Review: Revived by Cat Patrick

Revived

Author: Cat Patrick

Genre: YA Fantasy/Dystopian

Release Date: May 8, 2012

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.  

Review:

Revived is an interesting look at a future/alternate world where a drug can bring certain people back to life after they've died. There are restrictions of course, but our heroine Daisy has been lucky enough to have used Revive several times. The concept of Revive and all its possibilities was really interesting and it was a bit unique compared to other books in the genre. 

The characters were all extremely likeable and easy to identify with - especially Daisy, who has to deal with normal teen problems on top of secret government programs and some other really tough situations. The character growth of Daisy is really apparent throughout the novel, where the reader sees her go from a goodie-goodie to someone who trusts her instincts and does what she believes is right. She also deals with feelings of betrayal, guilt, loneliness and isolation and self-discovery - which almost every reader can easily empathize with.  

The backstory is very well written and presented in a way that fits perfectly into the book's narrative. It contains all the important details of Daisy's past and the facts surrounding the Revive program without weighing the story down. The only thing I didn't like was the feeling the book gave of Daisy's friend/boyfriend Matt possibly becoming a bad guy. Something about the foreshadowing in the novel made me suspicious of him and it ended up having no merit. Other than that small detail, this was a wonderfully written book and I really enjoyed reading it.