Thursday, July 24, 2014

Rebel by Amy Tintera

Rebel is the sequel to Reboot so this review contains ***SPOILERS*** about what happens in Reboot.  If you like to read series in order then stop reading this review and check out Reboot first.

Since Wren 178 met Callum 22 her world has been turned upside down and inside out - and she is no longer under the control of the HARC.  Free to make her own decisions for the first time in more than five years, Wren and the rest of the Reboots she and Callum rescued make their way to the legendary Reboot reservation, a place where they can be free of the human controls on their lives and just be.  The charismatic leader of the Reboot reservation welcomes them with open arms, but the reservation Reboots seem oddly nervous and fearful around their leader and Wren is not sure she has made the right decision bringing the Reboots to the reservation.  When she witnesses a shocking incident the resulting confrontation with Micah leads to a swift and severe punishment.

Separated Wren and Callum are on their own as they fight against the HARC and the twisted mind of a Reboot who has seen the inside of the HARC and wants to wipe them off the face of the planet forever - no matter what the collateral damage might be.  As the clock starts ticking it becomes a race against time for Callum and the rest of the Reboots to not only save Wren, but also to save the other Reboots that are still under the control of HARC - because HARC now sees them as a liability, and the only way to deal with a liability is to wipe it off the face of the earth forever.  Callum is one of the lowest Reboots, with such a low number that everyone jokes he is practically human, and it is that humanity that may just save them all.

Rebel is the sequel to Reboot and literally picks up where the first book left off, something that was a little shock to the system seeing as it has been some time since I read the first book and it took me a little while to settle back into the story and reconnect with the characters (because it has been some time since I read the first book, not because they were badly written).  Just like Reboot, Rebel is driven forward by the action and drama rather than romance or strictly human relations - there is a goal that they are pushing towards and that goal is what the story strives to reach (and reaches it well).  As with the first book there were not too many twists and turns in the story, but with the rapidly switching viewpoints between Callum and Wren you get to experience all of the action, drama, and anguish from all sides which was kind of nice.

Tintera has a gift for writing a plot driven story that barely leaves you time for breath as you move from one drama to another, and it feels very much like a movie plot with the heavy background information that you sometimes find in books like this left out of focus in the background where it is not going to clutter up the story with superficial details.  This is a coming of age story, a story of self discovery, and a story of survival.  There are subtle blends here of the dangers of hate without reason, but maybe I am reading that into the story rather than it being there - but it does feel a little bit like a comment on our times without assigning blame.  This is an intense read that deserves attention, and it doesn't feel as if this story is over just yet, it feels more like the closing of one chapter as another one opens.  Bring on more books in the Reboot world - we're ready!

If you like this book then try:

Reviewed by Brilla

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