I enjoyed this story, though the pacing felt slow in the beginning then the last 50 pages or so were like a rush to the end.

Summary: Olivia can’t speak and has no real memory of her mother except for a journal. Then she receives a letter to come to her family’s house, Gallant. Once there it seems no one has sent the letter and there are family secrets she begins to uncover.

Gallant es una novela que, en mi caso, se queda en un 3 sobre 5. La premisa inicial es prometedora, pero la experiencia de lectura tiene altibajos.

Lo positivo:
Uno de los aspectos más destacables de la novela es, sin duda, su atmósfera gótica. Schwab logra crear un ambiente envolvente que recuerda a los clásicos del género, con elementos como una protagonista femenina decidida, una mansión misteriosa y aislada, una familia llena de secretos, y un internado para niñas con una aire muy al estilo de Jane Eyre. La presencia de fantasmas y las tensiones familiares añaden intriga y crean una sensación de inquietud que engancha al principio. La promesa de desentrañar los oscuros secretos de la familia y la mansión de Gallant es lo que más me atrajo y lo que mantiene el interés en la historia.

Lo menos positivo:
Sin embargo, el desarrollo de los personajes y la trama no me han dejado muy satisfecha. Aunque los elementos del gótico están bien construidos, siento que la historia no profundiza lo suficiente en los personajes ni en sus motivaciones. Las relaciones entre ellos se quedan en la superficie. Además, los misterios que se presentan a lo largo del libro no terminan de resolverse de manera del todo clara. La sensación de que los elementos clave no se desarrollan a fondo han hecho que, al avanzar en la lectura, me sintiera algo perdida y fuera decayendo mi interés.

El final:
Para mí el mayor problema está en el tramo final del libro. Lo que debería haber sido el clímax de la historia se vuelve algo confuso e incluso aburrido. Los giros que se desarrollan en el desenlace no me han generado el impacto que deberían y eso, para mí, desluce el potencial que la novela prometía al principio.

3.5 ⭐️

This was *chefs kiss* perfection. I love a spooky book and I’m also a sucker for Schwab’s writing. A perfect pairing. Would have been excellent in the month of October, but I am happy for a little creepy all year round.

Well, she’s done it again. V.E. Schwab writes these books that seem effortless. The character are simple but have depth and growth and might not always be likable but you end up rooting for them. This time she threw in a little horror/ghostly element and I just couldn’t be happier. She had a live talk tonight and then I curled up in my burrito blanket squished between Keats and Matt and finished reading the book. I love her way with words.

Thank you for Netgalley for the Advance Copy!

V. E. Schwab is one of my absolute favorite authors, so I'm going to be honest, this one disappointed me a little. This book is a ghost story, and a good one - however, that is all. I kept turning pages expecting it to become something MORE, but the synopsis describes the book in it's entirety pretty well. I'm not sure why I got the idea that it would transcend ghost stories and become something else entirely, but it did not.

If you're looking for a creepy (not scary) supernatural ghost story featuring gothic mansions and a plucky young girl as the MC, then this is for you.

This was a beautifully written weird book, and I liked it! I’m going to check out more of this author’s work.

There were so many things I liked about this book. For a main character who is mute, Olivia says so much. It was really interesting to see how Schwab conveyed the things Olivia wanted to say and how the world around her interpreted them. I loved the eldritch feeling on what was really going on and the somewhat gothic horror feeling of it all. I also loved the little cast of characters. There may have only really been four of them and our antagonists but each of them brought something unique to the story. The only thing I really wish was that we got more of the other world and what it was/ how it worked. Though I say that knowing it would then lose some of the mystique that made it so intriguing.

In all of her books that I have read, Schwab describes a character with the ability to draw others in, whether that be charm or curse or some other mysterious power. For me, that character is Schwab herself. There is something about her writing and stories that just draws me in and I am transfixed. Her books are supernatural in so many ways. This tale follows Olivia, a mute orphan who longs for purpose and family. When she finds it, all is not roses. Her relatives are protectors and a destructive force seeks to bleed into her world. Only they can prevent it. Inventing and atmospheric - I loved it.

There's something about Schwab's world and character building. I've read the Shades Of Magic Trilogy and the Villains Duology and I must say that the way she creates her stories and characters and the way both those things interact is really magical. Whether you can travel through worlds, have extraordinary powers or see ghouls, you will find a common thread there, and that is the fact that you are... human. Her characters are humans, with all their flaws and charms.