Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity, 2)

Picking up my next unfinished duology, I turned to Victoria Schwab’s Our Dark Duet which brings a conclusion to the Monsters of Verity duology. It had been awhile since I read This Savage Song, but luckily I found a summary for THAT! Diving back into the series was still a bit hard, but manageable.When we start we join Kate in Prosperity, having left Verity behind, and somehow finds herself working with a group of monster hunters, for monsters are everywhere in this world. Though one chance encounter with a monster leaves Kate shaken, this monster was different from the usual sort and as you can imagine will be a feat of impossibility to defeat.Eventually, we pop back in on August who’s still in Verity acting as a sort of police force trying to keep some semblance of order and justice in the city that is being run rampant with monsters.Then of course, as teased at the end of This Savage Song, we see that Sloan is still alive and well, and there’s a new monster in town, one who just rose and looks like Kate in a lot of ways and goes by the name of Alice. Apparently whatever theories I had developed about this were grossly incorrect as I seemed to have forgotten the tidbit about how new monsters are created! Lol. It seems these two have decided to join together because of shared common enemy.I remember reading reviews saying that it took a while for Kate and August to reunite, and it does. Over a 100+ pages into the story, it almost makes those pages feel like an overly drawn out prologue especially since Kate was in Prosperity all that time. Already, I felt like I was getting off to a bad start with this one since the pace was slow. I understood the need for the slower pacing, there was a lot that had to be built up, but at the same time, I had hoped for something more along the way to these bigger events.One thing that I did miss that I felt like wasn’t as present in this one was the relationship between Kate and August. They had that sort of reluctant budding friendship that danced along the lines of something maybe more but also the greater potential to turn into a battle to the death. It was heavy. It was complicated. Here, I feel like we got know of that. Mostly because they spend so much time apart. Even when they finally reunite, they still put physical distance between them and I kind of hated it. That spark of chemistry that was infrequently teased in the first book was no longer here. I had idealistic hopes that there would’ve been a stronger romance segue in this story, but alas that was not the case.The ending was even more shocking! I mean, I was expecting something major to happen but the results were far more devastating than I anticipated. It’s an ending that left me with conflicted feelings and I am not sure how I feel about everything overall now that it’s all said and done. Was it fitting? Sure, I guess. Could it have ended in another way and been better? Most assuredly. Is this ending the right one? Tough to say, but it’s the ending that we got. Despite the conflicting feelings I have about its ending, Our Dark Duet was still a satisfying read that definitely was one that took me by surprise.Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars

Not quite 5 stars. Maybe 4 1/2? Or 4 3/4? I'm not sure yet.What I am sure of, though, is that OUR DARK DUET will devastate you. The last couple chapters left me lurching, breathless, and sad. But at the same time, it's wholly appropriate, and it reminds us that sometimes the most fitting ending will come at a cost to the characters.OUR DARK DUET starts off introspective, catching up with Kate and August in their new roles and realities since the end of THIS SAVAGE SONG. Then a new monster, one that Kate discovers in the city of Prosperity, is introduced - and all hell breaks loose. In positive ways that will keep you reading, of course.It has more of everything that made THIS SAVAGE SONG so unputdownable for me: more suspense, more unique monsters, more heart-stopping action, and more reasons to be scared for Kate and August. But it's also more psychological, exploring the idea of inner demons as well as outer. It's twisty and terrifying and so intense that you'll swear it's going to give you nightmares, and yet you keep reading because WHY ON EARTH NOT?! The only part that didn't sit well with me was an almost-romantic moment between two characters that, to me, was unnecessary. It was the only such scene in the book, but I think it could have been more effective if it stayed platonic.Otherwise... wow. OUR DARK DUET is exciting, heart-rending, and thought-provoking - perhaps the stronger book of the duology, and the crescendo that this series deserves.

This is the second book in the Monsters of Verity Duology. Since it is a duology, I definitely 100% recommend that you don’t read this book or this review, though I’ll do all I can to not put spoilers for the first book in that may be impossible, before reading the first book.This book was just as good as the first, or nearly so, in the writing style and in the story telling. I think it helped going straight in from the first book. I was still reeling from the first book and couldn’t wait to see where it was going to go.In this story, things have changed quite a bit from the first book. It’s nearly 6 months after they were thrown together and the human and monster war has taken a terrifying turn. In Verity, August has taken on a role that he never wanted and in Prosperity Kate has become what she always knew she would. However, when she tries to take on a monster, something comes out of the shadows. Something that confuses Kate and leads her back to where she started. There she finds things she never thought she would ever see.I don’t want to say too much more. This book is much more involved and has so many monsters that are incredibly wicked! When the end comes I can guarantee you will be feeling some emotions. Even if you see things coming you won’t see them coming. You’ll see. I wanted to be so mad at the author, the book, the everything but really it just goes to show you it’s a very well written story that leaves you really thinking about it and feeling things that just make you feel so strongly.I definitely recommend that you give this duology a try if you haven’t. It’s excellent.

