Book Review: Until I Die

Until I Die
By Amy Plum
May 8, 2012
Ages 14 and up
HarperTeen
Reviewed: ARC (from publisher)
Author’s Website
Hardcover | Kindle

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.

JENNA’S REVIEW

Ah, the middle book in a series… Typically, one worries about whether or not the installment would have “middle-book syndrome”. In this case, I wondered if I would like it more than the first book. Thankfully, for me, UNTIL I DIE was better. Much better.

Plot: 8

Until I Die starts off where its predecessor, Die for Me, left off. Kate has been accepted in her true love’s family of Revenants. She has survived the ordeals of the first book and is a stronger person for it. But now Vincent is keeping a secret from her. He won’t tell her exactly what it is, she only knows that it affects his lively hood, his immortality and his ability to grow old with Kate. But she is determined to find out what he is up to, even if it means taking matters into her own hands… In the meantime, new characters are introduced and new dangers are afoot. You know it’s all going to build up to one explosive climax; albeit, much like the first book, rather slooowly.

Characters: 7

Aw, gee. A 7… but let me explain. Gone, for the most part, are the traits that made the characters in the the first book seem like clones of those other, more sparkly, immortals. Gone is the angst and uncertainly that drove me mad about Kate in the first book. But unfortunately, gone is Vincent for a large part of Until I Die. And he is sorely missed. I clung to the moments where he and Kate were together; for in these moments, Vincent was a charmingly swoon-worthy, if not “under the weather”, immortal. I loved how their relationship was dealt with in this installment, although I still wonder why they insist of “keeping secrets” in order to “protect” each other… In addition, I love the way that Amy pulled Kate’s grandparents even further into the story and into Kate’s life. What I didn’t love was the inclusion of some new, rather predictable, new characters. The lack of Vincent and the inclusion of these new characters were what dragged the Characters score down.

Setting: 10

Just like in book one, Amy does a very nice job of taking us up and down the streets of Paris, into the theatres and markets that are scattered throughout the town. The sights and sounds, you will be pulled right into them along with Kate and co.

Pacing: 7

While much better paced than book one, Until I Die still suffered from a slightly slow middle. For a large portion of the book we are either hanging out with Kate and her new “gal pal” at the theatre, going on dates with Vincent or researching the Revenants all over town. We join Kate in her search for more answers about Vincent, the numa and being a Revenant. What we discover is, at times, quite surprising and very much worth the wait. Yet, the whole time I was reading I knew that we probably wouldn’t receive our big WOW Moment until the very last pages. Granted, when that WOW Moment did appear it was one very BIG “WOW!” indeed.

Style: 8

Amy ups her game a bit with this installment. She has added some extensive (albeit, made up) research into her story and the way she goes about revealing it is a fun adventure for both Kate and the reader. I like her Revenant mythology and was surprised by some of Kate’s findings. I think she needs to work on her ability to keep the story from being too predictable. Though, considering the twist that she gave us at the very end of Until I Die, I doubt we have to worry about that issue in book three. Or, at least, I hope not.

While book two is not without its faults, I know I’ll definitely be sticking around to find out what fate has in store for the two star-crossed lovers in the final book, If I Should Die. The HUGE cliffhanger at the end of Until I Die cinched it.

Grade: 90

And the Winner of the Until I Die ARC is…

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway to win an ARC of UNTIL I DIE by Amy Plum. I personally enjoyed this sequel to Die For Me much more than its predecessor. I anticipate having my review for Until I Die posted soon, so look out for that.

Oh, and don’t forget! Our No Strings Attached Giveaway for a Limited Wedding Dress Edition of Breaking Dawn Part 1 on DVD ends tomorrow. If you haven’t yet, get a move on and enter that one while you can! Now, without any further delay…

The WINNER of the ARC of UNTIL I DIE is…

Jenea Whittington

Congratulations! Please email me at imakethegrade (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address so that I may get the book to you. You have 72 hours to respond before I select a new winner.

And if you didn’t win, don’t worry! Stay tuned as we open up new giveaways every week. Fantastic prizes, games, author interviews and more are on the schedule, be sure to continue following Making the Grade so you don’t miss out!

In My Mailbox: March 26 – 31, 2012

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren and is an opportunity to share the books I get each week. It is likely that these books will appear in a review at some point in the near future. Thank you to HarperTeen, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Egmont USA for the copies I received for review this week.

Purchased Books:

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice (Autographed) ❤
Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

E-Books For Kindle (Purchased):

Indelible by Lani Woodland
Coexist (Keegan’s Chronicles #1) by Julia Crane
Glimpse by Stacey Wallace Benefiel
Dead Radiance by T.G. Ayer
Anathema (Cloud Prophet Trilogy #1) by Megg Jensen
Lichgates (The Grimoire Trilogy #1) by S.M. Boyce

Books for Review (ARC/NetGalley):

Until I Die by Amy Plum (ARC)
Arise by Tara Hudson (ARC)
Dreamless by Josephine Angelini (ARC)
Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall (ARC, Autographed)
Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross (NetGalley)