#1 New York Times Bestseller * An Amazon Best Book of the YearThere’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 … 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.
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I loved This Savage Song—one of the best YA novels I’ve read in a long time! Intriguing and well-developed characters, unique monsters, and a fast-paced plot that had me thinking “This is the worst possible thing that could have happened!!” over and over again. Between this and A Darker Shade of Magic, I am a huge Victoria/ V.E. Schwab fan and I can’t wait to read more of her books!
Schwab never fails to deliver!
Thrilling and dark and beautiful. I totally fell for August, this lovely broken monster of a boy. I’m diving straight into book two…
I went into this book blind, not knowing what to expect. Based on the title and cover, I figured it was an adult rock star romance.
NOPE. YA dystopian paranormal, if I had to put a label on it.
(While we’re on the subject, the cover is the only thing I really dislike about this book. To me, it doesn’t remotely convey what the story is about. And that font? HELL NO. Totally inappropriate for this story, in my opinion.)
Questionable cover aside, I enjoyed THIS SAVAGE SONG. The two main characters are teens who are put in direct conflict with one another due to their familial ties (Think “Romeo and Juliet.” With vampires. And the world falling apart ). I loved watching Kate’s and August’s cat-and-mouse dance and legit didn’t know how their relationship would play out. In the end, it went (mostly) the way I hoped it would, though there are still some lingering questions, which I assume are answered in the next book.
I liked the world building and the detour from traditional vampires–three different kinds, each with different abilities, they can’t lie, etc. Kate was tough with just enough weakness to keep her believable and relatable, and August was a geniunely likable chap, despite his strange and somewhat disturbing back story. Both faced tough choices along the way, and the conflict really amped up in the last act.
I read some of the ebook, but mostly I listened to the audiobook. The narrator had amazing range, and she really convinced me she was each character she voiced. She hopscotched from playing a tough teenage girl to a vicious male vampire with ease, and her voice acting through the dramatic parts had me on the edge of my seat.
If you’re looking for a fun YA dystopian read with a tough heroine, give THIS SAVAGE SONG a try. I highly recommend listening on audio if you can.
Victoria’s Dark Duet left me speechless. I couldn’t turn the page fast enough. Monsters, fueding cities, mob bosses, Romeo & Juliet love…this book had EVERYTHING!
Just wow! Took me awhile to get into it, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. This book takes the dystopian genre to a new level. August was such an amazing character. The fact that he is a monster who didn’t want to be one, a new twist. Fighting against what you are. Then there is Kate. At first, I couldn’t stand her. She seemed a spoiled, awful girl. But as you read, the layers come off and you see the person under the rough bad-girl facade. Schwab does an amazing job of going back and forth between the two points of view (August and Kate). I didn’t get confused like I sometimes do with books that have alternating viewpoints.
Book one compled, cannot wait for Our Dark Duet, the second book in this saga. This book left me really wanting to know what is going to happen to both August and Kate.
From the very beginning, the story is full of action and movement. All the characters are very interesting, layered, and CONSISTENT. The story is very involving. The whole concept of the monsters, especially how they come to be, had me very interested in the dynamics of the society Victoria created here. I think she accomplished a lot, pretty fast – there are no spaces in the story, everything serves a purpose, everything makes sense. That’s really hard to do.
I am a big fan of Victoria’s writing and have read a number of books and really love her writing style. She really creates unique and interesting characters and settings. Despite the monsters, which would seem to imply a graphic or scary book, I found it to be a sweet and lovely story.
A post apocalyptic world in which monsters roam free is such a unique idea that hooked me in! I was intrigued by what Katie was trying to accomplish at the beginning and how her relationship with August was going to play out. I also kept reading because I needed to learn more about the Monsters of Verity and how music was incorporated throughout. This book left me with lots of emotions.
Didn’t meet my expectations.
Full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2769412402?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
This novel has plenty of blood and gore and dark violent things happening. Even though that’s not what I like to read or my preferred genre, I must say it’s really well-written. It kept me reading to find out what happened, and the characters were engaging. There’s no info-dumping in this novel to tell the reader background information in long, dry sections. Instead, the author trails out breadcrumbs of what’s going on, making the reader keep reading to understand, to figure out the characters and the state of this chilling dystopian world. I appreciated that, even though at times I was slightly lost, thinking, “Wait, did I miss something? What’s going on?” Some great twists near the end, overall quite satisfying and compelling.
I always think that one day I’ll get tired of reading fantasy after just getting into this genre…and then I read V.E. Schwab and I’m proven wrong
This is the first in the Monsters of Verity duology and what a fantastic start. There are brief pauses as we learn more about the characters and their relationships are being built but outside of those pauses?? Pure adrenaline lol
I don’t know how this is going to be wrapped up in the next book as there was a lot going on, but I can’t wait to find out!
4.5* stars
Not really rating just this book. I’m actually rating this duology, because it is the literal bomb with the best characters and best worldbuilding…and wow was everything action-packed!
The first book (TSS) was slightly slow but the second (ODD) is by far one of my favorite books I have read in 2019. The character development is amazing and the plot is incredibly unpredictable. The perfect series for Halloween.
Love love love this book, and the author is one of my faves
This Savage Song is an INCREDIBLE, gut-wrenching read. The world-building is so beautifully done; the author parcels out just enough that you feel rooted in it, but not so much that it slows the story down.
Schwab’s writing is vivid and taut, and the characters are wonderfully compelling. I tore through it in one sitting and immediately bought the sequel. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys paranormal!
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab is a young adult novel told in dual POV. I found the premise of the story unique and very interesting. It’s about a girl trying to prove herself to her ruthless father and a “boy” fighting to overcome his monstrous nature. They are both from opposing areas and should be enemies, but circumstances throw them together as a team. The story held my attention from start to finish. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.
It was a great thriller with fantastic themes and characters
I almost didn’t buy this book because of the title. This is one terrible title.
If I had not ignored the title, I would have missed out on a great story with unique characters. The straightforward plot line, an array of monsters and a case of opposites attract made this an addictive read.
Oh,….warning the second book has a bad title too.
It was entertaining , but I never got attached to the characters. Overall, book has an interesting concept of what makes good & evil.
The main two characters were fantastic and I enjoyed their journey together, but literally everyone else could have been a little more fleshed out. Still looking forward to the next book.