Book Review: Die For Me by Amy Plum

Title: Die For Me (Revenants #1)
Author: Amy Plum
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: 11th May 2011
Read In: August 2012

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My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.
Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were moving to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my life would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.
Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, he put me in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen . . . until I realized that Vincent Delacroix is no normal human--that he has a terrifying destiny and enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.
Can I risk everything for love?

I loved the beginning. I thought it was a great start. It suckered me in. I wanted to carry on and see what journey Die For Me would take me. Unfortunately, when it got to discovering the truth about Vincent, it all went a little downhill.

‘I had the strangest feeling that I knew the guy. I’d felt that way with strangers before. Where it seemed like I’d spend hours, weeks, even years with the person. But in my experience, it had always been a one-way phenomenon: The other person didn’t notice me. This was not the case now. I could swear he felt the same.’

We meet Vincent and we find out what he is and ‘all that jazz’. However I didn’t really know what the story was. Katie seems to spend most of her time falling into situations. It didn’t feel like it was going anywhere. What was their purpose in the story? The book didn’t seem to flow. It felt a bit disjointed. I got fed up of ‘let’s change the subject.’

Things didn’t really pick up until about half way. This is when a story actually seemed to take shape after all the explaining of what the Revenants are. While it was being established it still felt like not a lot was going on.

There is an antagonist in the story but it didn’t seem like much of a threat. There was no threat, or tension. It was a story following a girl around Paris with her gentile boyfriend; not quite what I expected. All the threat was generated by words. We find out by Vincent sitting Katie down and telling her. I feel it would have been more exciting with a few more action scenes personally. It definitely would have enabled me to become more engaged.

Oh Vincent. You are a charmer. That is one thing you get if you’re dating an ‘old soul’, the perfect gentleman. He knows how to impress a lady. His looks help as well. They are frequently commented on. I think my favourite part of the whole book was Vincent.

While I understood Vincent as a person, I did not fully connect with his and Kate’s relationship. It started off great and I found myself routing for them. However it seemed to go off the rails a bit. Things started rushing. I understood the novel took place over several months but it felt like the romance was deepening and I wasn’t being told about it on the page. By the end, I wasn’t sold on the idea they would be together forever. The ‘Honeymoon period’ seems to have them very much in its grasp.

While this review may seem a little negative, I did like the book somewhat. I like the premise of the Revenants and what stories can occur around them. I believe it has potential and I want to see where the series goes. I hope Until I Die is an improvement on the first book. 

 Becky