Category Archives: 2014

[Review] Proxy – Alex London

Book Title:                      Proxy (Proxy Series #01)
Author:                             Alex London
Number of pages:      384

Synopsis:

proxy coverKnox 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.

 (re: Goodreads @ Proxy by Alex London)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:
  • Message-oriented with social/economic themes that are basically the plot drivers.
  • The characters (although not fleshed out extremely well) tick the boxes from diverse to cliché (incl. an LGBTQ protagonist, a cause-girl, and rich people being rich). There’s also lots of friendship.
  • Narrative is fast-paced with alternating POVs spanning only a few days in time and should make for a quick read.
Initial Thoughts

Has a concept like Proxy been written before in literature or television? I feel like it’s been done before but I’m not quite sure…it feels very familiar but I can’t seem to think of what it could be related to. I’m flabbergasted.

Onward to my confusing thought train.

Disclaimer: Potential spoilers inherent to this review from here onward.

Continue reading [Review] Proxy – Alex London

[Top Ten Tuesday] – #23 – Top Ten Books On My Summer 14′ TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. I thought this would be a fun way to share a condensed version of potential rambles and thoughts that I have.

This Week’s Theme:
Top Ten Books On
My Summer 14’ TBR


 Initial Thoughts:

Your eyes do not deceive you… I’m alive!

Summer is no different than Spring as I’m still backlogged from ARCs from the previous season. It also doesn’t help that I’ve returned to a certain game which eats time so quickly. In better news, summer also means certain movies are coming out and therefore some reading must be done prior to.

All images link back to Goodreads and I’ve provided briefs to support each title.


The Leisure

the maze runner - dashner (cover)aristotle and dante coverthe rithmatist - sanderson (cover)

The Maze Runner – James Dashner

Thank you to movie trailers for getting the ball rolling with this.

“When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers–boys whose memories are also gone. Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out–and no one’s ever made it through alive. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.”

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Yes, you’ve read correctly. To all individuals who have chirped me to read this…this is written in the stars now. It will happen.

“Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.”

The Rithmatist – Brandon Sanderson

I will mend a broken promise to read a previous book club book (Jenny Han’s To All The Boys…) with this one. Well…I hope at least. Though I’ve heard some mixed reviews of this, I’m still pretty certain you can never go wrong with anything Sanderson.

“More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing — kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery — one that will change Rithmatics — and their world — forever.”


Continue reading [Top Ten Tuesday] – #23 – Top Ten Books On My Summer 14′ TBR

[Top Ten Tuesday] – #22 – Characters Who Could Pass As A Talk Show Host

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. I thought this would be a fun way to share a condensed version of potential rambles and thoughts that I have.

This Week’s Theme:
Top Ten Characters Who
Could Pass As A Talk Show Host

Initial Thoughts:

This was a freebie week (whatever that means) that allowed you to stray from the weekly topics (which I do most of the time anyways). I have about 20ish topics ready for freebie weeks such as these. Most of them don’t make sense to me, so I hope this somehow works out. Huehuehue. 


There’s honesty for the sake of honesty…and then there’s honesty delivered through unorthodox measures that get the message across through different means.

Sometimes you come across characters that are there to provoke thought, to inspire, or are simply there for the sake of comic relief. Other times, it’s all that and more when there are characters who in the midst of all their nonsense provide rich meaning. To give feedback is to listen; and to actively respond is to grow the value of the dialogue in exchange. This could have easily passed as a post about characters grounded in active listening. Instead, it considers another level of characters that are indeed engaged but are personable enough to provide entertainment value passable by talk show hosts on television–they range in diversity from being controversial table-topic driven to the plain hilarious.

Continue reading [Top Ten Tuesday] – #22 – Characters Who Could Pass As A Talk Show Host