Review: Dying for a Living by Kory M. Shrum
Dying for a Living is the 1st book in the Jesse Sullivan contemporary fantasy series by the esteemed Michigan resident Kory M. Shrum. I have to admit that I was very sceptical when I received this audiobook for review, but after talking with a friend and listening to the sample on Audible I decided to give it a try and I’m very glad I did…
The story follows Jesse Sullivan, a cute and sarcastic young lady that dies for a living. How is that possible you ask me? Well, Jesse is a Necronite, a person that doesn’t stay dead after a fatal accident. She is employed as a Death Replacement Agent and she takes the place of clients that are supposed to die at a certain time, saving their lives and dying in their place. She can resurrect after hours or days and back to work she goes. Everything is well until after her 67th death someone tries to make her stay that way. What follows is a thrilling adventure, filled with conspiracies and lots of tense moments. That’s all I’m willing to say on this subject, not wanting to spoil the story for the potential readers.
Dying for a Living is in no way the kind of book that I usually read. I fancy myself to have an open mind and to this I attribute my interest in this genre. The big surprise was that I really enjoyed the book, the story, the characters and the original idea behind all of it. I like Kory‘s writing style! It’s fast, easy to follow, witty and funny, delivering a very entertaining story. The main themes are touching on life death, sexual equality, religion and much more. Also, I loved the rich and vivid characters.
If I was hooked by this book, although i’m not a fan of the genre, i can imagine how well received will be by those who read such stuff all the time…
The narrator is Hollie Jackson, a very talented voice over artist that brings Dying for a Living to life in a big way. This was my first audiobook with Hollie as a narrator and I can say that I enjoyed it very much. Her natural reading style, combined with the ability to change voices and accents with ease, keeps all the characters well differentiated in the listeners mind. Dying for a Living is full with snarky and funny remarks made by Jesse and Hollie is just perfect, nailing them every time.
The almost 9 hours of the Dying for a Living audiobook passed like a breeze and I wasn’t able to stop listening…The fast paced, intriguing story and the solid performance by this excellent narrator brought me to complete immersion and at the end of it I was left with a nice experience that made me want to continue with more books in this series.
Kory M. Shrum and Hollie Jackson fit hand in glove and I’m sure we will see more great projects from the two of them…
Dying for a Living: A Jesse Sullivan Novel
Written by: Kory M. Shrum
Narrated by: Hollie Jackson
Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
Series: Jesse Sullivan, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:09-16-14
Publisher: Timberlane Press
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About the Author
Kory M. Shrum lives in Michigan with her partner Kim and her ferocious guard pug Josephine. She is very fond of naps and foods made of sugar, which is, as you can imagine, a deadly combination. But she tries to compensate for her extreme physical laziness with her overactive imagination. She’s an active member of SFWA, HWA, and the Four Horsemen of the Bookocalypse, where she’s known as Conquest. She’s the author of five contemporary (and somewhat dark) fantasy novels in the Dying for a Living series: Dying for a Living, Dying by the Hour, Dying for Her: A Companion Novel, Dying Light, and Worth Dying For.
Publisher’s Summery
On the morning before her 67th death, it is business as usual for Jesse Sullivan: meet with the mortician, counsel soon-to-be-dead clients, and have coffee while reading the latest regeneration theory. Jesse dies for a living, literally. As a Necronite, she is one of the population’s rare 2% who can serve as a death replacement agent, dying so others don’t have to. Although each death is different, the result is the same: a life is saved, and Jesse resurrects days later with sore muscles, new scars, and another hole in her memory. But when Jesse is murdered and becomes the sole suspect in a federal investigation, more than her freedom and sanity are at stake. She must catch the killer herself – or die trying.
Victor Dima
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