Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: May 2012
Pages: 352
Source: ARC sent by publisher
For: Review
Things I Liked:
I was intrigued by the premise - a drug that brings back from the dead, a secret government testing program, a girl who's died five times already - what's not to love? This book was not exactly what I expected, but I still found that it was remarkably intriguing. I loved Daisy and what she begins to discover about herself and about others when she makes friends with Audrey and Matt. When she finally gets a grasp on death and what it is like for those who do not have Revive to bring them back, she really starts to grow. I love the ethical implications that are slowly introduced and how she struggles to understand them. This is the greatest strength of the book - a discussion of what something like this drug would mean for every day people and how death affects each of us in different ways. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time to come.
Things I Didn't Like:
I had a really hard time getting into the book for a lot of the beginning. It seemed like nothing interesting was happening, despite Daisy's unusual lifestyle. When it did pick up, I was more invested in what happened to Daisy. I was somewhat disappointed in the ending, though. It seemed a little too neatly wrapped up after all the build up. I expected more action, but got very little. It is definitely more character-driven than plot-driven, but the interesting medical ethics alone make it worth a read.
Read-alikes:
Jenna Fox Chronicles by Mary Pearson
A little like The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a very few
mrg-factor: X
they make out a bit
v-factor: ->
well, come on, she's died 5 times!
Overall rating: ***
Check out the guest post from Cat Patrick as part of her Revived tour!
What do you think will be the next big medical break-through?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
Posts
I enjoyed Forgotten a lot, and am looking forward to this one! Thanks for the heads up on the slow beginning.
ReplyDeleteIt has some really interesting ideas. I'm hoping to get to Forgotten as well, since it sounds just as intriguing.
DeleteFunnily enough, I preferred the slow beginning to the super-speedy ending! Patrick definitely has promise as an author, and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.
ReplyDeleteThe ending wasnn't very satisfactory for me either. I hope she'll keep putting out such interesting books, though.
DeleteIf you don't know me or, my gosh, are inexplicably not a music fan, that...probably means not a thing to you. Or maybe it sounds weird. Basically it just means that I liked Forgotten and Revived so much that I heard distinctive music while I read. A soundtrack, if you will. I'm a music junkie, yes, but not everything makes me think musically.
ReplyDeleteThat's actually really cool! I don't think I've had that experience.
Delete