Saturday, May 05, 2012

Review: Revived by Cat Patrick

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Revived
Cat Patrick
Release date: May 8th, 2012
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads / Purchase

As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger—and more sinister—than she ever imagined.

*A copy was provided by Hachette Book Group Canada for review purposes*

After dying 5 times, Daisy is kind of tired of it all. Having to relocate each time: a new school, new routine, new last name – a whole new life. It gets tiring after a while not getting to keep your identity. An interesting plot with a fast pace and short chapters, Revived is surprisingly easy to fly through.

Revived is the drug that can bring people back to life. This drug has been secretly tested on a few kids – Daisy included, and controlled by an anonymous eerie guy they call God; his agents – the disciples; and the subjects – converts. We did not delve into this secret project much more than this. Consequently, you can’t look into it too deeply without raising questions. Mostly whys and hows. This could have been fine if it was the first in a series where we would still have a chance to examine this further, but for a standalone I felt the information was scarce. Likewise, the promised sinister goals don’t feel as sinister when we only vaguely know about these people. But there are some fun, though not unpredictable twists, which gives an overall entertaining plot. However, regardless of the synopsis, this book reads more like a contemporary with some added supernatural events so this doesn’t become a very big problem.

The characterization is what makes it the most engaging. Daisy has a very relatable voice that you can see grow inside this book when she develops relationships with Audrey and Matt, her first real friends. Being able to come back to life has given her a nonchalant attitude about death. So when faced with real, no coming back, death, she’s at a loss. Suddenly, everything is being doubted. Is the Revive project really a positive thing? Is it fair that she can cheat death? We touch base on a lot of subjects: From death, to experiencing her first love, to her amazing relationship with her “fake” father – I could feel her joy and her pain. We see her at her best, but also at her worse; making her an intricately written character.

Falling in love for the first time is bliss; but it’s also confusing. The romance plays a pretty big part in Revived. Daisy and Matt develop a believable and truly sweet relationship. Like any teenage romance, there are bumps in the road; the ones in this story are particularly steep. Although clever and undeniably loving, Daisy may be a bit too trusting. I was surprised by how quick she gave away her enormous secret to her boyfriend. Maybe it’s just simple naivety, but after keeping it for so long she was quick to spill the beans. It was definitely not the smartest idea.

Quick and entertaining, Revived is filled with compelling characters that will lead you in a fun, but also emotionally-profound story. It’s a delightful read that I would recommend if you enjoy contemporary novels with sci-fi elements.  

3 Hot Espressos
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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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25 Responses to “Review: Revived by Cat Patrick”

  1. J.R.

    Unanswered questions not so good but I think I’m still going to check this one out. I didn’t realize that this one was a standalone.

  3. Carina

    Oh Giselle, I’m dying to read this one so badly! 😀 (It’s actually my Distractive Obsession for today…) I don’t really like the fact that there are still questions left open, but I’m very happy that you enjoyed the rest. Thanks a lot for your honesty!

  4. Amy

    I just got this for review a few days ago. I will be getting to it soon hopefully. Trying to play catch up is hard when I keep getting books that I have been dying to read. (I got Onyx in my inbox last night and had to start reading it SQUEE!) I have a few books that I really need to get to first though and a book for a blog tour. It sounds interesting. Great review!!

  5. A. Knight @ Paranormal Indulgence

    I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this one. I do lurve the cover and all, but I’m so not digging the unanswered questions bit. I don’t like info dumps but it would be nice to, you know, actually learn more THINGS. At least you enjoyed some of it 😀

  6. Nick

    Believable sweet romance ? I’m definitely in. I’m so tired of instalove, so I want to read something with a good romance. 🙂
    The premise seems pretty interesting. 🙂
    Great review !

  7. Jasprit

    This books sounds so good! I love my contemporaries, but with the sci-fi elements it sounds even better! Fab review Giselle I can’t wait to read this! 🙂

  8. Candace

    I really liked Cats first book even though I wanted to know more. She seems to write great characters and romance. I’ll definitely be reading this cause I like her writing but shes also a NW author who I’ve met.

  9. Heather

    Hum, contemporary and sci-fi elements. I’m not sure about this one. Maybe I’ll take a peek at the first chapter before I read it. Thanks for the review! Great cover though!

  10. Danny

    Wonderful Review, and yours is the first one I read of this book. I loved her previous novel Forgotten and I’m excited to read this one. It sound exactly like I suspected it – great characterisation! Yeah for that!!

    It’s sad to hear of the lack of knowing more about “project” and the ideas behind, but I see that this can be challenging in a Standalone! But I’m looking forward reading it!

  13. Amber Hughes

    I’ve been really interested in reading this one ever since I first saw it on your blog. I’m glad to see that even though it wasn’t perfect, you still enjoyed most of it. I will definitely be buying this one 🙂

  15. Sam

    Wonderful review Giselle! Although I have never tried anything by this author before I am really looking forward to this book. 🙂

  21. Jennifer Messerschmidt

    I’m very interested in the romance and the drug that brings people back from death. I’m a little sad there isn’t more about the background of the drug and the people in charge of it. I figured this would be a series.

  22. Annette

    I had exactly the same thoughts about her keeping this secret for so long, and then after knowing this guy for a couple weeks she spills the beans! I didn’t believe it. But, like you enjoyed the twists and turns and the basic plot.

  23. Molli @ Once Upon a Prologue

    Fantastic review, Giselle! You balanced your enjoyment of this book with the reasons you didn’t fall for it in a way that definitely made sense. I am still curious about this one but I think it may need to be a library read!

  25. Rebecca

    I so can’t wait to read this one. I really enjoyed her other book and Revived sounds even better. o: I’m glad you enjoyed it, even if it wasn’t a blown-away read! I always wonder about telling those kind of secrets so quickly too… I guess they just want to finally be able to trust someone with it. Great review!