Die For Me by Amy Plum
Narrated by Julia Whelan
Length:9 hrs and 20 mins
Release Date:05-10-11
Bought/Audible

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

Kate knows sadness, shes been lost in it since the night her parents died. Even with her love of Paris and the love she has for her Grandparents, Kate feels a bit lost in her new surroundings. The romantic spot of the world and its flavorful art help sooth some of the sad parts, but not until Kate meets Vincent does her heart truly beat again.....And so sets the tone and story in Die for Me, a tale of a lonely girl who falls in love with handsome nonhuman Vincent. The rain, the sadness in Kate's heart and the unfamiliar paranormal world evoke a Gothic and gloomy feel that worked perfect.

When Kate meets Vincent, the only thing she knows for sure is that he's beautiful and interested in her. What she doesn't know and soon finds out is that Vincent is a Revenant, a person who is compelled to die saving others. While the revenant dies for humans, they always come back to life (unless beheaded and burned) and live forever under the compulsion, dying horrific deaths over and over again. While some can fight it for a time, eventually the urge overtakes them. On top of that, without dying the revenant needs to resurge and once a month will lay dormant (physically dead) for three days. Needless to say, revenants lack the proper skills in a human dating relationship, that whole compulsion to fling oneself off a bridge is liable to scare the gal being wined and dined and Kate is no exception.......

Overall the plot was simple and touches on a side of paranormal that I found original in the classic battle of good verses evil. It also brings two characters together, both heartbroken from their pasts and both longing for an intimate connection. Vincent and Kate were perfect together and their chemistry and romance ultimately is what heals them both. I suppose the only thing that bugged me in the couples story was the inevitable "separation", which I knew was added for dramatic flair but seriously not needed. Kate was already growing as a character and even though the direction forced Vincent to open up, I thought the relationship would have eventually come to that point before they could move forward. The ending climatic angle is what made Die for Me stand out, I thought the action was even better than the romance and loved that while still a series in the works it ended softly with no cliffhanger, and sometimes in a story I need to know it will continue yet I can rest easy waiting.

A romantic and deliciously good time.

Narration

I really loved listening to Die for Me and I thought Julia Whelan did an excellent job presenting the reader Kate's story. Her tone was perfect for Kate and she had an excellent accent for Vincent and pronouncing the French in the novel (things I totally would of jacked up trying to pronounce) I enjoyed the smooth flow of her voice and had a lot of fun getting lost in novel, even with the small snag in the story that I found (the break up phase) I overall found this entertaining and will continue on with the series.


Rating

Die For Me is recommended to teens (14 &up) and adults. Contains: Violence, murder, death, depression, folklore, romance, mild sensuality (kissing), clubbing and aspects of French culture.

Plot- Original, twisty folklore
Presentation- Narration only
Narration- Very Likable voice with a fantastic french flair

4/5- YA-Paranormal

Thanks to my pocket book for a fun purchase!