Von der Nacht verzaubert (Revenant-Trilogie Band 1)

Von Amy Plum

Der Auftakt zur romantischen Revenant-Trilogie um Vincent und Kate. Eine Fantasy-Liebesgeschichte in Paris, die zu Herzen geht!

Als Kate Merciers Eltern bei einem tragischen Unfall sterben, zieht sie zusammen mit ihrer Schwester Georgia zu den Großeltern nach Paris. Jede versucht auf ihre eigene Weise, ihr altes Leben und ihre schmerzvollen Erinnerungen hinter sich zu lassen. Während Georgia sich in das Nachtleben stürzt, sucht Kate Zuflucht in ihren Büchern - bis sie eines Tages Vincent trifft, der es schafft, ihren Schutzpanzer zu durchbrechen. Bei Spaziergängen entlang der Seine und durch die spätsommerlichen Gassen von Paris beginnt Kate, sich in ihn zu verlieben - nur um kurze Zeit später zu erfahren, dass Vincent ein Revenant ist. Die Liebe der beiden steht unter einem schlechten Stern: Vincent und seine Freunde sind in einen jahrhundertealten Kampf gegen eine Gruppe rachsüchtiger Revenants verstrickt. Schnell begreift Kate, dass ihr Leben niemals wieder sicher sein wird, wenn sie ihrem Herzen folgt.

"Von der Nacht verzaubert" ist der erste Band einer Trilogie.

• Sprache: Deutsch
• Herausgeber: Loewe Verlag
• Erscheinungsdatum: 27. Jan. 2014
• ISBN: 9783732000906

Buchvorschau

Titelseite

Dieses Buch ist für dich, Mom.

Du fehlst mir jeden Tag.

Die geliebt werden, können nicht sterben,

denn Liebe bedeutet Unsterblichkeit.

Emily Dickinson

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Prolog

Als ich die Statue im Brunnen das erste Mal gesehen hatte, wusste ich noch nicht, wer – oder besser was – Vincent war. Während ich nun die himmlische Schönheit der beiden miteinander verbundenen Körper auf mich wirken ließ – der gut aussehende Engel, dessen harte, dunkle Züge auf die Frau gerichtet waren, die in seinen ausgestreckten Armen lag und aus purem Licht und Milde geschaffen schien –, entging mir die Symbolik nicht. Das Gesicht des Engels spiegelte Verzweiflung wider. Doch da war noch etwas anderes. Besessenheit. Aber auch Zärtlichkeit. Als würde er von ihr erwarten, dass sie ihn rettet, nicht umgekehrt. Plötzlich kam mir in den Sinn, wie Vincent mich nannte: mon ange. Mein Engel. Ein Schauer überlief mich, aber nicht, weil es kalt war.

Jeanne hatte gesagt, mich kennenzulernen hätte Vincent verwandelt. Ich hätte ihm »neues Leben« geschenkt. Aber erwartete er von mir, dass ich seine Seele rettete?

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Die meisten Sechzehnjährigen träumen davon, in einer fremden Stadt im Ausland zu leben. Doch der Umzug von Brooklyn nach Paris nach dem Tod meiner Eltern war alles andere als ein Traum, der in Erfüllung ging. Das Wort Albtraum trifft es schon eher.

Ganz ehrlich: Ich hätte überall sein können und es wäre total egal gewesen – denn ich nahm meine Umgebung überhaupt nicht wahr. Ich lebte in der Vergangenheit, klammerte mich verzweifelt an jeden Erinnerungsfitzel meines früheren Lebens, von dem ich dachte, dass es immer so weitergehen würde.

Nur zehn Tage nachdem ich meine Führerscheinprüfung bestanden hatte, kamen meine Eltern bei einem Autounfall ums Leben. Eine Woche später, am ersten Weihnachtstag, entschied meine Schwester Georgia, dass wir beide Amerika verlassen würden, um bei den Eltern meines Vaters in Frankreich zu leben. Ich war noch viel zu erschüttert, als dass ich mich dagegen hätte auflehnen können.

Wir zogen im Januar um. Niemand erwartete von uns, dass wir sofort wieder zur Schule gingen und so brachten wir einfach einen Tag nach dem anderen hinter uns, jede auf ihre eigene verzweifelte Art. Meine Schwester unterdrückte ihre Trauer fieberhaft, indem sie jeden Abend mit ihren Freunden ausging, die sie schon während unserer jährlichen Sommerurlaube dort gefunden hatte. Ich hingegen verwandelte mich in ein menschenscheues Häufchen Elend.

An guten Tagen schaffte ich es, die Wohnung zu verlassen und ein Stückchen die Straße entlangzugehen, bis ich panisch zurückrannte, um in unserem neuen Zuhause Schutz vor dem Himmel zu suchen, der mich zu erdrücken drohte. An anderen Tagen wachte ich so kraftlos auf, dass ich es kaum schaffte, mich zum Frühstückstisch und zurück zu meinem Bett zu schleppen, wo ich dann den Rest des Tages verbrachte, völlig gelähmt von meiner Trauer.

Schließlich entschieden unsere Großeltern, dass wir für ein halbes Jahr in ihr Landhaus umziehen würden. »Ein Tapetenwechsel«, wie Mamie hinzufügte, woraufhin ich nur anmerkte, dass kein Tapetenwechsel so extrem sein könnte wie ein Umzug von New York nach Paris.

Doch Mamie behielt wie immer recht. Es tat uns unermesslich gut, den Frühling auf dem Land zu verbringen, und obwohl wir Ende Juni noch immer Schatten unserer früheren Selbst waren, funktionierten wir zumindest wieder insoweit, um nach Paris und ins wahre Leben zurückkehren zu können – sofern man das Leben jemals wieder »wahr« nennen konnte. Wenigstens fand mein Neuanfang an einem Ort statt, den ich liebte.

Nirgendwo sonst ist es schöner als im Juni in Paris. Obwohl ich jeden Sommer hier verbracht habe, seit ich ein kleines Kind war, wurde ich jedes Mal wieder high, wenn ich durch die sommerlichen Straßen ging. An keinem anderen Ort dieser Welt ist das Licht so wie hier. Es ist einfach märchenhaft. In diesem zauberhaften Glanz könnte jederzeit alles Mögliche passieren und man wäre nicht mal überrascht.

Doch diesmal war es anders. Die Stadt war zwar so wie immer, aber ich hatte mich verändert. Selbst die schillernde Atmosphäre von Paris konnte die Finsternis, die fest an mir klebte, nicht vertreiben. Paris hat einen wunderschönen Spitznamen: Stadt des Lichts. Nun, für mich war sie die Stadt des Nichts geworden.

Die meiste Zeit des Sommers verbrachte ich allein. Meine Tage folgten schnell dem immer gleichen Trott: Ich wachte in Papys und Mamies dunkler, mit Antiquitäten vollgestopfter Wohnung auf und verschanzte mich dann in einem dieser winzigen, dunklen Pariser Programmkinos, die rund um die Uhr Schwarz-Weiß-Klassiker zeigten, oder ich besuchte eins meiner Lieblingsmuseen. Dann ging ich nach Hause und las für den Rest des Tages, aß zu Abend, legte mich ins Bett und starrte an die Decke. Selten schlief ich, und wenn mir vor lauter Müdigkeit doch mal die Augen zufielen, dann folgten ein paar albtraumgeplagte Stunden Schlaf. Aufwachen. Von vorn.

Die einzige Unterbrechung dieser einsamen Routine erfolgte in E-Mail-Form. »Und, wie ist das Leben so in Frankreich?«, war immer die erste Frage meiner alten Freunde aus Brooklyn.

Was sollte ich denn darauf antworten? Deprimierend? Leer? Ich will meine Eltern zurück? Da erfand ich lieber was. Ich schrieb ihnen, dass ich richtig froh darüber war, in Paris zu wohnen. Wie praktisch es war, dass Georgia und ich fließend Französisch sprachen, weil wir so viele neue Leute kennenlernten. Dass ich es gar nicht erwarten konnte, endlich wieder in die Schule zu gehen.

Dabei war es nicht meine Absicht, sie mit diesen Geschichten zu beeindrucken. Ich wusste, dass sie sich Sorgen um mich machten, deshalb wollte ich ihnen nur versichern, dass es mir gut ging. Doch immer, wenn ich so eine Mail abgeschickt hatte und sie danach noch einmal las, merkte ich, wie unendlich breit die Kluft zwischen diesem für sie erfundenen und meinem wirklichen Leben war. Und das deprimierte mich dann nur noch mehr.

Schließlich wurde mir bewusst, dass ich keine Lust mehr hatte, überhaupt noch mit irgendjemandem zu reden. Eines Abends, nachdem meine Finger fünfzehn Minuten auf den Tasten geruht hatten, während ich verzweifelt überlegte, was ich meiner Freundin Claudia Tolles schreiben könnte, schloss ich das Nachrichtenfeld und löschte nach einem tiefen Atemzug für immer und ewig meine E-Mail-Adresse. Googlemail fragte, ob ich mir sicher sei. »Und wie«, sagte ich, als ich auf den roten Button klickte. Eine Last fiel von mir ab. Ich verstaute den Laptop in der Schreibtischschublade und holte ihn erst wieder hervor, als die Schule anfing.

Anfangs versuchten Mamie und Georgia noch, mich dazu zu bewegen, wenigstens hin und wieder mal vor die Tür zu gehen. Meine Schwester fragte, ob ich sie und ihre Freunde zu einer Strandbar am Fluss begleiten wolle. Oder zu Konzerten oder in Klubs, wo sie die Wochenenden durchtanzten. Aber irgendwann gaben sie auf.

»Wie kannst du nur tanzen gehen, nach allem, was passiert ist?«, fragte ich Georgia einmal, als sie auf dem Fußboden in ihrem Zimmer saß und sich vor einem vergoldeten Rokokospiegel schminkte, den sie von der Wand genommen und gegen ein Bücherregal gelehnt hatte.

