top of page

Blog

Review for This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab!


Quick View Review

Overall Rating: ***** (5/5) (and so, so many more)

Amazon Rating: **** (4.6/5)

One Sentence Review: A book filled with gorgeous writing and characters you absolutely can’t help but falling in love with, this book has undoubtedly become one of my personal favorites ever, and I can only hope you’ll take my advice and pick it up as soon as you can.

Full Review:

Humans. Monsters. The line between them is crystal clear: one good, one evil.

Or so it seems.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the children of the rulers of each side of a divided city. Kate is a human. August is a monster. Yet Kate is the one who is violent, ruthless, and cruel; August is the one who is compassionate, caring, and gentle.

When the paths of these two inevitably collide as monsters approach from every side, they will have to decide whether they want to heroes or villains, friends or enemies.

And although the choice may seem to be black or white, August and Kate will find that it may not be so simple.

THIS BOOK YOU GUYS. THIS. BOOK. Just THINKING about it makes me super excited and happy and reminds me of why I love reading so much.

Yes, you read that right. This book was one of those that just absolutely took my breath away, had me hooked until the very end; it was one of the few gems that makes going through the books that maybe aren’t so great absolutely worth it. It possesses that inexplicable quality only bookworms and readers understand, the one we try so desperately to explain when people ask us “So, why do you like reading so much?”

Although this book was basically perfect, there was one tiny flaw, and it’s one that I’m not sure I can even call a flaw, and that is that I found the first half of the book to be a tad slow. I was waiting for the action to pick up, for something exciting to happen, but I didn’t really get anything until I was past halfway. The reason I’m not even sure I can call this a flaw is because of the necessary world-building that Schwab executed so perfectly; to explain the complex world present in This Savage Song, I understand why the author had to make us wait before picking up the action.

But let me tell you, the second half of this book made the agonizing wait of the first 200 or so pages worth every second, because when the action picked up, it picked up. And it didn’t ever stop. I was racing through the pages, gasping and screaming and maybe even whispering to myself. I lost sense of what was going on around me; all that mattered were the words on the page and the beautifully-crafted characters. I was engrossed in that incredible way certain books capture you, and I’m not even sure I let go of the breath I was holding until I read the last word (and even then, I still haven’t totally let go of it… I don’t think that’s going to happen until I’ve read the last word of the last book).

Backing up a little bit: the characters. I absolutely loved how some conformed to the stereotypes of the city, others completely defied them, but what mattered was our two protagonists and their inner conflict. I adored how Schwab gave us just enough information about the side characters for the reader to feel for them and care for them too, but really placed a strong focus on August and Kate, making it clear that the story was about them and them alone (although I would love to maybe see some side/background stories about other characters in the future…)

Another aspect of this book that I found to be positively refreshing was the lack of romance. Never mind the messy love triangles and romance conflicts pretty much every YA book possesses, this novel really concentrates on the characters’ personal and individual developments and transformations, without the added factor of worrying about a love interest. This aspect of the story also eliminated the issue of insta-love, and really illuminates that relationships take time and a long list of shared experiences before they truly become romantic.

The writing was just… stunning. This was my first Victoria Schwab book, and I’m honestly kicking myself for never having picked up A Darker Shade of Magic or Vicious. You can bet I’ll likely be reading them very soon, because Victoria Schwab + fantasy?! Yes. Please.

Overall, there really is just no way I can do this spectacular book justice. Characters that blossom and develop as the plot does the same, along with gorgeous writing… Is there really anything else a reader can ask for? Plus, the premise in this book is in no way generic: everything about it was unique and unlike anything you will have seen before. It’s definitely one of my favorites ever, and one that I will cherish for a long, long time.

Make sure to come back next Wednesday for a new review!

Xoxo,

Jordan


Featured Posts
Archive
Follow Me
  • Grey Facebook Icon
  • Grey Twitter Icon
  • Grey Instagram Icon
  • Grey Pinterest Icon
bottom of page