23 May 2014

Rebel (Reboot #2) by Amy Tintera

"I sort of liked the sound of bones breaking. It was like home."

If you haven't read Reboot, the book that comes before this one, here's my review of it from last year. (Highly recommend!)

REBEL (REBOOT #2)

by Amy Tintera
Published May 13, 2014 by HarperTeen
Paperback, 352p.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

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.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK:

REBEL picks up right where Reboot left off, and since the Reboot series is a duology the book races toward a final conclusion. Because the scene was set in Reboot, this book is able to jump right into the world and keep things moving along. It also gives time to explore certain spaces more thoroughly, such as the cities around Texas (both original and new), the reboot camp, and Wren's life before rebooting (and how it may have contributed to her reboot style).

The book rotates between two points of view this time: Wren (again), and Caleb. Wren continues to be a fun and interesting character to follow, and Caleb's portion is a nice addition, since his perspective can be so different from hers. They care for each other, though, so they're not actually on opposite sides of the issues, only approaching them from different viewpoints. He's sure of his remaining humanity and forced to question his refusal to accept violence as necessary (because maybe sometimes it is), while Wren has spent years believing she's an emotionless reboot, but learns that may not be exactly true.

While Reboot focused on the individuals rebooting and the world in which that occurs, Rebel takes a look at what happens with those reboots, whether under the control of the government that created them or off on their own. The book considers what it means to be a leader, how power can corrupt, and unexpected alliances.

I loved Reboot and I might just like Rebel even more. It's full of interesting politics between reboots and humans, features a relationship between Wren and Caleb you can truly root for, and plenty of funny moments to keep the serious issues and deadly threats from being overwhelming. Rebel is well-written and will keep you hooked throughout. I can't wait to see what Amy Tintera publishes next!


"You could've at least let me know you weren't dead
by the way. I was actually kind of sad about that." 
 "That's a pretty incredible sentiment, coming from you."