Review: Until I Die by Amy Plum

Until I Die by Amy Plum
Series: Die for Me, #2
Published: May 8, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 353

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.

I was blessed to receive an ARC of this book, and now have written this spoil-free review for anyone interested. Until I Die most definitely surpassed Amy’s first book, Die For Me. At least I think so. I love reading new, upcoming authors and watching how their writing grows and flourishes over time—one see’s it all the time, i.e. J.K. Rowling, Cassandra Clare, and Libba Bray to name a few. And Amy is no exception to this; there are beautiful metaphors, rich descriptions, and we discover layers to some characters that we might not have even realized had layers.


Now that is said, this is Kate’s book. Really, genuinely Kate’s book all the way. I found myself truly connecting with her as she goes through tough decisions, while always keeping reality in perspective. Though this might sound odd, I found myself loving her the most whenever she doubted herself or others—because it is the human thing to do. For example, she loves Vincent; but she also keeps in mind the countless “mortal couples,” I believe was the phrasing, which are unable to make things work. Then we get to meet this very new side of Kate that I love and hope everyone else does too. While I do not want to give anything away, Kate is not a damsel in distress; she is fully capable of defending herself. Kate shines in this book, and I mush say, it is a shame that the YA tourney occurred before this book is published.

Another treat for the fans, is the rich history of the revenant’s that is delved into. Actually, I have a hunch that this book only scrapes the surface of the detail constructed around these beautiful, mystical beings, but I found myself so very intrigued about all these facts that we did not know before, and I am sure everyone else will love them too! 

I know everyone is interested about the plot and what happens, and some are concerned about the ending (yes, it is worthy of tears), but I am wary of spoilers. Kate and Vincent are as much in love as ever at the beginning of the book (and yes, there are some very worthy “ravishing” scenes between the two) but like in any book, there is a conflict. And this book gives an excellent view of how Kate and Vincent each deal with this conflict, and as I said before, it is in watching Kate go through this and how she deals with this, that makes me love her even more. And yes, it is a very sad ending, quite a contrast to the lovely ending of the last book, but this is a trilogy! It does not mean that the end of the story will be tragic! Although, for all I know, it could be. Besides, no matter how mad some of us might get at authors for making tragic, cliffhanger endings, we love it. After all, books make us feel things, and tragic, cliffhanger endings sure do make me feel a lot! 

If nothing else, this book was entertaining, and I loved the Buffy references and the mass of old films. If you like the first book, you will love the second installment. If you did not like the first book, I am still betting that you will love the second installment. A big thank you to Amy for WRITING these books! If you do not already know this, not only is she a great writer, but also she is fantastic when it comes to communicating with us fans. Just check out the acknowledgment page when this book hits the stands. So another big thank you for being so awesome to us.