Die For Me by Amy Plum

Just want to say a BIG THANK YOU to the awesome publisher HACHETTE AUSTRALIA for giving me a copy of this wonderful debut novel!

Release Day: 5th May, 2011

Publisher: ATOM

Pages: 320pgs

The Story

DIE FOR ME is the first of three books about Kate, a sixteen-year-old American who moves to Paris after the death of her parents. It introduces a new version of the undead with revenants, beings who are fated to sacrifice themselves over and over again to save others' lives. Kate finds herself falling for Vincent, who she discovers is not the typical French teenager he appears: he is something else entirely.

DIE FOR ME presents a new supernatural mythology presented in a city where dreams are sometimes the same as reality.

The Review

DIE FOR ME ended up surprising me! Some described it as being too much like the Twilight series and while I can see many similiarities within the book - in terms of a supernatural-like family and the sudden romance between the two main characters - but I have to say that DIE FOR ME was nearly impossible to put down! I felt like the author, Amy Plum, added her own charm to the story and I appreciated the effort she put into her revenant mythology . . . which was pretty cool in its own special way! She could've used any other 'monster' that we've seen plenty of times in young adult fiction (you know the ones), but instead she put her own spin on something a little different.

Okay, I'm going to be honest with you guys when it comes to this particular book! I'm a TOTAL sucker because DIE FOR ME is set in one of my favourite cities of all-time . . . PARIS! It's PARIS you guys!!!! PARIS!!!! It's one of the most romantic cities in the world, it's magicial (what with the city lights and the culture), and even in this book, you also have a delicious sense of danger amongst the Paris beauty! It was a real treat for me since we get beautiful descriptions and a little insight of the city. Like I said before, I was a real sucker for the setting!

Now, let's talk about Kate and Vincent. I mean, GOD what a lovely couple they were! Not to mention soooooo incredibly sweet! Readers may think of Kate as the new version of Bella Swan from Twilight, but I find her less whiny and more focused on the mission . . . even a little stronger than our 'poor-me' Bella. At first, she was broken over the loss of her parents, but in the end she came out to be a stronger and a more independent young woman, which readers will love her for! As for the handsome Vincent himself, even though he's a dead boy . . . but WHO CARES?! He's a great character - maybe a little obsessed perhaps - but I loved him as a character and wouldn't love him any other way!

Now, as for the romantic side of the book, I loved the way Plum wrote their relationship because 1) they didn't seem to rush into things and 2) even though Kate and Vincent had experienced their own tragedies in the past . . . but both of the characters didn't dwell too much on their sadness, which made their relationship a little more sweeter! Personally, I felt Kate and Vincent were the perfect balance for one another and it was quite genuine between them . . . especially when they were in each other's company! I guess you could say that they were the perfect team! The same goes for Vincent's little entourage: Jules, Ambrose, Charlotte, Charles, Jean-Baptiste, and Gaspard. Although each character is different and a little flawed, but they all offered something onto the table!

When it comes down to it, DIE FOR ME is another great debut novel and finally an author offers something new to the YA table! Forget vampires and the whole werewolf-whatknot . . . Revenants are the new thing! I fell in love with the characters, the setting, and the whole undead mythology that Amy Plum weaved through the book . . . and I'm sure a lot of readers will fall for it too! While the ending didn't exactly end of a cliffhanger as I expected it to, but DIE FOR ME had a little bit of everything I love - if you haven't noticed already - and you can definitely expect a great romance in this one!

The Rating

4/5 stars