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justmys's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An brilliant book that would be perfect reading on a stormy winter's night.
Beautifully paced with intriguing characters and a bone chilling ghost story woven throughout. It's not a hopeful read, but it's a gift of a story.
Beautifully paced with intriguing characters and a bone chilling ghost story woven throughout. It's not a hopeful read, but it's a gift of a story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Death, Bullying, Medical content, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, and Child death
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Body horror, Pregnancy, Blood, Ableism, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Terminal illness, and Gaslighting
charlottx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
3.25
I wasn’t too fond of our protagonist in the beginning but I greatly enjoyed all of the side characters/ villains! I look forward to reading more of Schwabs works and hopefully I can find some that have more horror elements as that’s what I thought I was missing in this book!
Loved Matthew <3
Loved Matthew <3
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Body horror, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
a_alves00's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Confinement, Child death, Death, Abandonment, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Grief
anntharai's review
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.
I fell that this is another one from V. E. S. that I will be thinking about for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Gore, and Bullying
Moderate: Ableism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gun violence, Violence, and Mental illness
Minor: Animal death
fcsmith's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Ableism, Blood, Suicide, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, and Grief
rlobel'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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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? No
3.5
3.5 stars
As may others who listened to this book, I feel that a female narrator would have done better in conveying Olivia's emotions. Don't get me wrong, Julian Rhind-Tutt DID A FANTASTIC JOB with pacing, creating tension and atmosphere, but his particular style, in my opinion, did not match perfectly to Olivia's character.
Although I say all of this, I don't think the audiobook is flawed or a flop by any means; the 3.5 stars are deserved.
In this YA fantasy- mistery (closer to middle-grade actually), we follow Olivia Prior- a mute girl from Merilance School for Independent Girls as she receives a letter from an uncle(Arthur Prior) telling her she needs to come to Gallant.
The themes present in this novel are: loneliness, the overbaring weight of the PAST GENERATIONS ON NEWER ONES, family and familial bonds/found family, heirlooms an their many forms,etc.
I think that V.E. Schwab has amazing ideas, and for most of the time, her execution is great for me; but this time, I felt that she held back on consequences: we have real danger and tragic stories rooted in the main conflict of the book, but without the usual unconcious understanding of all this by our main character. Olivia is very much preocuppied with unraveling the mistery her mother is. The journal motif is over-utilised(in my opinion), and it comes a sort of obsession that instead of adding a layer of melancholy and dramatism, it comes off as a distraction from the plot. (I'm not sure how this is possible, given the fact Olivia, the journal, her mom and the danger are all connected...>.>)
Things I think were very much needed and extremely important, but somehow, they did not come of right: use of Gallant description, the fantastic element of this book...I feel it could have been better employed to strengthen the bond in the family...at it was done...Olivia is separated once again from her family...the irony...>..>
Besides the mistery element, we also have a romantic one that doesn't include Olivia in a direct way(thank God). This element is my second problem...I would have wanted more explanation, especially as it has a giant connection to the rest of the plot; it lacked development, or better said, it lacked the necessary unfolding of info in the final part of the book. In the current form, it just feels like a plot device...unfortunately...:(
My final complain...the bad guy...felt kind of cartoonish not gonna lie...>...>...maybe this is appropriate for the age range this book is targeting, but it was still kind of jarring...
Enough with the negativity! Good things worth mentioning!: THIS IS A 100% V.E. SCHWAB BOOK, albeit for a much younger audience! GREAT ATMOSPHERE LIKE ALWAYS, you can feel the emotions exuded by the MCs (Olivia and her cousin Mathew and their lack of understanding...both stranded on their own little solitude island :))); the concern from Edgard and Hanah :) )
If I was to give a number from 1 to 10 for components...here they are :
Characters: 6
Atmosphere: 8 (great but not the best ever)
Writing: 7
Plot: 7
Intrigue: 6
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 7
Content Warnings: forcibly restraining someone to a bed; graphic imagery of dead bodies; death, mental ilness developed under constant stress for long periods of time and slow mental degradation described on page; animal death, mental torture.
