Book Review: Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab (spoiler-free)

Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab has been one of my most anticipated release of 2017. And once again Schwab managed to ‘wow’ me to the point I had tears in my eyes and made me reflect on everything. It was bold, heartfelt, raw of emotions and most of all – a brilliantly crafted novel. I wasn’t going to write a review, because I thought I would just ramble about how amazing it was, but I felt the need to write out my thoughts. This review is spoiler-free for Our Dark Duet (book 2), but it will contain mild spoilers for This Savage Song (book 1).

Synopsis:

Kate Harker is a girl who isn’t afraid of the dark. She’s a girl who hunts monsters. And she’s good at it. August Flynn is a monster who can never be human. No matter how much he once yearned for it. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.

Nearly six months after Kate and August were first thrown together, the war between the monsters and the humans is a terrifying reality. In Verity, August has become the leader he never wished to be, and in Prosperity, Kate has become the ruthless hunter she knew she could be. When a new monster emerges from the shadows—one who feeds on chaos and brings out its victim’s inner demons—it lures Kate home, where she finds more than she bargained for. She’ll face a monster she thought she killed, a boy she thought she knew, and a demon all her own.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: Jun 13 2017
Publisher: Titan Books Ltd
RRP: $15.99 AUD
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Paranormal (with a dash of Dystopian)

Our Dark Duet has left a permanent mark in my heart – that’s how amazing it was. The story picks up 6 months after the whole monstrous ordeal in Verity – where August and Kate went their separate ways. August Flynn, being a Sunai, has taken a huge step up to take political matters into his hands – by helping Henry Flynn, leader of the South City Verity. The City of Verity is a mess, many citizens of the North City has fled to seek refuge and protections by Flynn.

Then we have Kate Harker, who has fled to the territory next door – Prosperity – and became a monster hunter, and made a few acquaintances with some fellow teens. She’s the same fierce, badass and headstrong young woman, though she has her flaws, her character arc develops even more in Our Dark Duet.

One thing that captivated me the most was that some parts were told in stanzas – which I absolutely adored. Schwab seamlessly weaved in the eerie and breath-taking poems right between the action-packed chapters. Typically, I would find it odd, but it worked wonders in this book.

In this sequel, we also get to meet another Sunai, and a few other new characters. But I’ll leave the surprises for you to discover. The writing is wonderful, flows well and quick-paced. I won’t say much more plot-wise, as it would be best for you to find out yourself.

Truth to be told, I was at a terrible mental state of mind when I read Our Dark Duet. The world around me seemed to keep crashing down. – I was alone in a dark dark place. I didn’t even talk to anyone over the days when I read this book, but upon finishing it – it made me reflect so deeply that I felt, in some way, freed.

I’m going to share one of my favourite quotes with you:

“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.

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 Duet

This quote hit me so hard that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop my tears from spilling. We can never change what happened in the past, we can only change what we do right now, right here at this very moment. We will always have regrets, no matter how hard we try to make the right decisions. Things don’t always go right, pain lingers, shit happens, life is hard. [I am low key close to having tears in my eyes right now and I’m typing this in the hospital lunch room – not an ideal place for weeping].

A thousand emotions rush into me every time I think about this book. So yes, I am recommending you ALL to read the Monsters of Verity Duology. Please, I beg you to. Read it for the plot, read it for the characters, read it for the phenomenal writing and most of all – read it for the message and for yourself.

Have you read This Savage Song and Our Dark Duet? How did you find it/them? [Please keep the comments section spoiler-free too!] And thank you for reading my review.