Die for Me (Die for Me, #1)

by Amy Plum

After their parents are killed in a car accident, sixteen-year-old Kate Mercier and her older sister Georgia, each grieving in her own way, move to Paris to live with their grandparents and Kate finds herself powerfully drawn to the handsome but elusive Vincent who seems to harbor a mysterious and dangerous secret.

• ISBN10: 0062004018
• ISBN13: 9780062004017
• Publish Date: 10 May 2011 (first published 5 May 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I'm actually ashamed about how much I enjoyed this book, considering that TECHNICALLY most of the romance was really nauseating and that they were zombies, basically. But I really, really liked it. It was sweet and syrupy romance, really cheesy and cliched, and it was a perfect light summer read.

I like Kate. I like that she is not a crazy party girl, tries it, doesn't like it, and continues to unapologetically be herself. I felt like she grew throughout the course of the story. I liked the sub characters well enough - especially Jules and Charlotte. They had distinct personalities and were lovely.

The storyline was a bit weak. It was really interesting, but it definitely took a back seat to Kate and Vincent's romance. I figured early on that the romance was more the plot than the revenant storyline, so it didn't bother me that much. And, I LOVE that Paris was the backdrop for this story. Maybe I'm reading the wrong books, but Paris doesn't seem to come up that often in YA Fantasy and it ought to. A city built over what is essentially a mass grave? It SCREAMS fantasy setting. Paris was used very well.

And, if I'm being really honest about it, the perfect French accents in the audiobook may have been what made me love it.

[Chelsea]

Reread: October 2015
Quick Thoughts:
1. I was iffy on the characters are first. Old fashioned in a modern world bothers me sometimes.
2. I like the relationship between the two sisters. I'm glad that's happening.
3. I'm finding all three boys are kind of similar but I do like them all. Actually I have a soft spot for Jules.
4. Note sure how I feel about the instalove. It's pretty hard core.

First Read: December 2012

[catiebug]

I love Kate and Vincent together! They are so cute and they just made me melt!

[tweetybugshouse]

dnf no connection to the story

[celinenyx]

So, apparently YA paranormal romance can be original!

Kate's parents have passed away in a car accident, and together with her sister she moves in with her grandparents in Paris. She is just a whisp of her former self, trying to deal with the fact that her parents are gone. Then she meets the mysterious Vincent, who has more secrets than Kate would have ever expected, and she slowly returns to the land of the living.

Ms Plum dedicated Die for Me to her mother, who she still misses every day. The fact that she lived through the loss of a parent shows in Die for Me; the whole grieving process, the numbness, it's all so realistic. The first part of the book is emotional, but it doesn't get too depressing. I loved the dynamics between Kate and her older sister. They bicker, they're very different, but they love each other and are always there for each other. It was nice to read a good sibling dynamic in YA; most main character seem to be only child or have a much older/younger sibling.

This story features a particular type of supe, revenants. I won't go into their specific powers as other reviews do, as I feel knowing what they can do will take some suspense out of the story. Let's just say that I like the way they work, and I'm looking forward to find out more about them, as I'm getting the feeling we will discover a lot more about their lore throughout the series.

Of course it's impossible to review a romance without talking about the romance itself. It was... good. Kate feels an instant attraction to Vincent, but she puts the attraction into perspective instantly. I'm not a big fan of Vincent personally - he was fine, but just a tad boring. He treats Kate well though, and to be honest that's all I require from a romance.

As for the plot, Die for Me, like many other paranormal romances, is more character-based than plot-based. Most events hinge on interaction between characters, instead of moving a certain plot ahead or discovering new information. Like we've seen before in books like Twilight and Fallen at the end of the book we get to see some action, which I enjoyed. It wasn't as horribly clichéd as it could have been. I hope Kate will become a bit more independent in next books, in the sense of that she doesn't have to rely on Vincent for protection against the baddies.

Die for Me manages to stay away from being run-of-the-mill paranormal YA by featuring believable emotions and realistic sibling-dynamics, and the fact that her boyfriend isn't abusive or creepy in any way makes it a lot better than most YA romances I've read.

[notajammiedodger]

First Read: June 2012

[cornerfolds]

I listened to this as an audiobook yesterday on the drive from Florida to North Carolina and the drive flew by. I've never fallen in love with characters like I did with this book. I can't wait for the sequel!

