Monsters of Verity is Another Tick to V.E Schwab's Name

Series: Monsters of Verity

Titles: This Savage Song, Our Dark Duet

Author: Victoria/V.E Schwab

There's no such thing as safe in a city war, a city overrun with monsters ...

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city - 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.

Review

I’m surprised but I also don’t know why I’m surprised as to why I thoroughly enjoyed Monsters of Verity when V.E Schwab hasn’t disappointed me so far. In her other series, Shades of Magic, I wrote that I was smitten in my review and I can now pinpoint that what I’m really smitten about is her writing. Schwab writes in such a compelling manner, that I find it hard not to love the characters, the plot and the world. 

The world is developed in such a strong way, with rich history behind each city to make it realistic. When Schwab decided to expand the world, I liked that she didn’t invest too much time trying to explain how relevant the new city is only because it’s a minor stopover and not necessarily something readers need to fixate on. I find that some fantasy novels take it a little too far and I do get confused trying to keep up on the different places with different names. 

Plot wise, I did notice that the first half of both books were slightly too slow for me. When I started This Savage Song I had to keep pushing myself but once it reached the halfway point it picked up and became addictive and engrossing. The intensity peaked and I flew through the last half pretty quickly. The continuation in Our Dark Duet wasn’t as slow, but I found that getting back into rhythm didn’t happen until after the first quarter of the book. What I did love about the plot was how realistic it was. Not from the fantasy perspective but from the implications of war and the consequences of bad actions. There is an array of emotions that are exhibited and I felt it all - from the happiness to sadness, grief and loss to pain and healing, it made me really appreciate the storyline only because Schwab wasn’t trying to please every reader by making everything sweet and dandy. 

The strongest element in Monsters of Verity though, are Schwab’s characters. Kate and August are written with so much depth, they become memorable and convincingly relatable. It’s hard not to fight for them and believe in them. I just wanted the best for them and to be happy all the time, which meant I was really invested in the characters and for that Schwab has succeeded in delivering a fantastic series. I’m not a fan of reading novels that make me feel detached but through the characters I was captivated. 

I’m excited to see what else V.E Schwab has to deliver, especially after experiencing this series and how emotional I was after reading it!

Individual Ratings

This Savage Song: 4/5

Our Dark Duet: 4/5

Overall Series Rating

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Travel Diary: And So It Ends, In Beautiful Geneva

 These are a series of posts covering my 5 weeks in Europe, and each country I see in bite sizes. Or as my best friend likes to say, “speed touristing.” I visited most places for 4 days, with the exception of Germany and some day trips. This is my way of taking you guys on my adventures through Europe, giving you guys my thoughts on each place and any tips I’ve picked up!

And So It Ends, In Beautiful Geneva

Alas, we have reached the end of my five week trip … that happened almost a year ago. Yep. Guys I am back to complete my bitesize travel posts. 

Five weeks of flying through Europe made me really appreciate ending my trip in the beautiful city of Geneva. It was the perfect opportunity for me to wind down before heading home. I had 4 days to discover Geneva, which, thankfully, was enough time as the city itself is quite small. I was also grateful that I had a friend to stay with, making it a lot more convenient to visit different sites in the city and learn how to access public transport. We spent our days walking around the city, seeking out look out points and having picnics in the local parks. Geneva isn’t a cheap place to travel to though, much like the rest of Switzerland. I barely ate at restaurants, instead accompanying my friends on her grocery trips and grabbing local cheese and bread, coupled with fruits and other cold meats. Look, if there’s cheese involved I cannot complain.

Geneva being crazy expensive also didn’t help when I wanted to do a final shopping trip. I picked up a bottle of perfume for almost AUD$250, eeeep. Luckily, Lyon is just a two hour bus ride across the border. I booked myself a ticket and spent a day in France, planning to just eat and shop to my hearts content before I left. The amount of croissants I consumed could be considered alarming, but we’re not going to go there. I found a really cute restaurant for lunch, which changes their one item menu daily. There’s a communal feel that, despite eating alone, I felt welcomed and comfortable as everyone in the restaurant was sharing the same meal and experience. If you’re not up for dining in, there’s also a takeaway option that’s packed into a lunch box as well! I walked and window shopped, finding a shop with an immense amount of French wines, before picking up some more skincare I didn’t get the chance to buy whilst in Paris. Lyon itself is also quite pretty. I found that I liked being there more than when I was in Paris.

Both Geneva and Lyon are quiet cities, perfect for spending some alone time or just wanting to relax and enjoy the scenery. Places do close super early in Geneva, with most shutting just after 5 or 6 and on Sunday being closed - just to keep in mind. Public transport is easily accessible but walking is also a great option to take in your surroundings. Even flying into the city is breathtaking with the Alps and Lake Geneva is in full view through the plane’s windows.

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Travel Diary: Primavera Sound 2018 in Barcelona

These are a series of posts covering my 5 weeks in Europe, and each country I see in bite sizes. Or as my best friend likes to say, “speed touristing.” I visited most places for 4 days, with the exception of Germany and some day trips. This is my way of taking you guys on my adventures through Europe, giving you guys my thoughts on each place and any tips I’ve picked up!

