Our Dark Duet

What can I say about OUR DARK DUET other than it was just freaking awesome and the perfect way to end her duology? I remember just how much I fell in love with Schwab's THIS SAVAGE SONG this is simply no different in terms of its rich and incredibly well-written quality. It's very hard to beat the first book. OUR DARK DUET did that. I want to say so much about this book. There's so much to talk about and even then I don't think if I got to everything I wanted to talk about, that I would even capture half of the brilliance that this book is. Let's talk about what this book is at its core. It's about monsters. It's about these two teenagers who have never really been able to be teenagers. And it's about whether you are a monster or you are a human and what makes you one over the other? If you've gotten so far as OUR DARK DUET, then you know the gist of what the duology is about - two characters, Kate Harker and August Flynn. A fight of those who stand in the light and those who stand in the dark. For these two, the lines are blurred and crossed. I have to say that Schwab's shines when it comes to characterization. If you have read her other series, A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC or VICIOUS, then you will understand what I mean. She made me feel so much for these characters, even the ones that I'm not supposed to root for - like Sloan and Alice. It doesn't all have to be positive feelings but if a writer can perfect their craft to the point that all their characters provoke something in her readers, then that author has transcended an enormous barrier. I am in love with August Flynn. There is no other statement that perfectly captures how I feel about him. He makes me happy and hurt for him. He's so pitiful and so lovable and so many things because he wants to be more than just the Sunai that he was created to be. He struggles as a character because of this, even though his only drive should be to seek out the sinners and reap their souls. I think that he shows just how much a character is willing to give in order to not be regarded as a monster. Yes, he's useful to the cause and shows that while his powers are dangerous and horrifying to his victims that he is more than the sum of those parts. He goes through so much struggle and I enjoyed reading his character development in that regard. He wants to do so much good, to be that Alpha that people see in him, but at the end of the day, he is like every character - always casting doubt in his own shadow and trying to be more than what he feels. Kate is an entirely different beast altogether. Whereas August took prevalence in THIS SAVAGE SONG, I feel like Kate shines more in this book than August. Schwab is incredibly talented at writing complex, smart, fierce female characters. I am a victim to Lila-Bard-love-syndrome. I am also a victim of Kate-Harker-love-syndrome. How am I supposed to keep coherent about her? She is everything I want in a character and because of her enormous flaws and struggle with morality, I have come to realize that I love when my favorite characters struggle. I thought that Schwab had really gone to the ends in TSS when it came to giving Kate struggle, but it is nothing compared to what she puts her through in ODD. And I am so impressed by how much development that she puts in Kate that it only strengthens Kate's presence in the book. God, she's just the type of character that that I couldn't help but love despite everything she's done.

“Because she knew a secret: there were two kinds of monsters, the kind that hunted the streets and the kind that lived in your head. She could fight the first, but the second was more dangerous. It was always, always, always a step ahead.” This series is so strange and beautiful, and unlike anything else I have read. I loved August and most of the time just want to hug him, though I am sure that is not necessarily the appropriate response to the situation. I also have so many feelings about Kate. I feel like, well if I keep going I will give too much away. I will say that the dynamics between Kate and August is what truly makes this book captivating. I loved the insights from both of them about each other and about the situation. A world where monsters are everywhere and you may be one yourself, but being able to find a kind of innocence and connection in the midst of it, I feel like that is a story we could all take something from. There is just so much to take in and process from this story and I plan to reread it again in the future. Its a definite 5 star read for me.

Victoria Schwab really blew me away with Our Dark Duet, the final book in her Monsters of Verity duology. Not only was it filled with dark and creepy monsters and the action-packed goodness that I enjoyed so much in This Savage Song, the first book in the duology, but it also literally reduced me to tears by the end. There’s so much to love about this book, but Kate Harker’s growth as a character is probably at the top of my list. She is now a spike wielding, monster-killing badass and I adored her even more in this book than I did in the first one. My love for poor tortured August is still strong in this book too, and I rooted for both he and Kate as they valiantly battled their demons, both literally and figuratively. Schwab’s worldbuilding and pacing are spot on in Our Dark Duet too. I love this world she has created – it’s dark and creepy with monsters literally lurking around every corner, which just makes for such an intense and suspenseful reading experience. The pacing was incredible too as it mirrors what is going on with Kate and August. It starts off at a steady and even pace as Kate and August are each battling a lot of internal demons, but then once they come together to battle a monster that appears to be even worse than the Corsai and Malachi we met in This Savage Song, the pace increases to almost a frenetic pace. The second half of the book flies by and is filled with blood, explosions, destruction, and death. I devoured the nearly 500 page book in 24 hours. Don’t even get me started on the ending, which just shattered my heart into a million pieces. Schwab has done it again — Our Dark Duet is truly a heartbreaking piece of writing perfection. 5 STARS

