Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2)

Author: Victoria Schwab

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Publisher: Titan Books

Publication Date: June 13th 2017

Format: Paperback (470 pages)

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Synopsis:

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’s a monster with 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 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.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Our Dark Duet was one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2017 after I fell in love with Kate and August in This Savage Song. I picked it up as soon as it arrived and absolutely devoured it. Once again Victoria Schwab delivers an incredible novel that did not disappoint me in the slightest. I am in awe of this lady!

Our Dark Duet picks up a little while after the ending of This Savage Song. Kate is now hunting monsters and concealing her identity in Prosperity whilst August is playing an important role in identifying sinners and taking their souls. When Kate makes a terrifying discovery she returns to Verity and she and August reunite to fight against the monsters that haunt their city.

It didn’t take me long at all to find myself firmly back in the world of Verity and its monsters. I thought it may take me a while to remember the different monsters and what had happened (I didn’t reread This Savage Song) but it didn’t at all. Schwab’s writing style is so unique in each of her books that she manages to immediately transport you right back to where you need to be.

This story is SO crammed full of action, it was a truly exhilarating read from beginning to end. I absolutely loved how dark this book was. The monsters were terrifying, Alice in particular scared the hell out of me and I was on the edge of my seat throughout. As a duology these books are absolutely incredible. I couldn’t have asked for more, it was better than I ever imagined!

Kate is still a passionate, fiery and sassy little thing. August is still the most adorable monster and I want to wrap him up in cotton wool even more now. They both had fantastic character development in this book and the plot for both of them was really strong. I loved reading August’s internal conflict about what he was doing as a Sunai. Their relationship is still one of my favourite things ever. I loved the addition of the many new characters but was particularly pleased to see the addition of non-binary character Soro. They were an excellent opposite to August in that they are both Sunai but August’s views of his job are very different to that of Soro who just wants to do their job quickly and efficiently, without the moral concerns.

By the end of this book I had laughed, cried, been angry, felt sad, been scared and had my heart broken. Schwab certainly knows how to send her readers off on an emotional journey. Her writing is incredible and every single sentence on the page is meaningful and well considered. I really enjoyed the additions of chapters/parts in verse too which was great in keeping with the musical elements of the story.

Exhilarating. Powerful. Deliciously dark. Wonderfully written.

ALL OF THE STARS!! Victoria Schwab, I bow down to you again. Incredible!

Have you read This Savage Song / Our Dark Duet?

What did you think?

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