Meine Schwester war furchtbar schön. Ihre rotblonden Haare waren zu einem kurzen Pixie-Cut geschnitten, den nur jemand mit ihren hohen Wangenknochen tragen konnte. Kleine Sommersprossen zierten ihre weiche Pfirsichhaut. Genau wie ich war sie groß gewachsen, aber im Gegensatz zu mir hatte sie eine fantastische Figur – für ihre Rundungen würde ich sterben. Sie sah nicht aus wie fast achtzehn, sondern wie einundzwanzig.

Georgia warf mir einen kurzen Blick zu. »Weil ich nur so vergessen kann«, sagte sie, während sie ihre Wimpern nachtuschte. »Weil ich mich nur dann lebendig fühle. Ich bin genauso traurig wie du, Katie-Bean. Aber anders werde ich damit nicht fertig.«

Ich wusste, dass das stimmte. In den Nächten, in denen sie nicht ausging, hörte ich sie in ihrem Zimmer schluchzen, als wäre ihr Herz gebrochen.

»Und dir tut es auch nicht gut, Trübsal zu blasen«, fuhr sie mit sanfter Stimme fort. »Du solltest unter Menschen gehen. Um dich abzulenken. Sieh dich mal an«, sagte sie, legte ihre Wimperntusche beiseite und zog mich zu sich. Sie drehte meinen Kopf so, dass mein Gesicht neben ihrem im Spiegel auftauchte.

Wer uns zusammen sieht, käme nie auf die Idee, dass wir Geschwister sind. Meine langen braunen Haare hingen an diesem Tag schlaff herunter. Meine Haut, die dank der Gene meiner Mutter niemals Farbe annimmt, war noch blasser als gewöhnlich. Meine graublauen Augen waren ganz anders als die sinnlichen »Schlafzimmeraugen« meiner Schwester. »Mandelaugen« hatte meine Mutter sie zu meinem großen Kummer immer genannt. Ich hätte lieber Augen, bei denen man an heiße Nächte denkt, als welche, die an eine Nuss erinnern.

»Du bist wunderhübsch«, stellte Georgia fest. Meine Schwester, mein einziger Fan.

»Sag das den Verehrern, die draußen Schlange stehen.« Ich verzog das Gesicht und setzte mich zurück aufs Bett.

»Na, wenn man die ganze Zeit allein unterwegs ist, findet man auch keinen Verehrer. Wenn du nicht mal was anderes machst, als ständig nur in Museen und Kinos rumzuhängen, siehst du bald aus wie eine deiner Romanheldinnen aus dem achtzehnten Jahrhundert, die von Tuberkulose oder Wassersucht oder so was dahingerafft worden sind.« Sie blickte mir in die Augen. »Hör zu, ich werde dich nie wieder fragen, ob du mit mir ausgehst, wenn du mir nur einen einzigen Wunsch erfüllst.«

»Man nennt mich ja bekanntlich auch ›Die gute Fee‹«, sagte ich und versuchte zu grinsen.

»Schnapp dir deine verdammten Bücher und setz dich damit in ein Café. Ins Sonnenlicht. Meinetwegen auch ins Mondlicht, mir egal. Hauptsache, du verlässt das Haus und es kommt mal wieder ein bisschen gute alte, schmutzige Stadtluft in deine schwindsüchtigen Lungen. Triff mal wieder ein paar Menschen, verdammt noch mal.«

»Aber ich treffe doch Menschen …«, fing ich an.

»Leonardo da Vinci und Quentin Tarantino zählen nicht«, unterbrach sie mich.

Ich sagte nichts mehr.

Georgia stand auf und hängte sich ihre kleine schicke Handtasche über die Schulter. »Nicht du bist tot«, sagte sie, »sondern Mama und Papa. Und sie würden sich wünschen, dass du lebst.«

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»Wo gehst du denn hin?« Mamie streckte verwundert ihren Kopf aus der Küche, als sie hörte, wie ich die Wohnungstür öffnete.

»Georgia findet, meine Lungen brauchen mal wieder ein bisschen schmutzige Pariser Stadtluft«, antwortete ich und schnappte mir meine Tasche.

»Da hat sie völlig recht«, sagte sie und kam zu mir. Ihre Stirn reichte mir kaum bis ans Kinn, aber durch ihre perfekte Haltung und ihre sieben Zentimeter hohen Absätze wirkte sie viel größer. Obwohl sie in ein paar Jahren siebzig werden würde, ließ ihr jugendliches Auftreten sie mindestens zehn Jahre jünger aussehen.

Sie studierte Kunst, als sie meinen Großvater, einen erfolgreichen Antiquitätenhändler, kennenlernte, der von ihr so maßlos beeindruckt war, als wäre sie eine seiner kostbaren antiken Statuen. Noch heute restaurierte sie alte Gemälde in ihrem Atelier mit Glasdach, das ganz oben in unserem Apartmenthaus lag.

»Allez, fille!«, sagte sie, während sie in all ihrer Herrlichkeit vor mir stand. »Dann los. Die Stadt dürstet sicher nach einer Aufheiterung durch die kleine Katya.«

Ich gab meiner Großmutter einen Kuss auf ihre weiche, nach Rosen duftende Wange, nahm meinen Schlüssel vom Flurtisch und verließ die Wohnung durch die schwere Holztür. Die marmorne Wendeltreppe führte mich hinunter zur Straße.

Paris ist in zwanzig Stadtteile unterteilt, die Arrondissements, die von eins bis zwanzig durchnummeriert sind. Unseres, das siebte, ist ein altes Viertel, in dem die wohlhabenderen Einwohner von Paris leben. Wer im trendigsten Stadtteil wohnen will, würde nicht in das siebte ziehen. Aber weil die Wohnung meiner Großeltern in Fußnähe zum Boulevard Saint-Germain liegt, an dem sich Cafés und Geschäfte nur so drängen, und von wo aus man in nur fünfzehn Minuten am Ufer der Seine ist, hatte ich wirklich keinen Grund, mich zu beklagen.

Ich trat in den hellen Sonnenschein und umrundete den Park direkt gegenüber vom Haus. In diesem Park stehen viele steinalte Bäume und vereinzelt ein paar grüne Holzbänke. Wenn man daran vorbeigeht, hat man für ein paar Sekunden das Gefühl, dass Paris ein kleines Dorf ist und nicht Frankreichs Hauptstadt.

Mein Weg führte mich die Rue du Bac entlang, die rechts und links von Geschäften gesäumt wird, in denen man teure Klamotten, Wohnaccessoires oder Antiquitäten kaufen kann. Ich wurde nicht mal langsamer, als ich an Papys Café vorüberging. In dieses Café hatte er uns mitgenommen, seit wir kleine Kinder waren. Wir saßen dort und tranken Tee mit Pfefferminzgeschmack, während Papy mit allem plauderte, das sich bewegte. Das Letzte, was ich wollte, war, neben ein paar seiner Freunde oder gar gegenüber von ihm auf der Terrasse zu stranden. Ich musste mir ein eigenes Café suchen.

Mir schwebten zwei nahe gelegene Lokale vor. Das erste lag an einer Straßenecke, die Ausstattung war dunkel gehalten und eine Reihe von Tischen, die auf dem Bürgersteig standen, flankierte das Gebäude. Dort war es vermutlich ruhiger als in dem anderen Lokal. Ich betrat es und sofort fielen mir lauter alte Männer auf, die auf hohen Stühlen an der Bar saßen, jeder ein Glas Rotwein vor sich. Ihre Köpfe drehten sich langsam in meine Richtung, um den Neuankömmling zu mustern, doch mein Anblick erschreckte sie offensichtlich dermaßen, als hätte ich in einem gelben Hühnerkostüm gesteckt. Warum hängt draußen denn kein Schild mit der Aufschrift »Zutritt nur für alte Männer«, fragte ich mich und machte mich schleunigst auf den Weg zu Option zwei: Ein überquellendes Café ein Stückchen weiter die Rue hinunter.

Das Café Sainte-Lucie wirkte sehr geräumig, weil durch die großen Fenster viel Sonnenlicht hineinfallen konnte. Auf der sonnigen Terrasse standen sicher fünfundzwanzig Tische, die normalerweise alle belegt waren. Während ich auf einen freien Tisch in der äußersten Ecke zusteuerte, wusste ich, dies war mein Café. Ich hatte sofort das Gefühl, hierher zu gehören. Ich stellte meine Tasche unter den Tisch und setzte mich mit dem Rücken zum Gebäude, damit ich sowohl die gesamte Terrasse als auch die Straße und den Bürgersteig im Blick hatte.

Ich bestellte eine Limonade und kramte dann eine Taschenbuchausgabe von Zeit der Unschuld hervor. Es war eines der Bücher, die ich bis zum Schulanfang im September gelesen haben musste. Umgeben vom Geruch starken Kaffees, versank ich in der Welt des Romans.

»Noch eine Limonade?« Eine französische Stimme schwebte durch meine Gedanken und riss mich abrupt aus den Straßen eines New York des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts zurück in ein Pariser Café. Ein Kellner stand neben mir, hielt ein rundes Tablett über seiner Schulter und sah aus wie ein verstimmter Grashüpfer.

»Oh, natürlich. Ähm … Obwohl, diesmal lieber einen Tee«, sagte ich. Seine Nachfrage konnte nur bedeuten, dass ich schon eine Stunde lang gelesen haben musste. In französischen Cafés gilt eine unausgesprochene Regel: Man kann so lange an einem Tisch sitzen bleiben, wie man will, wenn man nur jede Stunde ein Getränk bestellt. Man mietet sozusagen seinen Tisch.

Ich ließ meinen Blick kurz über die Terrasse gleiten, bevor ich mich wieder meinem Buch widmete. Wenig später schaute ich aber noch einmal auf, weil ich das Gefühl hatte, beobachtet zu werden. Als ich den Kopf hob, sah ich einen jungen Typen, der mich anstarrte. Die Welt hörte auf sich zu drehen, als sich unsere Blicke trafen.

