⭐ 4.75 | ❤️ 3.5/5

Die for Me is among some of my favorite fantasy romance reads this year (along with This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, The Court of Venus, and Alchemised). While I don’t normally enjoy horror, the unsettled feeling that I had throughout the story worked for me in this paranormal psychological horror romance. I was pleasantly surprised by the sharp humor peppered throughout the story. I couldn’t put it down, and I’m really exhausted because I lost sleep over it.

One of my favorite aspects of the book was the controlled, lyrical prose itself. It’s polished, smart, the banter was cheeky, and had great rhythm. I can't find the words to state how much I loved it-- I ate it up; I devoured it. I loved the writing voice so much that I'll likely read everything Shirlene Obuobi publishes moving forward.

I love a self-assured, competent, emotionally mature FMC, who is rendered with specificity and feels fully realized as a person, such that I’d believe she was a real person, and we have that with FMC Sean, 38, who is an interventional cardiologist. She is a Black woman in a field dominated by older white men, and the subtlety at which the author depicts the subconscious bias and micro aggressions was really well executed. The social commentary is intersectional and through Sean’s astute observations (but also Leila’s own experiences) which include double standards for men and women on age gap relationships, being punished for aging, being underestimated in the workplace, tokenism, invisibility, etc.

MMC Julian, 27, is an ethnically ambiguous, considerate angel investor and philanthropist, and who happens to be the man of honor at the wedding of Sean’s best friend’s ex-husband’s mistress/new wife. He oozes charm and is a blend of golden boy, self sacrificing, and intensely devoted and at his best, shows a vulnerable side. He’s a contrast of longing with restraint. Julian and Sean’s meet-cute, probably my favorite I’ve ever read, is full of chemistry and tension that carries throughout the story and is one that had me kicking my feet.

The secondary characters were well written as well. The villain, who won’t be named due to spoilers, is one of the better villains I’ve encountered: she felt well fleshed out with consistent internal logic and rational, believable motives, and I found myself eventually developing some sympathy towards her in spite of everything. I once read a developmental editor state that a well written villain is the protagonist in their own story, and that’s the case here. Also notable is Sean’s best friend Winnie, who is a very perceptive therapist with a distinct voice and great lines. She’s her own person with her own life outside of Sean’s story, and I hope she gets her own book.

I predicted the reveals early (if you read a lot of paranormal romance, particularly Mallory Dunlin, you might too), but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. I found myself actively engaged with coming up with theories while reading, so it did work for me as a mystery regardless of being right about my hypothesis and found it rewarding to see my guesses confirmed later on. It appears from the Pagebound forum for the book that most readers didn’t predict the reveals and so were driven by the mystery.

As much as I loved this story, there were a few moments that pulled me out of the story due to world building logic that wasn’t consistently applied (e.g. whether or not mind reading was a thing, the requirement of consent for transference, and a timeline inconsistency (a major event that 3 months ago was referred to as ‘recent’). There was also an instance of character logic issues, where Leila was acting against her own goals.

Overall, I loved this and feel confident that this book would be well received for a wide spectrum of fantasy/paranormal romance readers and recommend that you give it a try.

CW: misogyny, animal abuse, miscarriage, infidelity, racism, death/grief, gun violence, mass shooting, agism, violence, abduction