Top 10 Tuesday: Books by my Favourite Authors, and Authors with the Potential to Become Favourites, that I Still Haven’t Read

After thinking about this week’s TTT topic for some time, I came to the rather bizarre conclusion that unlike my teenage self, adult me does not have that many favourite authors. *jaw drop* Why, you ask? Well, while I do read a lot of books, I’ve noticed that they seem to come from a much wider array of different authors than they used to. In other words, I don’t read enough books from particular authors for them to BECOME favourites. You can see why this would be problematic for a list like this.  Then there’s the other issue that for some of my favourite authors I don’t actually have any books (already released, that is) still to read.

SO.

To make up the numbers I’ve decided to extend this list to also include authors that I’ve read something from and would like to see more of. In other words, books I’m keen to read by authors with the potential to become favourites. Let’s get stuck in.

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Sleeping Beauties – Stephen King

I’ve read a few of King’s novels now and largely enjoyed them. I bought this brick of a book (typical SK) shortly after it came out but I still haven’t tackled it. I’m expecting it won’t happen until I hit a holiday period but I’m definitely still determined to get there. There have been some mixed reviews on this one but the blurb continues to suck me in.

The Storyteller – Jodi Picoult

During my high school years I consumed Jodi Picoult novels like a machine but I haven’t read one for some time (not for any particular reason though). They’re always emotionally crushing but I just love how well done her characters are. Plus I respect her willingness to tackle some really heavy issues through her writing. This one relates to WWII German history and with an average goodreads rating of 4.27 I’m expecting it to be a great one to get me back on board with her books.

The Archived – Victoria Schwab

Schwaby. How I adore you. I’ve had this one on my GR to-read shelf for what feels like FOREVER and I still haven’t got there. With the recent release of both The Archived books in one release, The Dark Vault, I’ve been reminded of just how much I want to read this one. I mean, it’s set in a library, that should be enough alone.

One True Loves – Taylor Jenkins Reid

I completely fell in love with Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo last month and I’m now determined to read some of her other novels. One True Loves is considered to be one of Reid’s best novels so I’m hoping lightning strikes twice. It’s a completely different story from Evelyn Hugo but I’m expecting to find more beautifully done characters and great writing. A woman whose husband dies in a helicopter crash and turns up alive years later after she’s already remarried? I’m ready for ALL the emotions!

The Song Rising (The Bone Season 3#) – Samantha Shannon

Here’s another one that’s been on my shelf for ages. I really want to read it but I’m being held up by the fact that I need to do a re-read of The Mime Order first to ensure I know what the hell is going on. At this rate Sam’s enormous tome The Priory of the Orange Tree (which also looks great) will be released before I finally read The Song Rising. Get cracking, Ashley!

Legend – Marie Lu

At this point I’ve only read Marie’s Warcross duology but after these two, I’m very keen to see more. Her Legend series seems to be extremely popular and has quite a high average GR rating, so I’m thinking this will be the one I tackle. However I am a little bit worried about it including a too quickly developed romance.

I’ve Got Your Number – Sophie Kinsella

Sophie is another author that I used to read a lot of back in the day but haven’t for some time. Her books are light contemporaries which are always a bit of fun. They make me laugh and are great pick me ups when you’re feeling down. Sure, some of it gets repetitive from time to time but this one sounds cute anyway. The concept here is that the MC, Poppy, finds a lost phone which happens to belong to the ex-PA of cute businessman, Sam. Poppy starts trying to manage Sam’s life using the phone and as you can imagine, hijinks ensue.  Cue romance.

Unwind – Neal Shusterman

Picking up Scythe by Mr Shusterman earlier this year was one of the best things I’ve done for myself in 2018 and the sequel, Thunderhead, was pretty damn awesome as well. NS’s worldbuilding skils are amazing and by the looks of the synopsis for Unwind, Scythe wasn’t just a fluke. The plot of this one sounds fascinatingly creepy and I’m extremely intrigued. The idea that teens between the ages of 13 and 18 can be simply killed and their organs shuffled on to other people without their consent sounds terrifying. Bring it on.

Renegades – Marissa Meyer

I could just as easily have put Winter here but I’ve gone with Renegades. I’ve read the first three books in Marissa’s The Lunar Chronicles series and have had a great time with them. I think she’s great at balancing more dramatic writing against humour and her ideas are wonderfully creative. For this reason I’m really looking forward to reading more from her, especially since this one sounds epic.

Iron Gold (Red Rising 4#) – Pierce Brown

Yes, I know, I know. I keep bringing this one up because I still haven’t gone back and finished it. The bloody thing has been sitting on my bedside table with a bookmark in it at about page 200 since April. APRIL for crying out loud. I love this series and Pierce’s writing is amazing so I know I’ll get there eventually but when, that’s always the question.

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Which books by your favourite authors are you yet to read? And which authors are you eager to see more from?

Music, Monsters, and Friendship: This Savage Song by V. E. Schwab

What if the worst deeds of humanity somehow created something living, breathing and equally monstrous?

