Showing posts with label Amy Plum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amy Plum. Show all posts

Saturday, 9 June 2012

Review: Until I Die - Amy Plum

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Kate has chosen to leave the comfort and safety of her human life in order to join Vincent in the dangerous supernatural world he inhabits. For his part, he has sworn to go against his very nature and resist the repeated deaths that are his fate as a revenant - even though it will bring him immeasurable suffering.

Desperate to help him, Kate's search for answers takes her from the glamorous streets of Paris to the city's squalid underbelly. But when she stumbles across a secret that could help to overthrow their enemies for ever, Kate unwittingly puts everyone she loves at risk. And puts herself in the midst of an ancient and deadly war, not as a bystander . . . but as a target.

Revenants Series:
Die For Me
Until I Die
If I Should (2013)

Visit Amy Plum's website for more information

Review:
Until I Die is the second book in Amy Plum's Revenants series and I'm going to assume that if you're reading this review you've already read the first book. If you haven't read Die For Me look away now or you will end up picking up spoilers!

Kate and her sister Georgia have settled into life in Paris living with their grandparents. Georgia is still a social butterfly who loves nothing more than partying with her friends but Kate is happy to spend most of her time with her boyfriend Vincent or with her head stuck inside a book. But it isn't easy having a supernatural boyfriend, especially one who feels compelled to put himself at risk to save innocent strangers. Kate knows how important it is for Vincent to save lives but she doesn't feel she can face watching him repeatedly die and come back to life again. It is also starting to come home to her that one day she'll be an old woman on her death bed and Vincent will be much younger with the whole of eternity ahead of him. Vincent thinks he has found a solution but Kate hates watching him suffer and he looks more ill with every day that passes. When she uncovers a legend in an old book she becomes convinced that there is a solution out there and decides to investigate.

I loved Die For Me so was looking forward to picking up Until I Die, I'm happy to say that Amy Plum didn't disappoint and I enjoyed it just as much. One of the things I like most about this series is the Parisian setting, you can practically smell the coffee and taste the croissants while you're reading. I can't read these books without wanting to buy a Eurostar ticket and hop on the next train to Paris! Sadly finances don't allow for that so I'll have to settle for Amy's wonderfully descriptive writing - it's not quite the same but close enough. I love getting to see bits of Kate's daily life in France alongside her fabulous relationship with Vincent. Things aren't easy for them at the moment but you can see how deeply they care for each other and I love how tender and romantic he is. It's easy to develop a bit of a crush on Vincent and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has.

It was also really good to learn more about the history of the revenants and their enemies the numa. Amy really is building an interesting world and the mythology is different to anything else I've come across which makes a nice change. I did miss having Charlotte and Charles around, although we see them briefly it wasn't quite the same as the last book. I'm glad we still see plenty of Jules, Ambrose and the others but I never really took to the newcomers Violette and Arthur. I'm glad that Kate is still close with Georgia and that she confides in her, it's nice to see sisters that don't fight like cat and dog and are supportive of each other instead.

There were a few times when I had predicted the outcome of certain events but I still enjoyed the journey and there were other things that took me by surprise. I'm glad to see that Kate is learning to protect herself and that she stands up for what she wants when she is talking to Vincent and the others. She is turning into quite a brave and kick ass young woman. Be warned that there is a killer cliffhanger at the end - I can't wait to get my hands on If I Should but it's going to feel like a very long wait between now and next year when I can read it!

Source: Received from Atom in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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Tuesday, 29 November 2011

Review: Die For Me - Amy Plum

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal.  But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister Georgia and I were orphans.  We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents.  And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again.  Then I met Vincent.  Mysterious, sexy and unnervingly charming, Vincent appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy.  Because Vincent is no normal human.  He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day.  He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

Can I risk putting my heart - as well as my life and my family's - in jeopardy for a chance at love?

Revenants Series:
Die For Me
Until I Die
If I Should (2013)

Visit Amy Plum's website for more information

Review:
Kate and Georgia's parents recently died in a car accident, their life has been turned upside down and they have moved from America to live with their grandparents in Paris.  When Kate meets Vincent in a cafe she is attracted to him but she soon realises that he has a secret that could put her life in danger.  Is she brave enough to stay with him despite the risks?

I've had Die For Me on my shelves for quite a while now and I'm annoyed with myself that it took me so long to get around to reading it.  Although perhaps that really is a good thing as it means I have less time to wait for the next installment.  This was a great addition to the YA paranormal romance genre, it is a quick and easy read and one I really enjoyed.

Kate and Georgia are both great characters and I loved the relationship between the two of them and their grandparents.  The sisters deal with their grief in very different ways with Kate becoming more and more isolated and preferring to lose herself in a good book while Georgia is a social whirlwind who is constantly out making new friends and partying.  I felt both ways were very realistic but I could definitely identify more with Kate as I have a similar tendency to hide away from the world when something is bothering me.  I liked the fact that although Kate is instantly attracted to Vincent they take time to get to know each other, yes their relationship progresses fairly quickly but it does so in a believable way and I was routing for them to find a way to be together.

I loved the setting of the book, I've not read many stories set in Paris and Amy Plum did a great job of describing the cafes and museums that Kate spent so much time in.  I really want to go back to Paris now and spend time exploring!  I also loved the mythology of the revenants, I don't want to go into detail about that as I think it's best to discover them for yourself by reading the book but it made a nice change to read about something different from vampires and shape shifters.  I really liked Vincent and his group of friends, Charlotte, Ambrose and Jules were particular favourites of mine but I'm keen to find out more about all of the others too and it will be interesting to see what direction things head in next.

Die For Me is a fantastic start to a new series and one that I'm keen to continue reading.  I'm sure it will be a big hit with YA paranormal romance fans and I would highly recommend picking up a copy.  I'll be looking forward to seeing what Amy Plum comes up with next.

Source: Received for review via Netgalley but I was also given a print copy from my friend Kirsty (The Overflowing Library)

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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