Finales are never easy to write, especially when it comes to expectations for readers or fans. Our Dark Duet ends with a certain adrenaline beginning that races towards the middle and ends with an unexpected closure. Its the pinnacle choice of what must be and has to be to make this duology a read some thing different worth picking up.

Picks up months after the events in This Savage Song, Kate Harker is hunting monsters in Prosperity. She is fearless and deadly until a new different kind of monster appears that force her to return to the one place she escape from - Verity. August Flynn is a Sunai hunting other monsters and has a role - to vanquish sinners, monster or even humans. But when the battle between the North and South of Verity is at a standstill still, the appearance of a new kind of monster is tipping the balance and it will take more than his violin to stop this Chaos Eater.

The sequel is so much better than the first - the pacing is fast, the delivery is better and it does not waste time into getting the chapters unfold of what's next in a direct way. I truly enjoy Our Dark Duet more than the first book. The ending perhaps is a choice I foresee that is inevitable and of course, there are great things involve. The character development is well crafted, as always. What I love most, is the interaction between the characters that is pretty much awesome. Overall - I love it better than before.

I am pretty much torn on this. There are things I like about This Savage Song, and there are some I don't. For instance, the world building isn't much impressive and although it has its own uniqueness, its not the kind that pulls the readers into the universe of Verity. There are other good points in this that I will point out.

Kate Harker is a Harker - a human living in a city filled with monsters. But a Harker is to be feared. A Harker controls one side of Verity with a shaky truce signed. August Flynn is a monster. He is the third Sunai of the Flynn that controls the other part of Verity. In the city of Verity, there are other monsters that lurks when the sun goes down. And the truce is about to be broken and war is imminent.

The beginning chapters feels like a Romeo and Juliet tale. A small introduction of Kate, why she is the way she is to prove herself to her father that she is a Harker and August, trying to fit in with the humans. When they meet, there is some thing exchange between them... until a Malchai attacks Kate that reveals some thing sinister is going on. The first act is slow and there are things I do not like how slow it can get. But after the third act itself, this is where it picks up well. It was towards the end that I thought this book ends as just one book but gave a reason why Our Dark Duet exist as the finale of the duology.

To me, this is probably the least like of the series. I actually didn't wanted to start reading Monsters of Verity for some months now but it did took me some time to finally pick this up and read... and took me one of the longest time to finish it. Its a different kind of approach from Victoria Schwab, one I felt she is trying some thing different. Although the creation of monsters is nothing unique, why I gave a four star rating is actually the second part of the book. It is how Victoria Schwab delivers the way she always does.

THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY. KATE HARKER isn't afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she's good at it. AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost. THE WAR HAS BEGUN. THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING. Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims' inner demons. Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within?

OMG this book was about the death of me ….. Really and still sorta is. I don’t even know really what to say about this book without spoiling things. All I know is if you are not a fan of dark and emotional books, you really should skip these. But while the books are pretty dark and can be heart breaking they were also so very beautiful, fulfilling and just pure awesomeness at the same time . I really enjoyed book one and the world setting but I loved book two even more, just everything about it, The people, the story the building up of the awesome ending. It was killing me softly but I loved every minute if this book. August is one of my all-time favorite character and it was just awesome to follow him and his struggles. Kate , man I really liked her too . But what I liked about it more was Kate and August together, not as a couple which was refreshing, but the friendship they had . They just made each other so much better and stronger. Again I’m not sure what all there is to say without spoiling it so I just make it short and sweet .. I loved this book, the characters and the world so much and I was sad to see it end.

I rate it full 5 ★

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There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from 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.

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.

I was blow away by this book. It was just really different from what I read before.

It took me a couple chapters to get into the setting and world, because it’s different but it was a very easy concept to adept to and dive into.

It is a pretty dark and scary world but also was easy to relate and understand. There is not much I can say without spoiling it so I will make it short.

As I said I really loved that it is a new world something we don’t see everywhere, I loved the characters. They never just black and white and with a bunch of nice plot twists they never do what you think they will .

I loved both Kate and August. Both had their strengths and weaknesses but together they were a great team and balanced each other out. I also enjoyed that Kate seemed to be tougher at times than August, her being human and him being a “monster’ and all . But I think what I enjoyed most was the awesome friendship instead of romance, so far.

Overall it was something fresh that was actin packed , thrilling and had many twist and turns, it was super fun and fast to read and I had a hard time putting it down.

The end was semi unexpected and I’m very much looking forward to book two .

I rate this book a full 5 ★

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Thought I was done with YA because (I think) I’m a little bit old for that, but something deep inside me nagged me to not give up, so that was what I did. I chose Victoria Schwab’s (one of my favorite authors) “This Savage Song” since it’s only a duo logy and just recently concluded.

This Savage Song follows the story of the two main characters August Flynn (South Verity) and Kate Harker (North Verity). Their families have been on truce for a couple of years now but that seems coming to an end.  August is a Sunai, one of the three kinds of Monsters in Verity, who wants to live like humans. Kate Harker is a human who desperately wanted to prove to her father that she is a worthy “Harker” and that means she needs to show that she is capable of ruling monsters just like her father.   

The world where this story was set was dark and cruel. Human violent acts will result in the appearance of monsters (Malchai= bloodsucker; Corsai= monsters with sharp teeth and claws; Sunai= steal souls through music). In this place, people fight or pay for their safety.

I don’t know why other people say this book contains zero romance, but to me August and Kate’s chemistry is so palpable. It is not obvious but it is there and I love it just the way it is.

One of the reasons Ms. Schwab became one of my favorite authors was because of the unique plots of her novels. It is a wonder to me how she came up with those ideas. Each of her novels is unique and unpredictable. They don’t usually focus on romance. They are like a breath of fresh air considering most YA novels today have same ideas and focus on romance. Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against romance but sometimes it becomes the center of the whole story in most YA.

I like the writing style, the book cover (so lovely), the perspective and a couple of characters of this book. I enjoyed this book immensely for sure I will read the last installment as soon as I could get my hands on it.

Dark, cruel and brutal world, likable and charming hero, kickass heroine and (almost) no romance, go ahead and try this one if these things I mentioned strikes your fancy.      

#I’m back with reviews hope this will continue

#Just because I don’t post reviews doesn’t mean I stop reading….no…I don’t think I would ever stop reading…ever