Cat Patrick’s ‘Revived’ will catch you off guard — in a good way

“REVIVED,” by Cat Patrick, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Hardcover, May 1, 2012, $17.99 (young adult)

Daisy died today. A bee sting is all it took. It came as a surprise to the kids on the football field and the surrounding teachers, but not really to Daisy — she’s died before.

In fact, this is the fifth time Daisy has died, and it’s getting kind of old. At 15, she’s been through a lot. That’s not to say that Daisy’s ungrateful. She knows she’s lucky to be alive — again. It’s just Daisy liked being Daisy Appleby, and now that she’s died again, she has to start all over.

Daisy is one of the subjects in a covert government program that’s testing a drug called Revive. When she dies, the drug is administered, and she’s brought back to life. But coming back to life also comes with a bunch of complications — a new name, new city, new everything.

It’s all Daisy’s ever known, having died the first time when she was just 4 years old. But when Daisy meets Matt and his sister, Audrey, she is forced to look at Revive with fresh eyes, and she’s not so sure she likes what she sees. There’s a lot more to Revive than she’s been told, and if she’s not careful, she could end up dead — for good.

At first glance, “Revived” is intriguing, but it’s not until you actually start reading that you discover it’s completely engrossing. I read Cat Patrick’s book in one sitting, even foregoing a meal to finish it.

“Revived’s” premise is compelling; a little dark and thought provoking. The reason why it works, though, is Daisy. Told through her eyes, you see the world from the vantage point of someone who both knows and doesn’t know what death looks like. As Daisy’s friendship with Audrey grows, so does her understanding of how the real world works. Her emotions come into play and she no longer is the center of the world.

“Revived” is a fast-paced yarn that caught me completely off guard. It’s definitely one I’ll be rereading in the future.