Mich beschlich das merkwürdige Gefühl, dass ich ihn kannte. Das ging mir manchmal bei Fremden so; dann fühlte es sich an, als hätte ich schon Stunden, Wochen oder sogar Jahre mit ihnen verbracht. Allerdings war das bisher immer ein sehr einseitiges Phänomen gewesen – in der Regel hatte mich mein Gegenüber noch nicht mal wahrgenommen.

Diesmal war es allerdings anders. Ich hätte schwören können, dass es ihm genauso ging wie mir.

So eindringlich, wie er mir in die Augen sah und meinen Blick festhielt, musste er mich schon eine ganze Weile angestarrt haben. Er sah atemberaubend aus, hatte ziemlich lange schwarze Haare, die sich von seiner breiten Stirn nach hinten wellten. Seine olivfarbene Haut legte die Schlussfolgerung nahe, dass er entweder viel Zeit in der Sonne verbrachte oder von einem sonnigen Ort stammte, der weiter südlich lag. Seine Augen waren so blau wie das Meer und von dichten schwarzen Wimpern umrandet. Mein Herz flatterte in meiner Brust und meine Lungen fühlten sich an, als hätte jemand sämtliche Luft herausgepresst. Ich konnte einfach nicht wegschauen.

Ein paar Sekunden vergingen, bevor er sich wieder an seine beiden Freunde wandte, die laut lachten. Alle drei waren jung, schön und hatten eine Wahnsinnsausstrahlung – kein Wunder also, dass die Besucherinnen im Café von ihnen fasziniert waren. Sofern den Jungs das bewusst war, ließen sie es sich nicht anmerken.

Der Typ, der neben ihm saß, war auffallend hübsch, groß wie ein Baum, hatte kurze Haare und schokoladenfarbene Haut. Während ich ihn musterte, sah er zu mir und grinste mich wissend an, so als würde er total verstehen, dass ich keine andere Wahl hatte, als ihn so anzustarren. Das riss mich aus meinem voyeuristischen Trancezustand und meine Augen fanden für ein paar Sekunden zurück zu meinem Buch. Als ich dann noch mal aufschaute, hatte er sich wieder abgewendet.

Der dritte saß mit dem Rücken zu mir. Er war drahtig, hatte einen leichten Sonnenbrand, Koteletten, lockige braune Haare und erzählte lebhaft etwas, über das seine beiden Begleiter sich offenbar wahnsinnig amüsierten.

Ich sah mir den ersten noch einmal genauer an. Obwohl er sicher ein paar Jahre älter war als ich, schätzte ich ihn auf unter zwanzig. Die Art, wie er lässig auf seinem Stuhl saß, war typisch französisch, doch etwas Kühles, Hartes umspielte seine Gesichtszüge und ließ eine Ahnung in mir aufsteigen, dass diese lässige Pose nur Fassade war. Er sah nicht bösartig aus. Er wirkte eher irgendwie … gefährlich.

Obwohl er mich sehr neugierig machte, strich ich das Bild dieses schwarzhaarigen Fremden gleich wieder aus meinen Gedanken, weil ich mir sicher war, dass die Kombination aus perfektem Aussehen und Gefahr sicher Schwierigkeiten bedeutete. Ich nahm mein Buch zur Hand und schenkte meine volle Aufmerksamkeit nun wieder den vertrauenswürdigeren Reizen eines Newland Archer. Als der Kellner mit meinem Tee kam, konnte ich es mir jedoch nicht verkneifen, noch einmal zu dem anderen Tisch hinüberzuschauen. Dummerweise konnte ich mich irgendwie nicht mehr auf den Text konzentrieren.

Als die drei eine halbe Stunde später das Café verließen, zogen sie unwillkürlich die Blicke aller Frauen auf sich. Die Wirkung wäre sicher nicht anders gewesen, wenn sich eine Gruppe von Armani-Unterwäschemodels vor der Terrasse die Klamotten vom Leib gerissen hätte.

Die ältere Frau vom Nebentisch lehnte sich zu ihrer Begleiterin hinüber und sagte: »Ist dir plötzlich auch so heiß?« Ihre Freundin kicherte zustimmend, fächelte sich mit der eingeschweißten Speisekarte Luft zu und blickte ungeniert den Jungs hinterher. Ich schüttelte angewidert den Kopf – unmöglich, dass diesen Typen nicht bewusst war, wie viele gierige Blicke sich ihnen wie Pfeile in den Rücken bohrten, während sie sich langsam entfernten.

Wie um meine Theorie zu bestätigen, drehte sich der hübsche Schwarzhaarige plötzlich zu mir um, und als er sah, dass ich ihm nachschaute, lächelte er eingebildet. Röte schoss mir ins Gesicht und ich versteckte mich schnell hinter meinem Buch, weil ich ihm nicht auch noch die Genugtuung gönnen wollte, mich rot werden zu sehen.

Ich versuchte noch ein paar Minuten lang, die nächsten Sätze des Romans zu verstehen, ehe ich aufgab. Meine Konzentration war dahin, also zahlte ich für meine Getränke, ließ ein Trinkgeld auf dem Tisch liegen und machte mich auf den Weg zurück in die Rue du Bac.

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Ohne Eltern zu leben, wurde keineswegs leichter.

Ich hatte das Gefühl, von einer Eisschicht umhüllt zu sein. Auch innen drin war ich ganz kalt. Aber ich klammerte mich regelrecht an diese Kälte: Wer wusste denn, was passieren würde, wenn das Eis taute und ich tatsächlich wieder etwas fühlen konnte? Wahrscheinlich würde ich mich erneut in diese nichtsnutzige Heulsuse verwandeln, die ich in den ersten Monaten nach dem Tod meiner Eltern gewesen war.

Mein Vater fehlte mir ganz fürchterlich. Es war unerträglich, dass er aus meinem Leben verschwunden war. Dieser attraktive Franzose, den jeder sofort ins Herz geschlossen hatte, der auch nur einen kurzen Moment in seine lachenden grünen Augen sah. Wenn er mich betrachtete und unverhohlene Bewunderung auf seinem Gesicht glühte, wusste ich: Ich würde immer einen Fan auf dieser Welt haben, der mir vom Spielfeldrand zujubelte, egal, welche Dummheit ich auch anstellte.

Der Tod meiner Mutter tat so entsetzlich weh, als wäre sie eins meiner Organe gewesen, das man mir mit einem Skalpell entfernt hatte. Sie war meine Seelenverwandte, genau das Wort hatte sie stets benutzt. Natürlich haben wir uns nicht immer gut verstanden. Aber jetzt nach ihrem Tod musste ich lernen, mit diesem großen, brennenden Loch zu leben, das ihr Verlust in mich gerissen hatte.

Wenn ich mich wenigstens nachts für ein paar Stunden aus der Wirklichkeit hätte stehlen können, wäre die Zeit im wachen Zustand vielleicht erträglicher gewesen. Aber der Schlaf war mein ganz persönlicher Albtraum. Meist lag ich im Bett, bis mich seine samtig-weichen Finger langsam erfassten und ich nur noch Endlich! denken konnte. Aber schon eine halbe Stunde später war ich wieder wach.

Eines Nachts war ich mit meiner Weisheit am Ende, lag mit dem Kopf auf dem Kissen, die Augen offen und starrte an die Decke. Mein Wecker zeigte ein Uhr. Mit dem Gedanken an die lange Nacht, die noch vor mir lag, krabbelte ich aus dem Bett, fischte nach den Klamotten, die ich am Tag getragen hatte, und zog sie mir über. Als ich in den Flur trat, sah ich Licht unter Georgias Tür hindurchschimmern. Ich klopfte an und öffnete sie.

»Hallo«, flüsterte Georgia. Sie lag komplett angezogen auf dem Bett, mit dem Kopf am Fußende. »Bin gerade erst nach Hause gekommen«, fügte sie hinzu.

»Du kannst auch nicht schlafen«, sagte ich. Es war keine Frage, sondern eine Feststellung. Wir kannten einander einfach zu gut. »Hast du Lust, ein bisschen mit mir spazieren zu gehen?«, fragte ich. »Ich hab keine Lust, wieder stundenlang wach zu liegen. Es ist erst Juli und ich hab schon alle Bücher gelesen, die ich besitze. Zweimal sogar.«

»Bist du verrückt?«, fragte Georgia und drehte sich auf den Bauch. »Es ist mitten in der Nacht.«

»Genau genommen fängt die Nacht gerade an, es ist erst ein Uhr. Da sind noch immer jede Menge Leute unterwegs. Und außerdem ist Paris die sicherste …«

»… Stadt der Welt«, beendete Georgia den Satz. »Das ist Papys Lieblingsspruch. Er sollte beim Tourismusverband anheuern. Also gut, warum nicht? Ist ja nicht so, als würde ich in nächster Zeit einschlafen.«

Wir schlichen auf Zehenspitzen zur Wohnungstür, öffneten sie geräuschlos und schlossen sie mit einem leisen Klicken. Unten vor der Haustür blieben wir kurz stehen, zogen unsere Schuhe an und traten dann hinaus auf die Straße.

Der Vollmond stand am Pariser Nachthimmel und tauchte die Straßen in ein silbernes Licht. Ohne uns abzusprechen, schlugen wir beide den Weg zum Fluss ein. Seit wir als Kinder unsere Sommer hier verbrachten, hatte der Fluss im Mittelpunkt unserer Aktivitäten gestanden, und so fanden unsere Füße den Weg von selbst.

An der Seine angekommen, gingen wir die Steinstufen hinunter zur Uferpromenade, die Paris über mehrere Kilometer säumt, und schlenderten in östlicher Richtung über das grobe Kopfsteinpflaster. Am anderen Ufer thronte das massive Gebäude des Louvre.

