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whimsicalish's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25
My first V.E. Schwab book and it was not a strong start.
This was a very uninspired, mediocre story with bland characters. The MC was fine but no one else was as fleshed out.
I'm puzzled why the characters couldn't simply tell Olivia what was going on. Instead we had to spend the majority of the book in a shroud of mystery only to be dragged into the plot anyways. It's silly for authors to "build" suspense when someone could literally just explain and save the trouble.
It wasn't the worst thing I've read this year but it's not memorable in the slightest.
I'm puzzled why the characters couldn't simply tell Olivia what was going on. Instead we had to spend the majority of the book in a shroud of mystery only to be dragged into the plot anyways. It's silly for authors to "build" suspense when someone could literally just explain and save the trouble.
It wasn't the worst thing I've read this year but it's not memorable in the slightest.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying and Suicide
binreads's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
The kind of dark that tricks the eye. Makes you see things where ther are none. Or miss things when they are there. The dark that lives in spaces you know you should not look, lest you catch sight other eyes, staring back.
I loooooved this. The story was extremely detailed and immersive that I could picture it all in my mind as vividly as if I was watching a movie. Not only is the cover beautiful but the illustrations within the book are gorgeous and are a great addition.
Very much gave Coraline vibes with the themes of the a girl finding a portal to this other world..
The beginning was a bit slow but once I got to the halfway point then banged it out in one night. Would not recommend reading in the dark in the middle of the night because I started to spook myself out, unless you're into that then go for it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Bullying, Confinement, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Suicide
keya_caivalur's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, Child death, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence and Gaslighting
bailey_the_bookworm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
I’ve found that Schwab’s books are always hit or miss for me—Addie LaRue was a miss, but Gallant was more of a hit. It’s atmospheric and dark, spooky, and well-written without being as precious as some of her other books feel.
Olivia is a fun character to get to know—passionate and stubborn and a little mean.
I don’t love books written in the present tense, but it’s not bad here.
Olivia is a fun character to get to know—passionate and stubborn and a little mean.
I don’t love books written in the present tense, but it’s not bad here.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Bullying
louisegraveyard's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Bullying, Death, Murder, Suicide, Death of parent, Animal death, and Blood
tirretiipero's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death and Suicide
sabrinz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
3.5
I don't really know who to sum up this story or how to rate it, suffice to say that I really enjoyed the story (the characters, the way the story unfolds, the little surprises along the way) and could hardly put down the books.
The story is on the shorter end without many side-stories that lead you down different paths, but that is not to say that the other characters save for our main character are one-dimensional. You do get to know them. It was nice, however, to read such a straigt-forward story. It's a perfect in-between book and a breath of fresh air between heavier stories.
The story is on the shorter end without many side-stories that lead you down different paths, but that is not to say that the other characters save for our main character are one-dimensional. You do get to know them. It was nice, however, to read such a straigt-forward story. It's a perfect in-between book and a breath of fresh air between heavier stories.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Death, and Suicide
mandkips's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Blood, Bullying, and Suicide
Minor: Animal death
jkneebone's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
Nicely written and very atmospheric. I thought the narration was very interesting and well done, especially given that the MC cannot speak out loud. I also liked the use of the journal scraps throughout the book, and the art that was included. Not too scary; very reminiscent of Coraline, in my opinion. I enjoyed it but I wasn’t blown away; the stakes needed to be higher, or the world-building more intense, for my personal taste.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Suicide
kimtazo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, and Suicide
Minor: Child death