Until I Die (Revenants #2)

Until I Die (Revenants #2) by Amy Plum

Rating: 4 stars


After many, many hours of waiting, I finally got to hold Until I Die in my hands. This is the sequel to Die For Me by Amy Plum. I thoroughly enjoyed Die For Me, it was amazingly written and had a gripping plot. So, when I had Until I Die in my hands and were about to open it, I was actually afraid, just like when I was about to read Insurgent (Divergent #2). That was because the first book in the trilogy was so good, I didn't know if the sequel will live up to my expectations or ruin the series. But don't worry, I got over my fear and was immediately thrust back into the familiar settings of the Paris undead world.


Considering how hard it was to live up to the glamourous debut of the trilogy, Until I Die actually did a pretty good job. I had always enjoyed Amy Plum's writing: it was fluid, comfortable and with precise picking of words. Her books are also some of the rare YA novels which contain high quality vocabulary (I love good language and vocab!).


Throughout the book, she used many imagery and language features such as similes and metaphors. These imagery let me experience the scenes/events and settings as if I was there myself, feeling the Parisian wind or the coast of Nice. I really wanted to go visit France after reading this.  It also appealed to my senses (all of them: taste, smell, sight, sound and touch) and lured me further into the story. Because it was written in first person, the reader got lots of insights to Kate's thoughts and her understand of the situation. It both helped to lead the readers into the wrong conclusions when the author wanted at the same time made it easier for me to understand certain situations. I'm not sure if I was supposed to, but about two-thirds of the way through, I was one step ahead of the main character(s) and kind of knew what was going to happen.


After my praising of the lovely writing, you know what's coming next. Though I enjoyed it, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed in this book. In the first book, both the writing and the plot complemented each other, making the story flawless and seamless. The plot was exciting and was at an exactly right pace. The second book however, felt a little dragged on at places. The pace was a bit too slow and some scenes/thoughts/descriptions appeared to be unnecessary and dragging. Not much actually happened in this book. For a good half of the book, no action or significant event actually took place and we were stuck with Kate's daily routines or some more romantic stuff. OK, I love romance and romantic relationships, but when parts of books which promised action is reduced to that, I'm not very happy. For some reason, Kate and Vincent's relationship seemed far more distant to me than it was in the previous book. I used to hang on to every touch and scene they share and actually felt all of their emotions, but here, I only felt or connected to them occasionally and didn't really root for them as much. But the relationship between them itself wasn't as smooth in its course either, so that might have contributed towards how I felt. 


Things only got real interesting after about two-thirds of the book (or at least past the half-way mark), when some real action took place. So I was unsatisfied about the plot construction and pace, hence the 4 star rating.


My favourite character was not the main characters Kate or Vincent (it usually never is), but Jules: Vincent's best friend and a good friend to Kate. He was funny and flirty, yet serious when need be. He cared deeply for his friends and was always there to support and protect Kate. A part in the book made me respect and like him even more because of his unwillingness and refusal for anything to come between him and his best friend Vincent. His loyalty to his friend and Kindred was something worth admiring. He was a more light-hearted character who brought joy and fun to situations and lightened up atmospheres. Lastly, he was an exceptional artist which made me give me extra cool points! Haha, I love art, especially oil paintings.


I also really liked Ambrose, who considered himself a big brother to Kate. He apparently would have gotten a PhD in it if flirting was a subject XD


A few new characters were introduced in this book such as Violette and Arthur. I didn't like the new characters as much, but what can I say? I got attached to the old friends :D


The ending is another freakin' cliffhanger! I hate cliffhangers! Did I mention how much I dislike cliffhangers?? Ugh, why?! Amy Plum, before you did this, maybe you should have written AND published the third book first? :P 


All in all, the beautiful writing neutralised some of the plot's weakness and I still liked this book very much, almost loved it. Almost, but not quite. So I can't wait to read the third and final book If I Should Die next year! Another long wait...


Synopsis from Goodreads


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.