Monsters of Verity Duology Review(ish)

Ha, jokes on you (and me), this ain't a review, just a dump for everything I thought about This Savage Song and Our Dark Duet because I haVE SO MANY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS DUOLOGY.

Monsters of Verity is a duology by V.E. Schwab, "an American fantasy author best known for her 2013 novel Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and for her children's and young adult fiction published under the name Victoria Schwab" (Wikipedia) kek #credible

via GIPHY

Guess what ya girl did to defend one of her favorite books of 2017?

Ya girl said diddly-squat to defend it. Instead, I offered to let him borrow the books once I was done. He gladly refused and then walked away.

Just to get this very, very clear: It's his loss.

This duology was anything but cliché. The blurb was nothing like the contents of these books. Perhaps it's just the fact that I haven't read a lot of books in my lifetime (kek no), but the Monsters of Verity duology introduces such an interesting concept.

In Kate and August's world, violence literally breeds monsters. When a person commits murder for example, a literal monster arises from this bad deed. It ain't no fluffy green monster either. It's a full-on monster that will feed on humans in all the ways possible (blood, bone, and soul). The monsters created depend on the bad deed done; the darker the crime, the darker the monster basically. The books (especially the first one) goes over the intricacies of this concept and I am in awe.

If that doesn't sound intriguing to you, then enlighten me, what does intrigue you?

Also, if that doesn't convince you of the brilliance of this duology, here's a little part of an interview Victoria Schwab did for Barnes and Noble Teen:

What was the initial inspiration for what became This Savage Song?

I’m intensely fascinated by monsters. Not just the external and obvious kind that go bump in the night, but the kind that lurk within humans. My books tend to explore the theme of inner demons, and I wanted to play with that in a more concentrated way, to examine two characters: a monstrous boy who wanted to be human, and a human girl who thought she needed to be monstrous.
The inspiration for Verity itself came from a very dark place: reality. Surrounded as we are by so many acts of violence, I began to wonder: what if there was an aftermath? Not just the loss, the shrapnel, but something psychic, something cosmic. That question gave way to the monsters of Verity, each born from an act of violence.

Can you imagine how many monsters would be in the world right now if all the violence actually bred demons?

The Philippines would be filled to the brim with monsters.

There is so much more to this duology than just the blurb. One thing I can't not mention is the absence of the romantic subplot that tends to take over the story! I loved August and Kate's relationship. There was so much dry humor, but also so much care and love. I'm extremely impressed by how their friendship was built first before trying to incorporate romance unlike some books out there (*cough* Unbecoming of Mara Dyer *cough*).

Also, violins! There is a very special place in my heart for these small wooden string instruments, so naturally I was drawn to the covers of these books. Can we talk about how beautiful those covers are? They are freaking stunning. I have literally spent a lot of time admiring how neat these covers are.

And I think that's about it. I love this duology so, so much and I hope some of you would love them as well (if ever you decide to pick them up).

jokes on u this entire post was a pitch, not a review kek


via GIPHY