Book Review: If I Should Die

If I Should Die
(Revenants #3)

By:  Amy Plum

Published By:  Harper Teen

Publication Date: May 7th, 2013

Page Count:  405 pages

Buy it at:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound

Source:  ARC Provided by Publisher

  Audience:  Young Adult Paranormal 


If I Should Die was a thrilling ending to an awesome trilogy put forth by Amy Plum.   I fell in love with Amy’s world two years ago in Die For Me, and eagerly anticipated each instalment.  And now that it is over, I find myself a little sad that there is no more of this story to look forward to.  No more Vincent, no more Kate, no more Jules…no more Revenants in Paris.

The final book in the Revenants trilogy left me stunned upon closing the book.  ‘What just happened?’ I kept asking myself.  One of the things I love to do while I read is predict possible outcomes.  While some of them came true in this story, they still shocked me by how they played out while some revelations completely blind-sided me.


This last instalment picks up moments after that blasted cliff-hanger ending from Until I Die.  Kate and Vincent were each trying to find a way for him to resist the compulsion to die saving another, which is in a revenant’s nature.  We knew that Kate had already experienced so much death in her young life, and unfortunately, Vincent dying over and over again would just be too painful for her to overcome as her love for him grew exponentially.  Vincent would do anything to find a way to keep Kate in his life, and so would Kate, but she knew what she could handle.  In the second instalment, they each went on somewhat different journeys to find a solution and in this last book, we finally witness the results of their efforts.

Their road to happiness was not easy and took several detours courtesy of the ever present threat of the evil Numa fronted by the traitorous leader established in the previous book.  But through both Kate and Vincent’s shear determination and their love for each other, they would stop at nothing to get what they wanted….even when all hope seemed to be lost.

This journey was heart-breaking as well as joyous.  There were losses and triumphs that had my heart swooping up and down as if on a well-written roller coaster ride.  My heart also melted on several occasions when Kate and Vincent were in each other’s proximity.  Melt-into-a-puddle-of-goo-type-melting.  Perhaps a little cheesy to some at times, I personally found their conversations endearing and romantic and utterly adorable.

Kate showed her strength – both in mind and body – best in this final chapter of the trilogy.  She was tenacious and wouldn’t take no for an answer when there appeared to be no other answer.  She still kept her sense of humour and curiosity…and I truly felt that was what got her through many impossible situations.  That and her love for Vincent.

Vincent continued to make my heart go pitter-patter!  His love for Kate was epic.  He demonstrated his abilities as a leader in the most awesome way – even when the decisions were difficult.   I couldn’t have loved him more!

However, I didn’t only have eyes for Vincent…

If I had one complaint…it would be the lack of Jules in this final book.   Perhaps that is why Amy gave us the novella, Die For Her, to make up for his lack of presence in this book, and I highly recommend all fans of this series read it.  However, because of that novella, I came to care for him even MORE.  His unrequited feelings for Kate killed me.  I understood his distancing himself because of those feelings, but selfishly, I just plain missed him terribly.

I have to confess that I have spots reserved in my heart for most of the cast of characters besides Vincent, Kate and Jules…big-brother-like-Ambrose, BFF Charlotte, dashing Arthur, snarky Georgia, loving Mamie & Papy, patriarch Jean-Baptiste and knowledgeable Gaspard…they all felt like family…and they were.

Loved to hate Violette too!

I’d say the last half of the book was heart-stopping and I couldn’t put it down despite my wanting to put off the ending so I would get to spend a little more time in this world.  Having said that, I really enjoyed the ride!  Amy made me add Paris to my Bucket List.  Amy made me fall in love with her cast of characters…especially those boys, Vincent, Jules and Ambrose.  And Amy created an amazing heroine in Kate.  Her world-building was spot-on!

And so, once again, I’m left with a whole mish-mash of feelings upon closing the last book in another awesome trilogy.  Initially, I couldn’t decide how I felt once I was done but once I let the events absorb, I realized it probably couldn’t have been written any better. 

Au revoir, mes amis. Je vous adore. 

I’d like to thank HarperTeen for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review this book in advance.

Synopsis: 

I will not lose another person I love. I will not let history repeat itself.

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant our future together was shattered. He was betrayed by someone we both called a friend, and I lost him. Now our enemy is determined to rule over France’s immortals, and willing to wage a war to get what they want.

It shouldn’t be possible, none of it should be, but this is my reality. I know Vincent is somewhere out there, I know he’s not completely gone, and I will do anything to save him.

After what we’ve already fought to achieve, a life without Vincent is unimaginable. He once swore to avoid dying—to go against his nature and forsake sacrificing himself for others—so that we could be together. How can I not risk everything to bring my love back to me?