Die for Me by Amy Plum

Summary (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.

Review:

I’ve read mixed things about this series. I’ve owned the book for so long; how can I not own such a pretty book? I feel like reviewers either hate this book or love it. And I’m definitely more in the love category.

I super related to the main character. She just suddenly lost both her parents. And a couple months ago, I suddenly lost my dad. My blogging in March was rather limited…I wasn’t really capable of writing much. I’m working on a book (that may never be finished and that I haven’t really been working on since before March), and I blog (clearly). But, writing anything meant feeling something and that was hard for me. And maybe I just came across this book at the right time or maybe this author really gets what it feels like to loose a parent, but either way I felt so much of what Kate was feeling.

I feel like a lot of main characters in YA and MG have lost at least one parent, but in a lot of cases I feel like this loss doesn’t stay with the main characters very long. It stays for the first book or the first chapters, and then the rest of the story erases it. In this book, Kate’s loss was always there. And my fascination with her relationship with Vincent was multiplied when I realized what Vincent was and what she would have to endure if she maintained a relationship with him. I don’t think I’d be able to handle it.

I also of course super related to Kate’s reading addiction. As one can assume, I’ve always been an avid reader. However, my last couple of months have involved an increase in books and tv shows –the ultimate need to be lost in a good story, in someone else’s story. And I love that Kate was the same way.

I found the whole revenant idea to be super interesting too. I’ve never read about anything quite like it. I think my favorite thing about the book though was the romantic Parisian setting. Why don’t more YA books take place in other countries? Seriously, I fell in love with the art museums, the cafes, the long walks, and the boat rides. It makes me want to go to Paris even more than I did before. I want to go to one of those cafes and read a book, and people watch, and order a coffee every hour.

The one thing that didn’t pull me in quite as much as I wanted it to was the romance. It was very PG. But more than that I’m not quite sure what they had in common. Vincent didn’t ever really seem to be reading. I guess they both like looking at art, but in Paris, who doesn’t? I plan on reading the rest of the series, but I hope there is a little less insta-love and a little more sustenance to the relationship.

I recommend this one to paranormal fans. I also think you’d like these books if you like Jennifer L. Armentrout. I read it super fast. The setting was magical. And the main character was beyond relatable. Again, I’m not sure if I loved it so much because I happened to read it at the right time or just because it was awesome, but who cares? I give it a 9/10.