Außer uns war niemand unterwegs, weder auf der Promenade noch oben auf der Straße. Abgesehen von kleinen Wellen, die gegen die Uferbefestigung plätscherten, und dem einen oder anderen vorbeifahrenden Auto war kein Geräusch zu hören. Wir waren eine Weile schweigend nebeneinander hergelaufen, als Georgia plötzlich stehen blieb und nach meinem Arm griff.

»Sieh mal«, flüsterte sie erschrocken und zeigte auf die Pont du Carrousel, die Brücke, die unseren Weg vielleicht fünfzehn Meter vor uns kreuzte. Ein Mädchen, vermutlich in unserem Alter, balancierte auf der breiten steinernen Brüstung, gefährlich nah am Rand. »Mein Gott, die will sich umbringen«, hauchte Georgia.

Meine Gedanken überschlugen sich, während ich überlegte, wie tief sie fallen würde. »Die Brücke ist nicht hoch genug, ein Sprung wird sie nicht umbringen.«

»Das kommt darauf an, wie tief das Wasser ist. Oder was darunterliegt. Sie steht noch ziemlich nah am Ufer.«

Wir waren zu weit weg, um ihren Gesichtsausdruck sehen zu können, aber sie hatte ihre Arme um sich geschlungen und blickte in die kalten, dunklen Wellen hinunter.

Noch während wir wie gebannt auf das Mädchen starrten, wurde unsere Aufmerksamkeit auf den Tunnel unter der Brücke gelenkt. Schon bei Tag war er total unheimlich und wenn es kalt war, schliefen dort oft Obdachlose. Bisher war ich noch nie jemandem begegnet, wenn ich so schnell ich konnte durch die faulig riechende Passage lief, um auf der anderen Seite wieder in die Sonne zu treten. Aber die dreckigen Matratzen und provisorischen Trennwände aus Karton ließen keinen Zweifel daran, dass dieser Tunnel für ein paar bedauernswerte Seelen zu den Topimmobilien von Paris zählte. Und heute drangen aus dieser fremdartigen Dunkelheit Geräusche von Handgreiflichkeiten.

In dem Moment lenkte eine Bewegung unseren Blick zurück zur Brücke. Das Mädchen stand noch immer unbeweglich dort, aber ein Mann näherte sich ihr. Er ging langsam und vorsichtig, als wolle er sie nicht erschrecken. Er hob einen Arm und bot dem Mädchen eine Hand an. Trotz der Entfernung drang seine Stimme leise an mein Ohr – er wollte sie überreden, von der Brüstung zu klettern.

Das Mädchen wirbelte herum, um ihn anzusehen. Der Mann hielt ihr jetzt auch noch seine andere Hand hin und, beide Arme nach ihr ausgestreckt, flehte er sie an, von der Brückenkante wegzutreten. Sie schüttelte den Kopf. Er machte noch einen Schritt auf sie zu. Sie schlang ihre Arme fester um sich und sprang.

Eigentlich war es kein Sprung, sie ließ sich eher fallen. Als würde sie ihren Körper der Schwerkraft opfern, damit diese damit anstellte, was sie wollte. Sie fiel vornüber, ihr Kopf traf wenige Sekunden später auf die Wasseroberfläche.

Etwas zog an meinem Arm, es war Georgia. Wir klammerten uns aneinander, während wir diesem gruseligen Szenario zusahen. »Oh, mein Gott. Oh, mein Gott. Oh, mein Gott«, skandierte Georgia atemlos.

Ich starrte auf die mondbeleuchtete Wasseroberfläche und wartete auf ein Zeichen des Mädchens, als ich aus den Augenwinkeln eine Bewegung auf der Brücke

Rezensionen für Von der Nacht verzaubert (Revenant-Trilogie Band 1)

[sapphireddragon · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

This book has been sitting on my TBR shelf (literally) for over a year now. I almost picked it up a number of times but always had something else I wanted or needed to read first. I finally picked up it up on Sunday night because I was in need of a change of pace from what I had been reading and after reading just a page knew I was in for a treat.

The way Ms Plum writes is easy to read and friendly and the story engaging enough that before you know it you are are half way through the book and ready to finish it within a matter of hours.

I liked the characters. The way the characters were painted in tis book left me with a clear image in my head of what i though they should look like and how they would act. I found Kate likeable and endearing and wanted a Vincent of my very own :-)

The setting of Paris is the ideal Romantic setting and again, Ms Plum's writing painted me a picture of a glorious city.

However I need to go back to the story. It was fresh and original and I look forward to reading the next instalment, which I already have on my kindle. Hopefully it won't take me so long to get to it this time.

I give this book 4 stars

[amymathisgreen · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

This is a good book!!! I couldn't get enough of it. However, the only thing I didn't like was the use of the word zombie to describe them. I felt it was a fake way to explain them. The word just didn't feel right. Plus I could see that things would work out in the end. I never felt like they wouldn't. I wish there could have been a deeper story.

[catfantastic_1 · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

I was drawn to this title by the Parisian setting and the beautiful cover art. Die for Me is yet another take on the popular teen paranormal romance trend, and is pretty standard fare for the genre. When her parents die, teenager Kate and her older sister, Georgia, move to Paris to live with their grandparents. Georgia is the extroverted party girl, out enjoying the Paris nightlife, but Kate is a quieter girl, who enjoys reading in cafes and visiting museums, where she meets a handsome and mysterious boy named Vincent. Vincent and his friends live in a palace, and are immortals known as "revenants." Killed in the act of saving someone's life, they continue to sacrifice themselves, repeatedly dying in the act of rescuing others. There are also "bad" revenants, known as "numa," who died after betraying others. Well, it's another teen paranormal romance and, while the Parisian setting is a unique touch, I wish Plum had done more with setting details and ambience. The descriptions feel flat and lifeless, rather than evoking the magic and history of the city. Kate is a rather uninspiring heroine. She is indecisive and unable to handle immortals without having a nervous meltdown. She doesn't take charge, or move the plot forwards, but merely follows Vincent around, or else mopes and feels sorry for herself. Vincent himself is merely an archetype - he is the expected good looking, polite, gentlemanly boyfriend who is also immortal, heroic, and completely willing to make the heroine the centre of his universe. The plot is slow moving, with the bulk of the book focusing on Kate and Vincent's saccharine outings and her sulking about his immortality. In the end, there are better-written young adult books out there, and I don't see any reason to recommend this one in particular.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

So this is one genre of supernatural beings that I haven't read much about. One of the interesting things about the plot is the heroine comes to terms with the losses of death by falling in love with someone who is so intimately involved with death.

[a.happy.booker · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

I thoroughly enjoyed Die For Me. I felt the Paris setting was exceptionally written, providing a romantic and beautiful background for this original story. From the small cafe where Kate would read to the Pont des Arts, the Parisian scenery was used effectively to enhance the romantic tone. Most paranormal novels could take place almost anywhere, but this story could only have taken place in Paris. The way the scenery was written was one of my favorite aspects of this book.

I enjoyed the characters too. They were rich in charisma, engaging, and each had their own distinctive personalities. Jules was the teasing and flirtatious bad boy, Charlotte, the sweet BFF, and her brother Charles, the moody teenager, and a few more Revenants were very entertaining in their interactions with one another.

I was surprised to find the main character, Kate, was not a badass heroine nor was she a weak and whiny damsel. She was an average teen dealing with the loss of her parents who enjoyed losing herself in books, museums, and art. Very relatable and, well, normal. Vincent, too, was not over the top "alpha", he seemed very mature, perceptive, and sincere. The one drawback to Vincent's character is that he did have some extreme stalkerish tendencies. I don't know why authors do that, it is creepy, not romantic!



Anyway..other than that, I enjoyed their relationship. There was, of course, the instant chemistry, but from there, the romance grew between them at a believable pace and there was no declarations of undying love. It was nice. They were both very open and honest with each other about their feelings, there wasn't a lot of posturing or whining. It was absolutely refreshing.

I really felt like the Revenants themselves were a wholly original and interesting concept. I was fascinated by the bits and pieces of the Revenant mythology, I wish the author would have explored that further. The fact that they were driven by compulsion to save the lives of random strangers at the cost of their own lives was utterly intriguing. I hated that they kept referring to themselves as zombies. I felt like I was more committed to the revenant idea than the author herself. I really hope that is one of the kinks that gets worked out as the series continues.

The plot itself was fairly simple, almost formulaic; bad guys vs. good guys. There wasn't a lot of action, but that was okay. I was definitely held captive by the writing and the interaction between the characters. The plot's resolution, I thought, was tied up a bit loosely, leaving me with many questions I'm sure will be addressed in later books. There was a bit of a Twilight feel to a lot of it. The Revenant family all living together, the obsessive stalking thing, the conflict between the good revenants and the bad revenants which was kind of a "this town ain't big enough for the both of us" type of thing. There were definitely some flaws, but none that were serious enough, for me, that it took away from my enjoyment of the story. I think that this was a wonderful debut from an author I am excited to see more from!

[soplada · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

I've lived in a beautiful place ...
I've lived in Paris ...
I've imagined every detail :)
it's wonderful
and for a completeness i add (Red light) by Selena Gomez ;) after it's ended it's fascinating...
TRY IT

[cynditefft · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

I liked the premise, but this book was mostly just okay for me. I never fell in love with Vincent (in fact, I liked Jules better) because the dialogue between him and Kate seemed unnatural.

The ending was satisfying, which helped bring it from 2 to 3 stars for me.

[readingdate · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

With so many paranormal choices on the shelves, it's not easy to find one that has that special unique quality. Die For Me satisfied my paranormal craving by introducing the revenant concept and featuring a picturesque Paris setting. The first book in the Revenants trilogy sets up the mythology, characters and romance and left me wanting more.

Kate Mercier and her older sister Georgia have recently moved from the States to Paris to live with their grandparents after the death of their parents. Georgia deals with her grief by going out every night, while Kate keeps a lower profile. She's a bookish girl with a fondness for museums, and she finally ventures out of her room to soak up the atmosphere. She quickly meets and becomes enamored with Vincent, a gorgeous and charming local, with a secret to hide. Vincent is a revenant, which is an undead zombie-type being. He and his band of fellow revenants don't terrorize the people of Paris by hunting flesh though; they sacrifice their lives over and over to save others. They also have to look out for the evil revenants called numa who don't have the kind intentions of Vincent's group. Kate must decide if a relationship with the undead Vincent is worth the challenges that come with it.

I was enticed to pick up this book because of the Paris setting and the idea of the revenants. The premise did not seem entirely original, but the combination of romance, Paris, and this revenant element worked for me. The first book sets up a lot of options to explore in the sequel, and I'm intrigued to continue the series. The writing and even pace kept my interest along with the mix of romance, mythology and action.

Kate as a character is sensible and cautious, and this relationship with Vincent takes her out of her comfort zone. She's understandably having a tough time dealing with the death of her parents, and not sure if she can handle Vincent's unique situation. Vincent is protective, sweet and generous to Kate and wants to find a way to make her comfortable with him as a revenant. Their love story doesn't move too quickly, and they have many romantic moments as they explore Paris together. We are introduced to Vincent's friends and they liven up the story with tales of their history and challenges with the undead life. I especially liked Jules and Charlotte and their friendship that develops with Kate.

Regarding the listening experience of the audiobook, reader Julia Whelan does an impeccable job handling the character voices and French words used throughout the book. Her narration is perfect for Kate, but she also does a stellar job with the other voices such as Vincent and his friends, Kate's grandparents, and her sister Georgia with her occasional Southern accent. One of the reasons I chose the audiobook version of Die For Me was to hear the French words and pronunciation spoken correctly since my French language skills are lacking. Julia Whelan handles the language well. Though there is not too much French spoken in the book because Kate speaks to Vincent in English because he doesn't usually get to speak it. Die For Me is one of my favorite audiobook experiences so far this year.

I would describe this book as a paranormal romance, and while there is an element of action and danger, it felt like more of a love story. The revenant story is compelling and I'm so curious to see what will happen next. Happily, Die For Me does not end with a big cliffhanger, but there are hints of things to come that have me intrigued. The sequel is called Until I Die (that sounds ominous) and should be out around May 2012.

[bduke_15 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

I thought this book started out really well, I loved the twist of "revenants" instead of the usual paranormal book. I loved the Paris setting, I can just imagine myself sitting at an outdoor cafe and reading. Ahhhhh. I appreciated that the main character was really close to her sister and grandparents and was a big reader and loved museums. The main character and her love interest take their time getting to know each other, and that was refreshing. There are obvious Twilight comparisons, but I enjoyed the unique twists. However, the middle of the book really dragged for me. It did pick up at the end, though. I read this on my Kindle so I couldn't mark places with inappropriate things like cussing and vulgarities. I don't remember anything too offensive, though. All in all, I enjoyed it.

[marandaray · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

It was a good book and a quick read. I absolutly adored the fact that it took place on Paris, Great setting for a tumultuous love story! It took a little while for the plot to really start but the background was in no way boring! I am looking forward to see what else awaits.

[neysakristanti-1 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

The first time I came across Die for Me was from the hype in Goodreads, and it hooked me almost instantly. Paris? That's my favorite city. Catchy title? Check. Gorgeous cover? Check. Overall? Totally made it to my list.But it was long before I decided to pick it up, and it spent quite a long time on my TBR list.This book introduced us to our main character, Kate Mercier, as she struggled with her parents sudden death. Along with her sister, Georgia, they moved out to Paris, where their grandparents lived.Finally felt comfortable with her new home, Kate's life was shaken once again when she met Vincent, the gorgeous boy at the cafe who seemed to watch her and all.But when she saw Vincent's friend crushed by a train, and seemed alive and healthy the next time they met, Kate was suddenly thrust into the world of the Revenant, where the chosen people could die and reanimated again and again.The plot was intriguing, and the execution was well enough. The tension building was done nicely, and it made readers sitting on the edge of their seat and flipping the book, wanting more. It was sagging in some parts, but for most part, I think the story flowed well enough. I also could picture the scene perfectly on my head, with the great description that didn't give out too much or too little.For me personally, I think that Kate's character was a bit flat and too common. It's not like she's a Mary-Sue, but I think she lacks uniqueness and surprise.Our main hero, Vincent, was charming and oh-so-handsome, and totally all over Kate. That's okay. It's not a total turn-off point for me. But then again, lack of surprise.Oddly, I found that the secondary character was more interesting and real than our main character. Ambrose (Vincent's friend) and Georgia (Kate's sister) were the two character I like. Georgia's personality was so distinct-explosive, reckless, and all action-while Ambrose was truly a funny and devil-may-care guy.Overall, I think this book is quite okay. For all of people who loves Fantasy, as well as aww-romance, go for this book, because this is exactly what you're looking for.

[bonnie_ferrante · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

A clever, intriguing variation on the immortals theme. Kate is a well-rounded character on her own. When she meets Vincent, a unique immortal, a whole new world is revealed to her. This could make a terrific series.

[mrsdanaalbasha · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

[Monday, October 17, 2011] I just finished the book and I can't wait for book two. I've read great books lately and this is really one of them. I enjoyed the feeling of Paris, adventure, good food and love.

Kate and Vincent are so cute together and I have to say I just loved Jules. Charlotte love to Ambrose promises great addition to the upcoming sequel.

I learned so much about Paris just by reading the book.

[forsakenfates · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

This was a really interesting book. I never thought I would enjoy a book about zombies (or revenants if you want to be specific). Vincent and his "family" were by far the best parts of the book. Each of them had a unique personality that was fun to read.

Plum has such a unique way of writing that really intrigued me. I really enjoyed her prose and dialogue.

[kelly_mills-1 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

I was really looking forward to this read & was surprised to find I didn't like it quite as much as expected. Having thought a lot about it, there is really just one aspect that brought the rating down for me. I thoroughly enjoyed Amy Plum's writing and character & plot development. This story is set in Paris, a city that I absolutely adore, so it was fun to revisit in the novel. Die For Me has a unique premise and I will be reading the sequel. The one thing I didn't care for was the "instant" love between the two main characters of the book. Sometimes when you see "instant" love, it is later explained as to how that love is not really so "instant" after all. That was not the case here. The main guy falls madly, hopelessly in love with the main girl with no real explanation. Certainly not because of getting to know her. There is a small explanation given as to why he would be attracted to her after a certain event takes place, but to me at least that didn't explain his head over heels falling for her. And it bugged me. Thus the 3 star rating. However, I still recommend this book for the various reasons listed previously, and am looking forward to checking out the sequel soon.

[zerogoal · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

Es geht um ein junges Mädchen mit dem Namen Kate Mercier. Nachdem tragischen Unfall ihrer Eltern ziehen Kate und ihre Schwester Georgia nach Paris zu ihren Großeltern. Kate sucht ihren Seelenfrieden in ihren Büchern bis sie eines Tages Vincent trifft. Vincent ist kein normaler Junge, dies spürt auch Kate. Sie fühlt sich auf eine seltsame Art zu ihm hingezogen. Während Sparziergängen an der Seine entlang verliebt sie sich in ihn. Doch diese Liebe ist nicht zum Besten gestellt,denn durch einen Zufall erfährt Kate das dieser Junge ein Revenant ist. Er kämpft für das gute und muss sich gegen eine Gruppe rachsüchtiger Revenants behaupten. Ob die Liebe zu einander bestehen kann steht auf einem anderen Blatt geschrieben.

[flashlight_reader · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Summary from Amazon: In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.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.________My review: I must say that it has been a long time since I’ve read a paranormal romance novel that I actually enjoyed as much as the Twilight series. Even if you’re not a fan of the Twilight books, you would still like this book. It’s very fresh and original. The concept of guardian angels falling in love with humans seems to be a little over played at the moment, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment any. The chemistry between Vincent and Kate was so believable that their story sucked me in. I was completely captivated. Te characters in this book are awesome! I loved, loved, loved the fact that Kate was intelligent and strong. Even though she was devastated by her parents’ death, she held on to life. Of course, for a while there wasn’t much to her life, but she overcame that. Kate loves to read (already a plus in my book for lovable characters) and she loves fine art. She is described as an “old soul,” which I find to be the perfect description for her. It seems like the majority of the heroines in romance-type novels seem a little weak or too dependent on a male for security and strength. This was certainly not the case with Kate! She was a fantastic strong, female protagonist. I also adored Vincent. His description just makes him seem delicious. Dark hair, blue eyes… sigh. His attraction to Kate was simply steamy, yet it managed to stay clean. I do love a boy with virtues in YA novels. The other characters were also enjoyable. Georgia, Kate’s sister, came off as flippant and irritating most of the time. I’m pretty sure that’s how a typical self-absorbed teenage usually acts, so it worked. Jules and Ambrose were nice sidekick types. Both were standoffish in the beginning, but they ended up having a nice supporting role by the end of the book. But my favorite minor characters have to be Kate’s grandparents. They just seemed charming. I loved how “progressive” the grandmother tried to be, but at the same time they were old fashioned. They seemed eloquent, sophisticated and completely in love with one another. I loved their relationship. It gave me tingly feelings like a Hallmark commercial. Every good book would not be complete without a character or two that you loathe. There were several that I could pick, but I have to express my frustration over Charles. I wanted to punch the little brat. It’s a good day when a book can evoke that much emotion from me to make me envision choking and punching a character. That is certainly how I felt with Charles. Such.a.punk. Overall, I highly recommend this book to the paranormal romance lovers out there. It’s clean—no X rated material. The characters are well written and well developed. The plot is fast paced enough to keep you reading. (I managed to finish this book in one reading.) The concept was somewhat original, but I am getting tired of angels and demons, vampires, and werewolves. I guess it can’t be escaped in the genre. If you liked Twilight, you should love this book. The connection between Kate and Vincent is every bit as strong as Bella and Edward’s pull on one another. Plus, Kate doesn’t come across as a whiny, irritating, self-pitying baby like Bella did in New Moon. (Her constant pining away for Edward almost drove me away from the series.) This book will be a series, so I am anxious to see what happens with Vincent and Kate. I’m pretty sure the troubles they will face together are just beginning.

