I was first introduced to the Revenant series back in high school, around freshmen year. To say I was hooked immediately would be an understatement. The first book of this series, Die For Me, does an amazing job of introducing the characters, some interesting world aspects, and the struggles that come along with loving someone you know you shouldn't. As a way of being an introduction to a series, Die For Me had just the right amount of world building while still leaving much to be desired. The other two books, Until I Die and If I Should Die, are two books that continue to build and expand upon a world that seems to always be changing while having just the right amount of action happening throughout the whole series to keep one interested and guessing about what these characters will experience next.
I will say that some of the characters in the first book have the ability to be a little superficial, but in the second and third books, their development is amazing. One can really come to see and understand what drives each of these "side" characters, not just the FMC and MMC. The way that Amy Plum brings to life and introduces characters gives them a bit of their own personality from the get go, including our very own main lead, Katy. Her curiosity and need to get lost in books to leave her own undesirable reality is something I feel a lot of us can resonate with, especially when it comes to experiencing intense emotions caused by stories. The way that the MMC, Vincent, interacts with her leaves zero imagination about his true feelings for her and just how important she comes to be to him in such a short amount of time. The way I became so invested in these characters (Charlotte and Charles especially) and seeing what happened throughout the rest of their existences wasn't something I was expecting when I first started the series. Even with the short insight published after the trilogy ended, I still wanted more.
Amy Plum also does an extraordinary job of describing all the scenes that Katy takes in while discovering this new life. I have never wanted to visit places as much as I do the destinations in this book for the pure purpose of getting to truly witness the beauty that Plum talks about. The keen eye that Katy has seems to be connected to her love for art and details, so having as much detail as we do about everything new she sees makes sense for her character and doesn't make it seem like something that shouldn't be noticed. When she goes about explaining new buildings, new emotions, and even the other characters, it never seems to be overbearing or like an info dump. As the series progresses and Katy gets involved more and more with these supernatural beings, all the details provided never seem overwhelming, rather like they are placed in just the right place and at the right moment. Any time I was introduced to new information, I was quickly able to connect it to something that had happened previously that had left me confused or I could tell there was some sort of foreshadowing happening.
The way the third book was split into two sections was a new experience for me. It isn't something I had ever seen before and I originally had no idea how to take it (I peeked ahead and noticed the break). Then, when I got to the part that the break happened, it made so much sense as to why it was included. The break was an important semblance for the ending of Katy's human life and the beginning of her true destiny. To say I was shocked and originally scared when I first read this wouldn't be an accurate depiction of the feelings I had after reaching this point. I was so eager and anxious to see what happened next that I ended up skimming through multiple pages to see how everyone reacted. I, personally, never expected the twist of Katy being The Champion. I was thrown through a massive loop here but was so giddy and happy about it at the same time. I would be lying if I said it wasn't mainly for the fact that it now meant she could be with Vincent forever, haha. Getting to see the two of them have a happy ending has warmed my little romantic heart to this very day whenever I think about them.
Having so much wrap up in this book and getting to know that, at some point or another, these characters will meet their end is a kind of bitter sweet moment. The stories have a lot of heartache, betrayal, love, self-identification, and more. This is a series that I have kept close to my heart for such a long time and part of me wants to safe guard it as my little secret since I know it isn't talked about nearly as much as it should be. I will say that one warning I would give to any new readers is that this is more of an insta-love series, so if that isn't something you like, you may want to steer clear. However, these books are definitely worth the read. They are quick enough to get through but they also have just the right amount of action happening that you never get bored. I genuinely will never get enough of this series and cannot thank Amy Plum enough for creating such a captivating world for me to lose myself into over and over again.
If you have any interest in checking out these books or any of the other stories by Amy Plum, click the link below!