Scan barcode
A review by queer_bookwyrm
Gallant by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: self-harm, suicide, descriptions of blood, murder
Gallant is a YA standalone novel by V.E. Schwab. This was the perfect atmospheric read for spooky season! We get ghouls, a haunted house/haunted garden, and blood magic. This was sort of like if you mashed The Secret Garden with the upsidedown in Stranger Things.
We follow Olivia Prior, a mute girl who is an orphan at a school for girls that has never felt like home. She also sees ghouls everywhere. As she is about to age out of the school, she receives a letter apparently from her uncle that invites her to come live at his estate called Gallant. Olivia sees this as an opportunity to finally have a family.
When she gets to Gallant, it becomes quite clear that her uncle was not the one to send that letter, and she is far from welcome. Her cousin, Matthew, demands she leave. Olivia has her mother's journal that is full of mad ramblings and drawings that don't make much sense, but she holds onto it for comfort anyway. The. She realizes there is more to the garden than just a wall.
Not a ton happens in this book. It's slow paced and doesn't have much action, but the spooky vibes are immaculate. It was fascinating to see the world through Olivia since she can't talk. I'm pretty sure Olivia is ace based on how she talks about kissing someone. Matthew is dyslexic and sickly through the majority of the book. We get good character growth out of him. The other side of the garden wall is creepy af! I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that.
I do wish Schwab had given us more about Hannah and Edgar as well as the being on the other side of the garden wall. I wanted to see more from Olivia when she was over there. I absolutely loved the journal entries and drawings from Grace's journal throughout the book. Over all, this was a good read. Schwab hasn't steered me wrong yet.
Gallant is a YA standalone novel by V.E. Schwab. This was the perfect atmospheric read for spooky season! We get ghouls, a haunted house/haunted garden, and blood magic. This was sort of like if you mashed The Secret Garden with the upsidedown in Stranger Things.
We follow Olivia Prior, a mute girl who is an orphan at a school for girls that has never felt like home. She also sees ghouls everywhere. As she is about to age out of the school, she receives a letter apparently from her uncle that invites her to come live at his estate called Gallant. Olivia sees this as an opportunity to finally have a family.
When she gets to Gallant, it becomes quite clear that her uncle was not the one to send that letter, and she is far from welcome. Her cousin, Matthew, demands she leave. Olivia has her mother's journal that is full of mad ramblings and drawings that don't make much sense, but she holds onto it for comfort anyway. The. She realizes there is more to the garden than just a wall.
Not a ton happens in this book. It's slow paced and doesn't have much action, but the spooky vibes are immaculate. It was fascinating to see the world through Olivia since she can't talk. I'm pretty sure Olivia is ace based on how she talks about kissing someone. Matthew is dyslexic and sickly through the majority of the book. We get good character growth out of him. The other side of the garden wall is creepy af! I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that.
I do wish Schwab had given us more about Hannah and Edgar as well as the being on the other side of the garden wall. I wanted to see more from Olivia when she was over there. I absolutely loved the journal entries and drawings from Grace's journal throughout the book. Over all, this was a good read. Schwab hasn't steered me wrong yet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
Moderate: Self harm and Blood