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jocielu's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bluejaybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Without a doubt, I liked and at times even loved this duology. That said, there are also some aspects I’m not sure how I feel about.
I’ve read the first book multiple times in both physical and audiobook formats. I only do that with books that I adore.
What I liked most about This Savage Song were our protagonists, especially August. I love reading about characters who long to be someone they can never become. I don’t know why this is because this is not the case for me personally, unless the person I want to become is a successful novelist, but that’s not unachievable, just unlikely.
In any case, I recognize that this is a personal bias towards a particular character archetype as opposed to something other readers will feel the same way about.
I flew through the second book in a single day and found it difficult to put down just like the first one. That said, I don’t think I enjoyed Our Dark Duet as much as This Savage Song.
It’s difficult to determine the cause of these feelings. I think part of it stems from the fact that the protagonists undergo significant development between books one and two and at the beginning of Our Dark Duet.
August and Kate have become very different people by the time Our Dark Duet starts. On one hand, the development is believable. On the other hand, I miss who the characters had been.
August and Kate develop a great dynamic in book one. It took a while for the two to start interacting with one another at the start of the book.
A similar amount of time is spent with the characters apart in book two as in book one, but I found myself wanting them together more. I feel like August and Kate lacked some of the synergy they gained in book one throughout book two. The reason for this is explained, but I still found myself missing their interactions.
I also felt like there was a plot-line introduced at the beginning of book two involving the other countries in this universe that was never concluded. This makes me wonder if the author is planning a separate novella or spin-off set in this location.
Part of my lack of satisfaction with book two might involve reading this book so soon after finishing the finale in the Shades of Magic series. Our Dark Duet and A Conjuring of Light had similar plots.
I can’t go into many details without spoilers, but suffice to say that the similarities stemmed from the nature of the antagonists. Both Our Dark Duet and A Conjuring of Light contained what I consider to be two of Schwab’s least nuanced villains.
This Savage Song, on the other hand, had a plot that felt more different from Schwab’s other novels, though it felt more similar to other books I’d read.
Verity was something I loved in both books. I loved the idea of having monsters appear as a result of people’s sins. The world-building manages to feel simple and complex at the same time. My main complaint about the world-building is that I wanted to see more of it.
I’ve read the first book multiple times in both physical and audiobook formats. I only do that with books that I adore.
What I liked most about This Savage Song were our protagonists, especially August. I love reading about characters who long to be someone they can never become. I don’t know why this is because this is not the case for me personally, unless the person I want to become is a successful novelist, but that’s not unachievable, just unlikely.
In any case, I recognize that this is a personal bias towards a particular character archetype as opposed to something other readers will feel the same way about.
I flew through the second book in a single day and found it difficult to put down just like the first one. That said, I don’t think I enjoyed Our Dark Duet as much as This Savage Song.
It’s difficult to determine the cause of these feelings. I think part of it stems from the fact that the protagonists undergo significant development between books one and two and at the beginning of Our Dark Duet.
August and Kate have become very different people by the time Our Dark Duet starts. On one hand, the development is believable. On the other hand, I miss who the characters had been.
August and Kate develop a great dynamic in book one. It took a while for the two to start interacting with one another at the start of the book.
A similar amount of time is spent with the characters apart in book two as in book one, but I found myself wanting them together more. I feel like August and Kate lacked some of the synergy they gained in book one throughout book two. The reason for this is explained, but I still found myself missing their interactions.
I also felt like there was a plot-line introduced at the beginning of book two involving the other countries in this universe that was never concluded. This makes me wonder if the author is planning a separate novella or spin-off set in this location.
Part of my lack of satisfaction with book two might involve reading this book so soon after finishing the finale in the Shades of Magic series. Our Dark Duet and A Conjuring of Light had similar plots.
I can’t go into many details without spoilers, but suffice to say that the similarities stemmed from the nature of the antagonists. Both Our Dark Duet and A Conjuring of Light contained what I consider to be two of Schwab’s least nuanced villains.
This Savage Song, on the other hand, had a plot that felt more different from Schwab’s other novels, though it felt more similar to other books I’d read.
Verity was something I loved in both books. I loved the idea of having monsters appear as a result of people’s sins. The world-building manages to feel simple and complex at the same time. My main complaint about the world-building is that I wanted to see more of it.
ineslts's review against another edition
5.0
I remember starting Our Savage Song hopeful for the story ahead. I remember that despite it's setting and all the monsters, I loved every step that brought August and Kate closer. I remember when that book was almost finished and something seemed to change, but there was still hope because there was a whole other book, 470 pages, there was time!
Starting Our Dark Duet came with excitement, foolish hope and the dread that readers develop over a few hundred books of experience. But, the blasted hope was there regardless and it was like I never left Verity. This time Kate and August felt like old friends I hadn't seen in quite some time, and it was nice to see them gravitate towards one another again, despite everything, despite the time, despite the world really... But there was no more time... There was no other book... There was just the flipping of the pages and the words running out...
I make a habit of not leaving spoilers on my reviews, it's usually just me getting a particular book off my system anyway, so I'll just say that I feel a lot like August in the end, not sure how to call it all. It didn't feel like a happy ending, too much blood and darkness and melodies that came to an end, but it didn't feel like a sad ending either... There was, after all, hope. Hope that a song stays with you, long after the last cord fades from the air...
Starting Our Dark Duet came with excitement, foolish hope and the dread that readers develop over a few hundred books of experience. But, the blasted hope was there regardless and it was like I never left Verity. This time Kate and August felt like old friends I hadn't seen in quite some time, and it was nice to see them gravitate towards one another again, despite everything, despite the time, despite the world really... But there was no more time... There was no other book... There was just the flipping of the pages and the words running out...
I make a habit of not leaving spoilers on my reviews, it's usually just me getting a particular book off my system anyway, so I'll just say that I feel a lot like August in the end, not sure how to call it all. It didn't feel like a happy ending, too much blood and darkness and melodies that came to an end, but it didn't feel like a sad ending either... There was, after all, hope. Hope that a song stays with you, long after the last cord fades from the air...
emmahay's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Young adult
leafblade's review against another edition
3.0
The ending was too rushed, and it didn't make sense to introduce that many characters in Kate's side if we were not going to see them again, and the whole point of this book was friendship and not having romance and it did.
Like, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. And I loved Soro with all my heart. But I don't think Victoria's way of crafting stories is for me.
Like, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. And I loved Soro with all my heart. But I don't think Victoria's way of crafting stories is for me.
sweetbriar15's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
3.5
mariam___ahmed8's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The hypocrisy of humans being disgusted from monsters
Monsters that came from monstrous human acts
Monsters that came from monstrous human acts
books_nyx's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This one took quite some time to finish and I think it was mostly due to how macabre it was for me. At one point it seemed like there wouldn’t be any humans left to finish the plot 🙃
The ending also seemed anticlimactic 🤷🏽♀️
Hopefully, the Shades Of Magic trilogy is more to my taste.
The ending also seemed anticlimactic 🤷🏽♀️
Hopefully, the Shades Of Magic trilogy is more to my taste.