This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity Book 1)

Rating: 5/5Title: This Savage SongAuthor: Victoria SchwabSynopsis:There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from acclaimed author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books, This Savage Song is a must-have for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, and Laini Taylor.Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives. In This Savage Song, Victoria Schwab creates a gritty, seething metropolis, one worthy of being compared to Gotham and to the four versions of London in her critically acclaimed fantasy for adults, A Darker Shade of Magic. Her heroes will face monsters intent on destroying them from every side—including the monsters within.Initial thoughts:I’ve always been taught never to judge a book by it’s cover, but I gotta say, the cover of this one really had me interested. On the back cover there is a short little poem that explained what the different monsters of Verity were and I thought that it was quite clever. This book had been on my TBR list for a while now as well simply due to the fact that it was written by Victoria Schwab. There is a second book as well that I ordered with the first and have yet to read, but will do so as soon as I finish writing this review. Also, from what I had gathered before reading the book, it seemed like this was going to be a ‘what makes a monster’ book and Victoria did not disappoint me at all with this wonderful tale.Plot:What I liked:The way that Victoria Schwab writes madness is captivating. As soon as a character begins to feel stressed, the writing style of the book changes to match the thoughts of that person. It feels so relatable. Things move quickly, but never too quickly for the reader to be lost in the stylistic change each time it happens.I also really loved the world building and the characters in this book. Kate is wild, but always seems to have an end goal in mind while August is rather frazzled at times trying to understand humans and conform to their mannerisms so as not to be out of place. The change in tone that comes when each character is in the spotlight holds a lot of feeling and makes things very distinct as they both describe their understanding of their surroundings and give the reader a specific look at Verity.The villains in the book were executed fantastically. The idea of what is a real monster really plays a role as August and Kate both learn who is really pulling the strings within the city.The pace of the book was wonderful and I thought it was really cool to keep track of the days along with August as a new tally formed on his skin each day.What I didn't like:To be honest there wasn’t a lot that I found I disliked about this book. I really enjoyed the story and didn’t have a qualm with any of the characters that were written.Characters:Kate Harker: She is an amazingly strong character and personality. She does have her flaws though and that’s what makes her human and relatable.August Flynn: My favorite character in the book. He was so loveable even though he was a Sunai and could eat people’s souls. I loved how his mind jumped around like notes on a music score. He just didn’t want to hurt anyone and be considered ‘normal’ and I wanted to give him a hug.Ilsa Flynn: She is a little scattered, but I loved her. She seemed very graceful and seemed rather innocent, but she could also be very deadly.Leo Flynn: A Sunai with a very righteous way of thinking. He believes that humans deserve to be judged and punished for their crimes.Sloan: A Malchai who was made from Callum Harker. He is certainly a very manipulative character, but has his own sense of what needs to happen in order for change to occur.Callum Harker: I hated his guts. He was a very well thought out villainous character who only protected those who could pay for it. He didn’t seem to care about anyone and even when he showed a sliver of humanity, I couldn’t find myself to trust him.Henry Flynn: He was an interesting father figure who only wanted to protect.Overall:I would recommend this book to just about anyone. The theme of the book was amazing and so was the process in which it was conveyed. Violence breed more violence, literally. I know that I will read this book over and over again as time goes on and I cannot wait to finish reading the second book in the series.

