Our Dark Duet by V. E. Schwab (UK edition)

Title: Our Dark Duet (A Monsters of Verity Novel, 2)
Author: V. E. Schwab
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Titan Books (13th June 2017)
Blurb:

Kate Harker is a girl who hunts monsters. And she’s good at it. August Flynn is a monster who can never be human. 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 – Kate must face a monster she thought she’d killed, a boy she thought she knew, and a demon all her own . . .

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
Review:

OUR DARK DUET is the second and final book in V. E. Schwab’s Monsters of Verity series. It continues the stories of Kate Harker and August Flynn nearly six months after the events of THIS SAVAGE SONG, still very much apart. Kate has left Verity behind and become a ruthless hunter of monsters. August has become the leader he never wanted to be. There seems no chance that their paths will cross again. A new monster emerges from the shadows, one that is nothing like any monster seen before – it feeds on chaos, bringing people’s inner demons to the surface. All paths lead back to Verity.

After finishing THIS SAVAGE SONG I really looked forward to OUR DARK DUET as Schwab had created some interesting characters in a really complex world; I was not disappointed. OUR DARK DUET is everything I wanted in a sequel to THIS SAVAGE SONG and more. This darker sequel will delight fans of the first book. It was really easy to slip back into the world, and I really enjoyed seeing more of Kate and August. I was also intrigued by the glimpse of the world outside of Verity – it would be interesting to see more of it.

As I’ve already said, I did enjoy returning to the world of Verity in this book. It is interesting how much six months has changed both Kate and August, and Verity itself. The narration of OUR DARK DUET is split in a similar fashion to THIS SAVAGE SONG, and I really enjoyed the chance to see events from both of their perspectives – it was a chance to get to know both of them again. Once started OUR DARK DUET just sucked me in: into the world, into the characters – it is a real page-turner; the story does not drag at all, and you reach the end before you realise it.

Plot wise, I’m not sure what I was expecting going into this book but I can honestly say that it surprised me, and surprised me in a good way. Schwab tells a delightfully intricate story that just sucks you in. The Monsters of Verity is my favourite series by Schwab. It’s a really imaginative dark and compelling world with interesting characters, and OUR DARK DUET helped cement my love of this series. If you like dark urban fantasy with complex relationships, and more of a focus on friendship than romance then this book and this series is definitely one you should be checking out.