Thursday, June 28, 2012

Review: Revived

Cat Patrick
Young Adult
336 pages
Little, Brown
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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.


MY THOUGHTS
Revived has a fascinating premise, the idea of a super drug able to thwart death raising a series of intriguing questions for both us as readers as well as our young protagonist. How differently would we live our lives if the threat of death no longer had the finality it does now? While physically we would perhaps take greater risks—live louder, faster, harder—emotionally would be an entirely different story, something Revived brings to the forefront as Daisy settles into her new home in Omaha. We are presented with two different versions of death in this story–Daisy’s type of death wherein the loss of life is merely an inconvenience easily remedied, and then the type of death that leaves us feeling hollow, empty, and struggling for purchase as the world tilts and knocks us off balance—and we read with no shortage of anticipation as Daisy is forced to take a closer look at how death has irrevocably shaped her life.

From the first chapter in which we experience one of Daisy’s deaths with her, we find ourselves glued to the pages, unabashedly curious about a drug able to wrestle someone back from the clammy hands of death with no physical or mental consequences. Daisy in the beginning is content with her world, slightly put out at their nomadic lifestyle given they have to relocate after each of her untimely demises, but ultimately she doesn’t question her handlers or the Revive program itself. To our immense relief, meeting Matt and Audrey in Omaha ignites in her a desire to uncover the intricacies of the drug and the twenty-one other people in the program, and while we don’t uncover as many details as our eager minds might like, we at least find ourselves fully supporting Daisy as she starts asking the questions we’ve wished to give voice to from the beginning.

The romance with Matt is a sweet one, smiles plastered to our faces when we see them together, but theirs is not a relationship that has the paper pages acting as electrical conduits to shoot currents up and down our arms. We enjoy our time with them but aren’t necessarily swept up in the intensity thrumming between them, more like we can feel their phantom fingers wrap around our hearts but they never squeeze, instead we just take note of their pressure now and again as Matt and Audrey navigate a shared pain. While the romance is not the type to feel out of place or as though it’s been added perfunctorily, more interesting to read about than their love is how death affects the two of them individually, and how Matt’s visceral reaction to his loss makes Daisy reevaluate everything she’s ever known and experienced. It’s the juxtaposition of the two of them – the young woman for whom death is merely a new beginning and the young man for whom death is a messy, painful end—that makes Revived continue to play through our minds long after we’ve finished reading.

Rating: 4/5

28 comments:

  1. Great Review! I'm glad to know that Daisy questions the program and begins to see death differently. I haven't been able to get into this one, but maybe I'll give it another go. Sounds like I might miss out on a good book.

    Heather

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  2. So happy to see that you liked it so much!! I had a small and tiny problem with the relation with Marc... I loved the beginning but then, he acted weird at the end. But I see your point and looking at it like this ...

    I totally enjoyed the book in the end - I just love Cat Patrick's writing and storytelling!

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  3. This is a good concept, but I can't decide whether it's good enough. You seem a little more reserved in this than you often are in your reviews. Not explicitly, but something about the writing makes me think the book holds back a little. Am I reading too much into things?

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  4. I've heard so many awesome things about Cat Patrick I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't read a book of her yet. I've heard a lot of good things about this book too. Great review! The premise is somewhat interesting I'd definitely check this one out.

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  5. Really excited to read this one since I loved Forgotten so much! If the guy in this book is anything like Luke Henry, I'm sure I'll love him!

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  6. Beautiful review Jenny, I've seen mixed reviews for this book, so I was a little unsure about picking it up, but the premise and the cover and so enticing that I think I may end up giving it a try! :)

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  7. I think the premise of Revive has so much potential and I'm glad I won a copy of this book. I'm kind of bummed the relationship isn't that "exciting" but it seems like a good read nonetheless. I really want to read Forgotten too- I've had that on my shelf forever. Great review, Jenny!

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  8. I really enjoyed the government conspiracy aspect of this book. You're totally right, the romance wasn't a focal point, and for me, the premise of the story captured me enough to thoroughly enjoy the book.

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  9. Wow. If death weren't a factor I would probably take some risks to like sky diving or cliff jumping or shopping with my mother in law.....Id do it all Jenny...:)Looking forward to reading this one!

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  10. Heather - Yes, I was glad she started to question too. I had so many questions myself, and I wanted her to ask them for me:)

    Danny - I love her storytelling too, and I loved that it stood alone. As much as I love series, it was fun to have everything wrapped up by the end:)

    Alison - No, you're not. If I could give in between ratings like a 3.75, that's what this one probably would have gotten. I liked it enough to not give it a 3.5 though:)

    Chel - I feel like that with Jenny Han and Kristin Cashore! Fail.

