Title: ReMade Episode Five: Umta
Author: Matthew Cody
Pages: 34
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Release Date: 12 October 2016

From Goodreads: "You live. You love. You die. Now RUN. ReMade.

Every minute, 108 people die. 

On October 14th, 2016, from 9:31-9:32 p.m. EDT, 23 of those deaths will be teenagers. 

Now they are humanity’s last hope for survival. 

Awakened in a post-apocalyptic world and hunted by mechanical horrors, these teens search for answers amidst the ruins of civilization. Fate, love, and loyalty face off in this adrenaline -pumping YA adventure.

ReMade will unfold across 15 episodes. "Umta" is the fifth episode.

Even in a group of misfits, Umta sticks out. An adult with more history than any of the youths around her can possibly imagine, she knows about survival – and suffering. Brought back and remade seemingly to take care of the helpless children around her, she plays the mysterious guide and hunter with skill…but despite her knowledge, she is just as vulnerable as all the rest when the caretakers make their long-dreaded return. 

This episode written by Matthew Cody."

Thank you to Netgalley and Serial Box for providing a copy of this book in exchange for review!

I have to admit, I was a bit excited when I saw that there was another episode written by Matthew Cody. He was my first introduction into this world and I really enjoyed the characters that he brought to life and the way he was able to draw the reader into the world. I was especially interested in getting to know more about the mysterious Umta, and this episode did not disappoint!

In episode five, we get a look at some of the other characters that have popped up, such as Holden and Seyah, but the main character of this story is Umta. As with the other episodes, you are able to read about Umta's past and the events that lead up to her death as well as what is happening at the current time at the camp. You learn that Umta had two sons, and her mate is no longer in the picture possibly due to death or some other cause. She is the hunter, despite having a son that is old enough to go hunting, and it's heavily frowned upon in her tribe for a female to go out and hunt. In the present, Umta still takes the role of hunter, and thinks of the kids as her own, even going to far as to try and sacrifice herself for them just as she did for her very own before she died. There is so much more to Umta than I originally thought, and having an episode dedicated to her was a wonderful idea.

Something that I really enjoyed was that there wasn't necessarily a time point established for Umta's backstory, but there were references to a tribe which made me wonder just where she came from and when she died. What really piqued my curiosity about her past was when she makes a comment about how the caretakers provided her with the ability to communicate with everyone. I didn't notice it at first, but she doesn't speak at all, and her children seem to only communicate with grunts or noises and pointing. It certainly made me curious as to where and when Umta is from and I hope that she continues to show up in future episodes with more information about her and her past.

As with the first episode, Matthew Cody did a fantastic job continuing to build on the world that has been created. The writing drew me in almost instantly and had me hooked until the last page. I thoroughly enjoy when I am so captivated by a writing style that I don't realize how quickly I'm progressing through the book until I'm either almost done or at the very last page, and the writing of Matthew Cody did just that. He was able to make me interested in a character that I didn't initially think twice about as well as move the story of the entire group forward in a huge way. While he was making me care more about Umta as a character, he was also able to continue to freak me right on out by the insanely creepy Caretakers! By the end, I was left wanting more and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here.

ReMade Episode Five: Umta provided some valuable insight to an otherwise unknown character and made a pretty big leap forward in the story line of the group. I am looking forward to more writing from Matthew Cody as well as the other amazing authors that contributed to this serialized novel and I can't wait for the next installment to see just what happens after the crazy ending to episode five!