Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

11 reviews

liesthemoontells's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I love a Gothic novel and had this on my to-read list for ages. While the concept wasn't as original as Addie LaRue (think Rebecca, Crimson Peak, Fall of the House of Usher with a dash of Coralline), I found it a more enjoyable read. 

Schwab's descriptions of place in the book are immediate and visceral. I particularly loved the use of colour, nature and decay to immediately situate you between Merilance, Gallant, and the not-Gallant. The slow reveal of Olivia's parents' story and the mystery behind the house at Gallant was well paced, with diary entries and images used to good effect (although I wonder if they would have had even more impact if I weren't using an e-reader).

I particularly loved the description of the ghouls; it was creepy and horrific to imagine a small child seeing flashes of of hovering body parts and half-people out of the corner of her eye. The use of the word ghouls instead of ghosts also differentiated them and their relationship to Olivia; it made them seem more real and tangible than if the word "ghost" was used.

I enjoyed Olivia as a character; she was relatable, resourceful, and charming without being cloying. Although I have no lived experience, I also thought the portrayal of disability and ableism was strong. Olivia is constantly underestimated by others due to her inability to speak, which has significant consequences on her happiness and wellbeing, but she is never treated with pity by the text; instead, the reader shares in her frustration with the limited thinking of the people around her.

I was expecting a happy ending at the end of the book from the way the story had framed Olivia as embarking on a hero's journey,
and I was surprised and a little bit cheated to not receive one. However was also impressed with Schwab for not pulling her punches, and I admire how the melancholy ending stayed true to the Gothic tradition.


Overall there was nothing ground breaking about this book, but I found it entertaining, moving, and well-written.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

shmayjoy's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Gallant took me by the wrist, whispered to me while I slept, and held me in the dark. I'll carry it with me now always.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

angeldevoursliterature's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

literally_mint's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

haylzno's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging mysterious 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? No

4.5

I rather enjoyed this story! I thought the characters were well written and I loved the found family (literally). 

I found the pacing to be perfect and the magic/fantastical elements to be very entertaining! 

I started out listening to the audiobook and then switched to the ebook and as much as I enjoyed the narration, I would recommend reading this as an ebook/physical book as there are illustrations that I think add a lot to the story. 

There are areas of the story that I wish we got a little more information on, but that's really my only complaint. I binged this story so fast I almost wish I would have slowed down a bit so I could have spent a little more time in that world! 
Expand filter menu 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. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

maeverose's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

Basically the secret garden mixed with coraline. I loved the gothic atmosphere and the writing style. I agree that it’s a basic story, and I wanted more from it. Has the ‘not like other girls’ trope, but I didn’t feel like it was too bad. Definitely feels more middle grade than YA.

I wanted more time in the other Gallant. I felt like it was mostly build up to going there and then she wasn’t there that long, despite that being a major plot point. I also wish we knew more about how the other Gallant and the monster existed, they never really explained it. I suppose that might’ve been intentional to keep it mysterious, but I wanted to know how it came to be. I also would’ve liked to know more about Olivia’s parents’ story, but I get why that wasn’t a focus.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

My absolute favorite part of Gallant was the same lilting brushstrokes that painted Schwab’s voice in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The language in this book is beautiful and I can’t get enough of it. I have always liked Schwab’s imagination – beautiful world filled with slithering corruption – but her voice has changed over the years. This new evolution is a lullaby and I am enamored.

As for the story in Gallant itself? It’s a little bit ghost story, a little bit orphan’s song, and a little bit Coraline. The darkness lives effortlessly on the edges of Olivia’s consciousness. The world building here is interesting – Gallant is in our-world-that-was, but somehow Schwab makes it all feel like a Victorian fairytale. And I do think it’s saying something that Olivia would rather stay at a haunted house than a poor excuse for a finishing school aimed to swallow up poor girls and spit out competent wives. It’s a small note of the story – at least it was for me – but it’s a thought I keep coming back to.

If you like ghost stories, you’ll probably like Gallant. It’s got the feel of Stranger Things in its earlier seasons, but it’s also a quiet book. And I say that not just because of Olivia – who is non-verbal – but because it is tucked away in a corner of the quiet countryside and the evil only affects a small handful of people rather than corrupting an entire town. And yet… Gallant echoes the feel of Addie LaRue in more than just tone. The relationship between devil and sorrowful girl is becoming a theme. I don’t mind it, but it feels as though the two stories could have been planted from the same seed. One grew taller, stronger than the other, but their roots are nonetheless entangled.

The plot of Gallant moves quickly, the characters rounded enough to be interesting but not so much that the reader is teased into thinking they are anything more that background silhouettes. The pace is a slow, steady drum beat and those familiar with Schwab’s other work will recognize the cadence. Gallant unfurls its story like the slow blossom of a summer rose. It takes patience, but the reader is rewarded with vibrant imagery and memorable worlds. I enjoyed it for a one-off read, but I’m not hungry for more of Olivia’s story. This taste was enough for me.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kayladaila's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

foreverinastory's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I constantly thought the narrator was actually Neil Gaiman and that is the highest order of compliment I can bestow to a male narrator.

Rep: white asexual(?) mute cis female MC, white side characters.

CWs: Death, death of parent, blood, grief, animal death, abandonment, bullying, ableism, child death, suicide, gore, self harm, suicidal thoughts, violence, kidnapping, murder. Moderate: injury/injury detail, mental illness, body horror. Minor: alcoholism. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings