This Savage Song

May 9, 2016
It’s been 12 years since the supernatural “Phenomenon” that fractured V-City, transforming violent acts into physical monsters: the Sunai, who feed on the souls of sinners; the vampiric Malchai; and the animalistic Corsai, who feed on fear. August, a rare Sunai, has been taken in by the Flynn family, which keeps chaotic South Verity safe. Callum Harker runs North Verity with an iron fist, using the Malchai and Corsai as his hammers; his daughter, Kate, is determined to prove to her father that she’s as ruthless as he is. August is asked to spy on Kate at her new school, but a rebellion is brewing, and Kate and August form an unlikely alliance. Schwab (The Unbound) has built an strange, captivating alternate America filled with offbeat, fascinating characters. August uses his violin to make feeding more bearable, struggling to accept himself as a “monster,” and Kate’s attitude and swagger mask a vulnerability that she’s loath to reveal. Readers looking for a dangerous and engrossing new world to fall into will find it with this fast-paced, frightening read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Holly Root, Waxman Leavell Literary.

April 15, 2016
Natural enemies find themselves reluctant allies in a war-torn, monstrous future.Schwab's latest seems poised to grab both her adult and teen readers; the world is fascinating (if sometimes a little thin--education and technology are almost exactly the same in this future), the characters complicated, and the political machinations and emotional depths both charged and compelling. The scene: an isolated supercity in former middle America, populated by the evil Corsai and Malchai and the more complicated Sunai, who can kill only those who have killed (and must do so regularly to maintain their semblance of humanity); all have been born from moments of violence. Against this, Kate Harker (fair-haired, partially deaf, inclined to arson and spying) returns to appease and impress her father, who controls the Malchai and half the city. Across town, Sunai August (seemingly 16, black haired and gray-eyed, a monster who tries to be human) wants his adoptive father's side to succeed in creating a better world. Family and interpersonal dynamics, questions of good and evil, horrifying monsters (some of them human), and moments of violence both graphic and poetic serve as backdrop to a growing sense of kinship between Kate and August, who want a better world--but probably won't get one, based on the zinger of an ending.Crackling with energy, just the ticket for an all-night read. (Futuristic fantasy/horror. 15 & up)

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May 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-In a dystopian future, evil deeds begin spawning three kinds of monsters who wreak havoc in human cities; Corsai are created by nonlethal violent acts, Malchai by murders, and Sunai from mass murders. This novel takes place in one such city, which is divided into two parts. Kate Harker's father rules one side by using the monsters as an army and selling protection to residents who can afford it. On the other side, the Flynn family strive to eliminate the Corsai and Malchai by utilizing the deadly talents of the three very rare Sunai who have become part of their family. When Kate returns to the city after being expelled from a slew of boarding schools, August, the newest Sunai, is sent undercover to her elite private school to keep an eye on her. However, the two become unlikely allies when August is framed for an attack that would threaten their fragile peace. This first installment in a planned two-book saga can be described as a postapocalyptic urban fantasy with a Romeo and Juliet theme. The plot unfolds very quickly, with more twists and turns than an average thriller. The budding romance between the main characters is predictable, but Kate and August both undergo an impressive amount of character development, and fans will like them despite their flaws.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Violence breeds violence, a teacher lectures destructive Kate Harker after an incident. The teacher had been right about one thing, Kate reflects later. Violence breeds. In this not-so-distant future, America is gone, replaced by 10 territories, and Kate lives in the city of Verity, which is overrun with monsters. There are three kinds: the Corsai, vicious eating machines spawned by acts of violence; the Malachai, sly, vampirelike blood-drinkers created by murder; and the Sunai, so rare that, except for the fact that they look human, little is known about them. Enter August, one of the three existing Sunai. He and his two siblings, begotten from cataclysmic events of destruction, don't eat bodies. Instead, they steal the souls of sinners through music. There are definitive sides in Verity, and August and Kate are on opposite ones, until chance throws them together and sends them down a startling path. Schwab walks a knife's edge, letting no one off the hook; everyone in Verity is a monster. There are no wasted words here, and the end result is a darkly precise narrative that feels like a shiver down the spine, complete with an eerie children's song ( Monsters, monsters, big and small / They're gonna come and eat you all ). First in a planned duo, this taut creation about the nature of humanity lingers long after its disquieting finale. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Schwab has produced blockbusters for both YA and adult audiences, and this chillingly atmospheric fantasy will appeal to both.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
In a parallel United States, violence literally creates monsters. The rarest of these, the Sunai, look like people but feed on corrupted human souls. Together, August (a Sunai) and Kate, the teenage children of rival leaders, uncover a conspiracy that threatens their entire territory. Schwab explores justice and humanity in an assuredly built world with a compelling setting and intriguing music-based magic.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 2016
In a parallel, contemporary United States, violence literally creates monsters. The rarest, least understood, and most feared of these are the Sunai, who look like people but feed on souls. Humans have retreated to ten protected territories surrounded by wasteland, and the largest territory, Verity, is caught between two powerful men. Callum Harker shelters his allies from monsters, keeping a small army of the creatures under his command to attack his enemies; Henry Flynn leads a task force that hunts monsters and the wicked humans whose violence creates them. His secret weapons are his three adopted Sunai teenagers, who use music to draw out and consume corrupted human souls. After Flynn instructs his youngest son, August, to keep close to Callum's daughter, Kate, the teens uncover a conspiracy that threatens their lives and all of Verity. August and Kate are complex characters whose primary traits (compassion and a ruthless determination, respectively) by turns aid and hinder their quest for the truth. As the novel progresses, these traits become more complicated, with August's reluctance to harm humans itself causing profound harm. Schwab (The Archived, rev. 1/13) explores the natures of justice and humanity in an assuredly built world with a compelling setting and an intriguing music-based magic. And in August and his Sunai siblings, she introduces a type of monster both sympathetic and terrifying. A cliffhanger ending promises a sequel. katie bircher

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)