Book Review: Reboot (Reboot #1) by Amy Tintera

Title: Reboot (Reboot #1)

Author: Amy Tintera

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publishing Date: May 7^th 2013

Length: 352 pages

Keywords: YA, fiction, dystopian, sci-fi, romance, Texas

Source: Edelweiss

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.

Summary by Goodreads 

REBOOT is a 2013 debut with a very intriguing concept functioning as potent YA readers' bait.

The entire Reboot idea proved to be pretty interesting, human teenagers dying and rebooting after their death to become stronger and more resilient versions of their former selves.

Amy Tintera described them to look like humans just with transformed shiny eyes and stronger body features. But they weren't always a tangible concept for me. Sometimes the Reboots gave off an almost cyborg-like vibe, their characters seeming to shift between human, machine and zombie attributes.

High appeal had the fact that, after rebooting, Wren has almost zero emotions left and she would be confronted with feelings that should be non-existent by now. Callum, her announced love interest remains almost human after his death. I was very excited for their love story, as I imagined it to be very fierce and troublesome, with bickering and an emotional chaos for Wren. The imbalance between them was what promised to make their love story something to look forward to.

In the end the relationship between 178 and 22 came along too manageable and without any major doubts on Wren's part. As she is always described as a calculating heartless being she should at least spend some time struggling, and I just didn't see that.

Wren's character was strong otherwise and everyone respected her. It was Callum's character who could have used to appear edgier.

Some time around the middle of the book, something happened that resulted in my discontentment. And after that I felt my attention being gradually diverted. I hoped for Wren's and Callum's training phase to be more intense and more emphasis put on Wren's life in the HARC complex. The strong enthusiasm I held for Amy Tintera's  Reboots in the first few chapters of the book, couldn't make it to the end.

The story's overall feel was inherently consistent and attractive with its dystopian and sci-fi elements. There are Reboots, rebels and the ominous HARC organisation. Everything the Reboots do, is controlled and observed by guards and scientists.

REBOOT is set in Texas, but not the Texas we know today. Cities were destroyed in uproars, most of the population killed. Pretty scary!

Sadly the explanation - stories with these kind of fatal developments in general - behind the Reboot procedure just didn't seem to work for me. Even though their stories are based on different basic set-ups, to some extent REBOOT reminded me of the reading impression I got from WITHER by Lauren DeStefano and EVE by Anna Carey.

1) of an inventive Reboot idea

2) of a chance to feel again

3) of being brave enough to change things

4) of its scary dystopian Texas setting

5) of unexpected help

3,5/5 ***/* REBOOT - Extremely inventive Reboot concept with a weaker story line towards the end.

Epic Reads tea time. That's where I first heard about Amy Tintera's debut and it was clear this was a 2013 debut I wouldn't put on hold for too long. I recommend you to pick it up as soon as possible, I'm sure it will find a place on many readers' favourites shelves. REBOOT could be a good read for people who enjoyed WITHER by Lauren DeStefano and EVE by Anna Carey.

* Don't forget to add the sequel to REBOOT to your Goodreads shelf! 

* Want to meet Amy Tintera? Check out the Dark Days Tour schedule! 

* For further information about Amy Tintera and her books, visit www.amytintera.com

* Thanks to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for the chance to review REBOOT!