Review - If I Should Die (Revenants, Book 3) by Amy Plum (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-0062004031
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Revenants Trilogy
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the final book in the Revenants Trilogy. It was did an excellent job of wrapping up things nicely. I love how we are finally seeing Kate step up and take action.

The book starts exactly where the last book left off (at that horrible cliffhanger!). Kate is determined to find a way to save Vincent even though his fate seems sealed. Meanwhile Violette is gathering more and more numa in Paris in preparation for a final war with the good Revenants.

The majority of the story is spent with Kate and company trying to find a way to save Vincent’s soul somehow. This was actually really interesting and I enjoyed the crazy magic Bran performed and how everything worked out.

However this led to the whole epic battle between the good and bad Revenants being incredibly rushed, I mean seriously the main portion of the battle happens in 20 pages or something like that. So, that was a bit disappointing. There was a lot that happened in the last little bit of the book and it happened so fast that I was like...woah...seriously rushed here.

Kate is an excellent character. She continues to give off a “girl-next-door” type of vibe but she has also become more confident and seems to have found her purpose. Her relationship with Vincent is still a bit too lovey dovey for me. People who are huge fans of Kate/Vincent scenes might be a bit disappointed because they don’t get a ton of page space together...there is just too much else going on.

The main storyline was resolved well. It is pretty darn predictable, but there are a couple small twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I was hoping for some big surprises but there really weren’t any. That being said it was still a very engaging story. There was more mystery solving in this book as Kate and crew tried to hunt down a way to help Vincent and less action.

Although the main storyline was resolved there were a number of side characters with unresolved issues. The main one of these is Jules. He disappears for large portions of the story and seems to have things going on that we never get to hear about. I predict a offshoot of this series featuring Jules sometime in the future.

Overall this was a great conclusion to the series. It was entertaining and well written. I enjoyed the mystery behind trying to save Vincent and enjoyed the strong and capable girl Kate has become. I can’t say much else without spoilers, so I won’t. The story was a bit predictable though and the ending did feel pretty rushed. Still, overall I thought this was a creative series and I enjoyed it so I will definitely read more of Amy Plum’s works in the future. This is recommended to fans of YA paranormal books.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Paranormal Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Review - Until I Die (Revenants, Book 2) by Amy Plum (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0062004048
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book of Revenants series
Source: Borrowed through Library
Rating: 4/5 stars


This is the second book in Plum’s Revenants series. The third book in the series, If I Should Die, is scheduled for a May 2013 release. This book, like the first, moves a bit slow in the beginning but picks up towards the end. It is a very interesting story, with a down to earth heroine, and a beautifully exotic Parisian setting.

Vincent and Kate are struggling with Vincent's vow to resist dying as long as he can. Both Vincent and Kate are separately seeking ways to help Vincent resist the urge to die. Along the way they both uncover some ancient secrets and reveal some horrible conspiracy involving the evil numa.

Kate and Vincent continue to have the sweet romance that is developed in the first book, but there is some strain put on it as they both start keeping secrets. Vincent is looking for a solution to help him resist having to die, and he’s keeping it a secret from Kate even though it is resulting in him becoming horribly sick. Kate is looking for her own solution and sneaking around Vincent.

It is an interesting issue that Kate and Vincent are dealing with. Kate doesn’t want to watch Vincent constantly die but she also doesn’t want to prevent him from saving the lives of innocent humans.

Two new and ancient Revenants enter the story as well. They add an interesting dynamic to the story and result in some intriguing twist and turns.

This ended up being a fairly predictable read, but some of the new elements behind the history of the Revenants were fascinating. The story is somewhat slow in pace in the beginning but picks up towards the end. Pacing is much like the first book. This book does end on a horrible cliffhanger which kind of irritated me.

The book is well written and engaging, and of course it has a beautiful Paris setting. I continue to enjoy Kate’s exploration of the this wonderful and exotic Parisian setting.

Overall this was a fun and quick read and I enjoyed it. Kate and Vincent continue to be an almost overly sweet couple; but they do have their struggles in this book as well. I enjoyed learning more about Revenant history and enjoyed some of the new characters added to the story. This book does end on a horrible cliffhanger though which bothered me. Recommended to those who love YA paranormal romance reads. This really is something different from the typical YA paranormal books out there.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - Die for Me (Revenants, Book 1) by Amy Plum (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen; Reprint edition
Release Date: April 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-0062004024
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Revenants series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

I listened to this on audiobook. The second book, Until I Die, has already released and the final book in the series, If I Should Die, is scheduled for a May 2013 release. It was a very well done paranormal book that’s Parisian setting and creative take on zombies make it something special. While I loved the beginning of the book, I wasn’t as enamoured with the ending.

Kate and her sister Georgia move to Paris to live with their grandparents after their parents are killed in a car crash. Kate is struggling with her grief and drifting around reading books in cafes when she meets Vincent. Vincent is beautiful and somehow different from everyone she knows. Her and Vincent start to spend time together, but then Vincent’s best friend is killed in front of Kate and Vincent doesn’t seem to care. When Kate sees Vincent’s friend walking around the next day she suspects that Vincent and his friends aren’t as human as they seem.

I loved the idea behind the zombies in this book, it was fascinating and super creative. Basically Vincent and his “family” are Revenants. These are humans that die when sacrificing themselves in place of someone else, because of this sacrifice they rise as Revenants. The Revenants have an urge to sacrifice themselves to save humans. They do this over and over to help save humans’ lives. The rules behind how the Revenants work are interesting and really well done.

Kate makes an excellent and down to earth heroine. She is struggling with grief but doing her best to dig her way out. There are multiple places in this book where her sadness just about broke my heart. She really loves art so there is a lot of art-talk in this book.

Vincent is your typical super sensitive, yet dark and mysterious type. He is sensitive and romantic to the extreme. There were parts of the book where I felt that he was too perfect and so syrupy sweet that it was a little sickening. Still the romance between Kate and Vincent is touching and full of mutual respect; I really enjoyed it.

The setting is awesome. The whole book takes place in Paris. I loved hearing about the beautiful sights and it made me want to travel back there to find all the beautiful little nooks and crannies that Kate and Vincent found. I wish more YA paranormal books were set in international locations; they are just so fun to read and learn about.

The story focuses mostly on Kate discovering what Vincent is and how to deal with it than anything else. This is more of a mystery type book than an action-based one. Although, the Revenants do have enemies and there is a pretty well done fight scene between the two groups at one point in the book.

The book is well written and engaging. I ended up enjoying the beginning of the book more than the end. Plum did an excellent job of building and unfolding the mystery about Vincent. The ending where they fight the enemy Revenants felt a bit forced and rushed.

As you might imagine there is a heavy theme of death throughout the book; death is very prevalent in Kate and Vincent’s life. So those sensitive to the topic of death be warned.

Overall an excellent YA paranormal. This book presents a very creative take on zombies and I enjoyed it a lot. I also enjoyed the down to earth heroine, the sweet respect based relationship between Kate and Vincent, and the exotic Parisian setting. I enjoyed the beginning of the book more than the end, the ending felt a bit rushed. I can’t wait to see what the next book holds for this truly bizarre couple. Highly recommended to those who love YA paranormal reads without cliched love triangles and insta-love.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge