Gallant

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I also enjoyed the unique character that Oliva is and appreciate that Schwab didn't end up relying on the old stereotypes and tropes that frankly everyone is tired of seeing from a mute character. In fact, 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. Nothing hurts more than having one of your most anticipated reads by your favourite author be a disappointment. This is probably a just me thing, so to anyone reading this don't let my review deter you from reading this! i have many super unpopular opinions sooo There’s a lot to like in Olivia Prior. She doesn’t speak, she’s never been able to, but there’s plenty to glean from her character besides dialogue. Schwab does an excellent job finding ways for her to express herself without uttering a single word. With bottomless curiosity and a ferocious streak when provoked, Olivia is the quintessential Schwab heroine. Unlikeable and an outsider to the society she lives in, but easy for the reader to root for. There are glimmers of some of these qualities in other characters in the book, but none that feel as fully developed as she is. Do you know how how frustrating it is to read 90% of a great story? Victoria Schwab’s writing is just so damn engrossing—she gets her hooks into you all she needs is to give a slight yank and I’ll come running. When she gets a story right it’s absolutely right. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Vicious immediately come to mind. The writing and the characters are always consistently good from her, and the plot of those two is perfectly constructed. It’s just some of her books are missing something to make that perfect whole. All the ingredients are there, but it still doesn’t feel one hundred percent fully formed. I can’t even say what that extra 10% is or where is should go, just that it’s MIA. Gallant is about Olivia Prior, who has grown up in Merilance School for girls. All Olivia has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. When she gets a letter from her uncle inviting her to Gallant, she can't help but accept. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home, it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways. Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, which she is determined to find out.

A dark tale of grief, death, and unravelling, Gallant was unexpectedly poignant and emotional. It is full of the sting of loss and the yearning for a place to belong—a mystery with a Faustian bargain at the centre. The relationships among the characters were very surface-level. Hannah and Edgar only existed to help Olivia. Matthew changed as the book went along, but not in a way that felt organic. He switched from being hostile to treasuring Olivia more than anyone else, and did so across the span of a few days. They didn’t even spend that much time together. I get that he was distant because he wanted to protect her, but the change was so abrupt that it felt shallow.The only con I have about this novel is that even though it’s a slow plot (which is fine), things really rushed at the end and left me a bit confused- it’s like 90% of the story is at one pace and the last 10% is going full speed. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book and I will read every book that V.E Schwab writes as long as I read. The writing was beautiful, though. So haunting and delicate and vivid. If only the quality of the content matched the quality of the prose. Would I say read Gallant? Absolutely if you’re a Schwab fan, but I probably won’t have to tell my fellow Schwablins that. If you like old gothic mansions, ghosts & the paranormal and a quieter, creeping kind of magic, then you may enjoy this as well. But I’m still on the hunt for that incredible fantasy novel of 2022, and though I had hoped this would be that book—I’m going to have to keep looking.

This book really is the definition of pretty writing, bland story. Like sure the writing was very descriptive and fancy but??? I was bored out of mind?? I could care less about the characters, story, plot (haha what plot) and everything else. I don't care if you have the most beautiful writing in the world. If the story doesn't capture my attention, then I don't like it.For so long, Olivia has longed to be wanted, especially in a place like Merilance... until one day she receives a note from her uncle, Arthur Prior, about coming to live in Gallant--a mysterious, large estate. However, once she gets there Olivia realizes Gallant is not all what it seems to be and there was a reason her mother warned her away from it...