Sunday, October 30, 2011

Die for Me - Amy Plum

Synopsis: My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.
Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.
Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.
While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?


I don't know why it took me so long to pick up this book. I've heard nothing but raving about Die for Me and the cover is gorgeous, the synopsis appealing. At any rate it's been on my TBR for quite some time now. Then I made it one of the three books I intended to read to get in the Halloween spirit. While this one wasn't as frightening as the other two I read, it was still an incredible book.


I feel like this gets said a lot, in order to make the book sound fresh and appealing, but I have to say it for this one as well - This book doesn't feel like other fantasy books I've read. On one hand it fits into some categories of paranormal - especially with the romance, the history, the stereotypical characters that surround Kate and Vincent. But all these things pale to the scenery and the background of the story.


First, there's Paris. I've always wondered about all these paranormal stories that are set in America, and then their history is always originated from Europe. This makes so much more sense, to have the story actually set in Europe. It's also much more romantic and mysterious. A little more dangerous. It really does make it all a world apart, and it's pretty screwy, but between the paranormal world and the beautiful setting of Paris - Amy Plum makes this something you want to be a part of - not just read about it. I loved reading descriptions of walking through the streets of Paris, visiting coffee shops, and looking out over the river. It made me want to go back and read the book while sitting there - able to follow Kate and Vincent's spirits around the city. 


Then there's the Revenants - whose closest description is that of a zombie crossed with an angel, and maybe a ghost. They're supernatural creatures that, to my knowledge, have never been explored before. One of the great parts of the book is Vincent asking Kate, "You've heard of vampires?...You've heard of werewolves?" and when she says yes he asks "Had you ever heard of us?" she says no and he replies, "That's called staying under the radar." They create this whole new reality that feels wonderful and possible. So while the archetypes of paranormal romance are all there, this one becomes so much more explorable.


Kate was interesting to read. She's grieving the loss of her parents and she meets a group of people who are undead. It's an interesting cross-section. Vincent was even better. I liked the way he handled everything about Kate, he really was all about making sure she was happy. 


I definitely recommend Die for Me, it's incredible. If you want more, here's a video of Amy Plum introducing herself and the book. This is the first book in a trilogy. The second, Until I Die, is released on May 3, 2012. The synopsis for that book can be found here

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Die for Me - Amy Plum

Synopsis: My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.
Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.
Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.
While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?


I don't know why it took me so long to pick up this book. I've heard nothing but raving about Die for Me and the cover is gorgeous, the synopsis appealing. At any rate it's been on my TBR for quite some time now. Then I made it one of the three books I intended to read to get in the Halloween spirit. While this one wasn't as frightening as the other two I read, it was still an incredible book.


I feel like this gets said a lot, in order to make the book sound fresh and appealing, but I have to say it for this one as well - This book doesn't feel like other fantasy books I've read. On one hand it fits into some categories of paranormal - especially with the romance, the history, the stereotypical characters that surround Kate and Vincent. But all these things pale to the scenery and the background of the story.


First, there's Paris. I've always wondered about all these paranormal stories that are set in America, and then their history is always originated from Europe. This makes so much more sense, to have the story actually set in Europe. It's also much more romantic and mysterious. A little more dangerous. It really does make it all a world apart, and it's pretty screwy, but between the paranormal world and the beautiful setting of Paris - Amy Plum makes this something you want to be a part of - not just read about it. I loved reading descriptions of walking through the streets of Paris, visiting coffee shops, and looking out over the river. It made me want to go back and read the book while sitting there - able to follow Kate and Vincent's spirits around the city. 


Then there's the Revenants - whose closest description is that of a zombie crossed with an angel, and maybe a ghost. They're supernatural creatures that, to my knowledge, have never been explored before. One of the great parts of the book is Vincent asking Kate, "You've heard of vampires?...You've heard of werewolves?" and when she says yes he asks "Had you ever heard of us?" she says no and he replies, "That's called staying under the radar." They create this whole new reality that feels wonderful and possible. So while the archetypes of paranormal romance are all there, this one becomes so much more explorable.


Kate was interesting to read. She's grieving the loss of her parents and she meets a group of people who are undead. It's an interesting cross-section. Vincent was even better. I liked the way he handled everything about Kate, he really was all about making sure she was happy. 


I definitely recommend Die for Me, it's incredible. If you want more, here's a video of Amy Plum introducing herself and the book. This is the first book in a trilogy. The second, Until I Die, is released on May 3, 2012. The synopsis for that book can be found here