Kate Harker is a delinquent, burning down chapels to gain her father’s attention. August Flynn is a monster that looks like a human, a powerful weapon his father hides behind his back. As their city crumbles, only these two could hope to help.

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Why this book?: I love Victoria Schwab. Isn’t that enough?

Another magical tale

After reading V.E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic, I bought this book without ever really looking into what it was about. I knew it was technically considered YA, because all books under Victoria is YA, and everything under V.E. is adult. Let’s just say that, even if I had known what this book was about, I would have had the same feelings I have about it now.

Schwab just does not disappoint. I found the magic within the book just as unique as what was in her Shades of Magic books, if not even more unique. She had come up with her own names for these monsters, and rules for them and the humans. While it took a little bit to understand the names, the rhyme that came with the book, and was used and referenced multiple times within the book, helped understand it as well as add its own uniqueness to the novel.

All of the characters were so different, and I loved how there were clear sides, and yet, those sides were often blurred. I found both August and Kate charming (who am I kidding, I was cackling when we first met Kate.) Leo, Isla, Callum, and Sloan were also very in depth characters, despite their short time period on the page. You can tell a lot of effort went into crafting each and every character.

Small problems eventually stacked up

I loved this book. But the writing style, which seemed a bit more blander than Shades of Magic, rubbed me the wrong way. Certain things seemed to contradict something else that was said (like Malchai and Corsai being repelled by pure metal, but them coming in contact with a metal bar?? And not flipping out??)

The book was over 400 pages long, but it moved really fast, going forever while only taking up 20 pages. I read the last 200 pages in less than a few hours, which always irks me. The book was also formatted differently, spacing out a bit more. Personally, I’m not a fan of when publishers thicken books to make them look longer. I know Schwab has nothing to do with that, but it was still something that bothered me.

I also felt that nothing much happened within the first half of the book. It was just going back and forth between August and Kate, day after day of them going to school. I was expecting more than that, so my reactions from above were mainly from the second half of the book.

Final Rating: ★★★★☆

Overall?

I greatly enjoyed This Savage Song, and I can’t wait to see what Schwab cooks up in Our Dark Duet, which is the next in the series. I have to admit that I was freaking out during the ending, because I didn’t see that painful twist coming, nor the news that came with it. Schwab has always been skilled with coming up with those endings, which I should have seen coming.

Would I Recommend?

Anyone who enjoyed any of her previous books would no doubt enjoy this one. Any fans of fantasy and cruel plot twists would love Schwab. Or hate her. Depends on how you look at the twists.

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Additional Information:

Published: July 5th, 2016

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Page Count: 427

Genre: Fantasy/YA/Dystopia

Synopsis:

There’s no such thing as safe.

Kate Harker wants to be as ruthless as her father. After five years and six boarding schools, she’s finally going home to prove that she can be.

August Flynn wants to be human. But he isn’t. He’s a monster, one that can steal souls with a song. He’s one of the three most powerful monsters in a city overrun with them. His own father’s secret weapon.

Their city is divided.

Their city is crumbling.

Kate and August are the only two who see both sides, the only two who could do something.

But how do you decide to be a hero or a villain when it’s hard to tell which is which?