The covers of these books are so stunning (honestly look up ANY edition, they’re all so aesthetic) and the content is definitely a match. If you didn’t cover-buy this series I applaud you for your self restraint but you made a mistake. This one’s a keeper.
Publication date: 13 June 2017
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi Dystopian with monsters/ Dark Fantasy
Pages: 510
Kate Harker is a girl who isn’t afraid of the dark. She’s a girl who hunts monsters. And she’s good at it. August Flynn is a monster who can never be human. No matter how much he once yearned for it. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.
Nearly six months after Kate and August were first thrown together, the war between the monsters and the humans is a terrifying reality. In Verity, August has become the leader he never wished to be, and in Prosperity, Kate has become the ruthless hunter she knew she could be. When a new monster emerges from the shadows–one who feeds on chaos and brings out its victim’s inner demons–it lures Kate home, where she finds more than she bargained for. She’ll face a monster she thought she killed, a boy she thought she knew, and a demon all her own.
I honestly think this book is better than the review I am about to give it; I’m bitter about my forbidden utopia. It was nothing like I thought it would be but then, I guess, neither was anything our two heroes expected from the world. August, I imagine, thought his biggest hurdle would be overcoming his species and finding a way to live happily as a human. As it turned out it was just the opposite and his challenge was, in fact, to come to terms with his whole self and find balance in an imperfect world. Again, Kate (I thought) was just ready to make peace with her past instead of making huge choices about her future. There were so many elements of realism in this fictional world ( in terms of what we can and cannot change) that, honestly, I felt hard done by about the ending. I was itching for happily ever after but It really couldn’t have ended another way and I’m glad it did but boy-oh-boy was it a bummer. *incoherent sobbing*
The character arcs for these two are fabulously handled by Schwab and they were integral to the message she weaves into the narrative. She highlights the monstrous nature within all of us and helps demonstrate that good and bad aren’t always black and white (or, indeed red and white).
The writing (of course) was wonderful, I love Schwab’s prose and I was glad to see that it was consistent with her other works. It was wonderfully dark and Verity was perfectly terrifying but it was written with a kind of poetry that kept it fluid despite some of the jarring and nasty goings on. The voices of the characters were distinct and held form throughout the novel. This, perhaps, was why I was so taken aback by some of the major plot points in the conclusion of this duology.
There is definitely more to be written about this world and I hope there is more in store. Whilst most mayor topics drew neatly to a close, I was left wondering what became of the characters we met in Prosperity – were they there purely to facilitate Kate’s escape and separation from Verity? Or will we find out more about them in a further novella or something (yes please!)
Ultimately it turned out to be a story about sacrifice, selflessness, and the blurry lines between right and wrong. I’d definitely recommend the series (though I did marginally prefer the first book.)
✩✩✩1/2
3.5 out of 5
If you liked This Savage Song and Our Dark Duet, try This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada.
CatInEsse 