Reviews

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

12rhys23's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

A solid, almost boringly average book. I couldn't help but compare it to The Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, as the main hook - a family bound to a house to keep the dark from spilling through - are both identical, though I think Harrow did a better job at building the world and writing the characters, although both these books combined, I only liked one character, Arthur from Starling House, while both the leads felt flat, bordering on unlikeable. Olivia, the lead in Gallant, evokes no fondness from this reader. I honestly didn't care if she lived or died by the end of it all.
I did like the use of the main character's mother's journal in this, the middle section where you flip through it yourself was a nice touch. That was probably the only part of the book that rose above "meh" for me.
I guess I'm just getting tired of the heroines that "solve all the problems, save the day on their own" that have cropped up in so many fantasy books of late. What happened to teamwork? Why are the side characters always shuffled into a closet for the finale? Why is the finale so dull?

3/5 stars

EDIT: Oh yeah, and what's with this author's repetitive use of the descriptive word "whisper"? She walks across the floor and her feet "whisper". The turns a key in the lock and the lock "whispers". Whisper, whisper, whisper! Once I noticed it, I couldn't un-notice it. 

jana07's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

megan1002's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

The writing was beautiful and flows like water—free and iridescent. That's really all the book has going for it. The plot is okay. Nothing truly exciting. The conflict was brought by lack of communication, which was frustrating. There was a lack of world building, but for a story this short it was forgivable. Overall, it was an okay book.

jvharten's review against another edition

3.0

Read the whole thing in one sitting, which signifies it’s a very interesting read. The story’s premise - the mystery surrounding the Gallant mansion and the Prior family history - bodes really well, but I feel like the author didn’t fully take advantage of this? The novel had me in a chokehold until I was about 2 thirds in and then it kind of lost me. Without spoiling the plot… the main antagonist didn’t seem all that menacing in the last part of the story and the family history wasn’t explored fully in my personal opinion. But… Gallant was a very entertaining read for a Sunday afternoon nonetheless!

lenaoknihach's review against another edition

5.0

Od novinky V. E. Schwab jsem měla velká očekávání, jakpak by ne. Do Addie LaRue jsem se zamilovala a tady jsem očekávala přesně to stejné.

Gallant byla láska na první pohled. Ta obálka a ořízka jsou dokonalé a v úžasu jsem byla, i když jsem knihu otevřela a viděla ty nádherné ilustrace.

Olivia Priorová je šestnáctiletá dívka, které jednoho dne přijde do sirotčince dopis od strýce, aby se přestěhovala k němu… na Gallant. Jenže právě od tohoto místa by se - podle matčina deníku - měla držet co nejdál.

Příběh mi připomínal Koralínu od Gaimana. Byl ponurý, tajemný a z autorčina vyprávění na vás právě tahle atmosféra dýchá. Hrát si se slovy V. E. Schwab umí, je zážitek číst její knihy a Gallant jsem si neskutečně užila.

Nehledejte v tom druhou Addie LaRue. Gallant je krátký příběh plný přízraků a tajemství a lepší společnost do tohoto počasí nenajdete.

jhenivfuer's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.25

milab's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.0

kgreer'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was such a good read, the spookiness and the mystery kept me engaged until the last page. The added element that the main character could not communicate with spoken word propelled the story forward: it added to the suspense, kept the mystery going, and allowed the worlds to develop in ways that it wouldn’t otherwise. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Terminal illness and Panic attacks/disorders

catread2023's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

dandelionsoup85's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0