Burning for Freedom

Kate Harker, daughter of the infamous Callum Harker, sets fire to her school's chapel in a calculated bid to get expelled and return to her father's city, Verity. Her rebellion is not born of anger but of longing—to prove herself to her father and escape the suffocating safety of boarding schools. The world she returns to is divided by violence: monsters born from human crimes stalk the night, and the city is split between her father's iron-fisted North and the idealistic South led by Henry Flynn. Kate's scars—physical and emotional—are reminders of a fractured family and a city where safety is an illusion. Her return is not a homecoming, but a challenge: to become strong enough to survive in a world where monsters are real, and sometimes, so are people.

Monsters and Medallions

August Flynn, a Sunai—one of three rare monsters who look human—yearns to help his adoptive family, the Flynns, protect South City. Unlike his siblings, August is gentle, introspective, and haunted by his monstrous nature. The city's fragile truce is kept by medallions: iron tokens that buy safety from Harker's monsters, but only for those who can pay. August is sent undercover to Colton Academy, the elite school Kate attends, to watch her as a potential bargaining chip. He struggles to pass as human, hiding his hunger for souls and the black tally marks that count his days without "slipping." August's longing for belonging and his fear of what he is set the stage for a collision between duty, desire, and the darkness within.

Truce on the Brink

The city of Verity is a powder keg. The truce between Harker and Flynn is unraveling as monsters grow restless and violence seeps across the Seam dividing North and South. Both sides prepare for war: Harker rules through fear and control, while Flynn's forces fight for justice but are stretched thin. Monsters—Corsai, Malchai, and Sunai—are the city's true threat, born from human violence and feeding on it in turn. Surveillance, secrets, and suspicion infect every corner. Kate and August, each carrying the burdens of their families' legacies, are drawn into the city's dangerous undercurrents, their fates entwined as the line between human and monster blurs.

School of Shadows

At Colton, Kate asserts her dominance, using intimidation and violence to cement her reputation as her father's daughter. Rumors swirl about her past, and she quickly makes enemies and reluctant allies. August, under the alias Freddie Gallagher, navigates the treacherous social landscape, forming a tentative friendship with Kate. Both are outsiders, hiding secrets: Kate's scars and trauma, August's monstrous hunger. Their interactions are charged with suspicion and curiosity, each recognizing something kindred and dangerous in the other. The school becomes a microcosm of the city—cliques, rumors, and the ever-present threat of violence lurking beneath the surface.

Unlikely Connections

Despite their roles as enemies, Kate and August find themselves drawn together by shared loneliness and the sense of being different. A chance encounter outside the cafeteria leads to a moment of genuine connection, as they talk about scars, secrets, and the weight of expectations. August's hunger grows, threatening to expose him, while Kate's need to prove herself to her father pushes her toward ever-riskier actions. Their bond is fragile, built on half-truths and mutual recognition of pain. In a world where trust is dangerous, their tentative friendship becomes both a lifeline and a liability.

Secrets and Scars

Kate's suspicions about August deepen as she investigates his background, finding no trace of "Freddie Gallagher" in Harker's ledgers or the city's records. Meanwhile, August's struggle with his monstrous nature intensifies, his hunger gnawing at his self-control. A violent attack at Colton—engineered to frame the Sunai and break the truce—forces Kate and August into a deadly alliance. Betrayed by those they should trust, hunted by monsters and men, they must rely on each other to survive. The cost is high: innocence is lost, and the line between victim and perpetrator blurs as both are forced to confront the darkness within themselves and each other.

The Hunger Within

Fleeing through the city, August's hunger becomes unbearable, threatening to consume him and turn him into the very monster he fears. Kate, wounded and hunted, must decide whether to trust him or destroy him. Their flight through the subway tunnels, pursued by Corsai, is a test of endurance and will. August's music—his weapon and curse—keeps the monsters at bay but drains him further. Kate's wounds and memories resurface, forcing her to confront her own trauma and the truth about her mother's death. In the crucible of fear and pain, their bond is tested, and the choices they make will determine not only their survival but the fate of the city.

Traps and Betrayals

Safe havens prove illusory as Kate and August are betrayed by those closest to them. Sloan, Harker's Malchai enforcer, orchestrates a deadly trap, revealing his own ambitions and the depth of Harker's duplicity. August is captured and tortured, forced to the brink of losing himself. Kate, imprisoned and desperate, must use every ounce of cunning and strength to escape. The true nature of the city's monsters is revealed—not just the supernatural, but the human capacity for cruelty, manipulation, and betrayal. Loyalties are tested, and the cost of survival becomes ever steeper.

