Parents' Guide to

This Savage Song: Monsters of Verity, Book 1

By Michael Berry, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Complex fantasy expertly explores good and evil.

This Savage Song: Monsters of Verity, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 5 parent reviews

age 14+

Victoria Schwab never ceases to impress me

4.5 stars Schwab describes this duology as "Sin City PLUS Romeo and Juliet MINUS romance PLUS monsters. " I didn't know how badly I needed this book until I got my hands on it. I absolutely devoured these two books in about two or three days. There aren't many YA books that don't have a central focus on romance these days, though it does have a hint or taste here and there, really, it was almost refreshing for romance to play such a small role. This was the first Schwab book I'd ever picked up. I didn't read any reviews about them and I didn't know that there would be such a lack of romance. My first thought was, another monster/human romance? Really? In a repugnant, post-apocalyptic america, this had the potential to be another YA dystopian novel that would fade into the back behind books like the Hunger Games, The Giver and Divergent, But no more than 10 pages in I knew I was hooked. From the characters you hate to love and love to hate (and love to love), it is a wild ride of emotions. I'm pretty sure this book tore my heart out and shoved it back in more than once.I highly recommend this to any reader that loves fantasy, adventure and a bit of blood.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
age 13+

Who is a Monster

At the beginning of this book I really wanted to have more background information to understand where it was heading, but in hindsight it was well paced for its revelations. However, a kid who likes more information up front may get frustrated. More than just that the storyline is interesting to follow, the development of the relationship between Kate and August is really enjoyable to read, especially since their basic natures remove my parental anxiety of whether this is leading up to something physical. I particularly enjoyed the character of August and his honest self-reflections. Some of the secondary characters, such as August's "siblings," could have used a little more development, but that was not a big negative for me.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (7):

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.

Book Details

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