Until I Die by Amy Plum

Title: Until I Die
Author: Amy Plum
Publisher:  Harper Collins Publisher
Release Date: May 8th 2012
My Rating: 4 stars****
Pages: 357

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

Until I Die by Amy Plum is a prime example of how an author's  writing improves with each book that they write. I am so glad I stuck with the series even though I found the first book to be simply OK for me.

Amy Plum's writing was very good. Her simple writing became something beautiful in this story. Her descriptions, the flow of her writing, dialouge- everything got better. I was actually very impressed with her writing this time around. It added something great to the story, which helped make the characters/ plot that much more captivating.

And oh the action! The book started out strong and ended with those dreadful things known as cliffhangers. There was hardly a dull moment in between the beginning and the end. Something big is happening. But this time it could mean the end of Vincent. Literally. It's upto Kate to find out what's going on and to stop it, hopefully before she digs herself to deep. Because this time there might not be anyone to save her.

The characters became more 3 D. Kate and Vincent were just as likeable as ever. Their love for each other was pure and real. They were perfect for each other. However, characters like Georgia and Jules became more tangible, more real. Jules joking demeanor finally cracked when he showed concern for Kate and a fierce loyalty to Victor. Georgia proved that behind the flirt, there was a person there who would always be there for her sister. Two new characters were introduced in this story: the revenants Violette and Arthur. Violette acted sweet and her age of deat (14) showed itself on multiple ocassions, which I thought was cute. Arthur acted like a crumpy old man and annoyed me.  At the same time, I wish I had gotten to know a couple of the characters a little better. Maybe I will in the next book.

There were a couple of reasons why I didn't give the book 5 stars. I'm going to try to say this witout spoiling anything so here goes nothing. A majorly important characteristic of Kate's in the first book disappeared in this one. The same characteristic she used to possess was suddenly given to Georgia. I was mentioned multiple times in the first book how Georgia didn't possess this trait. Also, like I said before, certain characters that include JB and Charles remained distant. I didn't get to know them as well as I'd have liked to.

I have high hopes for the next book in the series. I feel like Amy Plum's writing talent can only increase from here. Maybe some of the misunderstandings that caused me to keep the book rating at 4 stars will be explained. I'll have to read it to find out. I think that any fan of paranormal books with romance, supernatural books, mysteries, strong heroines, or just fans of ya books in general would like this book. So don't hesitate: go ahead and check it out.

Memorable Quotes

 

•  “Vincent to Kate: “The day I stop seeing you as one of the strongest people I know is the day I wake up human.” 
• “And I've got THIS," I pulled out the signum and held it up for him to see, "that says I'm kindred. And I've got THIS," I pointed at my head, "that says I'm as smart as you. And I have THIS," I held up my middle finger, "that says go to hell, you immortal bigot."
  And with that I spun around and stomped out the door, filing the expression on Arthur's face in a mental folder labeled "Kate's Proudest Moments".”
• “Those are pretty," She commented, leaning down to smell the flowers.
  "They're from Violette," I said, watching for her reaction.
  "They look like weeds," she replied, straightening.”
• “Natural talent!" crowed Vincent, sweeping my sweaty self up into his arms and pacing across the room, holding me like a trophy. "Of course my girlfriend's got it. In truckloads! How else could she have slain a giant evil zombie, single-handedly saving my undead body?”