of each protagonist in every scene, rather than ever having to infer their thoughts or motivations from their dialogue and actions--this habit resulted in a few very confusing instances where an ambiguous piece of internal monologue could belong to any of the POV characters in the scene. The other flaw in the writing, a tendency to over-explain characters' thoughts and motivations to the point of redundancy and cliche, went hand in hand with the overuse of POV shifts.
In the end, the many strengths of the writing and the story far outweighed those flaws, and I loved this book a lot. On the level of character and story, Proxy was much stronger and more satisfying than most other YA dystopias I've read recently, despite sharing a lot of surface similarities to the other recent offerings in the genre. I couldn't put it down.
Such flawed, lovable, well-developed, great characters!! Such excellent plot twists, pacing, and structure! Such immersive worldbuilding! Great queer representation! JEWISH REPRESENTATION, CAN I GET A HELL YEAH?? Plus, a main character named for Sydney Carton and some darn fantastic A Tale of Two Cities parallels: be still, my heart.
I found this book so satisfying in every way, from the first page to the last sentence. The characters' relationships developed naturally but strongly, and
And yet, bafflingly, the writing itself had two major flaws: dizzingly frequent POV shifts, and a tendency to over-explain characters' thoughts. The first issue, in which the point of view would jump between characters willy-nilly in the middle of scenes and even paragraphs, seemed like an amateur writing mistake, and yet somehow it permeated the entire novel (how did an editor not catch this?). Besides being lazy writing--we are always told the thoughts of each protagonist in every scene, rather than ever having to infer their thoughts or motivations from their dialogue and actions--this habit resulted in a few very confusing instances where an ambiguous piece of internal monologue could belong to any of the POV characters in the scene. The other flaw in the writing, a tendency to over-explain characters' thoughts and motivations to the point of redundancy and cliche, went hand in hand with the overuse of POV shifts.
In the end, the many strengths of the writing and the story far outweighed those flaws, and I loved this book a lot. On the level of character and story, Proxy was much stronger and more satisfying than most other YA dystopias I've read recently, despite sharing a lot of surface similarities to the other recent offerings in the genre. I couldn't put it down.