Spotlight: Until I Die by Amy Plum

Until I Die by Amy Plum
Publishing Company: HarperCollins Publishers
Genre: Young Adult—Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 352
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Rating: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Summary
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.

Review
I think I just died a tiny bit on the inside. I can't even say that I'm joking or sugar-coating it. So, I was reading this all during school, and when I finally got near the ending, this big thing happened and I was in science (I know, reading in science, so bad), so I looked at the meter on my Kindle that tells me how much more there is in a book, and it said about 10% so I thought, "Phew. I still have time. This mess'll get fixed." And then I got closer and closer to the ending, and I got more and more panicky. Maybe it was going to end on a cliffhanger, but a good one, like in Pandemonium, how it ends with that one word that's good, but really nerve-racking at the same time. It'd be so much better than a tragic one, right?

Nope. Instead of a nice one that would definitely be nerve-racking but still somewhat happy, it had to be tragic and sad and I was actually tearing up. By this time, I was in LAL, and everyone was just trickling in, so I read it, and then that last page. That last page. And then this is what happened:

*Jumps up from my seat*
Me: {spoiler redacted}
Friend: What?
Me: In my book, {spoiler redacted}! *puts hair to face and almost starts crying.*
Friend: Aww, Eileen, it'll be okay. Don't cry.
Me: It's fine, but it was SOO sad!! :'(
*Sniffles during the rest of the LAL period.*

So yeah. That was my day. How was yours? Not as eventful, I'm guessing, as mine, because I started this book last night at nine, went to sleep at 10:30, and then, somehow, it was finished at 2:05 the next day. And that was with me at school. And I actually did my work. That's how good this book was. Because, guys, I know I read fast, but I've never actually finished a book in school without having had a full day of reading it beforehand.

Until I Die starts off basically a few months after Die For Me left off, so everything between Kate and Vincent had been happy, Kate was learning how to train and properly use a sword, and everybody was happy, you could say. But then Kate started doubting her and Vincent's relationship when she got all the signs that humans and revenants wouldn't work out together in the end, and Kate was starting to call it off when Vincent assured her otherwise that he had a plan that would most definitely work.

The romance in here definitely lacked a little, and there weren't those swoon-worthy moments anymore where Vincent and Kate would kiss a lot or share those tender moments. Sure, they were there, but not as much as in the first book, and Die For Me was definitely superior, as was Until I Die. Everything else definitely made up for this little blip in the novel. Until I Die was so emotional that I was laughing with Kate, crying with her, and I'm pretty sure I was making really funny faces to my friends if they saw me reading this book.

In Until I Die, Kate was strong, witty, and resilient. You could tell she loved Vincent and would do anything to be able to be with him and keep him from harm, which was what he was doing when he tried experimenting with ways that would keep him from having the compulsion to die. Kate was not afraid to get down and dirty, either, and she flew into things head-on and even when things got tough, Kate new that she had to stay strong to get her job done, and then she could cry and punch things when she was done.

This plot could not have been more perfect. Everything about Until I Die captured me and would not let go. It was like Amy Plum had me in a death-grip the entire time while I was reading this. It was action-packed, suspenseful, romantic, and so much more. And that cliffhanger was so brutally brutal and heartbreaking. I cannot stress this enough, but if you read this, please, get some tissues. You're going to start crying and weeping if you're emotional. I'm actually not that emotional, but I started tearing up.

Vincent! I loved him even more in this book. Yes, of course we didn't see a lot of him, but you could tell that he loved Kate and he was always there for her when she needed him most. Vincent is such a great person, and he's like that badboy type, but not really. He's dark and dangerous, but still, he loves Kate and it was so sweet to see them fall for each other even further, and I was feeling the love between them, which just made it easier for me to break at the end. (Wow, I just can't stop talking about that ending, right? I should stop.)

So, get this book. Just get it. Read it. Love it. Until I Die was an emotional roller coaster, and was so unpredictable I was  assuming one thing and formulating a theory, when BAM, there goes the theory and all I could do was gape at the words I was reading. Everything about this book made me want to do something and stop reading, but then something else would draw me in and it was so easy to just lose myself in this book. Until I Die will not disappoint and all I know that it passed my expectations a long time ago.

(Originally published on my own blog, ***Singing and Reading in the Rain*** on May 12, 2012)