Primavera Sound 2018 in Barcelona

I can’t really say I visited Barcelona because I barely saw any of it. Instead, I went to Barcelona to attend the Primavera Sound Music Festival. I extended my Europe trip just to attend this because the line up was insane, or to be specific, A$AP Rocky was headlining and that was all the persuasion I needed. 

Barcelona was the only place I visited where I didn’t have a friend to visit, and was the first time since Stockholm where I had only my company to enjoy. It made the whole experience a lot more interesting. I was use to eating by myself but going to a festival alone was a first. 

I got to Barcelona a day before attending Primavera Sound just to settle in and sightsee a little. By sightsee I mean seeing what Barcelona’s night life is like. There are a ton of clubs along the beach to hit up, most very well-known. I opted for Opium, which is located right next to Shoko and Pacha (yes, the same club as the one in Ibiza), both popular clubs as well. You can get free entry as well - I just googled which club to go to and it came up with websites to receive free entry! I’ve been clubbing alone before so to me that wasn’t anything new. Barcelona is a city that really never sleeps, it was easy to go to and from the place and feel quite safe being alone.

Heading to the music festival I knew exactly which artists I wanted to see and what time to get there. Preparation 101 guys. The place also has a great range of food selection and various drink stands. It is cash only though, but there are ATMs available to withdraw. Parc del Forum is huge!! There are stages everywhere and there were times I, and other people, would have to sprint to stages not to miss artists we wanted to see. 

The artists I came to see were: 

Day One - Kelela, Vince Staples and CHRVCHES

Day Two - The Internet and Tyler, the Creator

Day Three - Lorde, Arctic Monkeys, A$AP Rocky and Skepta

Hands down day three was the best! I ended up being “adopted” by an English group, who were there to see Arctic Monkeys, and then found a group from Ireland whilst at the A$AP Rocky stage. We saw Skepta together and didn’t leave the place until 6AM. All artists I saw were amazing, had great stage presence and were great at hyping the crowd.

I saw other artists here and there, whilst running around trying to find stages and artists, but don’t quite remember. I do remember seeing Bjork for a bit and never thought I’d be seeing such an artist live, so I enjoyed that! The festival had a great line up, with artists I listen to now and didn’t even know was playing! Primavera Sound has released 2019’s line up so check it out! It runs over a number of days from 6PM to 6AM. 

The last two days there I tried to see as much of the area I was in, mostly Placa del Catalunya. I had a friend from Canada who was also in Barcelona so we ended spending most of the 2nd last day together, eating and playing board games in a cafe. A great way to end a crazy few days!

Accomodation

TOC Hostel Barcelona

This is a fancy hostel, with a huge lounge area, modern rooms and a rooftop pool! Do expect it to be on the pricier end of hostels.

Places I Ate At

All I did was brunch in Barcelona, which was really strange.

Flax and Kale and Teresa Carles are from the same company, focused on promoting healthy and organic meals. Teresa Carles is vegetarian/vegan only! Caravelle had a line every time I tried to visit but I finally got a spot. 

I did try La Taperia de el Nacional, which is a tapas place that I loved; the concept was that the waiters would run around yelling out what tapas plate they had and we would have to raise our hands if we wanted it. 

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Travel Diary: Eating My Way Through Berlin

These are a series of posts covering my 5 weeks in Europe, and each country I see in bite sizes. Or as my best friend likes to say, “speed touristing.” I visited most places for 4 days, with the exception of Germany and some day trips. This is my way of taking you guys on my adventures through Europe, giving you guys my thoughts on each place and any tips I’ve picked up!

Eating My Way Through Berlin

Berlin fast became one of my other favourite cities, besides Amsterdam. I loved it so much that my original plan to visit Munich and Salzburg got scrapped and I stayed in Berlin for longer. I wouldn’t say I got up to a whole heap for the time I spent there though. I wasn’t jetting around the city visiting every tourist attraction and making sure I was taking in all of its culture. By this point I’m pretty sure I just wanted to take some time out after flying three times during the week and being in three different countries. If I was going to be honest, Berlin became more of a food adventure for me, which I’m not complaining about. Since leaving London, I hadn’t found a country that offered a selection of foods from different cultures that I could say was enjoyable. Thank god for my friend Lan and her love for food as well. I’m sure we got told by the waiters/waitresses who served us at two different places that the amount of food we ordered was more than what they would recommend for two people. I ate so much during my time in Berlin, it was incredible. 

Where To Eat

Green Tea Cafe Mamecha 

I LOVE green tea (emphasis on love) and this cafe is dedicated to it

Ishin

Lan visits this place often so she knew exactly what to order for us. We had a selection of sushi rolls, grilled skewers, miso based steamed fish and dumplings. 

