This Savage Song: Monsters of Verity, Book 1
By Michael Berry,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Complex fantasy expertly explores good and evil.

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What you will—and won't—find in this book.
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Based on 5 parent reviews
Victoria Schwab never ceases to impress me
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Who is a Monster
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What's the Story?
In THIS SAVAGE SONG, when Kate Harker decides to burn down the chapel at her boarding school, she finally gets her wish to return to the divided city over which her ruthless father rules one side. When she transfers to a new school in Verity, she meets August, who looks human but is actually a monster working undercover for his family. The Harkers and the Flynns must abide by the shaky truce that governs the city, and there are forces that wish to tear the peace asunder. Kate and August must call upon their better selves to spare the lives of thousands of innocents, if only they can trust each other.
Is It Any Good?
Rich in character, original in its world-building, and unpredictable in its plotting, this offbeat urban fantasy finds nuance in the battle between good and evil. This Savage Song focuses on two characters who believe themselves to be villains and eventually see the good parts of themselves. Author Victoria Schwab keeps the narrative pressure on August and Kate as they attempt to protect each other against a deadly conspiracy, and their intense interplay makes this novel stand out. Schwab excels at this kind of immersive saga, and this volume's cliffhanger ending will leave her fans eager for more.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the ways in which This Savage Song depicts the concepts of good and evil. Can people redeem themselves after they've committed a terrible act?
What role does violence play in This Savage Song? How can people work together to prevent violence?
What might it be like to live in a divided city, where peace endures only under a fragile truce?
Book Details
- Author: Victoria Schwab
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Greenwillow Books
- Publication date: June 7, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 18
- Number of pages: 464
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 13, 2017
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