Alex London

This novel is a Lone Star 2023 novel.

Abel lives in a town controlled by different factions (called kins), so survival depends on joining or staying clear of your local group. Abel failed his dragon riding entrance exam, so he can only watch these magnificent creatures as they traverse the sky. Staying up late one night to watch the sanitation dragons burn the trash on roofs, Abel sees someone odd. This person is quickly scaling roofs. If one is out and on the roof when a sanitation dragon comes by, that someone dies. Dragons don't work around them! Right at the last moment, Abel's sister knocks on the window and barely makes it in. Abel remains stunned--what is she doing? She leaves a comic with him, telling him to keep it safe. This event sets the plot going.

Abel needs help solving the puzzle. After riding the bus--dragon bus--to school, Abel enlists his best friend to help him. His best friend uses the pronoun "they," which may take some getting used to if this is your first novel with a nonbinary character. They go to an address that Abel believes he is supposed to and finds an item that his sister stole. This item is what he is to keep safe. A dragon. Problem. His best friend belongs to a kin and told them about Abel. Now Abel "works" for a kin that is different from his sister's. Both kin claim the dragon. Meanwhile, his brother works for the "police."

What we have is a fast-paced novel with dragons, kins fighting, dragon fights, family issues, suspense, and an unexpected ending. As this novel is a book one, you'll be revisiting this crazy world. I enjoyed the novel--no romance, which is nice. The siblings were interesting, as they've all chosen such different paths and don't compromise much with mom and dad in the middle.… (més)

Syd lives in a future version of the world, in which there is an even deeper divide between the Haves (patrons) and the Have Nots (proxies). As a proxy, Syd gets punished for even indiscretion his patron, Knox, commits, until one day Knox wrecks his father's sports car, killing his date. Syd is tortured and then sentenced to 16 years in a prison camp for Knox's crime. But Syd has finally had enough and escapes, then accidentally runs into his patron, whom he has never met. Together they set off on a journey first to get Syd safely across the desert and to the relative safety of the rebel-controlled ruins of Detroit, but that goal evolves into a quest to discover if Syd really is the key to bringing down the corrupt system. Of course, they're running from The Man the entire time, and in the forefront of their pursuers is Knox's overbearing, criminal, bully of a father.

The premise is great. I generally love dystopian, running-for-their-lives type stories and characters. But this one fell a little flat for me. The pacing was too slow, maybe? I just wasn't at all on the edge of my seat where I wanted to be. The stakes seemed high enough, I guess, but the immediacy and urgency were lacking in the writing. *shrug*… (més)

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 trilogy will be swept away by this story.… (més)