[jeannamichel]

After the death of her parents, Kate and her sister moved to their grandparents’ house in Paris. Kate was having trouble coping but, after lots of coaxing, her family finally got her out of the house. At a café, she meets Vincent who has secrets that he is not entirely ready to give up yet. But Vincent has something about him that makes Kate feel better when she is with him. When she discovers his secrets, she is unsure if she should continue their relationship. She becomes involved in Vincent’s secrets so much so that Kate may have to sacrifice certain things to be with him. Is she ready to take on such a commitment?

Die for Me is a wild ride of love that you don’t want to miss. It is a fast read with a plot that keeps you itching for more.

Amy Plum, you are amazing. My zombie history has consisted of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and the Strange Angels series. Never before have I encountered zombies like this, and truly I do not want to even count them as zombies except that that is what those characters are. Such original zombies; if you are debating whether to read this book or not, definitely read it because these zombies are just one of the most unique creatures that I have seen in a while. Sure, there is blood and gore and scenes that made me go, “Ew, gross” but not in the way you think.

With a new kind of zombies to understand and an amazing plot to appreciate, there may have been confusion. However, Plum explained to readers through her characters how to understand these new zombies beautifully. It was fun and easy to read and I, never once, got lost in a “Wait, how did he do that?” moment. Plum’s writing was so imaginative and whisked me away to magical Paris with a bunch of awesome zombies. Yes, Paris! I long to travel to Paris, but for now, I will have to read books about it. But that’s fine because it brings me to fantastic pieces of work such as this one.

Kate was annoying, sometimes. I really loved her voice and loved listening to all the descriptions of her trips to the café and what books she was reading. Still, she cried A LOT. I realize that she was going through a bad time in her life. Her parents had just passed away a few months ago and now she had just met a zombie. Yeah, I would cry a bit too, but she cried too much. Even though I loved her voice and style, she lost a few points with all her crying. These creatures, the new kind of zombies were amazing and fun to read about, but they were also obsessive stalkers. It was kind of weird, getting involved with Vincent, getting to know more about his world, and knowing that he was probably watching Kate wherever she would go. Still, I loved Vincent; he was a gentleman and I had to keep reminding myself that he was a stalker. I couldn’t help loving all the zombies.

Side note: I had so much fun with this book and not just with reading, but with the title as well. When asked what I was reading, I would look up at my friends’ faces and hold up the book, “Die for me?” I would ask. Thank you for the book title, because I now know only half of my friends would actually die for me, while the other half told me that it depends on the situation. Thank you, Die for Me.

Overall, this book was action packed and one-of-a-kind. Cannot wait to get back into this world with its second installment, it will be so much fun. This was a refreshing and fast read that captured my mind and led me into a world full of awesome zombies that I couldn’t get enough of.

[liz089]

I loved it ! It's sooo romantic 3 And I love the whole "revenants" concept, very original !

[lizarodz]

I love paranormal and this is one of the best ones I have read this year so far. Ms. Plum's writing is exquisite, so down to earth and easy to digest. The novel has a similarity to Twilight in the sense of the innocent girl falling in love with the immortal handsome boy. But, for me, that is were the similarity ends. Die for Me introduces a new premise in the revenats, kind of an undead (zombie?) beings with a compulsion for saving lives.

The characters in the novel were very well developed. I felt that I got to know and like Kate a lot. Vincent is a boy after my own heart. He has lived for a while, and knows that what he has found with Kate is precious and he treats it as such. Their relationship was believable and so sweet. I can't wait to see what happens next to this lovely couple!

The secondary characters don't necessarily take second place as they were also well developed and complement the story nicely. The setting of the story, Paris, is another main character in the story and the descriptions of the buildings, river, bridges, all made Paris come alive in the pages of the story.

If you love paranormal and are looking for something new that is also full of romance, this is the book for you. Great debut! The sequel, 'Until I Die' will not be published until next year, oh the agony. Check out Ms. Plum's website, specially the extras (*wink*)

About the cover: The cover is so pretty, the red makes it pop and the model facing away from gives it an air of mystery. You can see Paris in the background which is very appropriate. I also love the swirls.