Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Die For Me by Amy Plum

Die For Me

Author: Amy Plum

Publisher: HarperTeen

4 out of 5 stars

After the tragic car accident, sixteen-year-old Kate Mercier is left parent-less. Kate can’t handle what has happened and she doesn’t know how she can ever get back on track again. Is there anything worth living for anymore? Kate and her older sister Georgia move from Brooklyn to Paris to live with their grandparents. Kate hopes that the beautiful city of Paris will distract her mind from the past that she can’t seem to overcome. But there might be something else that will demand Kate’s attention… the undead.

The first time Kate sees him she isn’t quite sure what to think. It’s almost as if he’s teasing her, but Kate doesn’t know what to make of it. She does know that he is gorgeous and almost every girl’s eyes are on him and his friends. They’re all stunning really. But there’s something about that one boy that makes Kate all tingly and flustered inside. Does he know how he makes Kate’s heart beat faster?

This is what it’s like for Kate the first time she sees Vincent. He’s charming, handsome, and like a prince in shining armor he has come to rescue Kate from her monotonous days in Paris as she tries to forget all that has happened. Kate is inexplicably drawn to Vincent, and she doesn’t know why they keep running into one another.

At first, it’s nice to see him and run into him now and then. But as she gets to know Vincent a little bit better, things start to happen that just can’t be explained. Kate doesn’t know what to think of all these strange events taking place, and she soon becomes frightened. Who is Vincent really? Kate decides that if she is to continue seeing Vincent she wants to know the truth. But does she really? Amy Plum reveals all in her out of the ordinary paranormal tale of one girl who is walking a fine line in, Die For Me!

This wasn’t your typical paranormal story. There were new ideas and concepts thrown in that made Die For Me stand out. Fans of Hush, Hush and Twilight should definitely give this one a try. Die For Me was given to me by HarperTeen as an advanced reader’s copy for review.* Thank you so much HarperTeen! This book is more appropriate for teens fourteen and up, as it can deal with some more mature topics that are not suitable for younger readers.

I thoroughly enjoyed the idea of revenants. It wasn’t something I usually see in paranormal reads, and that was definitely a nice change. Amy Plum really developed the whole idea of revenants, which made it a much more permanent and significant feature in the story. It was a bit hard to keep up with all the different “rules” of being a revenant, such as when they become dormant and how they age. I would try to explain it in more detail, but it’s kind of hard to describe. Overall though, the idea of revenants were almost like a mix between the undead (or zombies) and angels in a way. Any paranormal fans looking for an innovative new read should definitely try this one.

The main character, Kate, was very easy to relate to, and I think that was one reason why I enjoyed Die For Me so much. Kate was vulnerable and wasn’t the invincible female protagonist. She had just been through a lot, coping with her parents’ death and moving to Paris and getting used to a whole new lifestyle. It was very easy to connect to Kate and her emotions. There were times when Kate would just stay in her room reading books because she felt like she couldn’t deal with the pain and move on. Also, it was hard for her to commit to a relationship with Vincent, because she just wasn’t sure if she could go through seeing him die over and over again.

It would have been nice to have seen more demonstrations of the revenants’ skills in Die For Me. I might have been able to understand the whole concept of revenants if I got to see their special “powers” in action a bit more. Like being possessed by a revenant or learning more of their undead ways. That’s not to say that there weren’t plenty of times where their powers were shown off, but I just would have liked to have seen it even more often. Amy Plum did give enough examples though to get the gist and idea of their different abilities.

In the end, Die For Me is a new take on a mix of angels and the undead. Join Kate, as she searches her soul for what she is willing to hold onto and what she is prepared to risk in, Die For Me!

-This is T.B. with Another Book Back on the Shelf…
Until Next Time, Keep Reading!


*I received this novel from HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins. I received Die For Me as an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review. This book comes out May 10, 2011. Thank you so much HarperTeen!



Check out Amy Plum's website at http://www.amyplumbooks.com/.
Check out The Dark Days of Supernatural website at http://www.pitchdark.com/.
Check out The Dark Days of Supernatural on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pitchdarkbooks.
Die For Me is available from Amazon here.

