Reboot (Reboot #1)

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Author(s)

Amy Tintera

Publisher

HarperTeen

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

May 07, 2013

ISBN

0062217070

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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.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Utterly Compelling

May 13, 2013

Overall rating

5.0

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What I Loved:

What a thrill ride this book is! Perfect for those who love dystopians, thrillers, high stakes adventures, or romance, this book hits all the right notes for male and female readers alike. With a fascinating premise, constant action, and a heroine unlike any other, this is a must-read.

The world building is particularly strong. From the first page, readers are fully immersed in a world where the dead rise with intelligence but without the same human emotions they experienced while they were alive the first time. Children adjust to the reboot better than adults and so are used by the government to keep order in the crumbling cities where reader will find a more familiar dystopian environment.

There's conspiracy, revolution, crime, and heroics, and all of it happens against the fascinating backdrop of a society where the still-living fear the risen dead, but not for the usual zombie apocalypse reasons. Reboots don't care about pain, they can't be bribed, and humans can't appeal to their soft side because for most reboots that soft side no longer exists. The heroine is the reboot who took the longest to rise and thus is the furthest from her human emotions. She's more than the usual tough, kick butt heroine--she's empty of any shred of humanity. Her toughness is a byproduct of the fact that she can't feel, can't empathize, and can't understand humans at all. She even has difficulty understanding her fellow reboots. Especially her new trainee, who has more emotions than any other reboot. The journey Wren takes from emptiness to cautiously fumbling her way toward emotions is the heart of the book.

The romance is a lovely, slow-developing discovery between Wren and Callum and is all the more poignant because the romance can't develop without Wren discovering some shred of her former humanity. Readers will cheer for her as the story progresses even as they delight in her incredible survival skills. Readers will also identify with Callum, whose courage has more to do with refusing to give up his humanity or be afraid of those who expect him to than it does his ability to survive the things Wren can handle without thinking twice.

The pacing is well done. The story moves quickly, the action is frequent and intense, but the reader is also given short breathing spaces to connect with the characters. I would hand this book to reluctant readers in a heartbeat. With sci-fi, dystopian, thriller, and romance elements blended so perfectly, there's sure to be something for every reader here.

What Left Me Wanting More:

Nothing. This book rang all the right bells for me.

Final Verdict:

Fast-paced, thrilling, and full of heart, REBOOT is impossible to put down. I highly recommend it.

CJ Redwine, Site and Staff Manager Top 10 Reviewer 406 reviews

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User reviews

4 reviews

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3.5

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3.5(4)

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Good story, but a bit long winded

December 30, 2013

Overall rating

3.0

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Reboot is a new take on dystopians. The concept behind the book is unique and refreshing-- in an undead sort of way.

I really liked the characters. Wren and Callum were a very interesting combination. You can't help but like Callum. His innocence and good nature was a start contrast to Wren's hard exterior. As far as that saying "opposites attract" you can't deny it with these two-- they are as close to polar opposites as you can get.

The action is pretty quick and will keep you turning the pages. However, the plot itself is a bit long winded. At 365 pages, I would say a good 50 of those could have been edited out to make this a shorter read. I made it to the final 30 pages before I decided I just couldn't devote any more time to the book.

I hate saying I did not finish a book, but as a person that can devour books in a day, if something takes me more than a week to read it becomes a flag. Reboot took me several weeks before I put it aside. By the time I reached the end of the novel I felt like I knew what would happen. The most critical aspects of the plot had occurred and I needed it to wrap up. Instead of getting closure though, it felt like a whole new plot was beginning. I just didn't feel like I wanted to invest in the time it would take to wade through those dense moments of Wren's inner conflict to get to the goods.

If I had been in a better mindset, or reading this in a car with no other books, I would have finished it. But when there are so many books waiting to be read, it's hard to stick with one that isn't holding your attention. Will I read the next book in the series? Most likely.

Alanna Shaw Top 50 Reviewer 230 reviews

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Unfortunate Disappointment

November 26, 2013 (Updated: November 26, 2013)

Overall rating

2.7

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I was really excited to read this novel. The premise was new and sounded action paced. The idea of zombie-like reboots tantalized me.

For the first twenty or so pages, I was really into it. It was adventurous and full of action. Then Callum entered.

From that point this became less of an adventure book and much more a romance story, which was weird, since in the beginning it had been made very clear that Wren didn't have much emotion. It seemed unbelievable that Wren would go from no emotion, to "I'M SO IN LOVE" almost overnight.

For the second half of the book, there was so much kissing. Usually it's swooney and great. It was not. They kissed when they were in danger and should be running for their lives. They kissed all the time, and it got so annoying.

All in all, it was an interesting idea, but focused way more on teenage romance than the dystopian side of the novel. I know I would have liked it a lot more if Tintera had just toned it down a bit.

Ingrid 1 reviews

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Hobbitsies Reviews: Fresh air to the dystopian/sci-fi genres

May 13, 2013

Overall rating

4.0

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Alright, I really, really liked Reboot by Amy Tintera. I thought the concept was super awesome and Amy's storytelling skills are superb. I was just totally sucked in. I am a slow reader lately (sigh), but Reboot was one that I just had to finish the same day I picked it up.

I enjoyed both the story and the characters in Reboot. I thought Wren was a badass and I really enjoyed her character progression in Reboot. I loved seeing the process of her slowly starting to gain humanity and seeing the way it screwed with her head at first. It's amazing that we have a character like Wren who is so strong and cold and brutal, but then also we can also really relate to her because who doesn't remember their first awkward and strange crush?

I also really liked Callum and Wren's best friend. They were great characters and I thought Amy did a great job creating their characters and making their personalities pop. Callum didn't quite make my favourite love interests of all time list, but I have a feeling with the second or third book, it may be possible. He is kind of adorable.

And the storyline in Reboot - loved it. I loved reading about the future in Reboot and all the gruesome things people are going through. I'm a sucker for rebellion stories, and Reboot is no exception.

I thought the ending was pretty much perfect - just enough to leave me feeling content, but still dying for the next book.

You guys, I definitely recommend Reboot by Amy Tintera. It's a solid and enjoyable story - definitely a bit of fresh air to the dystopian/sci-fi genre. The story will suck you in and the characters will keep you there. Amy Tintera presents a fantastic debut with Reboot and I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on the second book in this series!

Tara Gonzalez Top 100 Reviewer 68 reviews

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Devoured it!

April 01, 2013

Overall rating

4.3

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I liked Wren as a main character. She was different, but a heroine who could kick butt and take names. The premise is fantastic and got my attention from the first time I saw it. I think that the world building was balanced. I got a good idea of why the virus and reboot happened and the effects on society.
Callum was a superb secondary character and love interest. He brought out the character development with Wren and it was great how his smile and the fact that he retained so much of his humanity highlighted the personality and emotions of Wren that she'd previously buried.
I really enjoyed being in Wren's head. She was tough, and I got to see her humanity come out and see her make her own decisions through her interactions with Callum and her friend and roomie Ever.
There was a great mix of action and character building, and I was glued to the pages and essentially finished in one sitting on the train back from Boston. I was thankful for the lack of interruptions.
Some might be frustrated that the romance and building of it almost takes front seat to the robot elements, but for me felt just right. I think that Wren has reservations and that she had a hard time breaking free from the expectations on her, and Callum influenced that change in her a lot. But he wasn't the only one and for that I am grateful. The experiments and differences between Wren and Ever also shepherds some of this change.
The plot of this book tied up pretty well, giving me the right balance of closure and yearning for the next book to find out what happens next.

Bottom Line: Devoured it!