Gallant book review

Gallant by V.E. Schwab, Victoria Schwab, Manuel Sumberac
Published by Greenwillow Books on March 1, 2022
Pages: 334
Goodreads

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.
Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home—to Gallant. 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, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.
Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?

Gallant is the latest book in my quest to read everything that V.E Schwab has ever written. I had no idea what the book was about, and I went in completely blind, but I loved it. It has taken me a moment to collect my thoughts and work out how exactly I feel about this book, and what the rating should be. I will say V.E Schwab never disappoints with both the world building and the characters, this book was a fast and beautiful read.

Characters in Gallant

Gallant folllows the story of Olivia Prior who has no voice and lives in a boarding house full of orphaned girls. She has no idea who she is or how she ended up where she is with no voice and no way of communicating with those around her. As a main character Olivia is exciting, and despite having no voice her story is loud and brilliant to read about. I loved watching her grow in her confidence and work out what exactly she needed from the world around her.

Meeting the different characters at Gallant, including the young master Matthew who was struggling with keeping the house together. I think he was such an interesting character and was dealing with a lot for someone as young as he was. It was also interesting to see how he interacted with the staff of the house and the odd dynamic between them all. I especially enjoyed reading about the way he had grown up and the world he had created.

The Bad Bits in Gallant

The only reason this book didn’t get a 5 star rating was it felt as though there was something missing within the story. There were moments where I had no idea what was going on and it was never expanded upon. I would have loved for this book to have been longer and for the ending to feel a little more climatic, and fleshed out. Everything seemed to end so quickly and I almost missed the bigger moments which would have been a shame. None of this effected my reading enjoyment though, but sorting these out would have made me love the story all the more.

The Good Bits in Gallant

Everything. I adored everything. It’s always the same with V.E. Schwab’s writing, she is such a talent! I think the best bit about Gallant for me was the atmosphere.Everything felt bleak and grey all the way through this book and it was so well-written and I adored that the little bits of colour really popped. They were always connected to the character’s story and how they all grew as people within the story. It really is a beautiful story full of beautiful characters and I loved it.

Next move

I genuinely love everything I read of Schwab’s and this was no different, so without a doubt I’m recommending it and telling you all to go and read it. It pulled me out of a slump and I read it unbelievably quickly! So please please give it a go, you won’t regret it!

Have you read anything you would consider a favourite recently? Let me know!