Representation: mute MC.
In conclusion, this book is great for anyone enjoying V.'s writing style, but head's up to the age range! I also think this is a great read if you are new to fantasy-mistery/ a little bit of horror elem. I will recommend this book to people enjoying young MC's who look for found family, mistery/horror, and supernatural component as a glue holding everything together!
Enjoy
As may others who listened to this book, I feel that a female narrator would have done better in conveying Olivia's emotions. Don't get me wrong, Julian Rhind-Tutt DID A FANTASTIC JOB with pacing, creating tension and atmosphere, but his particular style, in my opinion, did not match perfectly to Olivia's character.
Although I say all of this, I don't think the audiobook is flawed or a flop by any means; the 3.5 stars are deserved.
In this YA fantasy- mistery (closer to middle-grade actually), we follow Olivia Prior- a mute girl from Merilance School for Independent Girls as she receives a letter from an uncle(Arthur Prior) telling her she needs to come to Gallant.
The themes present in this novel are: loneliness, the overbaring weight of the PAST GENERATIONS ON NEWER ONES, family and familial bonds/found family, heirlooms an their many forms,etc.
I think that V.E. Schwab has amazing ideas, and for most of the time, her execution is great for me; but this time, I felt that she held back on consequences: we have real danger and tragic stories rooted in the main conflict of the book, but without the usual unconcious understanding of all this by our main character. Olivia is very much preocuppied with unraveling the mistery her mother is. The journal motif is over-utilised(in my opinion), and it comes a sort of obsession that instead of adding a layer of melancholy and dramatism, it comes off as a distraction from the plot. (I'm not sure how this is possible, given the fact Olivia, the journal, her mom and the danger are all connected...>.>)
Things I think were very much needed and extremely important, but somehow, they did not come of right: use of Gallant description, the fantastic element of this book...I feel it could have been better employed to strengthen the bond in the family...at it was done...Olivia is separated once again from her family...the irony...>..>
Besides the mistery element, we also have a romantic one that doesn't include Olivia in a direct way(thank God). This element is my second problem...I would have wanted more explanation, especially as it has a giant connection to the rest of the plot; it lacked development, or better said, it lacked the necessary unfolding of info in the final part of the book. In the current form, it just feels like a plot device...unfortunately...:(
My final complain...the bad guy...felt kind of cartoonish not gonna lie...>...>...maybe this is appropriate for the age range this book is targeting, but it was still kind of jarring...
Enough with the negativity! Good things worth mentioning!: THIS IS A 100% V.E. SCHWAB BOOK, albeit for a much younger audience! GREAT ATMOSPHERE LIKE ALWAYS, you can feel the emotions exuded by the MCs (Olivia and her cousin Mathew and their lack of understanding...both stranded on their own little solitude island :))); the concern from Edgard and Hanah :) )
If I was to give a number from 1 to 10 for components...here they are :
Characters: 6
Atmosphere: 8 (great but not the best ever)
Writing: 7
Plot: 7
Intrigue: 6
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 7
Content Warnings: forcibly restraining someone to a bed; graphic imagery of dead bodies; death, mental ilness developed under constant stress for long periods of time and slow mental degradation described on page; animal death, mental torture.
Representation: mute MC.
In conclusion, this book is great for anyone enjoying V.'s writing style, but head's up to the age range! I also think this is a great read if you are new to fantasy-mistery/ a little bit of horror elem. I will recommend this book to people enjoying young MC's who look for found family, mistery/horror, and supernatural component as a glue holding everything together!
Enjoy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Confinement
Moderate: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Suicide, Grief, and Torture
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
alite428's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Death, and Suicide attempt
readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Thanks to the UK publisher, Titan, for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Read my full review here: https://readingthroughinfinity.com/2022/03/08/book-review-gallant/
Gallant is a place that creeps into the hearts and souls of the Prior family and takes up space in their bones. Just like its namesake, this book will creep into your mind and take up residence, even after you’ve finished reading.
I’m still thinking about this book several weeks after reading it, particularly because of it’s haunting, evocative writing style. One of the standout aspects of Victoria Schwab novels is always her writing style and Gallant is no different.
The narrative is atmospheric, dark, and melodic, creating a tension that unfurls out of the story and into the set of our shoulders as we read. This sinister feeling is pervasive, beginning when Olivia arrives at Gallant and never dissipating until we reach the story’s final conclusion.
The narrative style of this novel doesn’t perhaps pack the same punch and power of A Darker Shade of Magic or Vicious, but it’s not meant to.
This is more of a character-driven story about the ambience of an old house and the history of the Prior family and for that we need evocative prose, which is exactly what Schwab gives us.
The plot is linear and relatively simple and the pacing is on the slow side, but this feels purposeful; Olivia is gradually uncovering the dark secrets of the house and so are we.
Olivia herself is an inherently curious, contemplative character. She communicates non-verbally throughout the novel, meaning she doesn’t speak orally but uses sign language, drawings, writing, and gestures to communicate. Inside the Master’s house, she discovers that she needs only to think of something and the ghouls there respond to her.
The novel explores themes of home, family, grief, and loss in detail, focusing especially on the idea that home is sometimes as much about the people as it is about the place. The illustrations in the book beautifully compliment the descriptions of Olivia's mother's journal and they take on even more significance when we find out a key piece of information later on in the story.
Overall, Gallant is a book that crosses genres as part-thriller, part-fantasy, part murder mystery. I would have liked more from the magic/supernatural aspects of the world building and felt there were a few missed opportunities for twists or further subplots, but on the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. The narrative style is engrossing and the mystery of the house and the Prior family will keep you hooked to the very end.
Content warnings for bullying, parental abandonment, suicide (off-page) and discussions of suicide, discussions of eating disorders and weight loss, death, death of a parent, death of a sibling, emotional manipulation, violence.
Read my full review here: https://readingthroughinfinity.com/2022/03/08/book-review-gallant/
Gallant is a place that creeps into the hearts and souls of the Prior family and takes up space in their bones. Just like its namesake, this book will creep into your mind and take up residence, even after you’ve finished reading.
I’m still thinking about this book several weeks after reading it, particularly because of it’s haunting, evocative writing style. One of the standout aspects of Victoria Schwab novels is always her writing style and Gallant is no different.
The narrative is atmospheric, dark, and melodic, creating a tension that unfurls out of the story and into the set of our shoulders as we read. This sinister feeling is pervasive, beginning when Olivia arrives at Gallant and never dissipating until we reach the story’s final conclusion.
The narrative style of this novel doesn’t perhaps pack the same punch and power of A Darker Shade of Magic or Vicious, but it’s not meant to.
This is more of a character-driven story about the ambience of an old house and the history of the Prior family and for that we need evocative prose, which is exactly what Schwab gives us.
The plot is linear and relatively simple and the pacing is on the slow side, but this feels purposeful; Olivia is gradually uncovering the dark secrets of the house and so are we.
Olivia herself is an inherently curious, contemplative character. She communicates non-verbally throughout the novel, meaning she doesn’t speak orally but uses sign language, drawings, writing, and gestures to communicate. Inside the Master’s house, she discovers that she needs only to think of something and the ghouls there respond to her.
The novel explores themes of home, family, grief, and loss in detail, focusing especially on the idea that home is sometimes as much about the people as it is about the place. The illustrations in the book beautifully compliment the descriptions of Olivia's mother's journal and they take on even more significance when we find out a key piece of information later on in the story.
Overall, Gallant is a book that crosses genres as part-thriller, part-fantasy, part murder mystery. I would have liked more from the magic/supernatural aspects of the world building and felt there were a few missed opportunities for twists or further subplots, but on the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. The narrative style is engrossing and the mystery of the house and the Prior family will keep you hooked to the very end.
Content warnings for bullying, parental abandonment, suicide (off-page) and discussions of suicide, discussions of eating disorders and weight loss, death, death of a parent, death of a sibling, emotional manipulation, violence.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Ableism
Minor: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Violence
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