Book Title: Die for Me
Author: Amy Plum
Series: Die for Me #1
Date Started: April 5th 2013
Date Completed: April 8th 2013
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: Four stars
Review:
Firstly, Amber, I admit, it was better than I expected and I therefore thank you and you win this round. Now you'd better read Blood Red Road and Tomorrow When the War Began and prove me right thank you very much.
Secondly: I like to think of myself as a slightly more mature reader, and I tend to avoid clear romance novels with a wide berth. I need a plot to stories, not just soppy conversations and unrealistic acts of love. I don't mind romance - in fact I love it, and I think any good story should use it to it's advantage. However, not too much.
When I started reading this book I was pretty sure it was going to turn out to be some cheaper-written version of twilight (maybe not quite as appalling). However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that actually, I quite enjoyed it.
This book is set in Paris where Kate, who unfortunately recently lost her parents in a car accident, sends her days trolling through art galleries, bookshops and cafes. Then she notices a boy staring at her. And they get into a conversation. And (can you guess?) things move on pretty quickly from there. Until she finds out he's not human.
Pretty run of the mill storyline, yeah? What I was impressed by was that Amy Plum is actually able to make this not a common plot and twist it in a couple of ways that made it a whole lot more interesting.
The writing wasn't particularly hard to read, and I doubt Plum is going to get an award for her actual literary skills, however it wasn't terrible and I quite liked the sections of Kate's internal monologue where she would become very casual and talk to the reader as if they were a friend.
The story, whilst perhaps not being the most engaging, was interesting, and I really like the concepts involved. I won't reveal anything, but you can tell that quite a bit of thought has gone into the characters, their stories and the circumstances of their living and what they must do to be what they are (which again I can't go into detail for, because I refuse to include spoilers in my reviews).
Another key aspect of this book that I felt Plum handled well was the use of actual issues in our world. She includes certain states of mind and a brutalness in her writing that a lot of authors tend to shy away from in case of offending of presenting them in such ways. For example, the descriptions of people's deaths are surprisingly in depth and I actually felt myself quite moved and shocked by what happened - but not in an unbelievable way. (If you guys know me or read my reviews you'll know I love writing to be realistic and make me feel something.) So that definitely awarded the book a few extra points.
Right then. I would obviously recommend this book to anyone who loves romance. But also, if you're in the mood for some paranormal genres or something a bit fun and easy to read, then it would be the perfect book. Throughout this review I feel like I'm been trying to big myself up in my reading, but actually I'm not all that sophisticated, to be honest. But, either way, I admit that I did enjoy this book and will be reading the following sequels.
Image Source: http://www.amyplumbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/D4MUSbig2.jpg
Firstly, Amber, I admit, it was better than I expected and I therefore thank you and you win this round. Now you'd better read Blood Red Road and Tomorrow When the War Began and prove me right thank you very much.
Secondly: I like to think of myself as a slightly more mature reader, and I tend to avoid clear romance novels with a wide berth. I need a plot to stories, not just soppy conversations and unrealistic acts of love. I don't mind romance - in fact I love it, and I think any good story should use it to it's advantage. However, not too much.
When I started reading this book I was pretty sure it was going to turn out to be some cheaper-written version of twilight (maybe not quite as appalling). However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that actually, I quite enjoyed it.
This book is set in Paris where Kate, who unfortunately recently lost her parents in a car accident, sends her days trolling through art galleries, bookshops and cafes. Then she notices a boy staring at her. And they get into a conversation. And (can you guess?) things move on pretty quickly from there. Until she finds out he's not human.
Pretty run of the mill storyline, yeah? What I was impressed by was that Amy Plum is actually able to make this not a common plot and twist it in a couple of ways that made it a whole lot more interesting.
The writing wasn't particularly hard to read, and I doubt Plum is going to get an award for her actual literary skills, however it wasn't terrible and I quite liked the sections of Kate's internal monologue where she would become very casual and talk to the reader as if they were a friend.
The story, whilst perhaps not being the most engaging, was interesting, and I really like the concepts involved. I won't reveal anything, but you can tell that quite a bit of thought has gone into the characters, their stories and the circumstances of their living and what they must do to be what they are (which again I can't go into detail for, because I refuse to include spoilers in my reviews).
Another key aspect of this book that I felt Plum handled well was the use of actual issues in our world. She includes certain states of mind and a brutalness in her writing that a lot of authors tend to shy away from in case of offending of presenting them in such ways. For example, the descriptions of people's deaths are surprisingly in depth and I actually felt myself quite moved and shocked by what happened - but not in an unbelievable way. (If you guys know me or read my reviews you'll know I love writing to be realistic and make me feel something.) So that definitely awarded the book a few extra points.
Right then. I would obviously recommend this book to anyone who loves romance. But also, if you're in the mood for some paranormal genres or something a bit fun and easy to read, then it would be the perfect book. Throughout this review I feel like I'm been trying to big myself up in my reading, but actually I'm not all that sophisticated, to be honest. But, either way, I admit that I did enjoy this book and will be reading the following sequels.
Image Source: http://www.amyplumbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/D4MUSbig2.jpg
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