I just finished this book and really I don't even have words to express how amazing it is. Having finished every adult book Schwab has written to date I couldn't get past my need to read more books by her, but at the same time, due to my bad luck when it comes to finding good YA books, I hesitated at making the switch, even for an author I love as much as her. But I was ordering a butt load of books and I wanted to make my total as close to $50 dollars as possible (trying to finish up a a gift card) so I tacked in on at the end. I could not have made a better decision.Now this is how you do YA. My problems with previous YAs (and I have read a lot of them) is that they try to be gritty, but they're not. The female characters are supposed to be tough as nails but they're whinny. The stories are all dystopian and yet for some reason the main girl always ends up as a princess, or a Mary Sue. The plots barely exist, and when they do they have giant holes which make the stories unbelievable. This Savage Song on the other hand fixes everyone of these problems and then improves on the process. YA authors should take note, this is how you do it.So things I like. Let start with the basics. The plot. Brilliant. Original. And yes it's a dystopian but it's so much more than that. We're literally playing with the concept of who is the monster and who is the man. We have a monster who just wants to be human, created literally from the monstrous deeds committed by humans. And yet somehow we must rely to the monsters themselves to save humans from themselves. But it's not just about this. The plot is multilayered. Then we have the Territory Wars, and beneath all of this we have Kate and Flynn who seem to understand that there is more going on then just these base problems.Now the characters. Schwab has a way with creating these larger than life characters that resonate with you. Kate, the girl who wants nothing more than to prove her mettle to her father, but deep down inside she just wants her family to be whole. She the perfect balance of hard and soft. She's truly ruthless (not that ruthless that we find in other books where the girl spends time training and knows martial arts and then freezes so that the hero can save her). Kate can take care of herself. And at the same time you can see how hard she tries to put on a brave exterior. How hard she tries to cover up how much she wants to go home, to that cottage with her mother. She's scarred but stronger for it and I love her. I will say that she does share many features with Lila (from a Darker Shade of Magic) but it doesn't matter because she's complete and real and engaging.And August, the monster who just wants to be human but when it all comes down to it does he even know what that means? The boy who practices emotions in the mirror, gestures and body positions. The guy who wants to help, wants to deny his very self just so he can be "normal". He's endearing. As a Sunai his power is great and yet he's not overpowering. He's not that superhero who swoops in and somehow gets out of every situation alright. He acts his age, he lives by his own code and he does the best he can to always stay himself. He's understated and yet doesn't fade in the background, and comes alive when he really has to. He's a perfect foil to Kate's hard exterior. I love them together.What I really enjoyed about this book is that Schwab didn't dumb herself down for a younger audience. She didn't sensor her subject matter and dampen her writing style. Sure her characters are younger, and for a brief period of time they attend school (a hallmark of about 70% of YA), but that's where the YA connection dies. This book reads as dark and gritty as her adult books. There is suspense and violence. The monsters are scary and the humans are scarier. The only thing that makes me sad is that as a YA it reads so much faster than her older books so I finished it quickly. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire way through and now all of a sudden 3 months until the next book is 3 months too many. I guess I have no choice but to try the Archived next since it's the only thing that I haven't read by her.I guess my main point with this review is directed to people who are more familiar with V.E. Schwab than Victoria. Don't let the separation fool you. She keeps her integrity intact in her genre change. At this point I eagerly await the Our Dark Duet as much as I do Vengeful.

I wasn't sure about This Savage Song when I first saw it, I'm not into monster stories so I really didn't think I was going to like it. But I had seen some very positive reviews for the book and heard amazing things about Victoria Schwab and so thought I would take the chance. Well I am glad I did because this book was amazing!I really liked Kate and August, total opposites but both of them bad ass in their own way. Whilst Kate fights to be tough, August fights to stay calm and sane and both struggle throughout to be accepted for exactly who they are. Circumstances bring them together and the two come to depend on each other and after moving on from their initial cautiousness of each other they develop a very genuine friendship.They care for each other, but as nothing more than friends and partners, in their struggle to stay alive and I really liked that there was no messy romance to get in the way. Instead they develop a friendship in which they genuinely care for and trust each other and it's a great foundation for whatever comes next with them.Will they stay friends in book 2 or will it develop into something more? To be honest, I'd be happy either way and I'm excited to see were Schwab decides to take it."It was a cruel trick of the universe, thought August, that he only felt human after doing something monstrous."I LOVED the monsters in Schwab's world and found the background to each one fascinating. Normally when we get monsters in a book then they have either developed from some weird infection or they have come from hell etc or a different world. The monsters in this book are born from violence, which each kind of act producing once of three different types of monster: Corsai, Machai and Sunai. I found it such a unique and interesting concept and I couldn't get enough of the information that Schwab gave us about each one."I mean, most people want to escape. Get out of their heads. Out of their lives. Stories are the easiest way to do that."I really liked the whole city of Verity and the idea of the city being split between the North and the South with Kate and August's parents being the leaders of either side. With two totally different ways of life on either side of the barrier the truce between the two is extremely fragile. In the mist of all this is Kate and August's forbidden friendship and through the plays for power by the North and South the two become pawns in a very dangerous game."The beautiful thing about books was that anyone could open them."I was excited but nervous to see how things were going to end up as the story built and built through the book. There were things I saw coming, but there were also some that I really didn't and the book produced a great mix of emotions within me which had me reeling right to the end of the book.I loved the ending and it was very satisfying whilst still leaving it open for book 2. There is so much to look forward to in the next book and I can't wait for more monsters!"It's a monster's world."

