Reboot by Amy Tintera

Reboot by Amy Tintera

Release Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Reboot, Book 1
Rated: YA 14+
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

This was such an amazing action-packed dystopian! I loved the sound of Reboot's premise, and it definitely did not disappoint. I thought the idea was original, especially since this was a dystopian, where it's becoming increasingly harder within this genre to have original material for the future to come. I liked that there were humans and Reboots, set in a disease-ridden world. Amy Tintera's world building was spot-on and engrossing, and I can certainly see this novel becoming a movie.
What really drew me in was the tag line on the cover of the book. It really piked my interest, so once I got the chance to read it, I knew I had to go for it. Luckily, it was just as thrilling and true to the genre as it suggests, because it was truly an epic ride reading this book.

Wren, or rather 178, was a cold character. A really well-built character, and hence the cold nature: as the blurb suggests, she's rebooted 178 minutes later after she was killed, and that makes her one of the farthest things from humanity. It was great to see her struggling with her human feelings while the Reboot persona of hers tries to gain back control. This happens especially when Callum comes around.
Callum was adorable– being a 22, he was so much like a human teenager, and that's what I loved. The dynamic contrast between the both of these characters just made this read so much more enjoyable. There were a ton of laughs, as well as a heart-stopping romance that grows under the harsh conditions of this new world that they live in.

There were many twists within the book, and I thought this added an extra "umph". I liked how they focused a lot on the growing relationship between Wren and Callum, because as the attraction grew, it was interesting to see Wren's internal conflict. As all dystopians, the authority at HARC are the bad guys in this book, and this just helped to further portray the dilemma which she faces, either to help Callum, or kill him.
However I felt that the parts after dragged on a little too long, and seemed to fall into the dystopian "cliché", which I'm always afraid of reading about when it comes to this genre. I'm not saying that I hated it, but I think it's just a little overdone as an aspect to a post-apocalyptic novel.

There's no doubt I'll be waiting for the sequel– Reboot was entertaining to the point where I was captivated by the high-speed action and the stomach-fluttering romance. Amy Tintera's debut is one not to skip out on: her writing captures the essence of a classic dystopian, whilst set in the backdrop of a unique world. I can't wait for Rebel!

▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Sarah from HarperCollins for sending a copy for review! ▪ ▪ ▪

If you like this, try...

• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld ● Goodreads
• Matched by Ally Condie ● Goodreads
• Possession by Elana Johnson ● Goodreads

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