A New York Times bestseller

The bestselling sequel—and conclusion—to Victoria Schwab’s instant #1 New York Times bestseller This Savage Song.

Kate Harker is a girl who isn’t afraid of the dark. She’s a girl who hunts monsters. And she’s good at it. August Flynn is a monster who can never be human. No matter how much he once yearned for it. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.

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—it lures Kate home, where she finds more than she bargained for. She’ll face a monster she thought she killed, a boy she thought she knew, and a demon all her own.

A gorgeously written dark fantasy from New York Times–bestselling author Victoria Schwab, and one to hand to fans of Holly Black, Laini Taylor, and Maggie Stiefvater.

“Explosive.”—Brightly

Gr 9 Up—Six months after This Savage Song, Kate Harker is now in the town of Prosperity, hunting monsters with an underground group of humans. August Flynn, on the other hand, has reluctantly risen in the ranks of fighters in their hometown of Verity, where the humans are locked in a bloody stalemate with the monsters on the other side of the seam. When Kate is infected by a new and troubling kind of monster, she tracks it back to Verity with the intention of killing it herself. However, she must work with August and the rest of the Flynn family to stop the new monster and keep the city safe for humans. In the course of fighting for Verity, Kate must also confront Sloan, her father’s former henchman, and Alice, the shadow created by Kate’s own act of violence. The first few chapters of this dark fantasy contain artful reminders of what happened in the first volume. Lyrical verse is also strategically woven throughout, giving readers a peek behind the eyes of a monsters and adding to the darkly beautiful atmosphere. Creating a world where “violence begets violence” and monstrous acts literally create monsters gives the author lots of room to explore interesting issues such as guilt, sin, and forgiveness, which she does to great effect. Masterly writing, a fast-moving plot, and just the right amount of bittersweet romance make this book hard to put down. VERDICT A necessary first purchase for all teen collections.—Sunnie Scarpa, Wallingford Public Library, CT