#87 Book Review: Revived

Revived
Release Date: April 1st 2012
Author: Cat Patrick
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy: Amazon & The Book Depository
More Info: 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 review:

Cover:
Absolutely gorgeous. It has that same feeling and simplicity as Forgotten and I really adore it! I love the sky, the barren field and how the girl seems to be lying on the field as if she was just 'revived'. This simple but beautiful cover is just one of the many reasons why I have to read this book!

5 Forget-Me-Not flowers for the cover!

Story:

My name is Daisy and I have died 5 times...

Daisy was revived 5 times in total and it was the drug 'Revive' that brought her back to life. Daisy never stayed in the same place for a long time. She had to move around or people will start getting suspicious. Therefore, she never had the same surname. It's always Daisy but never always Appleby. When she moved to Omaha, she found a best friend and had a crush on a cute guy. Daisy thought that she can finally settle in this beautiful city. But, there is something wrong with the agency and Daisy needs to know what their true motives are behind the drug 'Revive'...

Revived is another awesome novel by Cat Patrick. I really loved Cat Patrick's debut novel, Forgotten and the sweet Luke Henry and I'm really glad that Cat wrote another book this year! I really enjoyed the story plot. It felt so real and realistic even though the concept of the drug 'Revive' is not something available in the real life. Reading Revived made me feel like I'm actually living in Omaha, going to school, found a new best friend and fall in love with a cute guy. This book is written from Daisy's POV as she tries to adapt with her new life while trying to figure out her suspicions of the agency behind the drug 'Revive'. Cat Patrick's writing is really soothing, calm and also exciting. Her idea of 'Revived' is also really unique and creative. The ending pleased me although it was not what I expected.

Characters:
From the very first moment I meet Daisy in Revived, I knew I'd love her. She is such an awesome heroine who is pretty much afraid of nothing except bees! I love how she finally found a best friend in Omaha, falls in love with Matt and reading about her life. Matt is an awesome character. He's cute, he's quite sweet but he is no Luke Henry. (Sorry Matt!) I mean I still like him in the book but he has been quite a jerk towards Daisy in Revived and makes her cry. Luke Henry will never do that! I love Audrey, Daisy's best friend in Omaha too. She is really sad but certainly a true best friend. I love Cat Patrick's detailed descriptions of her characters because it makes me feel as if they're actually alive and living somewhere out there.

Overall:
Revived is another beautiful book from Cat Patrick. If you enjoyed reading Forgotten, you will definitely want to read this one too! Even though I didn't quite love it as much as Forgotten, I love how real the story and characters felt to me and the unique concept of the drug 'Revive'! Revived is certainly a 2012 novel you don't want to miss!

4 Forget-Me-Not flowers for Revived!

Thank you Hardie Grant Egmont for the review copy!

1 Month Blog Anniversary + Birthday + Giveaway + Blog Interview: Cat Patrick

1 month ago, Celine, a girl who loved reading books kept on reading without knowing how to share her love for it. She find it hard to discuss with others who are not interested. She never checks on reviews of the book she's reading and when she did, she is exposed to the world we know as blogging and tweeting. She enjoyed bloggers' reviews of different books she's reading that she decided to become one too. She did not know how to blog but came up with a flower name she really loved for her blog. She finds out about weekly memes, had the chance to chat with her favourite authors and also tweet them. She feels so happy. She also reviewed books that she reads and became friends with many bloggers. What an amazing virtual life. She has been doing this for a month. A month may not be a year but it's a start. A month means a lot. A month is a beginning to something better. It's also her birthday too. 18/10/11. And she would like to share her blog facts:

1. Forget-me-not is a name of her favourite flower [picture below]. It's a purple colour and she came across the name when she reads a manga a long time ago. 

Pretty flowers, pretty name

2. The blog currently has 29 followers. A pretty good start for a month of blogging. Will it increase? Who knows.

3. She participates in weekly memes of:

 Monday: Cover Crazy

Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday

Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday

Thursday: Booking Through Thursday

Friday: Follow Friday

Saturday: She tried to find a weekly meme for this day but she can't find one that she is interested in.

Sunday: In My Mailbox

4. The blog currently has 1565 pageviews. 

5. According to the blog stats, her most popular posts in the blog are:

a. Top Ten Tuesday #2

b. Booking Through Thursday #2

c. Upcoming Giveaway: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (It's still on you know in case you guys forget about it!)

d. My sixth book review: The Iron King

e. In My Mailbox #2

6. The first book review she posted on the blog was Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins which she is still so obssessed about. [Plus the super duper swoon-worthy Etienne St. Clair]

7. Since blogging, she has been exposed to different genres of YA book. She would like to thank all bloggers for that!

Some things you don't know about Celine:

1. She has so many favourite authors that she can't type it all up

2. Her favourite YA realistic author is Stephanie Perkins, thanks to her Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door which she is so obssessed about

She loves this picture! Found it in google and she'd like to thank whoever it is for creating such a beautiful version of Anna and the French Kiss!

3. From the YA realistic books she read, her biggest crush is on Etienne St. Clair. But Cricket Bell also has place in her heart.

4. Her biggest crush on guys from YA paranormal books: This is hard. She can't choose one. Instead, she'll choose 5: Jace from TMI, Will from TID, Ren from Tiger's curse, Ash from The Iron Fey series and Four from Divergent. She forgets the rest she used to had a big crush on. It's too many, she complains to her head.

5. She wanted to join My Book Boyfriend weekly meme but she finds it so difficult to find the right image of someone that looks like her book boyfriend. Instead, she postponed it until she finds the right image but promised herself that Monsieur Etienne St. Clair would be her first one.

