In Life or Death • Die for Me

Die for Me by Amy Plum

Series: Revenants #1

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: May 10, 2011

Source: Gifted by Daisy (Thanks!)|| Paperback

The moment Kate's parents died, her entire life changed. After moving to Paris with her sister Georgia to live with their grandparents, Kate thought she would never get to feel normal again... until she met Vincent. Vincent, who was handsome and charming, soon found his way into her heart. But when she discovers the truth about him and his life, will she be able to take the risk and allow herself to truly fall in love?

When I fall in love with a book or a story, it is very difficult not to gush about it - and that’s pretty much the case with Die For Me. This book is amazing, just as a whole slew of book bloggers promised in their reviews last year, and all I can think is, “Why didn’t I read this one earlier?”

Die For Me is compelling and different, inviting readers to become emotionally invested in the story and the characters. I could not put the novel down while I was reading it - and I have fallen completely and entirely in love with the world of revenants. You’ll definitely want to check this one out, if you haven’t already!

The Characters

I absolutely adored Kate, simply because I could see a lot of myself in her. She’s got an old soul, and she’s an introvert with a passion for books and cafes. Like many of the book heroines I admire, she’s passionate and loyal - while still retaining some human flaws, like selfishness and fear of the unknown.

Vincent is swoon-worthy from the moment that Kate first spots him at the cafe. It’s his charm and air of mystery that drew me in, and discovering his story just made it even easier to start falling in love with his character. He’s got the manners of an old school gentleman and the things he says and does just made my heart flutter quite a lot while I was reading.

The Story

The most fascinating aspect of this book is the concept of a revenant. Amy Plum manages to come up with a mythology that’s all her own and I absolutely loved it. I think it definitely contributed to my interest in the novel, especially since I wanted to keep finding out more about what it meant and what the consequences were.

Not only is the story based on a great mythology, it is also a story that focuses both on Kate’s personal journey as she deals with grief and death, while incorporating plenty of romance and friendship in there. There were definitely a whole lot of romantic moments and heartwarming occurrences in this novel.

The Writing

Amy Plum was introducing a whole new concept to her readers, so I think she deserves props for introducing information about revenants without going into the information dump style. All the new information we learn is spread out across the book, and that helped ease us into the concept, just like Kate was.

The romance bits and the sentimental moments flowed effortlessly into and out of the action-packed conflicts. The pacing of the novel was nice and steady from start to finish, with scenes that alternately made your heart race and scenes that made you feel sad for the characters.

Personally, I say you should...

.... definitely go out and get this novel. It is especially essential for you to do this if you’re a fan of paranormal/supernatural YA novels, as this is one you won’t want to miss.