It’s a simple concept, but it’s one that Victoria Schwab takes and, unsurprisingly, manages to turn into an engaging story full of shocking twists and interesting characters. Schwab herself describes TSS as: Sin City + Romeo & Juliet – Romance + Monsters, and to be honest, this is a pretty much perfect explanation of the book. The story is set in the troubled city of Verity, plagued by the existence of terrifying monsters which are formed by violent acts. The province is split down the middle between two very different controlling powers (or houses, if you want to use the R+J analogy). In the north, there’s Callum Harker, the powerful crime lord who has devised a way to control the monsters whilst demanding payment from citizens for continued “protection”. In the south lies the Flynn family, set on simply exterminating the monsters and who possess a zero tolerance for the individuals who create them. For some time there’s been a truce between the two families which has continued to grow increasingly rocky over the years, with a break down expected to be imminent. And so, when Harker’s teenage daughter Kate returns to the city, the Flynns send their youngest family member, August, to school with her to gather intel. As you can expect, this all gets very messy when an attempt is made on Kate’s life and blamed on the Flynns. But who’s behind it and is it as simple as it seems? If you guessed no, you’d be right.

Plot

I’m not sure what I expected going into TSS but it wasn’t what I got. I have a feeling I didn’t read the blurb properly, (probably too busy jumping for joy at the idea of having another Schwab series to read). The first part of the novel sets up our two main characters and establishes the flip sides of the pretty dystopian world they live in. From here, to my surprise, it moves into an almost typical high school setting involving classroom learning, social politics, and friendly banter over lunch. It’s a little odd to get used to at first amongst all the broader fear of getting brutally murdered. Yet, this section of the book provides essential scenes for the development of August and Kate’s relationship as well as their individual characters. We also never forget about the broader implications of what is happening inside the high-school ‘bubble’ as these scenes are balanced out by each character’s experiences outside of school hours. The last third of the book is a The Fugitive like section in which we see our two-some on the run. It’s during this part that we get some great action-packed scenes, emotional conversations between Kate and August, and entertaining twists which kept me entertained as well as drove me to pick up book two pretty quickly.

Characters

One of the best parts of the book is the sense of duality between August and Kate. Schwab has said that her inspiration for this story came from a line she wrote in Vicious:

“Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.” 

It’s very easy to see how this was utilised to create her two main characters here. As the daughter of quite a monstrous person, Kate goes through a large part of TSS determined to live up to the reputation of her father. To not only survive, but rule, a place like Verity, Kate believes that she needs to be cruel, cold, and dangerous. In other words,  that she, too, needs to be a monster. Her father is the only family she has left and for reasons even she doesn’t fully understand, she desperately craves his approval and acceptance. The only problem is that Kate is a far better person than her father and he’s not in any way someone she should aspire to be. It’s something she comes to realise eventually but it takes time. The slowness of this development may come across annoying and unlikeable for some people, but looking at the underlying reasoning for her actions, I quite liked Kate and found her to be a good, strong character in the moments that mattered.

August, on the other hand, is a monster. A Sunai, August is driven to reap the souls of the impure which he achieves through the enchanting melodies of his violin. This is something he takes very little pleasure in, unlike that of his older ‘brother’, Leo, but it’s a process necessary to his existence. It’s a well-used trope, the monster who wishes he was anything but, and yet August never felt cliché to me. Instead of spending all his time moping about the nature of his existence, August simply tries to live his life as if he were the person he wants to be. It’s a serious case of denial, yes, which gets him into trouble later on, but it’s both sweet and endearing.

The friendship between Kate and August works so well because of their differences. They bring out the best in one another whilst also forcing each other to deal with the parts of themselves that they’d rather not. I read so many YA novels with underdeveloped romances which seem like they’re there just for the sake of ticking off a box. It was a wonderful change to read something that focused on building a solid and balanced, platonic relationship without any romantic elements. Yep, that’s right. You heard me. NO ROMANCE. None. Nada. Zip. And it’s a choice that works perfectly for this particular story.

Monsters

There are three forms of monsters in Verity – Corsai, Malchai and Sunai. Corsai, animalistic in nature, are born from non-lethal forms of violence and live off human flesh. Malchai, closely resembling vampires, are the result of murder and bare some of the warped characteristics of their creators. Last are the Sunai. Much more human-like in nature, Sunai are products of crimes involving the large-scale murder of innocents – massacres, bombings, and so on. They are akin to avenging angels who use music to reap the souls of those who have committed violent acts.

Despite the general similarities of each type of ‘monster’, there’s a great degree of variation within the classes which provides for some interesting character contrasts. This is particularly so for August and his adoptive Sunai siblings, Leo and Ilsa, who each have their own vastly different personalities and attitudes towards their role in the greater scheme of things. The differences among the Malchai don’t become prominent until book two, however, Callum Harker’s right-hand man (or monster, rather), Sloan, is still an interesting and frightening figure in this story.

To put it simply, the monster elements of the story are definitely some of the most interesting, and I absorbed every little detail like a dry sponge.

Writing

If you’ve read Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic series, you’ll be satisfied with her still excellent writing here. However, do keep in mind that unlike ADSoM, this series fits solidly within the YA classification and as a result the descriptions are briefer, language is more to the point, and the plot speeds along far quicker.  It’s not a bad thing, nor is it unfulfilling, just different. Her worlds are still well constructed, characters distinct, and concepts sound. If you’ve loved her other work, you’ll at the very least like this.

This Savage Song was an enjoyable read with an engaging concept and interesting characters. Did I adore it as much as the ADSoM books? No. Did I speed through it, set on reading the sequel to find out what happened next?  Very much so. I have no hesitation recommending it to anyone looking for an entertaining YA fantasy read.

4 Stars

Have you read This Savage Song? What did you think?