***Possible spoilers below. You’ve been warned*** The plot was off to a pretty slow start in this one. Before I start, I’d have to recommend you read This Savage Song before going to this book. You would need the foundation that was set up in This Savage Song to really benefit and enjoy reading Our Dark Duet. As mentioned before, the plot was off to a slow start. Kate and August are on both different ends of the spectrum but have changed drastically. They’ve definitely ‘grown up’ so to speak. Kate becomes monster hunter extraordinaire. August leads his own squad in the FTF. Kate’s part of the story was definitely more interesting. Despite trying hard not to warm up to people she manages to have her small group of friends (but of course, shuns them anyway despite one of them trying to reach out to her numerous times). I love this quality in Kate. It makes her so much more realistic and puts her way from the group of those ‘stone cold butt kickers that apparently have no soul’. That being said about Kate. Oh. Lord. That ending. Kate dying with August nearby got my stomach into knots and twists. I can’t believe it. It was beautifully written though and a suitable ending for her. Kate was pretty much a pariah and a lone wolf. August was one of the few that was able to get to know Kate at a more deeper level. It was only fitting that she meets her end with that one person by her side. Beautifully done. I didn’t really think the romance scene between Kate and August was necessary. It was a minor filler that didn’t need to be added. I never saw August and Kate that way. They were too different and didn’t have that nice ongoing chemistry together. Fighting partners, yes. Partners in love? No I don’t think so. So more about characters dying. Am I the only one that felt a punch to the gut when Ilsa died? Ilsa was a character I really loved in these two books. She went down in a blaze of glory though (albeit, a shocked blaze of glory.) You have to admit, Sloan is one of the better villains I have read in a long while. I like him teaming up with Alice even though villains they are, they are looking out for themselves. He’s creepy, malicious, calculating, and cunning. He’s a perfect villain. The last half of the book, which was filled with action, blood, explosions and all the good stuff set the pace for the great ending to a wonderfully written duology. I know fans out there are asking for more, as it’s not the end of the adventures for August and Soro. For me, it’s just enough and it’s a perfect ending. Well done Ms Schwab! Now I’m off to read your other works!

I fell in love with the dark, exhilarating story that was THIS SAVAGE SONG, and immediately wanted to read this one. Luckily, I only had to wait about two weeks, and OUR DARK DUET did not disappoint in the slightest. The thing I love most about these two books--while there is lots to love about them--is how Victoria Schwab explores what it means to be good, bad, and how everyone falls somewhere in the middle. Kate and August were fantastic, and I was so sad to say goodbye to this series. See more reviews at my blog! http://areadingredsox.blogspot.com

Full Spoiler-Free Review Here:http://www.mythoughtsareablog.com/2017/07/book-review-our-dark-duet-by-victoria.html The greatest heroes are the ones we don't expect. Take a monster who steals souls for instance, would he ever save the world? Good question, I guess you'll have to read this book to find out. Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab is the second novel in the Monster of Verity duology following This Savage Song. I read book one back in September of 2016 and I loved it so much. I thought it was one of the most original ideas I had read in a long time. You can read my review on book one HERE fair warning, not spoiler-free. Anyways, the long awaited sequel was published in June of this year and I finally read it and man oh man did it feel good to be back in this world. What I like most about these novels and two in particular is not just the original idea, but the way Schwab was able to use monsters to really showcase the struggles of humanity. Using August and the others gave the reader an outsider's view of the world of human beings and I think that was a brilliant move. The monsters are made from human choices and if that isn't a metaphor in itself then I don't know what is. Along with Kate, August, Henry, Ilsa, etc, there are a handful of new characters that I really enjoyed getting to know and if this wasn't a duology then I would love to get to know them, especially Soro. Even though I wish there was another book I think the story was wrapped up nicely and will be reading both of them again. Did I get all the endings I wanted for each character? No, but in the end, after thinking about it, it ended just the way it should have. Overall, I give this book 5/5 stars. I thought it was entertaining, heart-warming, full of action, and a twisted tale of two people who will fight for everything no matter the cost. If you don't think you will like the series, I implore you to give it a go. Both books are something special and I will definitely be checking out Victoria Schwab's other novels.

I'm not sure what happened,but this wasn't the book I was expecting to read. While it has the action and gore that you'd expect it to have for this story line to work, I still had such a hard time staying focused. The pacing was slow. I don't feel like we learned much more about the monsters(especially the newest monster), or really anything more about what's going on in their world than we already knew. There was no real plot progression. I didn't think so anyway. Did I miss something? And the ending just wasn't great. I needed more from it...it needed something. Through the book, things seemed to happen without any real reason, and I want to know those reasons. We really needed to know more about the Chaos Eater too. I have so many questions... where does this all leave their world now? Is is better? Is it worse? The same? I don't know. Maybe I missed something. I really feel like must have missed something crucial. I'm at a loss.

Well. I have only one thing to say, and that is; read this series. I was in tears by the end of it and I honestly loved it.

Picking up where THIS SAVAGE SONG left off, OUR DARK DUET examines the complicated spectrum of humans and monsters and will leave the reader questioning where exactly they might fall if placed in the characters shoes. Schwab explores and weaves the the intersections of humanity and monstrosity with a skill that makes this book impossible to put down until the very end. An extremely satisfying conclusion to one of the best YA duologies out there.