Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2)

                Hello happy readers!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I know I was thrilled to see Black Panther, which was awesome, and my family came up and helped me with some yard work for which I appreciate it but still feel all over my sore body.  So my last "car book" aka audiobook I listen to when in the car only (until that point of no return at the end where you have to finish) was the second half of the duology by Victoria Schwab, Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab.  I previously reviewed the first book, This Savage Song and really enjoyed it so having finished book two I was able to finish a series towards my goal and read an amazing book!

Rating:  5 Stars

                Kate Harker and August Flynn took different paths at the end of book one.  She went in search of someplace new and monster free or at least where everyone doesn’t know her.  August went back to his side of the city, to his family though as he last fell he is less concerned with being “human” and more in filling his part.  Kate has dealt with monsters all her life and now even though her new town doesn’t believe they have any, she will hunt them.  Until she comes across a new kind of monster that she can’t let get away even if it brings her back to Verity.  August is fighting a battle and the monsters are winning between Sloane and Alice they are even worse than Kate’s father ever was.  This new monster feeds on chaos and brings out the inner demons of its victims making this a monster not so easily vanquished.  Because there are many kinds of monsters, the kind that are out in the open and those in your head and heart.  

"Are you afraid of your own shadow?"

                So I got a thrill as I started this book.  Kate is basically an expert in monsters in this poor town who believes they are free and clear of the violent monsters.  But monsters are made in many ways and she is determined to hunt them down.  She has even found herself in a crew that provide her with technical support, even as she tries to keep them away.  I enjoyed meeting the new characters who were seeing things others weren't ready to acknowledge and help in the way they could.  It also brought me up to see that Kate, despite all she lost wasn't completely alone.  August has Leo in his head and after everything that happened he isn't the same light hearted August we grew to love and hope for he is still in there just more easily drowned out to do what he is meant to do.  Given the severity of what happened in the last book and the build up to it, I love that it played such a huge role on him.  It gives it weight.  I hate when sometimes something is such a huge important thing only after to find it was brushed over in the next part so seeing something have lingering effects was nice.  Horrible but nice in a way only bookish people will understand.

"Kate wondered who was more addicted to their high, serial killers of coffee addicts."

                We got to learn more about the Wardens with Kate but with August we got to see deeper into the FTF and the crew he has in there.  Both have found their respective places even though something is clearly missing.  But we also got a new sunai, Soro.  Soro was very interesting for me from calling it "they" as no gender was associated to the completely utilitarian approach to things.  I loved that how each one was made shaped them.   I also enjoyed the demented Alice and Sloan.  They were next level vindictive and crazy to them that was both horrifying and thrilling. 

"There was a strange place, between knowing and not knowing.  A place where things could live in the back of your head without weighing your heart."

                There is a lot of violence and monsters to be faced and this world has trained our duo well.  They are both trying to fight the dark but it takes them coming together to really understand the darkness and light inside.  I waiting for the first part of them apart wanting so badly to hurry to them back together because August and Kate just had this way together.  Their friendship had been forged through the fire of life and death chases and a deeper understanding of the world as a whole seeing it from the others side.  So much this was so beautifully written.  It made my heart race and tears to fall and I am both happy with the end and sad.  I didn't know what to rate this at first and had to take a few days to let it simmer and not just be upset at the fact everyone didn't get a happily ever after because I knew it wouldn't have been the right ending for this story and these characters.  Still it was an amazing story and a thrill ride from the start.  I am looking forward to reading more by the author in the near future. 

                Until next time…