Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

105 reviews

gssll_lpz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Suicide, and Stalking

stephmc27's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.5

Olivia, a girl who cannot speak and does not have a home, does not know much about her past except what her mother wrote in a journal, including her mother's last message, "You will be safe as long as you stay away from Gallant." When she is invited to Gallant by her uncle, a whole new, vibrant world is opened up for Olivia.

Seeing the world through Olivia's eyes was a wonderful experience. The descriptive personification of the house made a beautiful yet haunting setting. I enjoyed following this story, and while I will agree with others that it was a slower paced book, I did not mind.

If you decide to listen to the audiobook like I did, it is helpful to see the book for some of the journal entries and illustrations. Plus the illustrations are beautiful. I ended up borrowing both the ebook and audiobook from my library.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Animal death and Suicide

diana_raquel's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-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

4.0

"Home is a choice."

Talk about impulse buying! I was browsing the shelves of a bookshop when I noticed this book! I have read other books by V.E. Schwab but didn't know what to expect from this book. But it was a pleasant surprise, mainly because I actually liked a story with horror elements. Usually, horror isn't something that I tend to gravitate toward, but I really liked this book. Maybe because the horror elements are mixed with other elements that I like, such as mystery elements and a darker tone.  The characters are well-developed and well-written. The story has good pacing and is well structured. I also liked the fact that the illustrations themselves are also part of the story and not only accessories, a means to show the scenes. To tell the truth, I think that  V.E. Schwab was the potential to become a must-read author to me since I really liked every book that I read by her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Suicide, Violence, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

tays_books's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Suicide, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death and Child death

japanasi's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

the first half was super slow, there’s a bunch of flashbacks, and then the ending was super rushed. the story was intriguing, the setting eerie but not too scary! the drawings and diary entries added a nice extra touch. I liked the writing for the most part, too; but I wish the characters had been fleshed out more. 

still this was a good read and if the ending hadn’t been as abrupt, I’d have given it an even better rating.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent

literally_mint's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

taryn_g's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death

marareading's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.75

Alright, I get it. I finally understand why everyone was falling over themselves to get to this book. It's great. An orphan who sees ghouls, and finds her way to Gallant. An estate with a sorted history. She is mute and the adventure that is coming, so one could prepare her for. 

It is beautiful, Gothic, mysterious, and atmospheric. I devoured this book and will probably do it again. Highly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

casualvamp's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death and Death of parent

saurahsaurus's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.5

My favorite horror stories are both sad and spooky. This is an amazing marriage of both. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Blood, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Medical content, and Alcohol