The plot is slow for the larger part of the book but I personally don’t mind that as long as the main character is fully developed and intriguing (which Olivia is). Olivia Prior captured my heart and soul and I really love that even though she was mute, she still found a way to communicate with everyone around her. She didn’t just feel like words on paper and V.E. accomplishes that every time with her protagonists. The side characters (especially Matthew <3) were equally amazing, although I do wish we had more information about Hannah and Edgar. Anyway, I’d describe the plot as The Secret Garden meets The Haunting of Hill House/ Bly Manor , so if you like either of those, I highly reccomend Gallant.

Note- I have tried to include all the content warnings that I noticed, but there is no guarantee that I haven’t missed something. The tone was very Middle Grade which could have worked if the author had gone for a more ambiguous overall tone (like Gaiman does in Coraline) but I found her portrayal of her heroine and the villain simplistic indeed. The blurb makes it sound as if Olivia is taken by them but that was not the case at all. Even a Disney villain has more nuance than this one. 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. 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. In all seriousness, if you asked me what happened in this book I couldn't tell you. It literally feels like nothing happened at all the first half. I almost fell ASLEEP reading it and that never happens to me?? Never in my life have I ever almost fallen asleep reading a book. Gallant is the first to ever do this to me.

Latest Posts

I really don't know what the point was of the plot. The story itself was not special or something I will remember. Not a lot happens in this book. There's nothing wrong with characters like that! I love reading about them! But if they are the only characters that appear in Schwab's work, its a bit disheartening, especially because the 'traditionally feminine' characters are always painted in a bad light, either as the 'bullies' or the 'annoying girls obsessed with make-up and dresses'. The writing style was the only saving grace of this book. I've never had complaints with Schwab's writing, and fortunately this was no exception.

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. Wow! This is a compulsively readable YA fantasy/horror novel that grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go. Everything casts a shadow. Even the world we live in. And as with every shadow, there is a place where it must touch. A seam, where the shadow meets its source" Gallant left me feeling unsatisfied and indifferent. This book somehow managed to affect me in absolutely no noticeable way. I’m surprised by how detached I felt while reading this. I also have a bias against books where the main female characters have no meaningful relationship with other girls her age. And in fact, they are shown to be jealous, petty, and mean towards her even if she’d done ‘nothing wrong’. Like, can we put a stop to this girls-hating-girls trend in YA? Thank you.There were parts I enjoyed but there were parts which were simply put- bland. It did nothing for me. Gallant certainly has the creepy tones to it and you can actually visualise it, but it wasn't enough to keep me on the edge of my seat. The characters were flat. Something was missing throughout the read.

The audiobook narration was also pretty good, and this would be a great starting point if you are new to audiobooks. And that does seem to be my issue with this book. It’s just not a complete circle. Some things are delved into so deeply that I feel them coming to life around me, and others feel rushed through. The ending is also fairly abrupt for this level of magical build-up, to the point at the end I was wondering, ‘what was this all for?’I wanted to feel connected to the characters, be immersed in their storylines, but I just felt a whole load of nothing towards them. I was so unaffected. At one point, I almost feel asleep while reading the book. Everything about Gallant reads like a cliché YA book. It has nothing unique to offer, apart from the representation. It felt like a typical Schwab story.

Nothing happened in the entire book. No major plot twists, no big interesting revelations, no jaw-dropping moments. Just nothing. This book was SO good and I truly am in love with V. E. Schwab’s writing. They write like a painter creates Impressionism - eloquently and filled with striking, beautiful details. It’s impossible to not be blown away. 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. Everything seems so arbitrary and disconnected. There are rules about the Priors, rules about the wall (which is a strangely short wall, by the way—I’m still not sure what the purpose of a door is if you can just walk around the wall)... I don’t know why it has to be this way. I don’t know how the Prior ancestors fought what’s beyond the wall. It seems cheap never to give explicit reasons for why things are the way they are. Olivia especially is a wonderful protagonist in her journey into the shadow that the world itself casts, going to a place where no one else but Death himself could live. Among a strong cast of supporting characters, Olivia shines. Schwab takes her time as the tale begins, sketching in the depths of Olivia, her myriad struggles as a mute young woman in a home that takes no steps to communicate with her or wants to hear from her, the losses and fears she has, all contrasted with the sudden elation of not only finding out she has a home, but that the answers she’s been looking for her whole life might be there waiting for her. Schwab builds Olivia and her new world of Gallant stone by stone, making every room and hearth feel warm and lived in, inviting the reader in with Olivia.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 Despite the praises, I still find the book to be overly simplistic and uninspiring in comparison to the buzz surrounding her work. When I first read the summary, I had a different impression than after reading the outcome which pivots more on Olivia unearthing the Gallant. I also wished for the supporting characters to be given more substance, but alas was just there to fit as a piece to the story. And dreams can never hurt you. That’s what her mother said. Of course, she knows now it isn’t true. Dreams can make you hurt yourself, dreams can make you do so many things, if you’re not careful.” The writing was beautiful, though. So haunting and delicate and vivid. If only the quality of the content matched the quality of the prose. A girl. A boy. A shadow with eyes. A door that won’t open. A place and its copy. Hidden rooms and hidden secrets. A shard of bone. And death itself.