Rebel by Amy Tintera
Series: Reboot #2
Publication Date: 13 May 2014
HarperTeen, Hardcover, 340 pages
Source: Library
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WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR REBOOT.
Wren Connolly thought she’d left her human side behind when she dies five years ago and came back 178 minutes later as a Reboot. With her new abilities of strength, speed, and healing—along with a lack of emotions—Wren 178 became the perfect soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation). Then Callum 22 came along and changed everything.
Now that they’ve both escaped, they’re ready to start a new life in peace on the Reboot reservation. But Micah 163, the Reboot running the reservation, has darker plans in mind: to wipe out the humans. All of them. Micah has been building a Reboot army for years and is now ready to launch his attack on the cities. Callum wants to stick around and protect the humans. Wren wants nothing more than to leave all the fighting behind them.
With Micah on one side, HARC on the other, and Wren and Callum at odds in the middle, there’s only one option left…
It’s time for Reboots to become rebels.
Rating: ★★★★
Disclaimer: I read this book a few months before writing this review so the details mights be a little vague!
Stories sometimes have epic endings, stupid endings or lackluster ones. Rebel falls into the last category but despite being dull, it had a rather realistic feel to certain aspects of it. Though admittedly, not every aspect.
Straight after finishing this book, I was a teensy bit bothered by the almost non-existent number of characters that wound up dead. Wren and Callum were involved in a revolution. Don’t people die during these things? However, I reasoned again that they are, after all, incredibly powerful (and pretty awesome) Reboots so… the small number of casualties could be excused.
What I loved however, were the consistent characters who had all changed a lot since the events of Reboot but in an incredibly believable way—especially Callum. To some, he might’ve seemed like Wren’s little puppy back in the first book but he sure blossomed in Rebel. Though exploded from awesomeness might’ve been more accurate.
Callum finally understand that he couldn’t be like everyone else and always expect Wren to lead because she’s 178. There were battles that were his own and although Wren won’t fight them for him, she would always support him. It was also pretty refreshing to come across a kickass protagonist who wasn’t all gung-ho about revolution, saving the world, and achieving the best for the greater good yada da. I liked that Wren only wanted a simple, peaceful life with Callum and honestly didn’t care about humans. It might be unlikeable but it was real. And kind of cute.
The amount of importance some of the Reboots put on the number of minutes they’ve stayed dead was also pretty interesting. It was a subtle but effective way of acknowledging similar issues we have here in the real world.
Unfortunately, the plot and ending were not as spectacular as the characters. I honestly had nearly zero motivation to continue with the story and only stayed on because I was rooting for the characters. There was one particular bit at the end that had me at the edge of my seat but after finishing the entire book, it felt too generic a twist. Nonetheless, if you’re one for breathtaking characters, you definitely would not be left disappointed with Rebel and this duology in general.
A Page of Heaven 