Until I Die: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Romance About Star-Crossed Lovers in Paris and Immortal Enemies (Die for Me, 2)

I really, really enjoyed the first book in the Revenants series, Die For Me, but I thought it had its flaws and borrowed heavily from the TV series The Highlander. This book, I felt was very improved. The plot thickened, new characters were introduced, and new villains join the fray. I guessed the plot twist very early in the book but I still found myself enjoying the main character's reaction to the news. There are so many characters, but you feel like you get to know them all, the more time you spend with them. (And, if you listen to the audiobook, the narrator does a terrific job pronouncing all the French and giving all the characters unique voices.) Some situations hinted at in book 1 are continued and further developed in book 2, and it was awesome to see how the story flowed so easily from one volume to the next. Sometimes it's hard to continue a series because the author changes their writing style or picks the story up at an awkward place in the next book, but that's not the case here. I was wary but very pleased by the way book 2 developed. I was especially ecstatic that my very favorite character in the series was revealed to be gay in this book. It made me so happy to read that! The only thing till that point the series was lacking for me was some LGBT rep, and the author gave it to my fave. New revenants join the clan in Paris, and they're both powerful and ancient. Kate has a different relationship with each of them and their interactions were so much fun to read about, whether she was going to the cinema with Violette or flipping Arthur the bird, I loved every minute of it. This book contained so many of my favorite things: rare books, art heists, symbolic jewelry, a mysterious old shop, a misty cemetery, and a secret order. And everything was woven together seamlessly to create a spooky atmosphere at times, and heart-pounding excitement at others. I will say that the series continued to borrow more material from The Highlander. For one, a society of humans who aid the revenants was introduced. They're exactly like the Watchers from The Highlander. Also, if you've seen the TV show, you know there are good immortals and bad immortals. The main character, Duncan MacLeod, absorbs the energy or life force from the evil immortals he slays, and taking all that darkness into himself changes him. It's a major plot arc in the later episodes of the series. Well, Until I Die introduces that same setup in the Revenants series. We now learn that whenever an immortal revenant kills their enemy, the immortal numa, they absorb their power. And too much of a bad thing is not good. I feel like Revenants is basically Highlander fan fiction, but I don't mind. It's well-written and gets better as it goes. If you're not sure if you want to continue the series after reading Die For Me, please do. It only gets better. The audiobook narrator is great, but I also recommend the paperbacks for a surplus of bonus content at the end of the story!

Couldn't put this one down. Amazing talent from Amy Plum. Enticing in every way. Fantasy. Love. Romance. Family. True power.

Eccoci al secondo libro della trilogia sui revenants di Amy Plum, entusiasmante ed appassionante quanto il primo! Dopo aver messo fine all'esistenza del capo dei Numa, la fazione oscura dei revenants, Kate e Vincent sono alla ricerca di una soluzione per la loro relazione. Per evitare alla ragazza di rivivere più e più volte il trauma della morte di una persona cara, Vincent è disposto a tutto pur di evitare di sacrificare la propria vita senza perdere il senno. Infatti è proprio ciò che accade ai revenants che si rifiutano di adempiere alla propria missione, ovvere sacrificare sé stessi per salvare le vite umane. Tuttavia il metodo che stanno sperimentando Vincent e Jean-Baptiste sembra danneggiare il revenant che, giorno dopo giorno, appare sempre più stanco e privo di forze. Kate decide quindi di cercare per conto suo una soluzione, possibilmente definitiva, al loro problema. Nel frattempo a La Maison sono arrivati due nuovi revenants, Violette e Arthur, che prendono il posto di Charlotte e Charles, il quale sta affrontando un periodo di profonda crisi. I due gemelli sono stati mandati a sud per permettere a Charles di trovare un po' di serenità; naturalmente tutto ciò non può che provocare dolore a Charlotte, fortemente legata a Kate e innamorata di Ambrose! Se Violette é favorevole all'introduzione di Kate all'interno dei loro ranghi, lo stesso sembra non si possa dire per Arthur, restio ad accettarla. Tutto il libro è sviluppato attorno alla ricerca di una soluzione stabile per la relazione di Kate e Vincent, rendendo così il ritmo della narrazione serrato ed accattivante! L'introduzione di una profezia, quella sul Campione, che sembra designare come tale Vincent, è una piacevole aggiunta ad una trama già molto fitta. Non darei per scontato però che il Campione sia Vincent, secondo me l'autrice ci riserverà delle sorprese! Mi è piaciuta molto l'evoluzione del rapporto tra Kate e Vincent, ma anche quello tra la ragazza e il resto dei revenants che la considerano finalmente una di loro. Kate conferma di essere un personaggio indipendente e molto forte caratterialmente: prende lezioni di scherma per non essere di peso in caso di un eventuale attacco, non esita un attimo a mettersi all'opera per cercare qualsiasi cosa possa essere utile alla sua battaglia personale, ovvero vivere una vita quanto più possibile normale al fianco di Vincent. Quest'ultimo, in questo romanzo, è messo un po' in ombra rispetto al precedente, ma la cosa non mi è eccessivamente dispiaciuta, la storia prosegue accattivante anche senza la sua costante presenza. Il finale scopre tutte le carte del gioco fino ad allora condotto ed apre le porte al prossimo volume, che si prospetta molto interessante e ricco di azione e colpi di scena! Ancora una volta Amy Plum ha saputo creare una storia appassionante ed originale, capace di mantenere sempre viva l'attenzione del lettore. Presto leggerò anche il romanzo conclusivo, ma so già che questa serie si è guadagnata un posto speciale sui miei scaffali. Sarà molto difficile dimenticarla!

