Sold into servitude, Lexil must deal with brutal punishments, back-breaking labor, and the loss of every freedom. When a young child she has befriended faces a horrible fate, Lexil must intervene to protect her, no matter what the risk. With the help of a boy named Finn, the trio flee into the Wastelands. There, they must evade those who hunt them while trying to survive a barren landscape. Lexil must face challenges she's never imagined existed, all while learning what it means to truly be reborn.
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Lexil, the main character of the book, was an interesting focus character. She’s often conflicted about the way others see her and who she feels like she is. She goes through some significant change and development throughout the story. She starts out as a helpless victim but by the end is a true hero to herself and her friends. The secondary character, Finn and Ceera, are both pretty one-dimensional. Finn does change somewhat from the beginning to the end, but overall is not as complex as Lexil. Ceera, as a four year old, is a good character due to her ability to work as an obstacle and motivation for Lexil, but isn’t very complex.
The plot of this book is action filled and exciting from start to finish. The constant conflict and tension makes this book a quick read that will keep you turning the pages. While it was nice that the author was able to keep the pacing up throughout, I wish there had been some slower moments in the story for certain plot elements to be explained. I would have loved to learn more about Lexil’s past and the other character’s pasts, and why they have the abilities that later play an essential role in the plot, but by the end of this book, not much is explained. As short as this book was, there is plenty of room to flesh out the story with some of these explanations.
Similar to the plot, I felt like I didn’t get to learn much about the setting of the book, since everything was so fast-paced. In the second half of the book, you learn more about civilizations beyond where Lexil was born, but it felt too late after having questions for so long. I was still left wondering a lot of things about this world, including the time period and the technology, which we don’t get to see at all, because of Lexil’s position as a slave in the first half of the book and a runaway in the second half.
Reborn is a fun and quick read for lovers of YA Fantasy. The main character is a well-developed protagonist that goes through significant change throughout the book. The fast-paced plot make this book an addictive and easy read, but by the end, I still had many questions about elements of the plot and the world of the story.