[lthoman_2 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

I have mixed feelings on this one. First, the plot point comparisons to Twilight are abundant and fairly obvious. I’m not going to go into the minutia in detail, because others have already done so. Personally, I don’t actually mind if one book is really reminiscent of another, as long as it has its own spin on the subject matter.Yes, this book has many similarities to Twilight, as they are both teen paranormal romances between a human and an immortal. But Revenants ≠ Vampires, Kate ≠ Bella, and Vincent ≠ Edward. So I don’t really mind that the story bears some resemblance to Twilight. I don’t begrudge Ms. Plum her inspiration (if indeed Twilight was her inspiration — I haven’t asked her, so I don’t know), because I honestly think genuine new ideas are a dying breed. If we demanded all books were utterly unique, there wouldn’t be much to read.That said, while I don’t mind that Die for Me resembled Twilight, I also can’t help but compare the two in terms of what I liked and didn’t like.Winner: Die for MeI liked Kate. She seemed a relatively level-headed teen who tried to think through the bizarre situation she was in. Yes, she had her share of caution-to-the-wind “but I’m just so in love” moments, but mostly she tried to actually use her brain and make logical choices. She tried not to let her relationship with Vincent define her (although ultimately, it pretty much did), and didn’t turn into a puddle of goo every time he looked at her.I also loved the Parisian setting. I’ve got to be honest: I’ve been to Paris, and I wasn’t all that thrilled with it. But I would love to go to the Paris that’s described in this book. Ms. Plum beautifully paints a picture of Parisian culture and nightlife that’s vivid and lush.I enjoyed the Revenants mythology. It was a unique and intriguing (not to mention far less gross) take on the traditional zombie/vampire theme. I liked that most of the time, they appeared utterly human and didn’t have any defining [cough*sparkly*cough] characteristics. That made it a lot more believable that they were just walking around in public, mingling with the humans. And the “rules” of their existence made sense within the context of the story, which is always a must for me to enjoy a paranormal/fantasy/sci-fi anything.And overall, I liked Ms. Plum’s writing style. She chose her words well and her writing style had a nice flow to it.Oh, and the cover art? Die for Me wins, no contest. So pretty.Winner: TwilightI’ve got to admit: while I would never put Twilight up there as the greatest romantic literature ever (Jane Austen would roll over in her grave), Stephenie Meyer had a knack for conveying the belly-fluttery feeling of first infatuation (I’m not going to call it love. I’m not.) She was really good at putting those swoony feelings into words. And Amy Plum also does a good job, just not as good.Stephenie Meyer also had an advantage with “the hook.” The thing that kept you needing to go to the next chapter, because you couldn’t just stop there. It’s why I tore through all 4 books of the Twilight saga in just a couple days, the same amount of time it took me to read Die for Me. I was interested, but the sense of urgency just wasn’t there.Too Close to CallI know that people keep saying that Kate and Vincent have a healthier relationship than Edward and Bella…but I’m just not seeing it. Both girls are kind of consumed. Both relationships go from just-met to can’t-live-without-you in a freakishly short period of time. Both guys are just a wee bit stalkerish. And if the title of the book is any indication, I’m kind of guessing that at some point, both girls are ultimately going to sacrifice their lives so they can stay with their stud.Yeah, Kate is less dramatic than Bella. I don’t see cliff jumping in her immediate future. And if Vincent left her, she’d probably be okay. Eventually. But it doesn’t change the fact that Kate basically clings to Vincent as the most/only important thing in her life.A couple other thoughts:Insta-LoveIt’s out in full force in Die for Me. I have to admit, I’m one of those people that’s bothered by it, but also accepts it as a necessary evil in YA. I’m not sure I’d go so far as to say that Kate and Vincent’s relationship is realistic — I know that instant attraction takes place in real life, but the can’t-live-without-you super-devotion that develops in an extremely short period of time…I’m not convinced that it’s entirely realistic.Final ConflictFirst of all, I saw the bad guy coming from a mile away. It seemed like the reveal of the bad guy was supposed to be somewhat shocking, but there was some extremely heavy foreshadowing that made it…not.Then when it came down to the final showdown, everything felt a little too convenient. Of course things are possible with Kate and Vincent that haven’t ever been possible for anyone, ever. Because they’re just so deeply bonded after knowing each other a couple months, more than people who have been in love for decades. Of course. *sigh*On the one hand, I get that it’s probably not as much fun to write/read about a “normal” relationship where they have to deal with the situations they’re in with whatever skills they already possessed (or didn’t possess). But on the other hand, why is this relationship so much stronger than other human-revenant relationships? They don’t know each other all that well, haven’t known each other all that long, and I don’t buy that their instant chemistry trumps another couple’s decades of intimacy.I still found the end of the book exciting and mostly satisfying. I just kind of wish the way it got there didn’t feel a bit contrived.Final Verdict:I liked Die for Me. I just didn’t love it. And since it is bound to be directly compared to Twilight (it’s even being marketed as “the next Twilight” and fans are told “if you liked Twilight, you’ll love Die for Me”), I can’t help but try to think about which one I enjoyed reading more.And honestly, even though I will be the first to admit that Die for Me is technically superior and has far fewer frustrating elements…I have to give the edge to Twilight. It had that pull, that sense of urgency that kept me reading late into the night even though I had a newborn baby who I just knew was going to wake up at 4 a.m. I didn’t feel that with Die for Me. It was just…good.I still am interested in reading the sequel, Until I Die. Just because book 1 resembled Twilight doesn’t mean the entire series will, and I think I would probably enjoy it more if my mind wasn’t constantly drawing comparisons between the two. And again, I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy Die for Me. It just didn’t sweep me up and enthrall me like I wanted it to.3.5 stars

[eomalley_2 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

I held off reading Amy Plum’s 2011 début novel Die For Me, the first installment of her Revenants trilogy, due to a wonderfully entertaining review on Amazon (which has sadly disappeared) that laid all the negatives of the book out with plenty of facts backing the criticisms up. I love a well-thought-out argument and since, in this instance, it detailed how very much Die For Me was like Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight I decided I was in no hurry to check it out. At the time, I just wasn’t in the mood for another Twilight clone. Now that I have discovered plenty of new worlds in the pages of books outside of Twilight I decided to give Die For Me a chance (a $1.99 ebook sale didn’t hurt either). What I found was a highly addictive read that had me tearing through the story and grabbing up book two, Until I Die, before I’d even finished book one. Is it Twilight re-born? Or something totally new? Let’s dig deeper.What I LovedThe Mythology: The revenant mythology Amy Plum has created is unique and fascinating. It calls to mind both zombies and the immortals of Highlander – with the latter feeling like the strongest influence. I found it interesting that “good” revenants have an “addiction” to save others but “bad” revenants desire to kill, while their physical attributes allow them to blend easily into society. Die For Me very carefully lays out the mythology and I loved that many questions Kate had about Vincent were answered in this first book.The Setting: I’ve never been to Paris, but I’ve read about so many of the places mentioned here in other books or heard about them in my long ago French classes. Since author Amy Plum actually lives in the City of Lights, she threw in all kinds of little touches to the story that made me feel I was actually visiting the city and interacting with the people who call it home. Little bits of etiquette, the cafés and markets, the hidden courtyards – everything combined to give a sense of realism to the tale.What I LikedNo Love Triangle: Yep, you heard me – no love triangle! While Vincent’s friend Jules has delicately expressed some interest in Kate, at no point in this book did it ever feel like an actual triangle was imminent. A refreshing change.The Truth Is Out There: By this I mean that while the entire Revenant community is very careful to keep their secrets, the truth can and does get out. By the time the story ends someone close to Kate is brought into the secret Revenant world, so Kate is not alone in her knowledge of Revenants. There is also an entire network of public servants helping keep the secret, which is kind of nice.The Characters: I liked Vincent and Kate, despite their Edward/Bella vibes. Vincent is not as dark and tortured as Edward (most of the time), but Kate definitely has signs of the “not very beautiful, loves the classics, what does he see in me?” heroine that seems too familiar. There is a nice investigation of grief in Die For Me, however, as she struggles to deal with the loss of her parents and her fear of losing anyone else she loves to death. She also shows a fighting spirit – when Vincent is in danger at one point she swings a sword right along with the bad guy…just very badly. Good to see some fighting spirit.There are a lot of secondary characters between Vincent’s Revenant family and Kate’s human one, but they are very well-defined and easy to keep apart. My hands down favorite, however, is Kate’s sister Georgia who is a party animal but loves her sister more than anything in the world. There is a wonderful sibling relationship on display in this book; the girls may be complete opposites, but they have each other's back every step of the way.What Made Me HesitateTwilight Lives: More so in this first book of the trilogy, but oh is that Twilight feeling alive and well! Kate/Bella, Vincent/Edward, Charlotte/Alice – these were the worst offenders. Co-dependency rears its ugly head in Die For Me when Kate breaks up with Vincent at one point. She is the one to initiate the break-up but, just like Meyer’s New Moon (which I happen to love), both of them become ghosts of themselves and basically can’t handle being apart. I can definitely see the correlations made by that long ago reviewer, but overall the story was addictive enough I could overlook the similarities.Favorite Quote “Well, spit on my empty grave—if it ain’t the attack of the Disney princesses!” he snarled. (Chapter 37)ConclusionAmy Plum has created a wonderfully unique mythology involving a zombie/immortal race called Revenants that is absolutely fascinating. Die For Me is a page-turner, but it suffers slightly from some Twilight overtones. Thankfully, this is off-set by the compelling backdrop of Paris, plenty of action and romance, and a cast of likable characters. Die For Me is a great addition to your YA paranormal reading pile.