When I see a book with the name V.E. Schwab on the cover I always get excited now. I must have burned through almost all her books this year! She is probably my favourite discovery of 2017. So far I haven’t read one book that disappointed me and This Savage Song was no exception. Urban Fantasy is very often hit or miss with me and not the genre I would go for if I had a choice in books. Schwab is slowly changing my mind though. This Savage Song is another brilliant Urban Fantasy with a different take on a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by monsters.The two main characters are Katherine Harker and August Flynn, both children of opposing factions in V-city. Katherine’s father runs North City, where a tense understanding with the ‘monsters’ has lead to a rule where money can be exchanged for protection. Everyone under Harker’s protection gets a metal medallion, marking them as off limits for the monsters. August’s parents are in charge in South City where the FTF, some sort of security group, protect everyone as much as they can.After the Phenomenon, which stays a very vague event throughout the book, monsters started to be born from the wrongdoings humans committed. The Corsai can best be described as some sort of zombies. They prefer the dark, can’t stand UV-light, smell like death and will not hesitate to tear you to pieces. The Malchai are a bit more sophisticated and have a closer resemblance to vampires. They are pale and cold, cunning and also don’t mind sinking their teeth in humans. Last of all there’s the Sunai. They are very rare and seem to be born out of especially violent events. There are only three and all of them have been adopted by the Flynns. As you might have guessed reading this, our August is one of these Sunai. Between South and North a shaky truce was established 7 years ago, but lately that truce has been crumbling and war is looming at the horizon.I was very interested to find out more about this particular kind of ‘monster’ and August’s viewpoint was perfect to slowly but surely find out what they are, what they can do and how they deal with all of this. However, August’s character didn’t immediately win me over. At the start of the book he very much wants to be a part of the FTF, even though his parents forbid it. He seems to be quite jealous of his older brother, also a Sunai, who is the face of the FTF and is out there fighting the other monsters. He seemed to me a very petulant child, but luckily that changed quite quickly the longer we got to spend time with him. He eventually gets sent on a mission to keep an eye on Harker’s daughter Katherine at a school in the safer areas of V-city.I liked Katherine from the start. She’s a very feisty girl struggling with the differences between the girl she’s supposed to be and the girl she actually is. With a father like Harker, she has to prove that she can be ruthless and strong. But deep down inside Katherine is still dealing with her mother’s death and the fact that she doesn’t want to be in the middle of this fight. Aside from her internal struggles though, she’s very efficient and remarkably clever.Even though this post-apocalyptic world is very fascinating, it’s the more personal journeys of August and Katherine that really make this book stand out. Both have their own struggles in their life and even though August’s identity is hanging over them like a dark cloud, they find a connection that has so much potential that I was rooting for them the whole time. I don’t even mean this in a romantic sense, their chemistry as just two people connecting is so strong that I couldn’t help but be sucked into their story.Another amazing book from Schwab’s hand and luckily only the first in a series! I can’t wait to read the second book and find out how Katherine and August are doing now.

