This Savage Song was written by V.E. Schwab and first published in 2016. It is an urban fantasy story, set in a dystopian city divided by turf wars and ravaged by monsters. The novel is the first part of the Monsters of Verity duology, though at the time of writing the second instalment has not been announced.
Ever since the Phenomenon, V-City has been a battleground. Whenever a crime is committed, it gives birth to a different kind of monster – the flesh eating Corsai, the bloodsucking Malchai and the soul stealing Sunai – which in turn take to the streets in search of fresh prey. In the wake of the disaster, two leaders have risen and divided the city between them. Callum Harker has taken the North City, turning it into a haven where the rich can buy their safety. Henry Flynn has control of the South. His territory is less luxurious but his enforcers – the FTF – hunt the monsters who roam the streets.
When Harker’s only daughter, Kate, starts at a new school in North City, Flynn knows that he has a great opportunity to spy on his nemesis. He dispatches August, his youngest son, to infiltrate the school and learn what he can. However, blending in will not be easy. August is a Sunai and is cautious of the fact that he’s not used to being around human teens. To make matters worse, Kate is looking for a way to please her father. Delivering one of Flynn’s three tame Sunai to him would be the perfect way to do that.
Things grow more complicated when Kate is savagely attacked by two Malchai – deserters from her father’s private army – who seem intent on pinning her death on Flynn. She is saved by August and the two run for their lives. However, her disappearance is enough to dissolve the truce between the two families. Kate and August have no choice but to join forces to stop the war but in doing so learn that it’s not just the monsters that they have to fear…
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