Run Through the Dark

Escaping captivity, Kate and August flee into the Waste beyond the city, pursued by monsters and bounty hunters. The journey is harrowing: August's hunger pushes him to the edge of madness, while Kate's wounds and memories threaten to break her. They find brief refuge in Kate's childhood home, a place haunted by loss and longing. Here, the boundaries between monster and human, past and present, blur. August's struggle to hold onto his humanity reaches its breaking point, and Kate must decide how far she will go to save him—and herself.

Into the Waste

In the isolation of the Waste, Kate and August are forced to confront their deepest fears and desires. August's transformation into his true Sunai form is both terrifying and redemptive, as he chooses mercy over destruction. Kate, armed with the truth about her father and Sloan, resolves to return to Verity and face the consequences. Their time together is both an ending and a beginning, as they accept the parts of themselves they cannot change and find strength in what remains. The Waste, once a place of exile, becomes a crucible for transformation.

Facing the Fire

Kate and August return to the city, each determined to confront the legacies of their fathers. Kate faces Harker, demanding the truth and justice for her mother's death and the chaos unleashed on the city. August, changed by his ordeal, must reckon with the loss of his brother Leo and the burden of being the last Sunai. The city is on the brink of war, the truce shattered, and both must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for peace—or vengeance. In the end, the true monsters are revealed, and the cost of survival is paid in blood.

The Monster's Choice

In a final confrontation, Kate must choose between vengeance and mercy, between becoming the monster her father wanted or forging her own path. August, tasked with delivering justice to Harker, must accept the darkness within himself without losing his soul. Their choices echo through the city, shaping the future of Verity and their own identities. The cycle of violence is not broken, but transformed, as both learn that being human—or monster—is not a matter of birth, but of choice.

Blood and Judgment

With Harker dead and the city descending into chaos, Kate and August part ways, each changed by what they have endured. Kate flees into the world beyond Verity, carrying scars and hard-won wisdom. August returns to the Flynns, the last Sunai, burdened by loss but determined to protect what remains. The city is left in turmoil, the future uncertain, but both have faced their monsters—within and without—and emerged, if not whole, then at least alive. In a world where violence breeds monsters, the greatest struggle is to remain human.

Characters

Kate Harker

Kate is the daughter of Callum Harker, ruler of North City, and the story's co-protagonist. Scarred by her mother's death and her father's coldness, Kate is driven by a desperate need to prove herself worthy of her family name. She is intelligent, ruthless, and unafraid to use violence to assert control, but beneath her hard exterior lies a deep well of pain and longing. Kate's journey is one of self-discovery: she must confront the truth about her parents, her own capacity for violence, and the possibility of forging her own identity. Her relationship with August is transformative, forcing her to question what it means to be monstrous—and what it means to be human.

August Flynn

August is a Sunai, a rare monster who looks human and feeds on the souls of sinners through music. Adopted by the Flynn family, he is haunted by his nature and desperate to do good, to belong, and to be more than what he was made to be. Sensitive, introspective, and self-sacrificing, August is tormented by hunger and the fear of losing control. His journey is a struggle between embracing his monstrous power and holding onto his humanity. Through his bond with Kate, August learns that identity is not fixed, and that mercy and choice are what separate monsters from men.

Callum Harker

Harker is the iron-fisted leader of North City, a man who controls monsters and people alike through fear, violence, and the promise of safety—for a price. He is cold, calculating, and sees his daughter more as an asset than a child. Harker's love is conditional, his morality flexible, and his ambition boundless. His relationship with Kate is defined by manipulation and disappointment, and his willingness to sacrifice anything—including his own family—for power. In the end, Harker is revealed as both a victim and perpetrator of the city's cycle of violence, a man undone by the monsters he helped create.

Henry Flynn

Henry is the head of South City and the adoptive father of August, Leo, and Ilsa. He is driven by a sense of justice and responsibility, fighting to protect his people from both monsters and the corruption of power. Henry is compassionate but burdened by loss and the weight of leadership. His relationship with August is loving but strained by fear—fear of losing another child, fear of unleashing the Sunai's power. Henry's struggle is to balance mercy with necessity, and to hold onto hope in a city that seems determined to destroy itself.

Leo Flynn

Leo is the eldest Sunai, a monster who has embraced his nature and sees himself as an agent of justice. He is charismatic, powerful, and utterly convinced of his own righteousness. Leo's inability to compromise or show mercy leads him down a path of fanaticism, ultimately betraying his family and the city in pursuit of his vision. His relationship with August is complex: part mentor, part tormentor, he pushes his brother to embrace the darkness, believing it is the only way to survive. Leo's fate is a cautionary tale about the dangers of losing oneself to ideology and power.

Ilsa Flynn

Ilsa is the second Sunai, a fragile and ethereal presence haunted by the trauma of her creation. She is deeply empathetic, her mind fractured by the violence she has witnessed and caused. Ilsa's power is immense—her song once destroyed a city block—but she is terrified of her own capacity for destruction. She serves as August's moral compass and emotional anchor, reminding him of the importance of kindness and the cost of violence. Ilsa's survival, despite her wounds, is a testament to resilience and the possibility of healing.

