In the city of Verity, violence has begun to breed monsters, monsters that lurk in the shadows. Kate Harker’s father made a truce with the monsters, making certain areas of the city safe. Kate wants to live up to her father’s ruthlessness, and is willing to go to any lengths to do so. August Flynn wants the opposite–born into a family of monsters, all August wants to be human. August goes undercover in order to spy on Kate, but when things go terribly wrong, the two must run for their lives.
Let me start out by saying–this book was dark. And violent. But so well written. Schwab created a whole atmosphere in This Savage Song that envelopes you right from the beginning. Verity is a city where you have to constantly look behind your shoulder wherever you go, and Schwab keeps up this suspense throughout the entire novel, through the unique voices of Kate and August.
I was also intrigued by the kinds of monsters that Schwab created, specifically the Sunai. The Sunai feed on people by stealing their souls through playing music, which is one of the things that August struggles with throughout the novel. He loves his violin, but is deeply tortured by the fact that playing his music can take the life of a human being.
These themes of struggling with what you’re supposed to be are woven throughout the story, as Kate is desperately trying to gain the acceptance of her father, desperately trying to be what she thinks he wants her to be. This is what draws August and Kate together–but there’s no romance! Gasp! I find that these days, it’s extremely rare to find a YA novel that doesn’t feature a romance, and it’s extremely refreshing to find one that doesn’t. Sure, there are hints of something between Kate and August at times, but instead of focusing on a blooming relationship, the novel is able to focus on their struggles as individual characters.
The only reason this book didn’t receive 5 stars is because it took me a bit to get into it. Sure, the beginning scene with Kate setting a church on fire was captivating–but it took me a bit to figure out Verity and all its quirks. But once I did–I was hooked.
4/5 stars