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desiree930 's review for:
This Savage Song
by V.E. Schwab
I loved this book. The way Victoria Schwab weaves a story together is just so satisfying. Her writing is poetic without being overblown. The way she can paint a picture is just amazing. Her characters are flawed and have emotional depth. I really enjoyed the dynamic between August and Kate, and can't wait for the next book.
I also appreciated that their relationship (at least to this point) is NOT romantic. People going into this book looking for a YA romantic fantasy may be disappointed. That being said, the way they stick by each other is wonderful, and I could see their relationship turning romantic in future books...
There really aren't many negatives for me to address in this book. One thing that I have noticed about Victoria Schwab's books (I've only read The Archived and The Unbound at this point) is that she tends to throw you into the story with no background information, and we as readers are left to decipher the world bit by bit as the story progresses and we are fed little snippets of exposition. Now, there is nothing necessarily wrong with this structure, but for me it does tend to make the first part of her books drag a little. I feel like this would only be true for the first read-through. If I were to ever re-read the book, I would have a better understanding of the world and the actions of the characters would make more sense because I've already put the puzzle together.
So, keeping that in mind, the first half of this book is slightly slower-paced than the second half. There is the whole setup of these two characters ending up in the same place and getting to know each other that does drag a little bit. But when they are finally thrown together for a common purpose, the story takes off and doesn't slow down.
Like I said, I loved this book. It's a great book to read at this time of year (right before Halloween) and I cannot wait for the sequel. I need it like...right now.
***UPDATE***
I just re-read this book before picking up the sequel. And I'm happy to report that I actually enjoyed it more the second time around. As I stated in my original review, because I was already familiar with the world, I was able to fully appreciate everything that was going on and didn't feel like it dragged at all. I'm bumping my rating from 4 stars to 5 because although it may not be a perfect book, it is a perfect book for me.
I also appreciated that their relationship (at least to this point) is NOT romantic. People going into this book looking for a YA romantic fantasy may be disappointed. That being said, the way they stick by each other is wonderful, and I could see their relationship turning romantic in future books...
There really aren't many negatives for me to address in this book. One thing that I have noticed about Victoria Schwab's books (I've only read The Archived and The Unbound at this point) is that she tends to throw you into the story with no background information, and we as readers are left to decipher the world bit by bit as the story progresses and we are fed little snippets of exposition. Now, there is nothing necessarily wrong with this structure, but for me it does tend to make the first part of her books drag a little. I feel like this would only be true for the first read-through. If I were to ever re-read the book, I would have a better understanding of the world and the actions of the characters would make more sense because I've already put the puzzle together.
So, keeping that in mind, the first half of this book is slightly slower-paced than the second half. There is the whole setup of these two characters ending up in the same place and getting to know each other that does drag a little bit. But when they are finally thrown together for a common purpose, the story takes off and doesn't slow down.
Like I said, I loved this book. It's a great book to read at this time of year (right before Halloween) and I cannot wait for the sequel. I need it like...right now.
***UPDATE***
I just re-read this book before picking up the sequel. And I'm happy to report that I actually enjoyed it more the second time around. As I stated in my original review, because I was already familiar with the world, I was able to fully appreciate everything that was going on and didn't feel like it dragged at all. I'm bumping my rating from 4 stars to 5 because although it may not be a perfect book, it is a perfect book for me.