I've been a little behind on my reading recently so Sarah is helping out with some more reviews at the moment...
- Amy Plum
Publisher: Harper Teen
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...
Hello all. Mel’s been having a bit of a hard time of it recently, so I’m afraid you’ll have some more regular reviews from me for a bit! Today is the turn of Amy Plum’s YA book Die For Me, which was recommended by several of you during my birthday giveaway. You seemed to really enjoy it, and so did I I’m glad to report.
Whilst Die For Me has several of the usual YA fantasy traits – girl meets beautiful boy, they fall in love, evil tries to wreck it all – it also has an interesting twist to the human girl/undead boy combination. Our human girl Kate is struggling to come to terms with the death of her parents, as well as the move from America to Paris with her older sister Georgia, to live with her grandparents. It is during the long, lonely summer holidays that she meets Vincent, a serious undead hotty. But Vincent isn’t a vampire (woo hoo) – he’s a revenant. A self-sacrificing man whom, because he died originally to save another, has been granted immortality, and the need to continually die in the place of others.
Kate’s continuing depression at the loss of her parents, and her initial reluctance to get involved with Vincent, are refreshing differences to the usual YA fantasy world. As is her thoroughly likeable sister and both her and Vincent’s loveable families. However, it’s not all totally unique – when Kate does fall for Vincent, her continuing disbelief that the gorgeous revenant would look at her, is an all too familiar experience.
The other thing that really gets to me in these types of books, is the fact that NO ONE ever seems to find the fact that essentially a 90-year-old man is dating a 16-year-old girl totally disturbing. Yes, he may look 19, but he has lived those 90 years. I’m only a third of Vincent’s age, and there’s no way I’d date a teenager!!! The lack of maturity would drive me mad!
That aside, Die For Me is a very enjoyable read and I fairly flew through it. I don’t know if a sequel is out there yet, but if so I’d have no qualms about picking it up. One for fans of the Twilight books, Cynthia Hand and Becca Fitzpatrick, 7.5 out of 10.
I thought it was a very clever way of seeing zombies. :) I didn't think about him being that much older because of the maturity level seemed to match. However, I do get your point and IRL, it would be creepy. I only suspend my belief for stories. LOL
ReplyDelete*HUGS* to Mel!
I think sometimes in book we can feel better the age and it's difficult to understand it. I still need to read this one so I think I'll see how it is.
ReplyDeleteOh we will love seeing reviews from you. :) So please feel free, as long as Mel doesn't mind. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd this sounds like a great read. I do have it on my WANT list, if I can find reading time to get caught up. ;) Thank you.