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Thursday, May 3, 2012

Review ~ UNTIL I DIE (Revenants, #2) by Amy Plum

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. ~From GoodReads


Did this pass my "100 Pages or Die" test? Not really, but I couldn't help myself.


I just need to start by making it perfectly clear that I do not like writing negative reviews. At all. In fact, it makes me a bit ill. All I can do is be honest. Having said that, here I go...
I don't even know where to begin. For starters, I found the story to be too convenient. Well, besides the whole dying issue. For example, Kate happens to be the only human to have the ability to communicate with the revenants while in spirit form. She's the only human who can be possessed by the revenants and not go insane. Kate loves boats? Vincent's family has the nicest yacht money can buy. You know the story.

Also, the love story. I have to confess, though, that I am not a fan of overly romantic dialogue. In my books or real life. In fact, I snarfed in the face of the first guy who told me he loved me. Having said that, the dialogue, internal and verbal, felt cheesy to me. When a couple declares their undying devotion, swearing they'd rather be dead than apart, I lose it. Call it survival instinct, but if my husband dies, I'm not going to throw myself off a bridge. And I didn't feel that way in the early, love-crazed days of our relationship either. The melodramatics made me cringe.

I felt no connection to the characters, except for possibly Georgia. And I think that's only because she's a bit ridiculous, in a good way. Kate was aggravating. One minute she was furious with Vincent, the next she's declaring her undying devotion. The Revenants are just creepy. Even Vincent, the romantic hero, held no appeal to me. All the dialogue, actions, felt generic. I didn't feel any heart.
And you know what? I still don't understand how the whole revenant situation works.

I could deal with some of the above issues if the story had any momentum. Short of a bit of research, some semi-romantic dates, and a lot of hand-wringing, nothing happened. The action finally took off with approximately fifty pages left. If I hadn't been insanely curious as to whether someone would do something, I would have stopped at the hundred page mark. Oh boy. That ending is going to have more than a few people throwing their books. Shocker.
I know I'm in the minority when it comes to this series. It has a really high rating and a lot of people love it. I know I come across as a big meany, but I do think the author has a really pretty writing style. The flow is generally nice. Fans of super romantic, purely escapist paranormal books will most likely enjoy UNTIL I DIE.  Just be prepared for the last two pages!



Favorite Quote:

"Pausing at the doorstep, he glared at me. 'We will be seeing you again. Au revoir, Kate Mercier.'"
 (pg. 293, ARC)
(This was my favorite because it made me laugh.)





Expected publication: May 8th 2012 by HarperCollins Publishers
You can pre-order UNTIL I DIE at:
Source: Received for review for publisher.

13 comments:

  1. Did the quote at the end of your post make you laugh in a bad way, or a good way? I can't tell. I've heard this series is way too similar to Twilight, so that makes me run in the other direction. Plus, why does every YA paranormal author have to rewrite Twilight nowadays? If it's been done, then you have to move on and invent something new. My forehead has a dent in it from face-palming so many times, lol.

    I like this review! You should dislike books more often so you can write up negative ones. You're not being a meany at all. There's a big difference between trashing a book and just dishing out your honest feelings about it.

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  2. I honestly LOL'd while reading this review. I can totally hear you. :) I really appreciate your honesty. You win some you lose some, ya know. Too bad this series hasn't been able to grab you. :) *sending hugs your way*

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  3. Sorry to heard you didn't like this one Andrea .. I really liked Die For Me but I'm not sure I'll read Until I Die because I don't like book in which nothing happens .. lol ! Thanks for the honest review =)

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  4. What is it with characters named Kate being aggravating lol!! That sucks that this one didn't really do much for you. I still have to read the first one. Your review was perfectly fine. You stated why you didn't enjoy the book much. There is nothing negative about it.

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  5. Hm. I have Die For Me but haven't had a chance to read it yet. I'll still get around to it eventually but now I'm in no hurry.

    Also not big on melodramatic romance and cheesy love talk. I mean, I like SOME romance but dude, say it with flowers.

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  6. Ah you aren't alone on this one Andrea! I too found the cheesy dialogue just a wedge of brie too far (hehe, I made a cheesy line about cheese!) - there was something about Vincent being water to Kate's parched soul (gutted I didn't highlight it!), that just had me thinking 'oh, no you DIDN'T just do that!.

    I liked the parts about revenant history, and new characters being introduced, although I missed Charlotte too!

    But the writing style is good and the setting is dreamy....

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  7. You make me laugh. The first guy who told me he loved me (after dating all of a couple weeks) I said, "Yeah right," thinking he must be joking. I don't think he really did love me, but he wasn't joking. Oopsie.

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  8. Oh NO!!! You are scaring me! This is my next read...I only just liked the first book but found the romance a little cheesy. I haven't written my review about it yet because everything that comes to mind is negative. I guess I'll still need to give it a shot!

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  9. haha well first I'm scared of the last two pages! I hate that so many authors lately are ending their books in a way that pisses people off. I have to agree with the over melodramatic confessions of undying love. Who ever says "I'd rather be dead than be without you?" That is just a bit much and totally unhealthy. Like you I would never say that as much as I have loved anybody. It is extreme. Oh and lol at snarfing in his face! I was the same way. My first bf said he loved me way too soon. I felt like he just felt like he had to say it. I never said it back even though I probably did eventually love him because I felt like he just ruined it by saying it so early LOL

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  10. I prefer my cheese on crackers!

    LOL to your opening line. couldn't help your self. I tried to get you to stick to the rule, but no! I understand though. Sometimes I feel I have to finish so I can share what I don't like. especially if it's got tons of high ratings. Not writing an honest review after finishing it would be an un-justice to my peoples.

    Yes yes yesss to the not throwing yourself off a bridge if her hubby ever dies. I love my husband beyond words, but I would never do myself in if he left. That kinda love is just unhealthy. lol

    Great review! Glad you finished it. :)

    LOL at that quote.

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  11. ore around figuring out how Kate and Vincent could be together despite the obvious hurdle that is his zombie status. There wasn't a lot of action until much later in the book. I absolutely adore this beautiful world that Amy Plum has created, though, and the captivating characters always keep me coming back for more. Oddly, though, I was more drawn to Jules and Ambrose than any of the other characters this time around. Both of them are such fun characters that I couldn't help but enjoy every scene they were in. Jules is so sweet and I just love the flirty banter he has with Kate. There may be more behind that than we know, but I'm crossing my fingers this doesn't turn into a dreaded and unnecessary love triangle. Because I was so irritated with Kate's decisions, I was gravitating towards the other revenants since we learn a lot more about them in this book. Charlotte and Charles are absent thanks to them being sent away in the end of Die for Me, and two new VERY old revenants take their place. They drew my attention right away with their mysterious and questionable behavior, and it had my wheels turning constantly about what they would mean for this story. There were some big twists during all of the down time, leaving some answers but even more questions. I do love that we learn more about the powers of the revenants as Kate does her detective work to figure out how she and Vincent can be together.

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  12. I bought the first book and have it on my list for July..so glad you liked this and that it was action packed!

    Irene (Hunting Knives)

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