I really loved the first book so I bought the sequel right when it came out. I had great expectation and was not disappointed! Until I Die is very bit as good as Die for Me. Maybe even better. I love how Kate is learning how to fight. Also, she doesn't rely on Vincent to fix her problems. She goes and tries to fix them herself. I hate it when female protagonists are damsels in distress through out the whole story! Kate is a strong girl. The romance between Kate and Vincent is every bit as hot as in book one! Also, I love the new characters like Violet for example. She is definetly surprising. The story is full of tension and conflict. I couldn't stop reading. And the end - what a cliffhanger! If you liked Die for Me you won't be disappointed by Until I Die!

oooOOOooohhh how I enjoyed this book! Sometimes book two of a trilogy can be a bit tricky to navigate. We are no longer starting out the story so you don't get the anticipation of all of the firsts that the characters are going to experience and the fun of meeting all of the new people. But then it is also not the final book so we know not everything is going to be wrapped up with a cute little bow. I thought Until I Die was an excellent middle book. This is the book for gaining information, seeing where the story is going to lead... it did an excellent job and even threw in quite a bit of suspense and action. I really warmed to Kate in this book. I admitted in my review for Die for Me that she was not my favorite person all of the time. She was so forwards and backwards, I was getting whiplash. But here she really came into her own. In fact I can even say she was pretty kick ass. She is learning to fight with the help of Gaspard and Vincent and she is a natural talent. It has only been a short space of time but I really think she has grown into her character. I won't say I absolutely love her yet but it is getting there. However Vincent is as loveable as ever, if not more so than in book one. I simply adore him. He is such a gentleman and knows exactly how to take care of Kate. Meaning, he is always there to help her but he doesn't run in to push her aside so he can save the day. Of course he worries about her, because he loves her, but he isn't an over macho alpha male that thinks she can't handle herself. He lets her fight when she needs to and only steps in when she obviously needs help. I really like this about his character. It shows he has grown over his many years because from the age he is actually from it was a very different time and you would think his overall attitude would be different. This just shows how great he is. Until I Die is ultimately about Kate and Vincent trying to find a way to be together. They are 'together' but they know this is not going to be forever. Vincent is trying to find way to resist the urge to die and in doing this he will be able to age along side Kate. Kate knows this is a lot to ask of him and smartly comes to the conclusion that it is not only her that this would effect. Vincent is a being that saves humans, this is his sole purpose. What if he didn't do the right thing in a moment's notice and that split second meant the person he was to save actually dies. How would she live with this... how would Vincent live with this? Vincent thinks he has found a way to prevent his urges but wants to keep it a secret until he can see if it works. In the time being Kate goes out on her own to search for more answers and to find a way to help their situation. Pretty much the same cast of characters are still around however there are a couple of new faces, Violette and Arthur. They are old, as in old old. They have joined Vincent's kindred in Paris because the Numa (aka bad guys) have disappeared and they all know that they are up to something. Since these two have been around for so long they have a lot of connections so they have been brought in to see if they can help. From the moment they enter the scene you are trying to guess if they are good, or if they are bad. But... there won't be any spoilers here. In my review of Die for Me I mentioned the possible love triangle (gasp) between Vincent, Kate and Jules. Again we see more affection from Jules toward Kate but nothing really concrete. However, I have noticed that there is a novella from Jules' POV, Die for Her, that is due out in April 2013. So this would leave me to believe that any big revelations in this department will come out in that novella or in the final book. I do love Jules and I hope that his character is not ruined for me or left unhappy. I really want him to get his own happily ever after. So, do you know what else a second book in a trilogy is known for? Yep you guessed it. A cliffhanger! And man oh man is this a huge one! I sat there at the end and just stared at the page for a few minutes. In fact I have to say I was on the edge of my seat for the whole of the last 15% - 20%. Again I refuse to put in any spoilers and I even hate voicing my thoughts about certain subjects because I don't want to give anything away or put thoughts in people's minds before they read the series. But I have to say that I really have a strong suspicion about what may ultimately happen in this series and just thinking about it gives me a fresh wave of butterflies... I can't wait to find out how it all ends. How long do we have to wait you ask? Well, after Jules' novella in April it appears that book three, If I Should Die, is due out on May 7th 2013. So really there isn't that long a wait. Of course I would rather have it here right now to start but since I don't I will just add these two to my trusty book release calendar. "But now I have something that blows that feeling out of the water. Every time I need a hit of joy, I think about you. You are my solace, Kate. Just knowing that you are in this world, everything makes sense." Christine Rainy Day Reads

holy cow love this book ... just keeps getting better and better... hurry up!! i need the next book !