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amandasky21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This novel is incredibly atmospheric and detailed, so much so that it does create a movie in your head. However, because of how detailed visually the book seemed to be written as, I felt as though the character development with the main character, Olivia, fell flat. The pacing took too long in getting her accustomed to Gallant, that by the third act I was already bored, even with her meeting Death . Even with the found family trope of the book, it felt cliche and forced. I felt as though the author could have done more with her bonding with her found family, and maybe create a balance in her finding out about her parents and appreciating her found family. I genuinely think that this would make a great movie, but as a novel, it did fall flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
karydiazc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
What was that ending?
I have to admit I was expecting more...
I mean, it was a fitting ending to the story, but at the same time I felt it rushed.
And my question is... What is going to happen to Gallant once Olivia is not there anymore? What if she decides to have children?
I liked Olivia as a character, she was interesting to read, how she could picture and feel the world around her. She felt real, a curious girl who has always wanted something and is finally getting it, although not as she expected.
Matthew was very human. He was afraid and tired of everything. You can definitely see how that shaped his actions throughout the book.
Edgar and Hannah were mostly side characters, and didn't have much relevance to the actual plot, but I liked them.
This book was dark and I was expecting some closure at the end, however, as I mention at the beginning, the ending was fitting for the type of story and the information given to Olivia. We as readers know the same about Gallant as she does. Therefore making her actions understandable and not childish or rash, since Olivia was filled with curiosity for a world she did not know anything about.
I would have liked to rate the book higher, but I was expecting a bit more of action at the end and I would have liked more information about her parents. Still, in real life we don't always get the answers we seek.
I have to admit I was expecting more...
I mean, it was a fitting ending to the story, but at the same time I felt it rushed.
And my question is... What is going to happen to Gallant once Olivia is not there anymore? What if she decides to have children?
I liked Olivia as a character, she was interesting to read, how she could picture and feel the world around her. She felt real, a curious girl who has always wanted something and is finally getting it, although not as she expected.
Matthew was very human. He was afraid and tired of everything. You can definitely see how that shaped his actions throughout the book.
Edgar and Hannah were mostly side characters, and didn't have much relevance to the actual plot, but I liked them.
This book was dark and I was expecting some closure at the end, however, as I mention at the beginning, the ending was fitting for the type of story and the information given to Olivia. We as readers know the same about Gallant as she does. Therefore making her actions understandable and not childish or rash, since Olivia was filled with curiosity for a world she did not know anything about.
I would have liked to rate the book higher, but I was expecting a bit more of action at the end and I would have liked more information about her parents. Still, in real life we don't always get the answers we seek.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
amateur_bookworm's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
My summary:
Olivia Prior has been at the Merliance boarding school since she was two years old, where she was left on the steps with nothing but her mother’s journal. Now 14, a letter arrives from an uncle summoning Olivia home to Gallant—the one place her mother’s journal warned her away from. Olivia has no choice but to go to Gallant despite her mother’s warning, but her dread is mixed with the promise of having a family and a home.
My thoughts:
Gallant by V. E. Schwab (a.k.a. Victoria Schwab) is a dark, young adult, fantasy standalone novel. This is not a genre that I typically read but I love Schwab’s writing so much that I wanted to read some of her backlist while waiting for her next release. Her writing is very lyrical and I enjoy the style of it.
I found this to be well written but a little creepier than I prefer my books to be. Overall I enjoyed it, but it’s just a bit outside of my comfort zone of the typical books that I read. A couple of the plot points were a bit hard to follow but it is worth the read.
I was first introduced to V. E. Schwab’s writing with the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I adore that book so much. It was the first fantasy book that I had ever read and it opened the door for me to read and love other fantasy books since then. I have since read her Darker Shades of Magic trilogy and then her new spinoff of that series, The Fragile Threads of Power, which I especially enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
kmoz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
A simple yet hauntingly beautiful story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Animal death and Abandonment
themichellegray's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
A dark, mysterious story told with stunning atmospheric writing! While I enjoyed my time reading this book, I was left wishing there was a bit more explanation behind Gallant's secrets.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child death, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicide and Grief
Minor: Animal death
_pauline's review against another edition
dark
1.5
I felt like nothing happened, which tbf objectively isn’t true
however, if you love horror just for the vibes, maybe you’ll like it; I realised I prefer mysteries & thrillers. Gallant includes a lot of stuff like this:
however, if you love horror just for the vibes, maybe you’ll like it; I realised I prefer mysteries & thrillers. Gallant includes a lot of stuff like this:
Behind her eyes, she sees the corpses of small creatures rising at her touch, feels herself dragged into the darkness by dead hands, watches two dozen dancers turn to ash, bits of bone rattling on the ballroom floor as they skitter back to their master.
just not my genre I guess
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Mental illness, and Blood
Minor: Suicide
angeldevoursliterature's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide and Medical content
cryptofauna's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
this was really good!!
super interesting and had me hooked from the very beginning. it got me to read during the summer which is a huge accomplishment.
v. e. schwab as usually knocks it out of the park with the characterization, writing and world building.
having a non-speaking protagonist i think was done perfectly in this book, it was just frustrating enough to absolutely relate to olivia’s frustration at being ignored and misunderstood but not so much that it felt like a random thing just added to complicate the plot (especially when she isn’t really coded as autistic). it felt like an actual part of the character rather than a flaw or a complication, and i loved that she didn’t get “fixed” at the end.
read all in one day (a double win for the summer reading slump)
also reminded me a lot of the spirit bares its teeth especially at the beginning
super interesting and had me hooked from the very beginning. it got me to read during the summer which is a huge accomplishment.
v. e. schwab as usually knocks it out of the park with the characterization, writing and world building.
having a non-speaking protagonist i think was done perfectly in this book, it was just frustrating enough to absolutely relate to olivia’s frustration at being ignored and misunderstood but not so much that it felt like a random thing just added to complicate the plot (especially when she isn’t really coded as autistic). it felt like an actual part of the character rather than a flaw or a complication, and i loved that she didn’t get “fixed” at the end.
read all in one day (a double win for the summer reading slump)
also reminded me a lot of the spirit bares its teeth especially at the beginning
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Pregnancy
rachtmh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
V E SCHWAB has done it again, I cannot dislike anything she writes.
My main genres are fantasy, romance and mythology but have recently been really enjoying gothic, spooky & historic stories as well.
This book is spooky in a really interesting and engrossing way. The characters are bound to family and the their history, but like all good stories, you are the one who will be bound.
I could not put the book down and even more than a fantastic story, the book itself is beautiful.
The alternate pages, illustrations and chapter pages are something else!
Thank you for such a beautiful book and awesome story.
My main genres are fantasy, romance and mythology but have recently been really enjoying gothic, spooky & historic stories as well.
This book is spooky in a really interesting and engrossing way. The characters are bound to family and the their history, but like all good stories, you are the one who will be bound.
I could not put the book down and even more than a fantastic story, the book itself is beautiful.
The alternate pages, illustrations and chapter pages are something else!
Thank you for such a beautiful book and awesome story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
kittykaz's review against another edition
dark
sad
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
2.25
I liked the premise and the dark atmosphere but the plot fell short for me. It was entirely crammed into the last 50 pages and because the writing focuses on the loneliness and estrangement of the main character, the connections she supposedly feels towards other characters are hard to believe.
With the importance her parents (and the diaries!) were given I also wish they had more payoff, and her cousin as a character felt almost like a misplaced Love Interest rather than a relative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, and Abandonment