Review: Revived by Cat Patrick

Dying and then living again. It's not as easy at it sounds.

Title: Revived by Cat Patrick
Pages: 327
Release Date: April 1st 2012
Published by: Hardie Grant Egmont
Source: Publisher (thanks Jenn!)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

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.

If Cat Patrick intrigued us with her debut novel, Forgotten, prepare to read something completely different from that in this novel. How would it feel like to die multiple times and live again? It was the only life Daisy knew. Moving to Omaha after she died for the fifth time, but the one difference was: Daisy was starting to have a life. She got a new friend, a crush, attachments that would make it difficult for her to leave when it's time to, or when she dies again. But the top secret project Daisy's part of have secrets of its own that even a test subject like her cannot know. And if she did, she might die, permanently this time.

Being immersed with Cat Patrick's familiar style of writing is such a delight. I loved how she was able to make Daisy come to life, from a sleepy, solitary existence to a vibrant teen who's opening up to the world, forming relationships and enjoying herself. It wasn't easy to like Daisy at first, but her friendship with Audrey shaped her into a character one can easily sympathize with. Daisy learned to overcome isolation and discover that there's more to life than changing her name and transferring to a new state every few years. Daisy is an inquisitive kid, and her quest to find out just how much Revive had shaped her life led her to a change so big that affected not just her present, but her future as well.

I am not a big fan of Matt in this book. I find him too dark, or maybe I'm just used to reading about boys in YA contemporary as either good or bad. Matt's character tends to shift a lot in my opinion, one minute this carefree, sweet boy, the next he does something that will make the readers wonder about him. Do you ask something of someone that can jeopardize their safety? Still, Matt has the classic older brother behavior down to a tee, one of his redeeming points. Most of the time in the latter part of the book, he's either angry or lost in his grief to be there for Daisy. The way he acted might be justified with the problems he and his family faced, but it didn't help me like him much.

The romance was an extra in the book as it drove the story forward and the sweetness and innocence of first love is always nice to read of. Since I'm not a big fan of Matt, I didn't feel his connection with Daisy at first, but Cat Patrick's a master of writing those moments and the occasional bursts of tension between Daisy and Matt gave the romance a little boost and I liked that. And I really liked Mason. He was the father Daisy never had. He had his own share of heartaches in life but he still protected Daisy. In a way it was him who saved her life, not the drug.

What challenged me while reading this was the moral dilemma that Daisy was facing. What if you have in your hands a drug that can bring back people from the dead? Will you be willing to break the rules to help a dying friend get a second chance in life even if you are not sure the drug can help her? It's this kind of decision Daisy faced throughout the story that will most probably make or break the book for the readers. Cat Patrick dealt with this sensitive issue in a good way, posing this question to the readers and leaving them to think of what kind of decisions can lead to a lot of consequences that might not all be good, or bad. Revive, the drug, had it's good points, giving a fresh start to most of the kids involved in the accident, a chance to be who they want and live a life they deserve, better than what they used to have. On the other hand, the drug affects lives like Daisy, not allowing them to live a normal life, because they had to start anew over again. Experiencing death repeatedly can never be easy. Also, the code names 'God' and 'Jesus' used for the antagonists gave the book its terrifying edge. To be able to choose who gets to die and who gets to live, these people who think they're doing the world a favor when the horrors they did to get the Project going was chilling.

Cat Patrick once again takes us in a wonderful ride in her sophomore novel Revived, exploring various relevant themes such as friendship and just how much it can endure, love and all the crazy complicated things that comes along with it, the true value of a family, life and living it to the fullest, and ultimately, death and what it really means. Though parts of it are a bit predictable, what gave life to Revived was Cat's ability to explore the facets of life and death as it happens to Daisy. What does it mean to live? How much value does living have when you know you can be brought back to life even if you die? What about those who will die but wants desperately to live? It's these kinds of dilemma that gives Revive an enchanting quality. Thoroughly enjoyable and delightfully flawed, Revived is a nice follow up for Cat Patrick!

Content (plot, story flow, character):

Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!

Book Cover:

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.