Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

175 reviews

sarahsbooklife's review against another edition

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

4.0

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thessa_ggn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

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artmuseam's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

i honestly wasn’t sure what i was expecting with this book, but i definitely enjoyed it a lot! this book was haunting and beautiful, turning ghosts and haunted houses in a  different turn. i already fell in love with the main character, olivia, from the start! what i found to be slightly disappointing was that there seemed to be a huge buildup for an ending that felt a bit rushed and underwhelming. other than that, i enjoyed this book so much! :)
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keya_caivalur's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A beautifully written haunting story.
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frankieclc's review against another edition

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3.5

I think if this had been my first V. E. Schwab it would have been a higher rating but compared to their others it fell a bit flat. Great if you really enjoy atmospheric books that don’t necessarily build to a plot just kind of bumble along to one? Incredible detail and description as always with Schwab’s work
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singalana's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

2.75

I accidentally picked two very similar books to read at the same time: this and the audiobook In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant. Both have young protagonists trying to figure out the mystery of a weird house. The main character of this story is a girl called Olivia - a girl with no voice. At the beginning of the story she lives in an orphanage, and the only thing she has from her family is her mother’s journal. She receives a letter from her uncle, inviting her to return to their family home - a house called Gallant. When Olivia arrives at the house, she realises there is much she doesn’t know about her family and the house.

The book has an interesting layout: spread throughout the book are illustrations and pages from her mother's journal. And the cover design and the end sheets are absolutely gorgeous. The content, however… I don’t know whether I was somehow distracted or if the writing style was not for me, but I noticed that I had to constantly reread pages and parts of the text because I realised my mind had just drifted and I hadn’t internalized anything I had read.

The reading experience felt heavy, I didn’t much care for the main character and the plot raised a lot of questions. 

I didn’t feel too connected to the characters, and somehow the mystery of the house was not explored enough for my taste. I didn’t understand the logic behind the plot: why were the Priors so determined to guard the secret? Why was the big bad dying? What would have happened if all of the Priors were to disappear? And my biggest pet peeve of them all: the main character falls into a trap that causes the death of another character. I don’t like this trope at all.
 
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louisegraveyard's review against another edition

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

4.0

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tik_pabaigsiu_skyriu's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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tirretiipero's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense

4.25

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danajoy's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

3.0

This is The Turn of the Screw mixed with the Darker Shade of Magic series but from the perspective of a child/orphan.

Gothic and atmospheric it is definitely a solid read but it felt a bit too familiar for me.

I did enjoy having a mute protagonist. Its always nice seeing disabled main characters.

The audiobook had some fun florishes - the sound of a pen crossing things out/tearing paper. I would recommend it.
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