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This Savage Song | October 12, 2016

by Victoria Schwab (HarperCollins/Greenwillow Books, June 2016)

In a world where humans create monsters through acts of violence, V-City is divided. In North Verity, Callum Harker promises to keep the monsters under his control—for a price, of course. His daughter, Kate, is determined to earn her father’s respect by proving she’s just as ruthless as he is. On the other side of the city, Henry Flynn has dedicated his life to fighting the monsters, by any means necessary—even if that means enrolling his adopted son, August, in Kate’s school to spy on her and her father. But August has a deadly secret that he must protect at any cost: he is a Sunai, the rarest kind of monster that feeds on the souls of sinners and is born from horrific acts of mass violence. Kate and August think they understand how V-City works, but as their paths collide they realize that everything is more complicated than they thought and they face betrayal from the people—and monsters—they thought they could trust.

In this careful mix of supernatural and dystopian, Schwab takes the best of both genres to create a darkly compelling world that feels at once foreign and familiar. Kate and August are deeply likable and nuanced characters, and their story is fast-paced and swirling with intrigue and revelations that will keep readers guessing until the very last page. With a sequel planned for 2017, This Savage Song is a must-read.