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“A fascinating premise, delivered in gory and glorious cinematic detail—and with a healthy dose of romance…The quick pace, familiar yet altered setting, and strong humanitarian message will draw Hunger Games fans.”
Reboot
by Amy TinteraView All Available Formats & Editions
Five years ago, Wren Connolly died. After 178 minutes, she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, but also less emotional. The longer Reboots are under, the less human they are when they return—making Wren 178 the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, her favorite part of her job is training new Reboots, but
… See more details belowOverview
Five years ago, Wren Connolly died. After 178 minutes, she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, but also less emotional. The longer Reboots are under, the less human they are when they return—making Wren 178 the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, her favorite part of her job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she's ever seen.
As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically still human. His reflexes are too slow, he's always asking pesky questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking Wren out. And yet . . . he's still her newbie. When Callum falls short of Reboot standards, Wren is told to eliminate him.
But the perfect soldier is done taking orders.
Editorial Reviews
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“The combination of wicked chase scenes, a sweet romance, and a dystopian world make this a welcome recommendation to readers awaiting the final installment to Roth’s DIVERGENT (BCCB 5/11) or the next Hunger Games movie.Sophie Jordan
“I don’t know what left me more breathless—the breakneck pace or the heart—stopping romance! I loved it!”Lissa Price
“A bone–breaking heroine fights for her life, her love, and what remains of her humanity in this fresh take on a world gone wrong.”Veronica Rossi
“Fast paced and thrilling…I devoured this book!”C. J. Redwine
“Riveting, fast–paced, and full of heart—I simply couldn’t put it down.”Publishers Weekly
Tintera's debut covers familiar dystopian territory, but a riveting premise, a romance with substance, and the urgent narrative voice lend it a burst of fresh energy. When Wren was shot in a Texas slum at age 12, the virus she'd been infected with caused her to "Reboot" after 178 minutes. Reboots who have been dead as long as Wren come back strong and often emotionless, and are the best hunters and killers for the government (who offer them no rights or freedoms). When Wren, now 17, begins training Callum, who'd only been dead for 22 minutes, he challenges her beliefs in the rigid order of their society, as well as her own lack of emotion. And when Wren discovers that the weaker Reboots—including Callum and Wren's roommate Ever—are being experimented on, it sets off a desire to escape and to fight the system she's worked for since dying. Tintera occasionally rushes character development—Wren's conversion from borderline sociopath into caring human, in particular—but strong world-building and sweeping action sequences should exert a strong hold on readers. Ages 13–up. Agent: Emmanuelle Morgan, Stonesong. (May)VOYA - Sarah Cofer
Wren 178 is one of the strongest and fastest Reboots. Her number, 178, signifies the number of minutes she was dead before rebooting, or coming back to life. Humans fear the cold and emotionless Reboots who are virtually invincible. The only way to kill a Reboot is to destroy its brain. Wren has been a reboot for five years and serves as an HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation) foot soldier by capturing and killing criminals. Wren is valuable to HARC because as a 178, she appears to be void of feelings, diligently follows orders, and questions nothing. That changes when Callum 22 is among the fresh crop of newbies. Wren surprises everyone when she chooses Callum as her new trainee. In the past, Wren always chose higher number Reboots because they are more powerful and more likely to survive, but Wren is inexplicably drawn to clumsy Callum and his goofy grin. Callum's inquisitive nature and refusal to follow HARC rules allows Wren to finally see HARC through new eyes. After Wren is told that Callum needs to shape up and follow directions or they will force her to eliminate him, she decides the only way to save Callum is to help him escape, but disobeying HARC means death. Tintera's debut dystopian novel is a heart-stopping thrill ride. Adventure, danger, and suspense mashed up with a little romance and the walking dead create a fast-paced and well written suspense novel that will find good company with the Hunger Games crowd. Readers will root for Wren and Callum, and the ending is perfectly set up for a sequel. This is a unique and fresh twist on the ever-popular zombie fiction, but with the dead being both sentient and superhuman. It contains a great message about the importance of making informed decisions and not just going along with the status quo. It contains some violence, though not too descriptive. This one will be popular. Reviewer: Sarah CoferSchool Library Journal
12/01/2013Gr 7 Up—Wren 178 is a Reboot-one of the lucky (or unlucky) few who rise from the dead following contamination from the virus KDH. The disease kills most people, but the young and strong come back, although they don't come back quite human. After dying five years ago at the age of 12, Wren is now a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation). Because she was dead for 178 minutes, the longest time on record, she is stronger and deadlier than all other Reboots in her center, which entitles her to first choice of each new batch of trainees. Generally, she chooses the kids who also have high numbers, but there's just something about Callum that speaks to her. As a 22, he is almost still human. He's slow and fragile, he questions everything, and he cares too much. Although he creeps Wren out, she finds herself becoming attracted to him and wanting to do everything in her power to keep him alive—to the point of disobeying a direct order to eliminate him when he refuses to kill a prisoner. The first half of this novel is engaging as readers are introduced to this dystopian culture, but the second half begins to drag a bit and some readers may lose interest. There is a nice setup for a sequel, but teens may not care by the time they reach that point. Better dystopian novels abound.—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
Kirkus Reviews
This compulsively readable science-fiction debut will appeal widely. Seventeen-year-old Wren is one of many young people who, after dying of a widespread virus called KDH, came back to life. Called reboots, they are stronger and more aesthetically refined. They also tend to be more aggressive and less empathic; these traits become more pronounced with each minute spent dead. They are confined to Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation facilities, where they are forced to train as soldiers who carry out the will of their captors. Dead for a record 178 minutes before she reanimated, Wren commands respect and is reasonably satisfied with her second life. But the introduction of a new detainee, Callum, to whom she's inexplicably drawn coincides with her sickening realization that the humans have been experimenting on the lower-numbered reboots with terrifying results, leading her to forge a desperate escape. Though undeniably derivative of so many in the genre, this is a well-imagined story in its own right. Superb concepts and plotting will hook readers from the start, and though Wren echoes the reluctant-heroine trope common to many recent dystopian adventures, she is sympathetic. The tension between Wren and Callum is playful and often sweet, offering plenty to those who appreciate romance. Though the story is neatly resolved, the possibility of a sequel is still tantalizingly possible. (Dystopian adventure. 14 & up)Product Details
- ISBN-13:
- 9780062217080
- Publisher:
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publication date:
- 04/01/2014
- Series:
- Reboot Series, #1
- Pages:
- 400
- Sales rank:
- 77,737
- Product dimensions:
- 5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.10(d)
- Age Range:
- 13 - 17 Years
What People are saying about this
C.J. Redwine
“Riveting, fast–paced, and full of heart—I simply couldn’t put it down.”
Lissa Price
“A bone–breaking heroine fights for her life, her love, and what remains of her humanity in this fresh take on a world gone wrong.”
Veronica Rossi
“Fast paced and thrilling…I devoured this book!”
Sophie Jordan
“I don’t know what left me more breathless—the breakneck pace or the heart—stopping romance! I loved it!”
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