Rausch 

Think Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory in real life but just a tad smaller in scale. There was so much to choose from, I was at a loss, but loved everything I tried! We had a mini mango tart, strawberries and ice cream and a dark chocolate slice with raspberries, which was my favourite of the three. 

Lon Men’s Noodle House

At this point in my trip I was really craving good Asian food, and this place delivered authentic beef noodle soup and dumplings. Quick tip: it’s cash only!

Peter Pane Burger Bar & Grill

Great selection of burgers, including vegetarian. 

Schwiliko 

To be quite honest, I don’t know what we ordered, only because we got the owner to surprise us. It was such a random place to eat at but we wanted to try something different and we liked most of what we were served. 

Where To Visit

Besides the historical monuments and infamous clubs/bars, Berlin has a few other things to offer. 

Badeschiff Berlin

Badeschiff is a beach bar, with a swimming pool built off the Spree. It’s open during the Spring and Summer only and offers you the option to sunbathe in the sand or take a dip to cool off. I would consider it a man-made beach concept. During the Summer they host beach parties and events there, which I missed out, but still really liked the vibe of the place. Just make sure to head in early or be ready to wait in a long queue as the place does get busy quite easily. You also have to pay for admission alongside locker and key hire.

Mauerpark 

Europe is FULL of parks, you can walk anywhere and find yourself in one. What’s cool about Mauerpark is the activities that happen on Sunday. A flea market opens during the day with some really unique items to discover and food to try. The biggest crowd drawer though would be the amphitheater where the audience are invited to come up onto stage and belt their lungs out to any song on the karaoke machine. It’s amazing to watch how brave these people are but also how incredibly talented some of them are as well. People sing-a-long and it’s just a great experience overall. You also get smaller groups scattered around the park with their own speakers and music blasting, which invites others to join them and dance in the open. 

I did have an unfortunate night where I cannot account for a few hours of my night but hey just another story to bring home right (hahah ...)!

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It's The End of the Year, But Seriously, What The Bleepin Heck Was 2018?

Hi y’all. It’s been a gosh darn minute and for some reason I now have a Southern twang. 

I’m going to be honest and say that 2018 was absolute trash. I don’t think I’ve had a year where I just needed it to end and be wiped from my memory. Permanently. I tossed up whether it was even necessary to write some kind of 2018 wrap up but ultimately, I wanted to step into the New Year with a brighter and more positive outlook on life. There were things I was grateful for in 2018 (the entire year wasn’t terrible) and rather than focusing on all the bad I want to recognise the good to remind myself that being thankful is necessary in life. 

I am grateful for the privilege to travel

In May this year I jetted off to Europe alone and had a blast. Honestly, it was the highlight of my year! I was blogging about it until I disappeared, but I promise I’m going to finish it off in the new year. Read the first post here! 

To me, travelling is a privilege. I recognise that I am in a very fortunate situation to be able to afford to and have the ability to visit so many different places in the world. Travelling has rapidly become one of my passions, being able to see the beauty in various countries and experiencing their cultures. However, I quickly became aware of how lucky I am, in that my parents never had this luxury when they were young and even now there are people in poorer countries that struggle to even survive let alone see the wonders of the world. 

I am grateful for the people in my life

I’m the type of person that places a lot of importance in relationships with friends and family. My overambitious ass tries to stay in contact with every single individual that I’ve come across and has somehow made an impact in my life. Which was why it was incredible that during my travels to Europe I got to catch up with the friends I made during my exchange trip in South Korea, 2015. Three years on and it was so nice just to reminisce, have a laugh and make new memories. Along my adventures through Europe I also made some new friendships, which I find is always the best part in travelling solo. In 2018 I also learnt to surround myself with people who make my life better, will lift me up and support me and be honest. The phrase ‘quality over quantity’ is insanely accurate when you apply it to the relationships in your life. You could have 500 different people you call friends but not one of them is honest or loyal to you, or you could have a handful of friends who know you better than you do. It’s your life, you get to choose. 

I am grateful for the basic necessities I have

Don’t mistake this as me trying to scrape the bottom of the barrel for things I’m grateful for this year. I know there wasn’t much, but truly, being able to enjoy great tasting food, have access to technology such as the laptop I’m using right now and internet connection and overall cleanliness and health is something we should all be grateful for. Every day of our lives. It’s easy to take it all for granted. I mean we were born into it, we never had to witness the struggles and hard work that granted us all this. But I am thankful that I have a roof over my head, a car to travel to and from, and clothes - even though I do find myself constantly complaining about not having anything to wear. It’s worth reminding yourself to be thankful for having a comfortable and enjoyable life. 

I think when I do ever look back on 2018, the rollercoaster ride that it was, is still a ride that is probably what I needed. It gave me a jolt. I do feel as though I was just coasting along and although yes, I did have goals and plans, I have never implemented anything and followed through. Throwing me into the deep end has now geared me up to drive towards my aspirations. I am so incredibly happy, or maybe it’s relieved, to say goodbye to 2018. It’s done, it’s over. Onwards and upwards, they say.

How Was 2018 For You?

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