Sloan

Sloan is Harker's chief Malchai, a monster who serves as both enforcer and manipulator. He is intelligent, patient, and harbors ambitions of his own, orchestrating betrayals and violence to further his goals. Sloan's relationship with Kate is antagonistic, a constant reminder of the dangers lurking beneath the city's surface. He is both a product and a driver of the city's corruption, ultimately seeking to overthrow Harker and claim power for himself. Sloan's actions catalyze the story's central conflicts and force the protagonists to confront the true nature of monstrosity.

Emily Flynn

Emily is Henry's wife and the emotional heart of the Flynn family. She is practical, protective, and deeply loving, providing stability in a world of chaos. Emily's relationship with August is maternal, offering comfort and guidance as he struggles with his identity. Though not a fighter, her strength lies in her ability to hold the family together and remind them of what is worth saving. Emily's presence is a counterpoint to the violence and ambition that drive so many others in the story.

Paris Gallagher

Paris is a blind woman who serves as an ally and safe house for August in North City. Her sharp senses and practical wisdom make her invaluable, and her willingness to help the Sunai at great personal risk speaks to her courage and compassion. Paris represents the possibility of trust and cooperation across the city's divides, and her home is a rare sanctuary in a world of danger.

Allegro

Allegro is the black cat August rescues, a small but significant presence in the story. The cat's acceptance of August, despite his monstrous nature, serves as a symbol of hope and the possibility of connection. Allegro's interactions with the Flynn family, especially Ilsa, provide moments of levity and warmth, reminding the characters—and readers—of the simple joys that persist even in a world of monsters.

Plot Devices

Monsters as Metaphor

The central device of the novel is the literalization of violence: every act of cruelty or murder in Verity births a monster—Corsai, Malchai, or Sunai—each with distinct traits and feeding habits. This device externalizes the consequences of human actions, making the city's moral decay visible and inescapable. The monsters are not just threats, but reflections of the society that created them, blurring the line between victim and perpetrator, human and monster.

Dual Protagonists and Alternating Perspectives

The narrative alternates between Kate and August, allowing readers to experience the story from both sides of the city's divide. This structure highlights their similarities and differences, deepening the emotional impact as their paths intersect and their choices shape the city's fate. The dual perspective also serves to humanize both characters, challenging assumptions about good and evil.

The Truce and the Seam

The city's division by the Seam—a literal wall—serves as both a plot device and a metaphor for the barriers between people, ideologies, and identities. The truce is fragile, maintained by fear and convenience rather than true peace. Its breakdown is foreshadowed throughout the narrative, with escalating violence and betrayals on both sides. The Seam's presence shapes every character's choices and underscores the story's themes of division and connection.

Music as Power

For the Sunai, music is both a gift and a curse: it is the means by which they feed, judge, and kill, but also a source of beauty and self-expression. The use of music as a plot device elevates the story's emotional stakes, making every performance a matter of life and death. It also serves as a metaphor for the power of art to reveal truth, heal wounds, and, sometimes, destroy.

Foreshadowing and Parallels

The narrative is rich with foreshadowing: Kate's early act of arson, August's fear of slipping, the city's mounting unrest. Parallels between characters—fathers and children, monsters and humans—underscore the story's central questions about identity and agency. The use of recurring motifs (fire, music, scars, medallions) weaves a sense of inevitability, building tension toward the story's climactic confrontations.

Confession and Compulsion

Sunai influence compels humans to confess their sins, a device that exposes hidden truths and drives the plot forward. This compulsion strips away pretense, forcing characters to confront the reality of their actions and desires. It also serves as a metaphor for the dangers and necessity of honesty in a world built on secrets and lies.

Analysis

Victoria Schwab's This Savage Song is a dark, lyrical meditation on violence, identity, and the struggle to remain human in a world that rewards monstrosity. By literalizing the consequences of violence—monsters born from human sin—the novel forces readers to confront the cyclical nature of harm and the ways in which societies create their own demons. The dual protagonists, Kate and August, embody the central tension: the desire to belong versus the fear of what one truly is. Their journeys are both personal and political, shaped by the legacies of their fathers and the choices they make in the crucible of crisis. The novel's use of music as both weapon and salvation speaks to the power of art to reveal, heal, and destroy. Ultimately, This Savage Song argues that being human is not a matter of birth or biology, but of choice—of mercy, of judgment, of the willingness to face one's own darkness and choose, again and again, to do better. In a world where violence is easy and monsters are everywhere, the hardest—and most important—struggle is to remain kind.

Last updated: August 31, 2025