10 Reasons Why You Should Read This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

'10 Reasons Why You Should Read...' is a new feature here on the blog, in which I highlight the main reasons I loved a book rather than do a classic review of it. If a book is featured in this post, it means that I either gave it 4 or 5 stars, that I really enjoyed it and that I definitely recommend it.

So what's the book about?

In a world where acts of violence give birth to real monsters, nowhere is really safe. Kate Harker wants to be as ruthless as her father, the most powerful man in town, whose forces keep the monsters at bay, and who makes the humans pay for his protection. August Flynn wants nothing more than to be human, as kind-hearted as his father, the man leading the resistance against the monsters and Harker. However, August is one of the very monsters his world has fallen prey to. His is the ability to steal souls and all it takes is music. When violence suddenly forces Kate and August to cross paths, everything they thought they understand about themselves and their world begins to change.

10 reasons why I loved this book...

1. Great writing

I've read a few books by this author now and each time, aside from her unique stories and awesome characters, one thing that always shines through is the great writing. V.E. Schwab writes really well... and that's kind of an understatement! She just has a knack for coming up with the perfect descriptions to bring to life her characters and the scenes in the book in the best way possible.

2. Unique plot

While the dark, urban setting almost touches the boundaries of the dystopian genre, I wouldn't really call this book a 'typical' dystopian, simply because the world and story are both so unique. This is a world in which acts of violence have literally spawned monsters. And not the seductive supernatural bad boys we usually get in YA, but actual evil monsters. Frankly, I've never read a YA book like that and for me, This Savage Song is just a long anticipated fresh addition to the YA scene. I mean, this is a book about freaking monsters guys!!!

3. Unique characters

The book does an amazing job at avoiding usual character tropes by giving us unique and well-fleshed out characters unlike who we usually meet in YA. Aside from the main characters, which I'm getting to in a few minutes, the book had an amazing cast of secondary characters. August has two siblings, who are also monsters like him, and they were probably my favorite secondary characters. They were both so cool and unique and intrigued me almost as much as our main characters.

4. Awesome world building

Even though the setting is practically a dystopian one, the way the world is described is completely different from what you would actually expect from a dystopian. On one hand, the world closely resembles our own. The characters go to school like normal kids, the technology is almost the same as ours and the city where most of the story takes place is described like the cities in our own world. And yet, despite the seemingly normal setting, we have the supernatural aspect of the monsters, which add a darker, scarier element to this otherwise normal world. So yeah, this is definitely not your typical dystopian.

5. I loved both main POVs characters

Usually, in books with multiple POVs, there's one or a few that I tend to like more than the rest. This book was a rare case where both main POVs were equally enjoyable to me. August was my favorite character in the book though. There are more sides to his character than first meet the eye. At first he is quiet and introverted, making him adorable and relatable, but as we spend more time with him, we also discover a deeper depth to him. Beyond his quiet personality, August is also very brave and honest. And as you get to know him more, it is clear there is indeed a monster in him. Kate, our female lead, was a kick-ass and awesome character to follow. She was far from being invulnerable as some dystopian heroines are sometimes portrayed and her character was certainly a flawed one. And that's actually what made her POV such an interesting one.

6. No romance!

Throughout this book, Kate and August evolve from being almost accidental acquaintances to good friends and... they never fall in love. Yep guys! This is a YA book and it has no romance. Do I need to point out how refreshing this is??

7. It has monsters, the like you've never (probably) seen before

I'm not going to tell you what exactly these monsters are because it'll be more fun for you to meet them on your own. However, I will say that they were really unique and unlike anything I've seen so far in YA fantasy. Remember though that these are actual monsters. They don't sparkle, they don't fall in love with clueless teenagers. They actually prey on flesh and blood and they are amazing XD.

8. Cool backstory

Again, telling more about the actual backstory would ruin the book for you but I'll just say that the story behind how this book's world came to become like this and be home to real monsters is really cool. Overall, this book felt very refreshing in a genre that was kind of getting a little over-saturated with recurring fantasy and dystopian tropes.

9. The story flowed at a nice pace

The pacing in this book was perfection! There was never a dull moment in the book and the more I read, the less I felt like putting the book down. I almost read this book in a day because of how fast-paced and fun it was. But then it got like, 3 am and I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore XD.  

10. Awesome ending

The ending guys!!! It's been a month since I read this book and the ending still gives me all the feels. I want to know what happens next dammit! I need a sequel. I need a bloody sequel! So yeah, I loved the ending ^^ For me, the book ended in the best way possible, leaving us with just enough cliffhangers to look forward to the sequel. And boy that'll be hard! I'm still kind of in denial that I have to wait an entire year for the sequel. Just sayin'.

So that's it for this post guys. Have you read this book or plan to do so? Let me know in the comments ^^

Source