[beckymmoe_1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Die for Me is a solid debut effort for novelist Amy Plum, who clearly uses her first-hand knowledge of Paris to create a lush and vibrant backdrop for her story. I received an ARC from NetGalley of this title, and I am glad that I did. It's a fresh take on YA fantasy in a market that has really taken off these days but has tended to offer a lot of same-old, same-old as of late. Die for Me is the story of sixteen-year-old Kate Mercier, who, along with her older sister Georgia, has recently moved to Paris to live with her grandparents after a tragic accident leaves them orphans. Plum does an excellent job of writing about Kate's pain and the difficulty she has dealing with her loss throughout the book. Naturally, some time after arriving in Europe, Kate meets a boy, a beautiful boy who seems to have an air of mystery about him. I really liked that Kate and Vincent's initial meetings aren't all trumpets playing and angels singing, but more like the awkward and potentially embarrassing beginnings often experienced outside of fiction. As Kate slowly comes to learn what Vincent is—because of course he isn't a regular human—the story continues to unfold nicely. In a genre overrun with vampires, shape shifters, witches, and the latest, fallen angels, Vincent and his brethren are something new. They're revenants, undead immortals who became what they are by sacrificing their lives for another's and now they devote their—lives? existences? remaining time on the planet?— to helping save as many humans as they can. They are also locked into eternal combat with the numa, their evil undead counterparts who are determined to destroy as many human lives as they can.
For the first half or so of the novel, I was completely immersed in the story. It was a solid five-star read. The concept of the revenants was totally new, though, and I did have to go back and forth quite a bit at first to get a better handle on who they are and what they can do—even now, I'm not entirely sure I could ace a pop quiz on the subject, but a passable score should be doable. The idea of this supernatural race is definitely something new, and it was a nice change. The second half of the book is what slipped it down to a four-star read for me; it's an engaging read and a solid story, but it does have a healthy dose of the melodrama so prevalent in YA fiction. It was refreshing to see that Kate and Vincent didn't magically have an instant relationship, but naturally once they did have one it suddenly became the relationship that will put all other relationships to shame. Some of their later conversations drifted a bit into the overly sappy Romeo-and-Juliet-style of conversation, but it wasn't any more over the top than other examples I've read lately in this genre. Kate and Georgia's grandparents were present in the story but just barely—they had a tendency to just smile benignly on the girls no matter what, which did make them seem like much flatter characters than many of the others in the story. The main villain, too, could have been a bit more present in the story before his dramatic showing in the climax—it felt like we really didn't get a solid enough grasp on his character and motivations up to that point. Overall, though, none of these things seriously detracted from my enjoyment of the story. It should do really well with its target audience, and I have a feeling it will spend more time out with my students than on my classroom library shelves this spring. I am looking forward to seeing what Plum has in mind for these characters in the next book in the series, because I believe it has the potential to be even better than the first.

[kaitnolan_1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

A fabulous walk through Parisian streets with an inventive and appealing cast. Like nothing I've read before, in the best possible way. Can't wait for number 2.

[elysianfield_1 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

3.5 stars

Sisters Kate and Georgia has lost their parents in a car accident and they move to Paris to live with their grandparents. Kate has hard time moving on and spends her days mostly alone reading books. Her sister tries to drown her sorrow with parties and dancing.
Kate starts to spend at at a cafe reading and that’s where she meets Vincent, who isn’t what he seems. Their feelings starts to grow but when Kate starts to learn more about Vincent, she starts to have second thoughts and to think if it’s safe to be together.

When I first heared about this book the first thing I noticed was that it’s set in Paris. It really doesn’t take much to get me interested and I’m happy to say I enjoyed it! I liked the idea of Revenants. Their basically people who die intead of others and they come back to life. They spend the rest of their life trying to safe people and after they die they always come back to life. They do age but after dying they come back at the age they died the first time.

Vincent was so adorable and nicely romantic. I’m not usually big fan of that type of men but I liked him. And he really knows how to handle a sword! Loved those scenes.
Sure there were moments where Kate just can’t take eyes from him because he’s just so gorgeous but gladly she has brains too. And she doesn’t run head over heels in love but thinks is it safe and how it will affect her family.

I also loved the relationship between the sisters. They’re always been close but after their parents death their been even closer and are really friends. There was great cast of supporting characters and I loved Jules. I wish there would have been more of him!

Great debut from Plum and I’m waiting for the next book!

[neysak_1 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

The first time I came across Die for Me was from the hype in Goodreads, and it hooked me almost instantly. Paris? That's my favorite city. Catchy title? Check. Gorgeous cover? Check. Overall? Totally made it to my list.But it was long before I decided to pick it up, and it spent quite a long time on my TBR list.This book introduced us to our main character, Kate Mercier, as she struggled with her parents sudden death. Along with her sister, Georgia, they moved out to Paris, where their grandparents lived.Finally felt comfortable with her new home, Kate's life was shaken once again when she met Vincent, the gorgeous boy at the cafe who seemed to watch her and all.But when she saw Vincent's friend crushed by a train, and seemed alive and healthy the next time they met, Kate was suddenly thrust into the world of the Revenant, where the chosen people could die and reanimated again and again.The plot was intriguing, and the execution was well enough. The tension building was done nicely, and it made readers sitting on the edge of their seat and flipping the book, wanting more. It was sagging in some parts, but for most part, I think the story flowed well enough. I also could picture the scene perfectly on my head, with the great description that didn't give out too much or too little.For me personally, I think that Kate's character was a bit flat and too common. It's not like she's a Mary-Sue, but I think she lacks uniqueness and surprise.Our main hero, Vincent, was charming and oh-so-handsome, and totally all over Kate. That's okay. It's not a total turn-off point for me. But then again, lack of surprise.Oddly, I found that the secondary character was more interesting and real than our main character. Ambrose (Vincent's friend) and Georgia (Kate's sister) were the two character I like. Georgia's personality was so distinct-explosive, reckless, and all action-while Ambrose was truly a funny and devil-may-care guy.Overall, I think this book is quite okay. For all of people who loves Fantasy, as well as aww-romance, go for this book, because this is exactly what you're looking for.

[krau0098 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

I listened to this on audiobook. The second book, Until I Die, has already released and the final book in the series, If I Should Die, is scheduled for a May 2013 release. It was a very well done paranormal book that’s Parisian setting and creative take on zombies make it something special. While I loved the beginning of the book, I wasn’t as enamoured with the ending. Kate and her sister Georgia move to Paris to live with their grandparents after their parents are killed in a car crash. Kate is struggling with her grief and drifting around reading books in cafes when she meets Vincent. Vincent is beautiful and somehow different from everyone she knows. Her and Vincent start to spend time together, but then Vincent’s best friend is killed in front of Kate and Vincent doesn’t seem to care. When Kate sees Vincent’s friend walking around the next day she suspects that Vincent and his friends aren’t as human as they seem.I loved the idea behind the zombies in this book, it was fascinating and super creative. Basically Vincent and his “family” are Revenants. These are humans that die when sacrificing themselves in place of someone else, because of this sacrifice they rise as Revenants. The Revenants have an urge to sacrifice themselves to save humans. They do this over and over to help save humans’ lives. The rules behind how the Revenants work are interesting and really well done. Kate makes an excellent and down to earth heroine. She is struggling with grief but doing her best to dig her way out. There are multiple places in this book where her sadness just about broke my heart. She really loves art so there is a lot of art-talk in this book.Vincent is your typical super sensitive, yet dark and mysterious type. He is sensitive and romantic to the extreme. There were parts of the book where I felt that he was too perfect and so syrupy sweet that it was a little sickening. Still the romance between Kate and Vincent is touching and full of mutual respect; I really enjoyed it. The setting is awesome. The whole book takes place in Paris. I loved hearing about the beautiful sights and it made me want to travel back there to find all the beautiful little nooks and crannies that Kate and Vincent found. I wish more YA paranormal books were set in international locations; they are just so fun to read and learn about.The story focuses mostly on Kate discovering what Vincent is and how to deal with it than anything else. This is more of a mystery type book than an action-based one. Although, the Revenants do have enemies and there is a pretty well done fight scene between the two groups at one point in the book. The book is well written and engaging. I ended up enjoying the beginning of the book more than the end. Plum did an excellent job of building and unfolding the mystery about Vincent. The ending where they fight the enemy Revenants felt a bit forced and rushed.As you might imagine there is a heavy theme of death throughout the book; death is very prevalent in Kate and Vincent’s life. So those sensitive to the topic of death be warned.Overall an excellent YA paranormal. This book presents a very creative take on zombies and I enjoyed it a lot. I also enjoyed the down to earth heroine, the sweet respect based relationship between Kate and Vincent, and the exotic Parisian setting. I enjoyed the beginning of the book more than the end, the ending felt a bit rushed. I can’t wait to see what the next book holds for this truly bizarre couple. Highly recommended to those who love YA paranormal reads without cliched love triangles and insta-love.

[sassybrunette · Bewertung: 1 von 5 Sternen]

this book did not hold my interest at all it was slow and boring. it did have fairly interesting super normal character in it but other than that nothing to special about it

[sensitivemuse · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

I absolutely loved this book from cover to cover (the cover is nice too so that’s another bonus). What was really nice was it was set in Paris and the descriptions of the setting was absolutely beautiful. They were well written and very descriptive, it really helped in imagining the setting and made the reading a more richer experience.The plot itself was interesting and something different that I have not read before. It was good with a nice mixture of action and romance. The romance part of the book was nice. Vincent is someone to drool over (he’s a good competition against Patch from the Hush Hush series. Hmm wonder who would win?) ah! but Jules is also worthy of attention because he’s such a flirty cad. I’d have to say, this book had quite an extensive list of rather memorable characters, each with their own personality so they can be easily distinguished between each other. The secondary characters are just as fun to read as the main characters (Georgia has her moments). Although the book is the first in a series, it’s also perfect as a stand alone. Sure, there’s questions to be answered and asked but the ending itself was just so perfect I absolutely loved it (plus it drove me to tears). I definitely recommend this to YA lovers, it’s a perfect book to read and enjoy.

