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A review by beth_dawkins
Two Weeks' Notice by Rachel Caine
4.0
4.5
Bryn Davis was revived from death by a drug called Returne, but without daily shots of the drug she will slowly die. The company Pharmadene made the drug, but now the FBI is trying to shut it down. Bryn was forced to sign a deal with the FBI so she is always able to get the drug. She isn’t the only one that was revived from the drug, in fact she runs a support groups who have to use it to stay alive. A few start to go missing, and then the FBI calls her to help investigate a problem with the books. Shortly after that it is her they are trying to abduct.
I am so glad I didn’t say no to this one. It is the second book in the Revivalist series. I didn’t read the first one, and because it is sort of Urban Fantasy, I usually wouldn’t go out of order. Luckily this is not so far out of order, so it wasn’t impossible for me to figure out what had already happened. I say Urban Fantasy, but really it could be Urban Science Fiction, since it is a drug that brings these people back to life. Sometimes books come around that surprise me, this one is a surprise.
Two Weeks’ Notice starts out at a funeral where Bryn gives a little back history on what happened in the book before, which is well done. We are reminded that her sister is missing, and she is living with Patrick McCallister, who she is very attracted to, but they have yet to be intimate. It isn’t long before the FBI calls her to ask her to help Pharmadene’s CEO look over the books. Things are busy in her life, there is someone who wants to be a new member of the support group she runs for those who take Returne, and another member calls with a boat load of drama.
The story really opens up after she meets with Pharamdene’s CEO and is sent to look into a smaller company. There she finds dead bodies, a flash drive, a bomb that just about kills her, and a load of intrigue. From this point, until the end of the novel it moved at a fast pace. Bryn may take things too personal, but she is quick witted, and smart. Connecting the dots is a little harder here than in a lot of urban stories. There is also a raw quality to some of the action packed scenes. It does a wonderful job of putting the reader next to Bryn through most of it.
Bryn’s worst fault is ironically her heart. It isn’t a bad thing, and makes it easy to connect with her. Through some pretty hardcore stuff she says again and again how she wants to kill, but given options she doesn’t. Those running the show turn out to be just as personal to Bryn as she makes the situations. She is easy to love because of how much she is willing to sacrifice for those close to her or the world in general. She is a heroine that was dealt a bad hand, but she is doing an admirable job. There is also a nice twist towards the end that may dramatically affect the relationships between many characters.
There is a romantic plot, though it is without a doubt a subplot. Patrick and Bryn’s relationship is rocky, and I have no doubt will be brutally tested in books to come. Patrick was a give or take character in my eyes, and that might be because I missed the first sights of attraction from the first novel.
This is a series I will be reading. It is action packed, thrilling, and pretty much what I think one of these urban stories should be. It nearly got a perfect score, and may have if I had read the first book, but as it stands some of the characters around her were more of an annoyance than anything. I am told Bryn cares for them, and understand the relationships, but I don’t feel the close affection Bryn seems to hold. Other than that, and it is a very small thing, this has the makings to be a fantastic series.
Bryn Davis was revived from death by a drug called Returne, but without daily shots of the drug she will slowly die. The company Pharmadene made the drug, but now the FBI is trying to shut it down. Bryn was forced to sign a deal with the FBI so she is always able to get the drug. She isn’t the only one that was revived from the drug, in fact she runs a support groups who have to use it to stay alive. A few start to go missing, and then the FBI calls her to help investigate a problem with the books. Shortly after that it is her they are trying to abduct.
I am so glad I didn’t say no to this one. It is the second book in the Revivalist series. I didn’t read the first one, and because it is sort of Urban Fantasy, I usually wouldn’t go out of order. Luckily this is not so far out of order, so it wasn’t impossible for me to figure out what had already happened. I say Urban Fantasy, but really it could be Urban Science Fiction, since it is a drug that brings these people back to life. Sometimes books come around that surprise me, this one is a surprise.
Two Weeks’ Notice starts out at a funeral where Bryn gives a little back history on what happened in the book before, which is well done. We are reminded that her sister is missing, and she is living with Patrick McCallister, who she is very attracted to, but they have yet to be intimate. It isn’t long before the FBI calls her to ask her to help Pharmadene’s CEO look over the books. Things are busy in her life, there is someone who wants to be a new member of the support group she runs for those who take Returne, and another member calls with a boat load of drama.
The story really opens up after she meets with Pharamdene’s CEO and is sent to look into a smaller company. There she finds dead bodies, a flash drive, a bomb that just about kills her, and a load of intrigue. From this point, until the end of the novel it moved at a fast pace. Bryn may take things too personal, but she is quick witted, and smart. Connecting the dots is a little harder here than in a lot of urban stories. There is also a raw quality to some of the action packed scenes. It does a wonderful job of putting the reader next to Bryn through most of it.
Bryn’s worst fault is ironically her heart. It isn’t a bad thing, and makes it easy to connect with her. Through some pretty hardcore stuff she says again and again how she wants to kill, but given options she doesn’t. Those running the show turn out to be just as personal to Bryn as she makes the situations. She is easy to love because of how much she is willing to sacrifice for those close to her or the world in general. She is a heroine that was dealt a bad hand, but she is doing an admirable job. There is also a nice twist towards the end that may dramatically affect the relationships between many characters.
There is a romantic plot, though it is without a doubt a subplot. Patrick and Bryn’s relationship is rocky, and I have no doubt will be brutally tested in books to come. Patrick was a give or take character in my eyes, and that might be because I missed the first sights of attraction from the first novel.
This is a series I will be reading. It is action packed, thrilling, and pretty much what I think one of these urban stories should be. It nearly got a perfect score, and may have if I had read the first book, but as it stands some of the characters around her were more of an annoyance than anything. I am told Bryn cares for them, and understand the relationships, but I don’t feel the close affection Bryn seems to hold. Other than that, and it is a very small thing, this has the makings to be a fantastic series.