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. (Goodreads summary)
Disclaimer: As a rule, I try not to be too spoilery; however as this is a second book in a trilogy, there are bound to be some spoilers. Therefore, if you haven’t read Die for Me (see my review HERE), you may want to skip this review.
Die for Me was one of my favorite books of 2011, so the sequel, published last month, was highly anticipated. I loved Kate and Vincent and even Georgia. The Revenant world is so unique and captivating. I just couldn’t wait to dive into Until I Die.
To be honest, this is a really hard review to write because the first 2/3 of the book fell completely flat for me. The characters were still largely the same and I still loved them, especially Jules and Georgia (who I think need their own stories, by the way). They each have a lot more character development and I am dying to know more about Jules! The world was still enthralling and beautiful; I love the French culture that Plum slips in so effortlessly. It simply seemed that for the first 2/3, the story fell into the classic middle book/middle movie syndrome…think Empire Strikes Back, or worse Attack of the Clones, no one says that’s their favorite Star Wars movie.
Here’s why it just didn’t do it for me. First of all, Vincent. I loved his character in Die for Me. Totally swoon-worthy and the ultimate loveable French dude. Yet, in Until I Die he’s pretty much absent for a majority of the book, so the things that make their relationship so wonderful aren’t there. When he is there, he totally comes though with the Vincent we love but I just kept feeling like he was a secondary character in this story which was sad to me. There are hints that perhaps someone else could be in love with Kate as well but she is completely oblivious. In this case, I think a love triangle might have helped.
The majority of the book was Kate traipsing all over Paris in search of something that would help her and Vincent’s relationship to work and Vincent on his own on vague assignments for Jean Baptiste while looking more and more “undead.” The plot felt a little predictable and forced for the most part. The whole time I kept thinking, “Kate, stop trusting ______ and listen to _______.” There were a few moments where I even eye-rolled over Kate’s obliviousness. She didn’t seem like the Kate I found so grounded in Die for Me.
I loved the secondary characters almost more than the main ones. Jules, Ambrose, and Georgia were completely awesome and I want to know more about them. The beautiful snippets of them were some of my favorite parts. It seemed at times to be more their story than Kate and Vincent’s.
The second 1/3 of the book was its salvation for me. I would give this part of the book a solid 4.5 stars on it’s own. It’s a total cliff-hanger ending with tons of drama and action. While the first 2/3 left me unfulfilled and a little annoyed at times, the wrap up was everything I loved from the first book. The conclusion left me with tons of questions and looking forward to book 3.
Overall, Until I Die was worth the read and I will still recommend the series to friends, but it’s not my favorite of the series.
Author: Amy Plum Title: Until I Die Series: Revenants (Book #2) Published: May 8th 2012 by HarperCollins Publishers Format: Hardcover, 357 pages; Kindle; Nook Website: www.amyplumbooks.com Source: Purchased My rating: 
Happy Reading!
I really liked the first one but didn’t completely loved it. I a, still deciding if I really should go on with the series. Hearing you say that it was hard to go through the first part…maybe I wait for the last book to come out and read them all together…
That may be a good idea. =)
I am dying to read this book, but I didn’t know it was that way. I CAN’T BELIVE you think Vincent was secondary. I WOULD HATE THAT, TOO!
Great review! now, I want to read it soon!
I know! I couldn’t believe it either! Definitely worth the read but hang in there for the end. The end saves it! Total cliff-hanger though!
Oh, boy. I was scared about that. I mean, book 1 was amazing, but it felt pretty wrapped up, in that the sequel might have been difficult to write naturally.
Jules is my favorite character, though (and so much more French-like than Vincent!) so I’ll definitely read this story, because I love him and I love the whole revenant concept… I just won’t go in with my hopes too high!
Thanks for the great review!
Agreed, Ron. I sort of wondered the same thing. You’ll love this book for Jules’ sake then! Thanks for reading! =)
I read the first one which I found pretty okay. I hate when books are difficult to get into… ruins it for me until I am bored enough to read it.
Yes, I totally agree. It is definitely redeemed by the ending, but took me a long time to get into. =)
I loved Die For Me – especially because of the Revenants mythology which was so unique. Jules and the twins were so very likable, I got very into their plotlines. I’m glad Kate is more proactive in her relationship with Vincent here – in the previous book she sometimes got scared. And Vincent;) Gotta love Vincent:)
There is a lot more Jules in this book so you’ll probably love it. 😉 I’m glad that Kate was way stronger in this one too. Hope you enjoy! =)
I’m still not in love with these books, even though I really need to read part 3 after that ending. Jules is an amazing character. I like that Kate develops herself a bit, but the beginning of this book was utterly boring.
Agreed! You summed it up very well.
I’ve seen these books everywhere and to be honest the cover kinda threw me off. I’m thankful for the review, I might pick it up next time I go to a bookstore!
Hope you enjoy! Thanks again for commenting!