18 comments:

  1. the whole revenants idea really has me intrigued! its sounds really interesting, and not to mention promising.... plus, i love me a good romance story and if you recommend this to fans of hush hush and twilight?... well i loved them both :) thanks for sharing your thoughts, Tessa!

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  2. I have no clear idea on what a revenant is but a mix between an angel and a zombie sounds pretty cool lol
    Truthfully I don't even know what this book is about and you do a great job in not revealing much ;D
    I'm definitely going to be reading this one, great review :]

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  3. The Lovely Getaway- The idea of revenants is really interesting, and it's really cool to see their "powers" revealed throughout the book. I definitely can't wait to see what more they are capable of. If you loved Hush, Hush and Twilight I think you'll enjoy this one. But I guess you have to see for yourself :)

    Laura (All of Everything)- Haha, it makes a lot more sense in the book. I didn't want to give too much away, but hopefully you'll see more in the book. I hope you enjoy this one, and I can't wait to hear what you think of it!

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  4. Thank you so much for such a thoughtful and positive review, Tessa. I'm so glad you enjoyed DIE FOR ME, and promise to reveal more about the revenants in Book 2!!

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  5. Your review has me curious about revenants now and I can't wait to read the book to learn more. Thanks for yet another great review!

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  6. Amy Plum- Thank you so much for stopping by! That means a lot to me. I'm so glad my review could be of help, and I can't wait to read more in book two! Thanks again!

    Kira- Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!

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  7. I want to read this book! I had originally thought it wasn't going to be very original but now all these reviews are popping up saying it is, so yay! :)

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  8. It sounds good! though I don't usually like anything that remotely sounds like Twilight, I like the idea of a story set in Paris.

    Also, like the red cover better.

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  9. Small Review- I thought the same thing at first, but as I started reading this one I realized that it wasn't just like everything else. Kate wasn't at all how I thought she would be like and the idea of revenants was intriguing and mysterious. I hope you like it!

    Alex (A Girl, Books, OtherThings)- It was a lot of fun to have the story set in Paris. The main character was comfortable there, and I learned a lot more about the city in general. A LOT of people like the red cover much, much more! I believe it's the UK cover, and if you look closely she's looking over the rooftops of Paris. The US cover has special meaning to it too though!

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  10. This looks so amazing! I can't wait for it to come out.

    Thanks for all your comments! Predators of Darkness was amazing! I really recommend it. :)

    Amazing review!

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  11. Thanks! It was a really great paranormal/romance read. I hope you get a chance to read it! Actually, it comes out today :p

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  12. This is a great review! I'm dying to read this book- I've heard so many good things about it, and can't wait to get my hands on a copy. Thanks for stopping by the blog earlier! x

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  13. Oh, I can't wait to read this!! Picked it up just last week, so it's definitely next on the list. Like most people, I was intrigued/hooked by the introduction of a new myth/paranormal creation (the revenants) :)
    Great review! You hit on some major plot points but didn't spoil anything for someone who hasn't it read it yet (*points to self*)
    Thanks,
    Ninja Girl

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  14. Sally@Always Lost in Stories- Thanks so much! It was a great book, and it had a lot of fresh ideas. I hope you enjoy it and get a chance to read it soon!

    Ninja Girl- I can't wait to hear what you think of this one! The idea of the revenants was really cool, and I can't wait to learn even more about them in book two. I'm glad that my review didn't spoil anything for you :) Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  15. Thanks for the review! :) I should be getting this book soon (it's been shipped) so I'm glad that you liked it. I'm really interested in the whole concept of revenants - it sounds like an interesting twist on the typical paranormal. Great review!

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  16. Thanks! The concept of revenants really is intriguing, and I think it's what most readers are excited about. There's so much about them that's familiar, but with a new twist. I can't wait to hear what you think of this one!

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  17. I really want to read this but my library hasn't got it. May have to cave in and buy it.

    Thanks for the great review.

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  18. Hmm, I see your dilemma. I actually think that buying it wouldn't be a bad choice though :) It was really good book, and I would be happy to own it, personally.

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