Review: Die for Me by Amy Plum

Die for Me by Amy Plum

May 10, 2011

HarperTeen

From Goodreads:
My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.
Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.
Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.
Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.
While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

My Review:
Die for Me was a unique and interesting paranormal read that takes on the mythology of the revenants. Having never read or heard of revenants before, I was super excited to delve into Die for Me to explore the secrets surrounding these paranormal beings. I was hoping for so much from Die for Me, but sadly, the main characters had a hard time holding my attention. Their romance felt very formulaic and something I feel like I have read over and over again. While I didn't connect with Vincent and Kate, I did enjoy the cast of secondary characters.

Kate was a wonderful narrator with whom I could easily relate to. She has suffered much loss in her life with the deaths of her parents.  She walks through her daily life like a zombie (pun intended) and goes through the motions of the day because she has to. When she encounters Vincent, she stumbles upon a world completely different from her own and learns of the revenants. It is at this point that I started to lose interest in Kate. I didn't see the connection between her and Vincent and their romance was way too sudden.

I didn't care much for Vincent. He was very boring and I didn't see the connection between him and Kate. I wish it would have been Jules that Kate fell for. He was a flirty and funny guy who I found myself falling for. He is definitely my favorite character in Die for Me. I also loved learning about the other revenants: Ambrose, Charlotte, and Charles. They were an interesting bunch of characters and the story would not have been the same without them!

The setting of the story made me sigh. I traveled to Paris a few summers ago and I had such a phenomenal time there. Amy Plum beautifully crafts the Paris scene and it brought back fond memories for me. For those who haven't been to Paris, it would be easy to imagine the gorgeous sites of Paris. Amy Plum is a fantastic writer and I felt like I was actually walking the streets of Paris alongside the characters.

While I wasn't happy with the romance between Vincent and Kate, I did enjoy the mythology and secondary characters. The Paris setting added to my satisfaction and I could here and smell the streets of Paris. The mythology is so fresh and unique that I would recommend giving the story a shot!

My Rating: