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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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Death of parent, Blood, Child death, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
haylzno's review against another edition
challenging
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? No
4.5
I rather enjoyed this story! I thought the characters were well written and I loved the found family (literally).
I found the pacing to be perfect and the magic/fantastical elements to be very entertaining!
I started out listening to the audiobook and then switched to the ebook and as much as I enjoyed the narration, I would recommend reading this as an ebook/physical book as there are illustrations that I think add a lot to the story.
There are areas of the story that I wish we got a little more information on, but that's really my only complaint. I binged this story so fast I almost wish I would have slowed down a bit so I could have spent a little more time in that world!
I found the pacing to be perfect and the magic/fantastical elements to be very entertaining!
I started out listening to the audiobook and then switched to the ebook and as much as I enjoyed the narration, I would recommend reading this as an ebook/physical book as there are illustrations that I think add a lot to the story.
There are areas of the story that I wish we got a little more information on, but that's really my only complaint. I binged this story so fast I almost wish I would have slowed down a bit so I could have spent a little more time in that world!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Mental illness, Child abuse, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Suicidal thoughts
phillyhufflepunk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Olivia grew up in an orphanage with nothing but her mother's very confusing journal to connect her to anyone else. Unable to speak and surrounded by people unable to sign, she's alone. Even the ghosts, that only she can see, are silent. Then, a letter arrives from a family she never knew she had.
A young adult gothic novel which features a character who struggles within an ableist institution, doesn't needlessly info dump, and doesn't waste time telling the story. Would love to see this as a movie or limited series. Quality storytelling.
A young adult gothic novel which features a character who struggles within an ableist institution, doesn't needlessly info dump, and doesn't waste time telling the story. Would love to see this as a movie or limited series. Quality storytelling.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Self harm
maeverose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Basically the secret garden mixed with coraline. I loved the gothic atmosphere and the writing style. I agree that it’s a basic story, and I wanted more from it. Has the ‘not like other girls’ trope, but I didn’t feel like it was too bad. Definitely feels more middle grade than YA.
I wanted more time in the other Gallant. I felt like it was mostly build up to going there and then she wasn’t there that long, despite that being a major plot point. I also wish we knew more about how the other Gallant and the monster existed, they never really explained it. I suppose that might’ve been intentional to keep it mysterious, but I wanted to know how it came to be. I also would’ve liked to know more about Olivia’s parents’ story, but I get why that wasn’t a focus.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Suicide, and Child death
Minor: Gore
The gore is just descriptions of ghosts that look like slightly decayed bodies. Spiders are also a thing.nytephoenyx's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
My absolute favorite part of Gallant was the same lilting brushstrokes that painted Schwab’s voice in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The language in this book is beautiful and I can’t get enough of it. I have always liked Schwab’s imagination – beautiful world filled with slithering corruption – but her voice has changed over the years. This new evolution is a lullaby and I am enamored.
As for the story in Gallant itself? It’s a little bit ghost story, a little bit orphan’s song, and a little bit Coraline. The darkness lives effortlessly on the edges of Olivia’s consciousness. The world building here is interesting – Gallant is in our-world-that-was, but somehow Schwab makes it all feel like a Victorian fairytale. And I do think it’s saying something that Olivia would rather stay at a haunted house than a poor excuse for a finishing school aimed to swallow up poor girls and spit out competent wives. It’s a small note of the story – at least it was for me – but it’s a thought I keep coming back to.
If you like ghost stories, you’ll probably like Gallant. It’s got the feel of Stranger Things in its earlier seasons, but it’s also a quiet book. And I say that not just because of Olivia – who is non-verbal – but because it is tucked away in a corner of the quiet countryside and the evil only affects a small handful of people rather than corrupting an entire town. And yet… Gallant echoes the feel of Addie LaRue in more than just tone. The relationship between devil and sorrowful girl is becoming a theme. I don’t mind it, but it feels as though the two stories could have been planted from the same seed. One grew taller, stronger than the other, but their roots are nonetheless entangled.
The plot of Gallant moves quickly, the characters rounded enough to be interesting but not so much that the reader is teased into thinking they are anything more that background silhouettes. The pace is a slow, steady drum beat and those familiar with Schwab’s other work will recognize the cadence. Gallant unfurls its story like the slow blossom of a summer rose. It takes patience, but the reader is rewarded with vibrant imagery and memorable worlds. I enjoyed it for a one-off read, but I’m not hungry for more of Olivia’s story. This taste was enough for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Grief
kayladaila's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, Mental illness, Self harm, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy and Ableism
foreverinastory's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
I constantly thought the narrator was actually Neil Gaiman and that is the highest order of compliment I can bestow to a male narrator.
Rep: white asexual(?) mute cis female MC, white side characters.
CWs: Death, death of parent, blood, grief, animal death, abandonment, bullying, ableism, child death, suicide, gore, self harm, suicidal thoughts, violence, kidnapping, murder. Moderate: injury/injury detail, mental illness, body horror. Minor: alcoholism.
Rep: white asexual(?) mute cis female MC, white side characters.
CWs: Death, death of parent, blood, grief, animal death, abandonment, bullying, ableism, child death, suicide, gore, self harm, suicidal thoughts, violence, kidnapping, murder. Moderate: injury/injury detail, mental illness, body horror. Minor: alcoholism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Suicide, Death of parent, Bullying, Gore, Death, Self harm, Violence, Kidnapping, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism
mo345's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide
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