Die for Me

March 28, 2011
Angels? Zombies? Ghosts? The revenants in Plum's first novel lay claim to all three titles at one point or another, and 16-year-old Kate Mercier isn't sure she's equipped to solve that riddle. She's recently lost her parents in a car crash, and although she has a warm relationship with her sister, Kate and Georgia couldn't be more different. So Kate is on her own in the museums and cafes of Paris, caught up in an awkward pas de deux with the devastatingly handsome Vincent. Their sweet flirtation goes on for a whileâand therein lies a weakness. Plum's pacing is slow, focused on the angsty interior life of a heroine who is not unique. Kate thinks she's not pretty (even though everyone assures her otherwise), she's grieving, she's socially awkward. It's standard stuff, though Plum's conception of the revenants, conversely, is fresh, and once Kate sees Vincent's bluff friend Jules killed by a Métro train, only to encounter him in a museum weeks later, the narrative picks up speed. The lush Parisian setting and gorgeous characters make this an immersing, franchise-ready story. Ages 14âup.