Review: Reboot by Amy Tintera

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.

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Reboot by Amy Tintera was a fast-paced read with solid worldbuilding and a unique take on zombies. Unlike most zombie novels, I enjoyed Reboot since Tintera kept the violence but not the gore. The focus on romance, however, decreased my enjoyment of the novel somewhat.

Although the backstory of how the world in Reboot came about is kind of vague, Tintera’s world is believable as it presently is. With a virus decimating the population, it’s not hard to imagine a corporation arising to take advantage and the rich segregating themselves from the poor to avoid the spread of the virus.

One effect of this new virus that it can cause those who have/had it to reanimate after death with better physical abilities and a lack of emotion. The longer the time between death and revival, the corresponding increase in physical abilities and decrease in emotionality afterwards. This makes Reboots great soldiers, and so they’re taken by HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation) to find criminals or those who are sick without the risk of infection.

Among Reboots, Wren is famous for rebooting after one hundred seventy-eight minutes. Feeling little emotion and having no qualms about killing people, she’s one of – if not the – best of HARC’s soldiers. Callum, on the other hand, reboots after twenty-two minutes and therefore almost resembles a human physically and emotionally. As a couple, I liked how the two of them balanced each other because Callum drew Wren out of her shell and made her question the state of things whereas Wren helped him become a stronger Reboot. But, I also thought the romance was very insta-love because as soon as this cute guy shows up, you start to see Wren becoming more emotional.

Reboot was released by HarperTeen on May 7, 2013.  

Comments About the Cover: I think it’s a simple and effective cover. I like how the top half is a bar code that emphasizes the numbers 1, 7 and 8. The number 178 is important of course, but bar codes also have a vital role in Reboot as they help to deindividuate a person.  

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.