[daniellek77 · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

I started reading Amy Plum’s Die for Me with the thought in the back of my head that I would be reading a rehashed version of the Twilight series. That is to say, I was expecting mediocre YA supernatural romance. I’m happy to say I could not have been more wrong. This story drew me in from the first page, I was caught up in the tragedy and romance between Kate and Vincent along with the grandeur and mystery of Paris. Parts of the book that made me (literally) laugh out loud, while others nearly brought me to tears. The same could not be said for the Twilight saga. Ms. Plum is clearly on to something spectacular here.First, the introduction of the revenants, mythological beings destined to give their lives in place of others, is a fresh escape from the vampires and werewolves currently saturating the market. The struggles of the revenants, from watching people they’ve saved continue to make bad choices to coping with a monthly semi-death, fascinate me. What must it be like to live forever, to know that you’ve offered someone a second chance at life, only to see them squander it away? The love story between Kate and Vincent is sweet and much more realistic than the typically “love at first sight” story line. Kate is torn between what she wants and what she knows will best for her. Kate is also no helpless waif, needing constantly to be saved by her knight in shining armor (or leather, in this case). I’ve always had an issue with YA stories that present girls with terrible role models who lose themselves in or define themselves by their beaus. While the struggle between Kate and Georgia and the “big twist” were somewhat predictable, it was not enough to ruin the story for me. I loved getting to know all the characters, not a single character felt like a filler or throw away. I can’t wait to see what is in store for them next. Finally, while this is the first of a series, the book could stand alone, a great accomplishment in itself. All to often series writers take the easy way out, stopping the book on too much of a cliffhanger, leaving nothing but loose ends. Ms. Plum ends this chapter of her character’s lives beautifully while managing to leave readers asking what the future holds.

[jessn1017 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Die For Me introduces a whole new... species?... to the paranormal realm, and it makes for pretty good reading. When Kate's parents are killed in an accident, she and her sister move from their home in Brooklyn to Paris, to live with their grandparents. While allowing herself to be devoured by her grief, Kate meets Vincent, who intrigues her and helps her to find her way back into life again. However, Vincent has some secrets that may affect how Kate views life and death.I don't want to go into too much detail, but Die For Me deals with "revenants" - sort-of-ghosts, sort-of-zombies, but not really any of the above. Vincent is hot, although can be a little old-fashioned... but, hey, I actually like that in a guy sometimes, so I thought he made a great book boyfriend. I enjoyed Kate as well, although she did have a tendency to strike me as one of those beautiful girls, who, despite constantly being told she is beautiful by everyone around her, keeps thinking she's not beautiful, which can be kind of annoying sometimes. Perhaps I am a bit jaded by all the paranormal romance I read (at this point if a guy were to sweep me off my feet and then reveal he is some sort of supernatural being, I'd probably just go with it), but I found Kate's reactions when the information about the supernatural aspects of Vincent and his friends is initially revealed to her, to be a bit over the top. But, overall, she did end up loosening up quite a bit, and I felt she was a fairly strong female protagonist (at least in comparison to SOME of the ones I've read in YA lit lately). The minor chracters are all very interesting and engaging as well, and I came to care about each of them. From Kate's gregarious sister Georgia (who I liked in spite of, or perhaps because of, her superficiality), to Jules' blatant flirtation with Kate, and from Jean-Baptiste, the slightly stuffy, Giles-like leader of the Paris revenants, to Charlotte, Ambrose, Papy, and Mamie, I enjoyed them all, and look forward to getting to know more about them and their stories in future installments of the planned trilogy. One of the other things I enjoyed ahout the story is its Paris setting. The author, having lived in Paris, really captures the sights and sounds and atmosphere of the City of Lights, and helps you to feel what it would be like, even if you've never been. It's almost like a travel brochure for Paris - it made me not only want to go, but to move there, just from the way Ms. Plum described it.I did find the story a tad bit predictable (spotted the villain and what kind of trouble they were going to get into pretty much from the first introductions), however, the story was written well enough that it was kind of like going to see the movie Titanic - you already know how it's going to end, but you want to find out what happens along the way anyway. So, despite the predictability, I found it to be an engaging read that kept my attention and kept me wanting more. I have already started on the second book, "Until I Die", and am sure I'll be eagerly awaiting the third in the trilogy as well.

[kailiasage · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

I had no idea what to expect from this book. The cover jacket is so vague and mysterious that I was utterly excited to being reading this book. Can I just say right now that this book was like a breath of fresh air for one reason (among others) 1: the supernatural creature that was featured in this book is one that I haven’t seen a lot of.“Revenants” is the new concept (kind of like zombies) in this book and I was super interested to see how the author would play this out. Revenants are immortal….people?...who die over and over again to save someone else’s life. After dying, for three days, the revenants reanimate and then it begins all over again. As Kate, our protagonist, learns about the revenants, so do we and honestly, I just loved how Amy did it. It wasn’t too much information that over whelmed us but good amounts scattered throughout the book.I loved the characters in this book, especially Kate. She’s horrified at Vincent’s true identity but she moves on with it; she doesn’t just stick with the fact that she’s got a paranormal boyfriend, which was really nice. She’s stubborn and proves that she can stand up for herself, against everything. Vincent, the love interest, was also a favorite of mine because he’s such a (French, oh la la) gentleman. He treats Kate with respect and he understands that she’s human but she’s also very strong. He also understands that when she says she’s okay with learning new information, he doesn’t keep her in the dark like a feeble child; he tells her what she wants to know. If you can’t already tell, their relationship is awesome, built very much on trust and understand and love; very awesome!A French setting, an awesome protagonist, a swoon worthy (really, really swoon worthy) love interest, and a very well thought out, interesting concept, Die for Me is a must read. Even if you’re hesitant towards paranormal these days, give this book a chance. You might just be very pleasantly surprised.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Revenants are the best kept secret in history and one Plum brings to life in modern day Paris with a strong plot mixed with family, romance and revenge.Opening Sentence: The first time I had seen the statue in the fountain, I had no idea what Vincent was.The Review: Her parents’ deaths tear her apart. She leaves her old life in Brooklyn behind and moves to Paris. Her sister Georgia copes by trying to feel more alive, going to parties, clubbing, anything to keep moving. Kate does the opposite, curling into herself, reading, haunting Parisian museums. She becomes a regular at a cafe, sitting for hours in the mornings and reading the required literature for school in the fall. It’s at the cafe she first sees Vincent, the Parisian too gorgeous to be real. Except she doesn’t have time for boys — especially not ones she keeps embarrassing herself in front of. She’s barely holding her life together as it is. Then one day a beautiful girl waves her across the cafe just moments before a chunk of rock demolishes her table — and the seat she was in.It’s clear that Vincent isn’t all he seems. Another run-in and half a date open her eyes to the fact he’s much more twisted than she could have imagined. Who watches their best friend die and doesn’t shed a tear? Kate tries to get away from him as fast as she can, until she runs into Vincent’s completely not dead best friend. Like any self-respecting girl, she flips out. Answers, however, are one thing Vincent’s not in any condition to give her. While he wants to get to know Kate, knows that she’s the first girl he’s been interested in in years, he just wants a normal relationship. Vincent won’t put her in harm’s way. The world he lives in is not only confusing, but very dangerous.Revenants are the undead. Not zombies or vampires, just the dead that have rose again three days after death. Except, they all died in place of someone else, for someone else, and their immortality compels them to do the same again and again. They live to protect humanity and save lives. Every time they die, their bodies restart to the age they were originally dead at — in Vincent’s case eighteen. Every year they live without dying, their body ages accordingly. Every three weeks they go dormant — basically fall into a coma — for three days before they restart again, good as new. But the compulsion to die saving others is massive and he’s only ever lasted as long as twenty three. How can Kate be in a relationship with someone she’ll have to watch die over and over again?There’s a war between the revenants and the numa going on across the world. Numa are the opposite of revenants. They betrayed someone before their death, rising with the goal to take as many lives as possible. Prostitution rings, drug lords, they own clubs to give themselves a legal business front and attract the desperate and easily influenced. Then they convince their victims to kill themselves.All on the backdrop of modern Paris, this story brings some of the greatest aspects of young adult paranormals into play. We have dynamic characters, not just our hero and heroine, but the secondary characters as well like Georgia. While there is a minor stalker-ish aspect that made me kind of uncomfortable, it’s all explained in the end as part of the revenant compulsion. When you save a life, you want to see what they go on to do with it. With a revenge story that traces back its roots to WWII, the plot moves beyond your average paranormal romance. I have Until I Die sitting next to me and I can’t wait to get started!Notable Scene:As I checked myself over for injuries, it dawned on me that the terrace had gone completely silent. But instead of focusing on me, the astonished faces of the cafe-goers were looking behind me.The waiter stopped swabbing my eyebrow to glance ver my shoulder, and his eyes widened in alarm. Following his gaze, I saw that my table had been demolished by a huge piece of carved masonry that had fallen from the building’s facade. My purse was lying to one side, but my copy of House of Mirth stuck out from where it was pinned under the enormous stone, exactly where I had been sitting.If I hadn’t moved, I would be dead, I thought, and my heart raced so fast that my chest hurt. I turned back to the table where the brother and sister had been sitting. Except for a bottle of Perrier and two full glasses sitting in the middle of a handful of change, it was empty. MY saviors were gone.The Revenants Series:1. Die For Me2. Until I Die3. If I Should Die (May 2013)FTC Advisory: Harper Teen provided me with a copy of Die For Me. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.