Until I Die: Number 2 in series (Die for Me, #2)

by Amy Plum

I wish there was only today, just right now, and no forever. It seems fitting that I fell in love in Paris, the most beautiful city in the world. And if I pretend, I can almost believe that my life is normal and everyone I care about is safe. But as long as I'm with Vincent, 'normal' doesn't exist. Gorgeous, charming, and witty, he's everything you could ask for in a boyfriend - but his destiny is so much more. Even more terrifying than his destiny are his dangerous enemies, enemies who will kill for immortality. How are Vincent and I supposed to be together forever if we're always in danger?

• ISBN10: 1907411038
• ISBN13: 9781907411038
• Publish Date: 3 May 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: ATOM
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

The story from Die For Me continues on in the second book in the trilogy. With the Numa leader dead, it seems the Revenant have a bit of unexpected quiet. For Vincent and Kate, this means trying to find a way to be together that doesn't destroy either one of them. But for the Revenant as a whole, the silence of the Numa is disconcerting. Jean-Baptiste, determined to get ahead of their enemies, brings in a pair of Revenant from the countryside to help, but are Violet and Arthur who they seem to be?

While Until I Die continues to be a very cheesy YA paranormal romance, I still find myself enjoying this series. It's light, quick to read, and I really enjoy the unexpected blips of dialogue. As a middle book, the plot lulls, but I've grown to expect that in trilogies and it doesn't really both me too much - instead, I find myself enjoying the ride and getting more into the world building. The characters are a bit flat, but I continue to enjoy the variety of relationships - siblings, friends, grandparents, lovers of all ages and relationship lengths, the works. I think Amy Plum writes the relationships well, and while the characters themselves may not impress, their candor is good. As far as the ending goes, while the villain of this one was totally predictable for me, the very ending came unexpected.

Four stars may seem a bit generous for a book with a mediocre plot and mediocre characters, but the Revenant series continues to be pure enjoyment for me. I like Amy Plum's writing and I like that I can devour the book without becoming too annoyed with its predictability. Ultimately, I'd say Until I Die and the rest of the Revenant series may not appeal to everyone, I'm looking forward to finishing it out.

[Chelsea]

Quick Thoughts:
1. This series is addicting. Be careful.
2. Really love the characters. They all have really different personalities.
3. The plot in this one was a little boring compared to the first. It wasnt horrible though.
4. I'm glad that some humans are kind of involved. I hate the stories (like Twilight) where one character knows about the supernatural people and hides it from everyone. That doesn't seem realistic. What about their families?
5. Can't wait for the next book!

[catiebug]

I am loving this trilogy! And GAH! That ending! So glad I have the next (and sadly last) book so I can jump right in. I can't wait to see what happens with Kate and Vincent's story. They are just so unbelievably adorable.

[elysium]

3,5 stars

It’s clearly been too long since I read book 1. I was having trouble to remember what had happened and who was who…
This was easy, quick read and I liked it. I like that it’s situated in Paris, France, which is a nice change.

There was less Vincent in this book, which was a shame. I would have liked to see his POV once in a while and to have two sides of the story and that’s my main issue with the book. I like Kate and it’s nice to see that she’s not head over heels even though she loves him. But I don’t see what the big issue is with Vincent dying because he’ll come back anyway. I think he’s suffering for nothing but maybe that’s just me.

There are hints about love triangle and I’m curious to see if he will act on it.

[celinenyx]

After finishing Die for Me I was very enthusiastic about revenants and this series. Until I Die didn't live up to my expectations, although it's by no means a bad book.

Kate can't handle Vincent dying, so they are both trying to find ways to stop his urge to save people. They both go on a different path, not wanting to give the other hope in case it ends up being a false lead.

The biggest problem Until I Die had is that it's such an in-between read. It doesn't feature much of a plot, except the couple trying to work around Vincent's dying urges. Which I thought was so strange - why does Kate care that Vincent dies? The guy gets up after a day or so. If you become alive after dying, does that really count as being dead? My definition of dead is that it's something final and irreversible. Dead is dead, and they will never come back. Vincent will always come back unless he is killed by numa, but just dying to save people is his job. Kate's objections against Vincent's dying didn't ring true to me.

People that love romance should read the Revenants series. Vincent is probably one of the most perfect book boyfriends you're going to encounter. Instead of just hanging around at home, he takes Kate to the opera, art galleries, and picnicking. Their romance is close and smoochy and filled with kisses. In this case it was a big "it's not you, it's me" kind of thing. There is nothing essentially wrong with their romance - I'm sure plenty of readers will love this. It was just too close, too clingy for me. I'm not a big romance reader anyway, so if the couple is worried about how one of them will die and the other will live for ever after five months of being in a relationship, I just shake my head. Everyone that loves a "meant to be" kind of romance, you will get your fill from Amy Plum.

We get some more insight into the world of Revenants in this book, and it basically sets the scene for the third and final book in the trilogy, If I Should Die. The book ends on a big whomper of a cliffhanger, so make sure you have part three nearby! Until I Die is a decent YA paranormal romance in the tradition of Twilight, I'm just afraid Vincent isn't my kind of guy.

[Kelly]

Loving this series. I found it similar to the Mortal Instruments.
The setting in Paris was just gorgeous. Can't wait for the final book to be released.

[lizarodz]

Just wow. I simply adored Die For Me and I was eager to visit with Vincent and Kate again in Until I Die. This book was poignantly beautiful.

One of the main reasons I love this series is the characters. Ms. Plum knows how to make each one of her characters into an individual that we learn to love or hate. I really enjoy Jules (hint *can we get a happy ending for Jules?*), Georgia and Ambrose the most, although, as I said each one of these characters feels distinctive and alive.

I will not go on and on about Kate and Vincent, because we know them from the first book. Let me just say this: I love you Vincent! Now that that’s been said, we meet a few new characters in this installment, which I was very ambivalent about; I couldn’t bring myself to trust neither Violette nor Arthur.

The setting again plays a big role in the story. I mean, what could be more romantic than Paris? The story and the mythology of the revenants and the numa is very original and in Until I Die we get a lot more details that we didn’t know. The plot was well crafted, but the pace was slower than the first book. The writing is beautiful, it takes real talent to communicate really deep feelings, like the ones between Vincent and Kate, their sense of desperation and urgency to be together.

I still cannot believe the ending and I am hoping for a miracle, because I refuse to believe it! That cannot have happened. Needless to say, I cannot wait for If I Should Die, due to be published on May of next year.

About the cover: This over is also beautiful. I like the swirls, and the font. The colors are appropriately darker in this book.

[cornerfolds]

After listening to the first book during my commute, I couldn't wait for Until I Die to be released! Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype. I'm not sure if listening to the first book made it better, or if this book was really just not good. I didn't make it through. I stopped a few chapters in. Maybe I'll pick it back up later. Maybe I'll find it on audiobook.

So far in this book, Kate and Vincent are disgustingly cute (seriously, I couldn't stand it), but there's no spark in their romance either. I didn't notice much more than that, having quit a few chapters in. I just found that I no longer cared how the characters turned out.

Oh well.