Die For Me
Amy Plum
Series: Revenants, #1
Release date: May 10th, 2011
by HarperTeen

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In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier’s parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life–and memories–behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate’s guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he’s a revenant–an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

I only had to glimpse at the beautiful cover to know I had to read this book. I didn’t care what it was about. I mean, look at it! I can say that I was not disappointed by what was inside either. It’s fun and romantic, with a gorgeous setting.

The setting, it took my breath away. Set in beautiful Paris, France, we not only get a tour of the city, but we learn and experience the culture as well. It was stunning. I have never been, but I could picture myself in the streets alongside these characters; visiting exotic cafes, museums, homes. I thought it was amazing and perfectly detailed. Learning about the country’s culture was also very interesting. I’m always fascinated by differences with other countries: Sayings, traditions, even fashion. It made me experience Paris while sitting in my own home. This was by far my favorite part of the book.

The characters includes Kate and her sister, then the family of Revenants. Kate is a fun protagonist, although she can be a bit dramatic. She doesn’t always make the best decisions either, but her heart is in the right place which makes it easy to like her regardless. The Revenants- they’re positively charming. I especially loved their fun banter towards one another. They also each have important, defined roles in the story. We’ve got the fun, quirky Jules; hard-bitten Ambrose and lonely soul Charlotte. These are my favorite of the supporting characters. But really, all of them are as important to the story as the main leads, which adds up to giving us a well-rounded, purposeful cast.

Zombies! It is, in literal terms, what Revenants are. They’re undead, but they’re not rotting nor do they crave flesh. They look like regular humans, except they’re immortal with a purpose to save others. Yep, zombie guardian angels! This is definitely an original zombie/paranormal premise. And even though the twists are easily predictable, I found it positively entertaining. The romance, which takes as much center stage as the rest, is not a very strong point however. Both Kate and Vincent are great characters individually, but together they don’t radiate as much passion as the author is suggesting. They do have me rooting for them; the romance is definitely there and I won’t deny the love story is sweet, but we’re intended to feel great ecstasy towards them being together, when it simply falls under cute.

All in all, with a lovely setting and wonderful characters, Die For Me gives us a delightfully fun story that will easily attract fans of YA paranormal romance.

4 Hot Espressos