Book Review: Until I Die by Amy Plum

Book reviews

8 May

Amy Plum- Until I Die (Revenants #2) Format- Paperback Source- Review copy Publisher- Hachette Publication date- 8th May 2012 Synopsis- Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series. Review- I really enjoyed Die for Me and the sequel, Before I Die is just as enjoyable! It’s a YA paranormal series set in France where young Kate who is grieving the death of her parents stumbles across the undead underworld of revenants, specifically handsome zombie, Vincent. As a revenant Vincent is destined to save the life of citizens and sacrifice his own life, only to come back ‘alive’ a few days later. Although Kate feels very strongly for Vincent, watching him die over and over again wasn’t quite what she had in mind when she considered a relationship with him.In Before I Die, Vincent is undergoing an experiment to try and not ‘die’ but as he tries to come to a workable compromise for Kate he seems to be emerging battered, bruised and withering away before her eyes.Kate tries to find her own way to solve their problem by conducting research in her grandfather’s library full of age-old books with stories about the mythical revenants. She befriends Violette, an ancient revenant who has returned to Paris to assist the assembly to protect themselves against their arch enemies, the numa. They sense a war brewing and the revenants are busy trying to strengthen their clan.Vincent is risking his health and fighting against his destiny to protect Kate and Kate is getting deeply involved in the history of the supernatural underworld trying to protect Vincent- but unknowingly making herself vulnerable to their enemies.Kate and Vincent’s romance is sweet and believable and I think Kate’s intelligence is what draws me to her despite the YA storyline being a familiar one. Thankfully there’s no love triangles, apart from the flirtatious, lovable Jules who dotes on Kate but is more like a brotherly protective figure than any possible threat to Vincent.I was thoroughly engaged in this sequel and was mesmerised by the Parisian setting and the various character conflicts. I recommend this series as I find the ‘revenant’ storyline quite interesting and both Kate and Vincent are relatively smart and realistic despite the situations they find themselves in. There’s also a cliff-hanger that will leave you frustratingly waiting for the third book to be released!