6. She is currently studying French. She loves France, French and Paris, all thanks to Anna and the French Kiss and Die for Me. She dreams of going there too.

7. She loves reading manga and watching anime. Used to be her first obssession after books.

8. She enjoys watching tv shows. She is regularly watches The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl and Glee TV shows.

9. Her first live chat with an author was hosted on Mundie Moms with Leigh Fallon, the author of Carrier of the Mark. She finds Leigh Fallon very funny and she actually won a signed tee. Although sadly, she hasn't read the book yet because her order is not arriving! She also had a live chat with Colleen Houck from Tiger's curse who answered her questions through the video. This was her first experience.

10. Her birthday is on 18th of October.The same birthday as Zac Efron which she recently knew.

11. She loves chocolate so much. Any type of chocolate.

12.. She doesn't know what else to say. She thinks it might be boring for the readers to read these facts. But she'd like to thank those who have read up to this far. She'd like to thank the 29 followers of her blog and thank all authors who replied her tweets and write all the amazing books.

NOW! It's the giveaway time!

Before that, we have Cat Patrick here for the day! Celine sent her a request for her first author interview in her blog and sent some questions for Cat to answer! Here we go!

1. What is your favourite part of the book which you really enjoyed to write?

The beginning of a book is always my favorite--it's like a fresh start, full of possibilities.

2. What is your favourite character of the book and why?

That's like asking me to choose which child I love the most! :) In all seriousness, I love each of them for their contribution they bring to the story. But of course London and Luke are my faves. I also really like side characters like the office lady with the cats in her nail polish.

3. Forgotten might be a movie! If you could choose the cast, who would you like to cast as the characters of the book?

Yes it might! Yippee! Well, so far, Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit is attached to play London, and I could not be happier about that. She's amazing. As for the others, I'll leave that very tough job to the casting director. That said, based on looks alone, I'd vote for someone who looks like a young Chris Hemsworth for Luke.

4. Tell us a little bit more about your next book, Revived?

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.

5. Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Set aside a time to write every day, so that everyone in your life knows it's a priority for you. Write without self-editing...editing is for later. And finally, if you're stuck, walk away for a while. I've let books sit for six months when they weren't working. Often if you come back and read with a fresh eye, it's clearer where to take the book next.

Note: If you haven't read Forgotten, now's your time to do so! And we all can't wait for the movie too!
 

Thank you Cat Patrick for the time! And finally, time for the giveaway!

Celine is giving out 2 Ebooks of Forgotten by Cat Patrick! All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below! It's her first time using it so please leave commens about it too!  
 Note: Please also leave a comment about who you'd like to be cast as Luke Henry in the movie if you have read the book! Thankies :D 

My seventh book review: Forgotten

Forgotten
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 288
Published: June 7th 2010
Author: Cat Patrick

Summary from Goodreads:
Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

Part psychological drama, part romance, and part mystery, this thought-provoking novel will inspire readers to consider the what-if's in their own lives and recognize the power they have to control their destinies.

My review:
Before I start my review. I have a little story to tell about how I found this book. So, here I am walking to the library when I saw a a postcard of Forgotten's cover. The title intrigued me and the cover is really beautiful. So, I grabbed the postcard, turned it over and saw this beautiful quote. The moment I read it, I immediately fell in love with this quote and read it over and over again until I memorized it that day. "But today, I love him. And I never want to forget how much." This postcard gives a little summary of the novel and Dymocks bookstore is promoting this book! As soon as possible, I bought the book and I stick this postcard on my white board. Before doing anything, I sat on my chair, reading that quote again and again. I don't know why but that short quote touches me so much. And that's the story of how I found Forgotten. I never read this book's summary but only that short quote made myself believe this book is definitely going to be great! It sure does!


So here's my review. Forgotten tells the story of London Lane, a girl who only remember what's happening for one day. And the next day, she forgets it. The only way she can remember is to write everything happening this day for her 'tomorrow-self'. She can instead see the future. But when London meets Luke Henry, she can't see his future or her future with him. Then, as she gets close to Luke, she finds many secrets about her memories and to understand more about herself.

This book is really touching. I can't imagine myself forgetting the past and forgetting those I love unless I write everything happening today. It's tiring. Not only does London have to worry about school but also tomorrow. She has to write this diary, to remind her of many things so that she won't forget it. The moment I read about Luke, I know that he's meant for London! What I didn't expect was the secret he was hiding. This book contains some surprises I didn't expect at all! Luke is a perfect and funny boy. He's a romantic and he fell in love with London when she was really young. Obviously, London forgets it because of her condition. When I reached the Epilogue, I re-read it several times because it's really short and left me breathless. When I read the book, I also try to find the quote I really loved and when I finally found it, I just re-read it many times. Forgotten is a really great debut! I love the way Cat Patrick writes London's diary too to show what she's writing for her 'tomorrow-self'. I can understand London better that way because how hard she has to maintain her memories.


Overall: Touching and romantic. I really enjoyed reading this book. This book is about memories. Memories are one of the most important things in our lives and we always want to keep it with us. The romance is really good and I love Luke! He really understands London's condition and always try to be with her. I can't wait for Cat Patrick's next novel! I really recommend this book for everyone!

5 Forget-me-not flowers rating for Forgotten!

Forgotten's going to be a movie too! Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) is casted for London Lane. I can't wait to see who's going to be Luke Henry! The movie is my absolute to watch list! I just find it so amazing when a book is adapted to movies!