In preparing to write this review I went to Goodreads to see what I had initially written about it and then decided to see what all my friends had thought of it. And while everyone loved it they all kept referring to the “reboots” as zombies.
And. ugh. no.
I hate zombie books. But I loved this book. And never once did it cross my mind that these characters were zombie. I do not think of this as a zombie book and I think most zombie enthusiasts wouldn’t either. They aren’t shuffling, screepy monserts. Or terrifying sprinting creatures intent upon eating your brains or infecting you with the same disease.
They were simply people who had died, come back to life a little more than human. Or a little less depending on how you want to look at it.
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.
I really loved Wren. I loved that she was intelligent and logical and unemotional. Except not at all. I loved that she bought into the lies that told her she didn’t feel emotions. That she was less than human. And I loved that she used her intellect to figure her way out of that. To realize that she did care about people and that she could still have a life of her own, even after her death. And I definitely loved that that realization didn’t affect her badassery at all.
I also really, really loved that Callum was not as strong, not as much of a warrior, not as logical as Wren but he was never weak or stupid or worthless. Wren was a kickass girl on her own merit and not because the male lead was somehow less. He was different and had completely different strengths than Wren, but Callum was still a badass character in his own right. And still swoon-worthy.
I enjoyed the world building as well though I hope in the rest of the series we see more of what’s going on outside of Texas. Or that there is a world outside of Texas.
I thought the ending came about a little abuptly or happened to easily but as it’s the first in a trilogy I’m willing to overlook that and see how things go horribly wrong in the next book. …as long as there isn’t a love triangle. No love triangle.
I feel like book ones should come with some sort of warning at the end if book two is going to introduce a love triangle.
Now I’ve worked myself into a tizzy about this and there’s seriously no evidence whatsoever that there will be a love triangle.
I JUST LIKE TO LIVE IN FEAR!