    Leanna - I enjoyed the romance, and I thought how the two of them viewed death was really interesting.

    Jasprit - I enjoyed it overall. It won't be one that I rush to read again and again, but it was a quick, entertaining book I thought:)

    Christina - It was good, I enjoyed the relationship even if it didn't wow me:)

    Tara - Me too! I wish we had gotten even a little more information on the drug itself and how it came to be:)

    Tina - hahahahaha! I would be more daring as well, though I don't know that skydiving would be on the list. It still hurts to die in this story, you just get to wake up after:)

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  11. I haven't read Patrick's Forgotten either but I've got both of her books on my wishlist. I really like the premise of this one and am glad it doesn't disappoint. I'm looking forward to finding out how Daisy and Matt's views on death differ :)

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  12. I felt the same way about the romance! It was so sweet and adorable, but it lacked sparks like I'm so used to. It felt kind of like insta-love to me, and I couldn't get over how quick Daisy was to spill all of her secrets to him. But I adored this book overall, and I'm so happy you did too, Jenny! Don't you think it'd be cool-yet-not to be Revived like Daisy? x)

    Beautiful review, Jenny! :) <3

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  13. I am amazed everytime I read one of your reviews. This one was utterly amazing. I love the way you compared Daisy and Matt's view of death, the effects of knowing you can be revived, etc!

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  14. Z - The death aspect was the most fascinating one for me, the romance was cute but nothing life-altering, but the questions it raised about dealing with death I thought were intriguing.

    Mimi - Exactly. She was very quick to deem him trustworthy, but I could understand it a bit given how lonely her life was up until that point. Still, I had fun reading this one and that's enough sometimes:)

    Rachel - Thank you! I just wonder how different a person I would be if there was a drug out there that could revive me you know?

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  15. A lovely review, Jenny! The premise for this book is something that grabbed my attention pretty early on so I can't wait to finally read it. I love the way you describe the romance. Sometimes it's nice not to have a focus on that aspect, but still find it easy to appreciate. Great review! :)

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  16. Even though I had a lot of problems with this one (the fact that she had no brain damage as many times as she asphyxiated) and I didn't buy her romance toward the end... I still enjoyed this one enough. I did like the way she questioned things and saw things because she could be revived. Plus, I felt the author really did come up with something unique.

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  17. Feeling kind of creepy her dying a lot. I just do not know if I would believe it all

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  18. I LOVED this one! Especially her relationship with her "dad" Mason. It was such a nice relationship, and I loved that it was included since most YA doesn't include a parental relationship. An amazing book, really. Cat Patrick went beyond the YA tropes with it.

    Ashelynn @ gypsy book reviews.

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  19. Sam - Thank you! I liked that the romance was there, but not overwhelmingly present:)

    Melissa - Hahaha yes, I was able to gloss over those details, I have no idea why:) I would have loved some more info on the drug though!

    Linda - It was an interesting concept, I really enjoyed it:)

    Ashelynn - Yay! I loved Mason too, I was really glad he played such a big part:)

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  20. I really enjoyed Patrick's debut novel, but I've been on the fence about this one, maybe because I get a zombie undertone from the synopsis, but knowing that's not the case helps ease my reluctance. And in a world were instalove runs rampant, I think the romances here sounds sweet and I actually like that it's not the main focus.

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  21. I loved this story. It was easy to read and enjoyable. I agree. Their romance made me smile. They trusted each other enough to tell secrets. Sweet!

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  22. I love the premise for this story. Kind of makes me think about what I'd do if I knew I could cheat death! Just added it to my TBR list!

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  23. Very cool concept! I'm curious how the author describes the experience of death.

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  24. I've read quite a few lackluster reviews of this one and I tried a few chapters, but couldn't get into it. I ended up passing it to someone else. Glad you liked it better than I did. I guess I was looking for something a bit more serious.

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  25. Ive been wanting this one because I loved Forgotten. But meh reviews held me back. I think I will definitely have to get it though. I'm glad you liked it enough for 4 stars, I'll have to watch for it!

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  26. Such an intriguing premise! I don't mind when a relationship isn't electric or soul-shattering. Sometimes it's nice to see a couple that works without the threat of flames burning them up.

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  27. Great review Jenny. I've seen some mixed reviews, so I'm glad to see you enjoyed it, especially the romance. :)

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  28. I've been interested in reading this one. The book cover always captures my interest when I see it at the bookstore...but I never purchase it. I don't know why. Maybe I'm not into ghost stories like this? Hmmmm...after reading your review I think I'll get it next time!

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