VE Schwabb has become one of my top 5 authors in an incredibly short time. I cannot recommend her books enough. For that reason, once I had made my way through her adult-leaning catalogue, I wanted to check out her YA novels.The story of this duet of novels is both curious and compelling; the characters that get a lot of focus are very well fleshed out, and have nuance. My main disappointment comes from the fact that I know how much better VE Schwabb's writing is, than what is provided here.One of the first things I know will turn off experienced slush-pile readers is describing the character through a convenient reflection, as they assess themselves in the mirror. These novels are full of tropes like that, that I *know* are not used in her adult works. For that reason, I cannot recommend these books, because I have always firmly believes that just because a book is aimed at younger readers, it shouldn't be of lower quality.VE Shwabb is truly exceptional; a defining voice in the genre.These books are not that. They're great, don't get me wrong; I enjoyed them thoroughly - but if you're going to be introduced to Schwabb's work? Wait. Read the [Shades of Magic] series, or [The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue]. I promise you won't regret it.

Oh. My. Life. How did I wait months to read this?! Our Dark Duet is the second (and final) book in the Monsters of Verity duology and it was a brilliant finale to a brilliant series. I can't wait to read more of Victoria' Schwab's work because this was just fantastic!THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY.KATE HARKER isn't afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she's good at it.AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.THE WAR HAS BEGUN.THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING.Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims' inner demons.Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face or the monsters within?I'm guessing that if you're reading this review, you've read the perfection that is This Savage Song. It pains me so much to say this but honestly? I don't think Our Dark Duet was as good as the first one, but it was still good enough to earn five stars so it's all good! Don't come at me with your pitchforks! Our Dark Duet had more badass fighting from Kate which made me so proud because she just wanted to make her city a safe place. We were also introduced to a new monster that's like a shadow, but when it feeds on chaos, it starts to become more and more solid. This new monster is scary. I know that the Malachai are vicious and bloodthirsty, but this new monster is pure fear. I was scared of it just by reading about it.“People were messy. They were defined not only by what they'd done, but by what they would have done, under different circumstances, moulded as much by their regrets as their actions, choices they stood by and those they wished they could undo. Of course, there was no going back - time only moved forward - but people could change.For worse.And for better.It wasn't easy. The world was complicated. Life was hard. And so often, living hurt.So make it worth the pain.”― Victoria Schwab, Our Dark DuetThe let down of this book? Again, it absolutely kills me to say this... August. I love him. I really do. He was amazing and my little smol bean in the first book, but in Our Dark Duet, I didn't even recognise him. He could have been a completely different character. If was hard-faced and NOTHING LIKE OUR AUGUST AT ALL... You saw glimpses of him now and then again (mainly towards the end), but it just wasn't enough. Even Kate was getting angry, yelling at him for being so blank about everything. GO KATE!I can't talk about this book without mentioning how amazing V.E Schwab's writing style is. She's got it bang on. Every word just flowed into the other with perfection and I was hooked... I couldn't bring myself to stop reading so I ended up reading it in a couple of hours. I was absolutely addicted to the writing, the description, the dialogue, the poetry... Everything.AND THAT ENDING! <---- that's all I can say about the ending because of spoilers, but just know that it was worth putting it at the end in capital letters because OH MY GOD!Overall, this was a brilliant finale to the Monsters of Verity duology, and I would happily read the series over and over and over again. Even though the character of August slightly let this book down for me, it was still an amazing read and has a storyline that I will never forget.

