REVIEW: Rebel (Reboot #2)

Rebel (Reboot #2), by Amy Tintera
To Be Published May 13, 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen
Format: e-book, obtained from the publisher via Edelweiss
Genre:  young adult sci-fi/dystopian
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  4 STARS

(From Goodreads) The sequel to the action-packed Reboot is a can't-miss thrill ride, perfect for fans of James Patterson, Veronica Roth, and Marie Lu.

After coming back from death as Reboots and being trained by HARC as soldiers, Wren and Callum have finally escaped north, where they hope to find a life of freedom. But when they arrive at the Reboot Reservation, it isn't what they expected. Under the rule of a bloodthirsty leader, Micah, the Reboots are about to wage an all-out war on the humans. Although Wren's instincts are telling her to set off into the wilderness on their own and leave the battle far behind, Callum is unwilling to let his human family be murdered. When Micah commits the ultimate betrayal, the choice is made for them. But Micah has also made a fatal mistake . . . he's underestimated Wren and Callum.

The explosive finale to the Reboot duology is full of riveting action and steamy love scenes as Wren and Callum become rebels against their own kind.

Wren 178 reminds me of a little bit of Resident Evil Alice mushed together with a little bit of Vampire Slayer Buffy.

 

She's a total scary badass, but can turn into a bit of a softie for the right person. In Wren's case, that person is Callum. Rebel is their end game, and it introduces a new bad guy in addition to HARC, just to make things interesting (as if things weren't interesting enough). 

Wren, Callum and the rest of the Austin reboots have escaped to the reboot reservation to, hopefully, find some peace and quiet - for once in their lives. Er... deaths. Er... afterlives. Anyway, it soon becomes clear that the reservation may not be much better than the HARC facilities in which they were imprisoned and forced to work. Wren and Callum come to a realization that they can't ever be truly free until the reboots AND the humans are given the freedom to decide what they want to do and where they want to live for themselves, and to do that, HARC needs to be eliminated. For good. 

One thing Rebel has in spades is action. Wren and Callum seem to be fighting everyone in Rebel. They arrive at the reservation, and are introduced to Micah, the leader. Immediately, he takes charge of all the Austin reboots and forces them to bend to his will. He rules with an iron fist, and that causes a lot of friction with the Austin reboots - particularly Callum. It becomes clear very quickly that Wren, Callum and the rest of the Austin reboots have simply traded one enemy for another - the agendas are just different. Evil is evil, and where HARC may have earned its evil badge by enslaving and experimenting on reboots, Micah has certainly earned his, but for very different reasons. It seems the peace and quiet Wren and Callum wanted to find will be elusive for awhile. 

The best thing about Rebel is seeing the change in Wren. If you look back at the Wren from the beginning of Reboot, you can see how much she has grown and changed. The post-Callum Wren laughs and cries and stands up for the people she cares about. She questions her own judgement and the choices that others around her make instead of blindly following orders. She sincerely wants to help make her world a better place, at least for reboots. Callum has a hero complex and wants to save everyone, and while Wren doesn't really care that much about the humans, at least at first, she cares about Callum, and that's enough for her. 

Wren has boatloads of integrity, and I love that about her. She may be a bit cold and calculating at time, but she's inherently good. Callum is Wren's voice of reason. She's come to rely on him to help point her in the right direction as she acclimates to life without HARC. And, Callum is all too happy to fill that role. He cares about her and is so happy to see the changes in Wren. It's awesome to see them working together, even if they don't always see eye-to-eye. I love how they seek out the others' strengths when they need them. Callum looks to Wren for her physical strength and desire to protect. Wren turns to Callum when she needs her moral compass repointed. And, don't all couples do that? Lean on and count on one another when you feel yourself waffling? It's wonderfully... normal. 

Rebel is told in dual POV, so we get the advantage of both Wren's and Callum's experiences. It was especially helpful since there was a portion of the book where they are separated. The end of Rebel was incredibly fulfilling and satisfying. I'd love a third book in the series so I could find out what comes next for Wren and Callum. There's still so much going on in their world. Amy, any chance you're reading this?? 

REVIEW: Reboot (Reboot #1)

Reboot (Reboot #1), by Amy Tintera
Published May 7, 2013
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Format: e-book - obtained from NetGalley
Genre:  YA dystopian
To Buy:  Amazon  * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

Rating:  4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) 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.

I'm really digging these books about anti-zombies. I mean, REALLY digging them. Some authors have chosen to address the cool paranormal hook of reanimation, but not into something gross that loves to eat flesh and shuffle about moaning and wailing. Into something more... humanized. And, I want to hug and kiss those authors, because it's taking something that's interesting to me and making it more palatable, especially when it comes to forming some sort of romantic attachment.

So, yeah - I want to hug and kiss Amy Tintera. 

In Reboot's version of future America, a disease has decimated the population so that the entirety of it fits into only the state of Texas. This disease either KILLS you kills you, or kills you then reanimates you, or "reboots" you. The longer you stay dead, the stronger you are when you wake up. And the less of your humanity you retain, too. 

Wren was dead 178 minutes - an extremely long time - before she rebooted. She's the strongest, coldest and scariest reboot on staff. And she gets herself assigned to train newbie, Callum, a mere 22. As she trains him to kill, he trains her to get in touch with her humanity again, which she thought had been lost for good. And, her awkward growing affection toward him causes her to do things she never thought she'd do.

There's really two things going on in Reboot. First is Wren's growing discomfort with HARC and how they treat the Reboots. This all starts when she starts seeing strange behavior exhibited in her only friend and roommate, Ever. Ever is as close to a real zombie that you see in Reboot, and it's scary. Her downward spiral at the hands of HARC causes Wren to have real feelings for the first time in awhile. The gradual build-up of the mystery surrounding the strange behavior of the under-60s was perfectly paced. And, it made me feel so bad for these people who have no control over who they are.

The second thing going on is Wren's reawakening of herself. Much of this stems from her involvement with Callum, who asks questions that no reboot has ever asked before - questions that start with "why," "where," and "how." I loved seeing Wren's self-realization at Callum's hands. Callum is almost child-like in his handling of her, and his innocence is endearing and sweet. He is truly on the other end of the spectrum from the cold and calculating Wren.  

And, what's interesting is that, through the course of the book, they meet somewhere in the middle. Callum is not able to escape completely unscathed from his experience as a Reboot. His experiences at the HARC headquarters tarnish his innocence some and leave him a little scarred and not nearly as happy-go-lucky as he was when he arrived. Conversely, Callum's influence on Wren's life melts away some of her coldness and reminds her about what it was like to once feel... well, anything, really. 

I was so happy that Reboot did not end in an epic cliffhanger. All the elements were there for Tintera to do that to us, but she chose not to. Yet another reason for some serious snuggles. It ended in the perfect place - with many loose ends tied up, but a perfect lead-in to the next book. Which, I will now be waiting for with bated breath.