Review: Die for Me by Amy Plum
Author: Amy Plum
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: HarperTeen
Length: 341 pages
Original Publishing Date: May 5th, 2011
Series: Revenants #1
Where I got it: Audiobook from the e-library
Links: Goodreads Amazon Author's Website
Synopsis from Goodreads:
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.
Main characters: 1/5
Kate, I was disappointed in. Who is she again? Yes, an updated version of Bella Swan. Does she have a personality? Does she have interests? Is she anything except thrilled when the mysterious Vincent takes interest in her? Basically, I just wanted a lot more from Kate and I wasn't thrilled with how Plum portrayed her.
Here's Vincent in my head:
Secondary characters: 2/5
Party girl sister Georgia provides a steady foil to Kate and at least she shows some fire and flare. She also seems like she has a lot more backbone than Kate does.
As per any YA Romance novel, the parents were deceased and the grandparents are nonexistent. These girls are basically running around Paris with absolutely no supervision.
The variety of friends and other Revenants were mediocre. Some were entertaining (Jules) however not well developed.
Writing style: 1.5/5
Nothing special. A lot of telling, rather than showing. On top of this, there was a distinct lack of action for most of the novel, and there were huge chunks where absolutely nothing happened except a lot of backstory.
Plot: 2.5/5
Plum's research on the revenant is actually really interesting. She chooses an unknown mythology and expands it to become its own. PS- did you know that there's actually a movie called The Revenant coming out in 2015? It stars Leo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy (yummy).
But back on subject. An interesting mythology, but not a unique plot sequence. It reeks of Twilight with a new twist. Plum had a cool idea on her hands, but unfortunately it didn't turn out the same.
The one cool thing that Plum brought to the novel was her integration of French culture and sights. I really felt like I was in Paris with Kate.
Ending: 2/5
Action, yes. The way that it happened? Meh. I've heard some reviewers say that even when Kate was involved with the action, she wasn't really. That interpretation is pretty spot on. It was pretty much what I'd expect, given the rest of the novel.
Best scene: Kate's close call in the cafe
Reminded Me Of: Twilight meets The Eternal Ones
Positives: Inclusion of French life and culture, Revenant mythology
Negatives: All similarities to Twilight, dull writing, little action, paper thin characters
Cover: Yeah, okay, it's pretty
Verdict: Unfortunately, just another knockoff of Twilight for me
Rating: 3.6 / 10 (2 stars)
Your Thoughts: Have you read it? What did you think? If you haven't, will you be adding it to your TBR list? Let me know!
Comments
Post a Comment