Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Gallant

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

97 reviews

serena_hien's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

2.25

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bookswithlauren's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Stated by V.E. Schwab herself: "This is not a fairy tale, it is a death tale" and if I had to sum up Gallant in one sentence, that would be it. Yet again, Schwab has imagined, built and woven together every intricate detail that creates the unique history and entity of Gallant. Usually I am not a big fan of books deemed creepy or spooky but I did enjoy reading this! The build up and mystery surrounding Olivia, her past, her family and of course, Gallant.

Gallant was well written and kept me intrigued. Every word is carefully chosen, and every turn of phrase conjures up images that I am rendered speechless. Gallant is such a visual story and would make a fantastic TV series adaptation. I was also very impressed with how the character of Olivia was written as non-verbal as it is not the type of representation seen in many books and I do feel that the usual stereotypes are avoided. The absence of Olivia's voice will force you to hunt for answers outside the characters. It keeps the visual aspects of things in Gallant going strong. Growing up with family members who used sign language, I was also pleasantly surprised to find the character of Edgar able to sign and give Olivia that recognition and communication that she needed.

Some of my favourite quotes include:

“But the truth is, death is everywhere. Death comes for the roses and the apples, it comes for the mice and the birds. It comes for us all. Why should death stop us from living?”

“It is the difference between a language spoken and one signed, the mouth shaping words while the hands shape more, words and thoughts and feelings.”

The main reason I did not rate this book 5 stars was because I felt the ending was too quick. Schwab is by far my favourite author and I am used to her novels having a slower build and quicker ending but even for her, I felt this was just a little too quick. Nevertheless, I still really enjoyed reading all about Olivia Prior and would definitely like a prequel all about the first battle of Gallant and the Priors.

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sunsetcity's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

3.5

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lindseyhall44's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

V.E. Schwab has quickly become an auto-read author for me, and Gallant is another impressive and immersive dive into the fantastical.
Gallant follows orphan Olivia Prior, as she is invited to stay with her last living family members-family she never knew existed. What should be a joyous occasion quickly darkens into the strange, as she discovers that the house isn’t quite what it seemed.
The setting of Gallant is a testament to the beautiful writing skills of V.E Schwab, as she crafts an atmospheric read which I still marvel at. The mood produced and gothic elements reminds me of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, with a familial focus instead of romantic.
However, such a strong emphasis on environment and characters can be difficult for those who enjoy plot heavy books, so I would keep that in mind!
Overall, The Shades of Magic trilogy is still my favorite (and may have given me unfair expectations) but I enjoyed Gallant and am excited for anything Schwab writes next.

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anntharai's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

The atmosphere of this book is phenomenally done. There are so many moments I would like to quote here, but in short this is a dark and truly haunting book with a good plot driving it and a plethora of horrific truths behind it.

I fell that this is another one from V. E. S. that I will be thinking about for a while.

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abbiewj's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

Quotes: “If death is a part of the cycle,
then so is life. All things fade, and all things flourish.”

“Home is a choice.”

First of all the dedication😭 one of my favourites ever💗

A great read! It only took about 25 pages for me to be into the story and be hooked! I loved the characters and how unique they were. The ending kind of flat lined though. I was expecting something better. Tbh when I was reading the last 20ish pages I thought it was going to end as a cliffhanger because we were nearly at the end of the book and SO MUCH was happening, but then it moved through really fast and it felt rushed and not constructed properly.

Overall it was a great read & I’d recommend it to everyone!

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