Wren Connolly died five years ago, only to Reboot after 178 minutes.
Now she is one of the deadliest Reboots around; unlike her newest trainee, Callum 22, who is practically still human.
As Wren tries to teach Callum how to be a soldier, his hopeful smile works its way past her defenses.
Unfortunately, Callum’s big heart also makes him a liability, and Wren is ordered to eliminate him.
To save Callum, Wren will have to risk it all.

IN A NUTSHELL
Engaging YA Science Fiction novel with an original twist on the zombie apocalypse, an unusual heroine, an unconventional romantic sub-thread, good pacing and great action scenes. 

I searched Amy Tintera’s back catalogue after being impressed by her latest novel, the thriller ‘Listen For The Lie’ (2024). I picked up ‘Reboot’ because it was her debut novel and because it was narrated by Khristine Hvam, whom I always enjoy.

I’d never have guessed that ‘Reboot’ was a debut novel. The writing is smooth, the pacing is measured, the action scenes are convincing, and the characterisation is deftly done. All of that is strengthened by an original premise and an strange but captivating main character. 

The premise is a twist on the zombie apocalypse. In this version, a virus causes some of the dead to ‘reboot’ and come back to life. How human they are when they reboot depends on two things: how many minutes they were dead before rebooting, and how old they were when they died. The longer they take to reboot, the less human they are. Adults who reboot tend to go insane. Texas has survived the zombie apocalypse, walling itself off from the world, initiating Martial Law and conscripting any child/teen Reboots and using them as obedient and disposable soldiers/attack dogs with human handlers who will put them down at the first sign of disobedience. 

The story is told from the point of view of Wren, who rebooted five years ago when she was twelve-years-old, taking an almost unprecedented 178 minutes to reboot. At seventeen, she sees herself as an extremely efficient killing machine, mostly devoid of human emotion. She spends her life either training for combat or being deployed in the slums on short nighttime missions to track down and detain or kill dissident humans. She also trains new Reboots, attempting to teach them how not to get killed on a mission. 

I enjoyed watching Wren gradually start to change how she sees herself, the Reboots around her, and to question whether obedience to her human handlers is her only option. 

The plot is propulsive, tense and action-packed, but it still takes the time to show Wren developing an unexpected attachment to a very low number Reboot newbie whom she is trying to train. This wasn’t the standard type of YA romantic relationship. It was touching, but mostly because it caused Wren to reassess herself and her reactions.

The book reaches a satisfying conclusion, but it also left me keen to read the next book, ‘Rebel’, to see what Wren does next.

I recommend the audiobook version of ‘Reboot’. Khristine Hvam does an excellent job with the narration. Click on the YouTube link below to hear a sample.

When I was deciding whether or not to buy ‘Reboot’, I came across this book trailer. As far as I know, the book hasn’t been adapted for TV or made into a movie, so this video seems to have been made purely to promote the book.