Reboot

Fast paced, heartbreaking, unique, and engaging. This book will excite scifi lovers, those who love a good Groundhog Day story, and those who love the found family trope.

This story was incredibly engaging, and I really enjoyed reading it. I found the set up compelling, and really liked the Lovecraftian vibe of some of the monsters. The world of the novel utilizes a number of tried and true elements of dystopia and sci-fi, and manages to pull them together in a unique and refreshing way. The world built had the potential to be extremely confusing, but was explained and introduced in such a way that I sort of fell into the world easily.

I loved the group of characters and the value that was put into a found family, particularly for people who’s actual family finds wanting in some way or another.

I found the pacing a bit jarring sometimes. There would be moments when the narrative had established that the characters needed to rush but then the plot would pause for a chapter or so to do character work. While I enjoyed those chapters in isolation, their placement in the plot felt confused.

I also wish that the ending had done more to explain some of the mysteries set up throughout the novel about how the world functioned and why. I understand the value in keeping a lot of it fuzzy, but it just felt a bit disappointing given that those mysteries are a part of why I was so keen to keep reading.

Those criticisms aside, it really was a great read, unafraid to hit me in the guts many times over while still managing to maintain some sense of levity in the story. I think I would give it 3.5 stars, but err on the side of 4.