Two Weeks’ Notice by Rachel Caine

Two Weeks’ Notice by Rachel Caine

Book Stats:
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass market paperback: 320 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Penguin Group (Roc)
Release date: August 7, 2012

Series: Revivalist #2

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Source: Copy from the author’s assistant

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

After dying and being revived with the experimental drug Returne, Bryn Davis is theoretically free to live her unlife—with regular doses to keep her going. But Bryn knows that the government has every intention of keeping a tight lid on Pharmadene’s life-altering discovery, no matter the cost.

And when some of the members of a support group for Returne addicts suddenly disappear, Bryn begins to wonder if the government is methodically removing a threat to their security, or if some unknown enemy has decided to run the zombies into the ground…

I have to hand it to Rachel Caine, she knows how to keep you interested in her novels. If you thought WORKING STIFF was full of intrigue and mystery, this sequel has even more plot twists and turns. I wouldn’t go as far as calling this book a political thriller, because let’s face it, we would never see authors like Robert Ludlum or David Baldacci write about zombies. But a good chuck of the storyline deals with the U.S. government trying to hide the truth from the general public about the revival drug, and its political repercussions on the main character, Bryn. Oh! And Bryn sort of becomes a contracted agent for the FBI.

Bryn is slowly dealing with the fact that she’s “addicted” to Returné, a miracle-cure-all drug that can bring you back from the dead. After her murder in the first book, she needs daily doses of Returné to stay alive. She depends on the FBI, which have now taken over Pharmadene, the maker of the drug, to keep her stash of Returné full. And Bryn is not the type of person who wants to depend on anyone. Quite the opposite—she’s the type of person you want to depend on. And she’s the type of person you want as your best friend. Her thoughtfulness, not only for those she cares about but also for strangers, is very admirable. I think, since first meeting her, she has grown as a person and she has evolved into a kick ass female. Because lets face it, if you had the ability to come back from the dead multiple times, wouldn’t you put your life on the line to better the world?

A fair warning to those who are apprehensive about gory and bloody scenes. While not loaded with gore, TWO WEEKS’ NOTICE does have a few scenes that include torture and descriptions of death and blood. I strongly believe these marginally graphic scenes were necessary because they added so much more reason to Bryn’s fight against her enemies. And I’m still not sure how many enemies she has and who exactly they might be.

Finally, in this sequel, we not only get more action, but we get to see the romantic relationship between Bryn and Patrick develop, which I was desperately hoping Rachel Caine would elaborate on. Although the relationship is fragile and sketchy at best, I think the author did the right choice in taking things slow because it makes us that much more interested in following Bryn and Patrick in the future. I wasn’t too sure if I liked Patrick in the first book but his role in TWO WEEKS’ NOTICE is making me like him more and more.

Be sure to have a lot of time on your hands before you open this book because it will keep you guessing until the very end and you won’t want to miss a thing! The twisted ending was unexpected and leaves the story wide open (yet it doesn’t feel unfinished so you won’t necessarily feel the need to strangle the book). This is a series you’ll want to invest your time in because it’s definitively going places!

Read an excerpt

Posted by Unknown at 06:15

 Penguin, Rachel Caine, Review, Zombies  7 People left their mark