This was my first Schwab book (I know wtf Kirsty) and it did not disappoint.Verity is a city where monsters are real, if you want protection from these monsters you have to pay Harker to keep an eye on you. Harker's daughter Kate is returning to the city after being kicked out from yet another school. August is sent to spy on her in her new school but after an attempt is made on Kate's life a whole system of corruption is discovered by the pair and they must run to protect themselves.The world is so beautifully constructed in this book I felt like I really could imagine everything perfectly. It's made me so much more excited to read more of Schwab's work.Monsters in this world are the products of sinful/bad actions by humans. This is probably one of the most interesting concepts I have ever read, and the type of characters that it has bred. I think it's a bit of a spoiler but August is born after a truly horrible event and as a character he truly bears the brunt of that. He feels guilty for even existing and is unlike the majority of monsters does not want to ever use his powers. I just adored August to be honest. He was a little bean that I just wanted to tuck into bed.I loved Kate and August and the absolute polar opposites they are that were kind of forced to work together. Whilst August was a big softie, Kate has a huge attitude. Her father is basically the big thug of the city and Kate is trying to live up to that, which was a bit cliche but hey ho. I loved that they weren't romantically linked. There doesn't always have to be romance in YA!It was a little slow to begin with but the amount of world building involved made this necessary and once I really got into it I couldn't put it down.I'm excited to read the conclusion of this series, however I have heard it's heartbreaking so I'm a bit worried.

I came to this after completing the author's "Shades of Magic" series and while initially reticent and a little devoid of interest in the first half of this, by the end it had won me over.The first half I found a slow burn, we learn about the two leads, destructive & hard-nosed Kate and August, a 'special' type of monster; there's some loose world-building of a city and its environs. Nothing particularly grabbing or interesting going on, other than the existence of monsters (call me jaded) and we're constantly told that the city is barely holding onto a peace treaty between two factions holding half of the ground each.The first part of the story also takes place mostly at a school -- something I'm immediately wary of given the propensity for cliche and tired tropes.However, once the thing threads of the troubled city start to unravel and our two leads, at once enemies yet gradually more grateful allies, bound from various confrontations while helping each other move forward -- fortunately never devolving into romance along the way.While there's obviously room left for sequels (which already exist), the denouement the story runs to (at pace) in the end I found really quite satisfying and don't feel especially obliged to read on.I think though, that I might.

Originally posted on A Frolic Through FictionV.E. Schwab has only gone and done it again.Here I was, in what I deem “not-quite-a-reading-slump-but-might-as-well-be-I’m-reading-so-slowly”, and I just knew. I KNEW I needed some V.E. Schwab to pull me out of it.In the midst of this phase, while I was reading slower than usual, and preferring to pick up every other hobby I have over reading…this book hooked me and kept me trapped. And that was it.My first new favourite of this year. I have nothing bad to say about this book, so if you’re wanting a critical review, I advise you look elsewhere. This is pure fangirling.Only V.E. Schwab can win my heart through monsters and terror. Only V.E. Schwab can make me call a monster a precious cinnamon roll. Only V.E. Schwab can write characters like August and Kate, who are so complicated, three dimensional, real.I have to admit I was slightly confused in the beginning. You know, that moment where you begin a new book, set in a new world, and you’re trying to catch a grip on whatever the hell is happening? When you’re not only trying to follow the main characters, but also trying to suss the main problem and get used to the world and its ways too. THAT. But I can assure you, it didn’t take me long to just roll with it, and everything soon clicked into place.I found the story fascinating. A world full of monsters, created by violence, a city split in two in a form of territory war. The children of this war. Their backstories. Every single new tidbit of information revealed, I took up eagerly and added it to my amazement. And I can’t even explain why I loved it all so much. I just did.Yes, this is one of THOSE reviews.Lots of flailing. Not as much explaining.The characters definitely do it for me. It’s always the characters. Because they have their faults, and yet they somehow become better characters for it. They’re all so different, yet work together so well in the story. And I don’t mean “work together” like they all start buddying up for the greater good. What I mean is… they have their roles, and even the personalities you think wouldn’t fit together – well, you’d be surprised.I couldn’t rave about this book enough. I actually debated for so long about what to rate it. I read it too quickly to wholeheartedly obsess over it, like I do with her A Darker Shade of Magic series. But I kept thinking about it. Even days, weeks after, I’d find myself thinking about how much I love it. And that made all the difference between a 4.5 and a 5 full stars for me.