I've never been one for duologies. Two books in a series just sounds weird to me plus there is never enough in two books. I always need more. Three is a much better number...a trilogy. I was surprised when I heard that Monster's of Verity was only going to be two books. For me, a fantasy world this amazing deserved a trilogy and I was really worried that I was going to get to the end feeling very unsatisfied.Well, I can happily say that I was wrong!"I know it hurts," she said. "So make it worth the pain."Kate and August have got to be one of my favourite set of characters in YA. Mostly because they don't follow the typical arc that most other YA fantasy characters do. There is this wonderful kind of tension between the two of them and there's always that "will they? wont they?" in regards to a potential romance between them. At the end of my review for This Savage Song I mentioned that I didn't mind which way it went and felt the same in this book but still found myself waiting for it. Did it eventually happen? I'm not going to tell you, but the way that it did end between them was just PERFECT!"Every weakness is a place to slide a knife."The book picks up 6 months after the events of TSS. We find August in Verity reaping the souls of anyone who has committed a violent act, meanwhile Kate is in Prosperity kicking ass and killing monsters. But August is struggling between his duty and what he believes is the right thing to do and Kate is battling the monsters not just in the world but the ones in her head too.Schwab's world of monsters was just as awe inspiring as it had been in TSS and I couldn't get enough of all the little details we were gifted about the history and mythology of both the world and it's monsters. We get some interesting new characters in this book, Soro especially is one to check out, and the story is told from multiple POVs which gives us a full view of all sides of the war. Schwab controls the flow of the boo perfectly and we get this delicious build up through the first half of the book and then the story just explodes into a fast paced, action filled dramatic conclusion that left me breathless and just about destroyed me!"I’m willing to walk in darkness if it keeps humans in the light."I was lucky enough to be at YALC when I finished reading this book and so actually got to speak to Schwab the following day whilst still in maybe hangover mode. I had big thoughts about the way Schwab had ended the book and it was so cool to be able to discuss all my thoughts and feelings about it with the author rather than my usual rambling word vomit style phone call with my bookish friends."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."One thing I especially loved (and we chatted about) was that this book only gives us a small glimpse into this world and the war that is taking place. It's so typical nowadays for book like this to have a conclusion; they win the war/loose the war, they all live happily ever after/they all die. Look at the Hunger Games, Divergent, the Lunar Chronicles. They all end with the war ending. But we don't get that this one. This book is about one battle that takes place in the middle of a war and when we get to the end of that battle the characters remaining have to continue to fight. And that's what I loved. That feeling that even though the series is over, the characters story goes on. How cool is that!"People were messy. They were defined not only by what they'd done, but by what they would have done, under different circumstances, molded as much by their regrets as their actions, choices they stood by and those they wished they could undo. Of course, there was no going back - time only moved forward - but people could change.For worse. And for better."

Ah this story has been something else. An incredible, white knuckle ride of feelings and emotions that I wasn't prepared to feel so intensely. I wasn't prepared to love this story as hard as I did and now as I disembark from this crazy ride, I'm left wondering where the heck I go from here?!Our Dark Duet takes place a number of months after This Savage Song and things have changed alot.V.E Schwab is a truly amazing writer, getting under your skin and sucking you into her words - no song needed here!Secretly I was hoping for a bit of romance and although there was the tiniest little hint to something more, it wasn't meant to be.In fact my poor heart was broken, shattered into a million tiny pieces. This author really knows how to play with the readers emotions. My were all over the place trying to anticipate the author's next move but she was always one step ahead. She's probably an evil genius really. It certainly felt like it at times.So sad that there is only 2 books to this series and both of those books are now over and I am left to pick up those pieces of my broken heart.If you have already read This Savage Song, one click Our Dark Duet immediately. You are going to want to dive in immediately and if you haven't started this duet yet......WHHAAATT? Do it now, you are seriously missing out.

I was excited to get back to world of August and Kate. It was more the writing style I was excited about, I can remember loving the first book because of it and this one has been no different.(Side note: Please could authors consider doing a ‘previously in…..’ feature like they do with TV shows???)I’m going to start with the end. At 85% I thought to myself that there was too much left to happen, that there was going to be unanswered questions. At 90% I wasn’t sure how the book was going to end. At 95%? That last 5% was the most tense ending of a book I have read in a long, long time. I’m heartbroken, I’m in shock, I’m just… Psht. I’m not even going to find the word for it. It’s such a shame that there isn’t a third book. Not that I know how the author can follow on from this masterpiece.I love Kate and August as characters. There is no romance (well barely), there is just respect, admiration, and a level of trust. The chemistry between them is real and it makes a change that there is no romantic connection between them.Now back to the beginning. I thought this book was going to drag but it actually didn’t. The chapters were a decent length, there was no unnecessary filling to them. They were direct, straight to the point and didn’t leave anything out. I liked the constant switching between August, Kate and Sloan.The section where Kate wasn’t in Verity actually worked well for me. I was intrigued by The Wardens and would love more on them, especially after everything that happens in Verity. Do they find out who Kate was? Do they meet August? Do they venture to Verity?? Questions after questions!!!Overall, this book was spectacular. I’m definitely on the path of looking for more books by the author, I know that they are out there. 5 humongous stars.