The Book: There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.
Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives. (from Goodreads)
My Feels: I finished this a while back, but I'm still dealing with fresh feels. What's amazing about Schwab is her ability to create such memorable characters. Combine that with beautiful prose, the thrilling pacing, and creepy monsters, and you get this amazing page-turning book.
My favorite part of this book is August's point of view. I loved his existential bits and his relationship with his sister, and his desire to do what's right. And then you have Kate who's tough on the exterior, but wants to be noticed by her dad. Beneath the thrilling pace and action scenes, there's a heart beating beneath this story, which for me, made it so enjoyable that I couldn't put it down. This is definitely one of those books you cozy up with when the rain is pouring and you have a flashlight in your hand, unable to sleep because you need to finish. As you can tell, I'm looking forward to the second installment!
