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Review

Beautiful, original and imaginative YA PNR. I love this series!

I have just reread this book, and I loved it more on the reread than I did originally – I think, perhaps, because I know what’s coming and can appreciate this first book as setting the scene for what’s to come.

A lot of this book is world-building and background, but that’s ok because the world that Amy Plum has created is amazing! The idea of Revenants, their purpose, and the way that they exist in the story is completely original. I’ve not read anything like it before, and I really enjoyed it. The idea of the immortal undead being compelled to save lives, especially if it means dying themselves, as a sacrifice for others (well, re-dying anyway), only to reanimate days later and do it all over again. Brillant!

The other part of the story is, of course, the romance. The relationship between Kate and Vincent makes up a big part of the book, and it’s gorgeous. There is an insta-attraction (and maybe a wee bit of obsession on Vincent’s part), but the actual development of the relationship is realistic, very sweet and tender, with some great flirty banter.

Kate is your average 16 year old girl. We meet her when she and her older sister have moved to Paris to live with their Grandparents, following the death of their parents. Kate is quiet, studious and a bit of a bookworm, and very much keeps to herself while trying to deal with her grief. Until she meets the gorgeous and mysterious Vincent. As they start to spend time together she starts to come out of her shell a bit, only to be weirded out when the seemingly perfect Vincent starts to show some odd behaviour. Being the inquisitive little thing that she is, she follows him and his friends when he has to ditch her mid-date, and ends up being completely traumatised by what she sees, forcing Vincent to come clean with his big secret.

I love Vincent. He’s gorgeous, honest, and a true gentleman. I found him to be very Edward-like (super-hot paranormal, undead guy who is actually really old but with the body of an 18/19 year old and who, for some reason, is instantly and totally obsessed with the heroine) but, thank God, there was no “I’m too dangerous, you need to stay away from me” blah, blah, crap. Vincent is not afraid to lay it all out for Kate about what he is and how he feels, and I really liked that about him, and although understanding of her fear, he does fight for her, and you’ve gotta love that!

And this leads me into one of my favourite things about Kate – she actually freaked out! Too often in PNR books (particularly YA), the heroine is immediately accepting of her new reality in the face of overwhelming love for her supernatural hero. Although Kate is disbelieving at first, she takes it all in and tries to be accepting, but once she actually sees what Vincent’s life was all about, she totally freaks out, and that is a very real reaction. Of course she gets over it, but I like that she backed off on her own while she came to terms with everything, and then came back more confident and sure of herself.

And when they did reunite, the two of them actually discussed how they are going to have a paranormal / human relationship, with compromise and adjustments on both parts – that was refreshing to see.

“I can’t promise you an ordinary experience, Kate. I wish I could transform myself into a normal man and be there for you, always, without the trauma that defines my life … Since that isn’t possible, I can only reassure you that I will do everything in my power to make it up to you. To give you more than a normal boyfriend could.
I have no idea what that will mean, exactly, but I’m looking forward to finding out. With you.”

What a swoony little undead teenager he is!

The other characters in the book, particularly those that make up Vincent’s ‘family’, are great. Charlotte is gorgeous and Ambrose and Jules had me laughing out loud on several occasions, as did Kate’s sister Georgia. Kate’s grandparents are wonderfully supportive (although encouraging their 16 year old granddaughter to have a sleep-over at her boyfriend’s house so that they can sort out their issues… really?). The bad guy is creeply although really obvious, he may as well have been twirling a moustache!

One of the definite highlights for me though was Paris. I love books where the setting becomes like another character, and in this one, Paris absolutely shines! One of my all-time favourite places in the world, I loved the way Plum wrote with such vivid description about the scenery, the culture, and the feel of the city. I totally felt like I was there. And by the way, is that not one of the most beautiful book covers EVER! God, I love looking at these books!

Well done Amy Plum! She has given us a YA PNR that is fresh, original, and full of potential! There’s not a lot of action, with most of the book taken up with world building and the development of the Kate and Vincent’s love story, but these two things are woven together brilliantly, and I love the way it all unfolds. There is a big, action-filled finish though, and the story is finished off nicely – with no cliffhanger, thank God! I really love this world. I see a lot of potential, and will definitely read the next books in the series. I’m interested to see where the story goes from here.

4 stars!

 

Revenants Trilogy