Reviews with content warning for Ableism - Gallant

This was surprisingly good! It wasn’t a very long book and it’s something that you can get through very easily because VES writes in a very easy manner…

This was the first time I’ve ever picked up a VES book and wasn’t sure what to expect based on aspects I have read and watched in reviews of her books.

The story is simple but even in the simplicity it’s mysterious charm kept me entertained even though reading the additional genres (horror, paranormal, mystery) are not something I typically read.

This is the perfect book for spooky season and is just a lovely Victorian Vibe with a mystery I wanted to solve…

Content Warnings

thevioletfoxbookshop's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Atmospheric, eerie, and lush, Gallant is the perfect spooky read for Fall.

As we watch the leaves fall and the days get cooler, we know that Fall is a time when the life-bursting summer months will be sucked into a more gray and lifeless world. But for many of us, that's not a bad thing. We appreciate each season and know that all things happen in cycles and balance each other out. Such is the world built in Gallant.

Olivia Prior has grown up in a dismal orphanage, unable to speak, and feeling very alone in the world. Like the ghouls who haunt the orphanage, Olivia feels both invisible and unwanted. She clings to the one piece of hope she has left - her mother's old journal. But with hope also comes uncertainty...because her mother's journal is full or darkness and madness. It's one warning to Oliva - do not go to Gallant.

Everything casts a shadow and every shadow has a source. One cannot exist without the other. In between our world and the shadow world is a wall. On one side, life - a family, a garden full of roses, and a home. On the other - death, darkness, and decay. While Gallant is certainly a dark read, I think it's about balance. Light and dark, being alone and being loved, taking the good with the bad.

Did I mention there are illustrations? Deep inky illustrations by Manuel Sumberac bring the mysterious world of Gallant to life and pull you in.

Gallant is a whole vibe and Olivia Prior will definitely be with me for a long time to come.

Content Warnings

phillyhufflepunk's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Olivia grew up in an orphanage with nothing but her mother's very confusing journal to connect her to anyone else. Unable to speak and surrounded by people unable to sign, she's alone. Even the ghosts, that only she can see, are silent. Then, a letter arrives from a family she never knew she had.

A young adult gothic novel which features a character who struggles within an ableist institution, doesn't needlessly info dump, and doesn't waste time telling the story. Would love to see this as a movie or limited series. Quality storytelling.

Content Warnings

onthesamepage's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I've had a similar reaction to Schwab's last two releases: an initial, "well, that was lovely" accompanied by a rating of 4 stars, but then, the longer I think about it, the more I realize the loveliness is very surface level. Of the 3 books I've read so far, This Savage Song is probably my favourite. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Gallant have similar issues, which is a lack of substance.

Schwab's writing is always beautiful, and it makes it really easy to sink into her works and enjoy them. Gallant relies a lot on atmosphere and vibes, and that part was executed really well. The exploration of the manor, as well as the feeling of secrets being hidden from the protagonist by the other characters, put me in mind of The Haunting of Bly Manor. I actually liked the setup of this, and was intrigued by the story of Olivia's parents, but there are several issues that made me lower my rating.

Olivia is mute, and has spent most of her life surrounded by people who never bothered to learn how to communicate with her. In Gallant, Edgar knows sign language, but we get repeated instances of him deliberately turning his back on her when she is trying to communicate, and he's not the only character to forcibly silence Olivia this way. I could really sense her frustration with how they were acting towards her and all the secrets being kept from her, and it evoked a lot of sympathy in me for her situation. And yet, Olivia is never forthright with them about her family and her ability to see ghouls either, even when it becomes clear that the knowledge she has may be the key to saving them.

There's very little focus on developing the relationship between Olivia and the others. We do get a few scenes between her and Matthew, but I don't think it was enough to flesh out their bond or even the characters themselves, and this goes double for Edgar and Hannah. Ultimately, this led to a disconnect from them and their circumstances, which makes the story much less impactful than it could have been. I also thought the resolution happened way too fast, and ultimately wasn't very satisfying, but pretty in line with what Schwab usually does.

Content Warnings

liviamello's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Content Warnings

More...