I really wanted to love this one as much as other VE Schwabs books, but I just couldn't connect much with Olicia. The other characters were .. I wouldn't say flat, but they weren't fleshed out as much as I'd liked either. I don't know why, but there's just something missing..

Gallant is a fantastic YA paranormal fantasy that has me completely hooked from the first page. The story follows Olivia as she receives a letter from her uncle inviting her to the family home, however, no one is expecting her when she arrives and she is warned to stay away from a wall. Add in that she can see half-formed ghouls and it makes a very spooky and tense read.

Gallant has quite a gothic setting of an old manor house which fits perfectly with the spooky nature of the story. Although, I'm not too sure of the time period it is set in. It does suit the plot really well though. I could really feel myself getting completely immersed in the creepy descriptions.

I really enjoyed the characters. I loved Olivia and her tenacity, especially because she doesn't take anything lying down. Olivia is also non-verbal, and although she doesn't understand why she has an acceptance of it and doesn't let it define her.

It took me a little while to warm up to Matthew, but in the end, I really liked him. And his reasons for being so standoffish towards Olivia are completely understandable. He just didn't want to foist the issue onto anyone. There are also hints that Matthew is dyslexic so this presented more challenges to his communication with Olivia. And Hannah and Edger were brilliant characters bringing in all the background information.

The story is told mainly in the third person following Olivia, but there are also illustrations, journal entries and sections told from the "Master's" point of view. I found this a brilliant way of piecing together the mystery. The story is also split into parts and I felt this just enhanced the pace of the story so much (and also provided perfect places for short pauses in reading).

I didn't find the story predictable in the slightest and the ending was so intense. I didn't expect to cry, but this book almost broke me. The story also wraps up quite neatly, although I could see the potential for a sequel (I definitely don't think this will be the case though).

I really enjoyed everything about Gallant - the headstrong characters, eery setting, creepy writing... I'd definitely recommend it to fans of YA paranormal fantasy - although I think I'm the last person to pick up any VE Schwab book. I'm definitely going to be reading a lot more in the future.

Ecstatic and Magical..........................

I have been dying to say that Gallant by V. E. Schwab is one of its kind. The book takes on a magical journey of a girl's life who is set to find her identity. Each and every page was full of something new with lots of emotions. I must say that Olivia Prior's character was one of the amazing YA characters. She is young, strong and hopeful. From the beginning to the end, the plot envelopes you into a veil of love, hope and magic. Although, the climax does not end the story, it only leaves you to think ahead of it.

Gallant by V. E. Schwab deserves 5 stars for its amazing plot, characters and climax. Thanks to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me an opportunity to read and review the book.

I ADORE V.E. Schwab. She is the author who got me back into reading fantasy after a long time of not.

This book was a gorgeous, gothic and gripping tale. The story was simple, but super effective. This will stay with me for a long long while.

I was so excited to read Gallant because of the author and how good she is in writing. But I couldn't bring myself to like this book as much as I want to. I would've given this book more stars if there's more mystery in this one.

What I'm trying to say is this book was okay and everything was pretty much explained in the synopsis.

The plot wasn't really there until after the half of he book. It was dull and boring but after that the book began to have some progress and it kept me on edge.

The characters were okay but kind of flat. It was very interesting to have a character who cannot speak. I wish there's more on the climax before the author wrapping up the book. Ending felt a little bit too rush.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me the e-ARC copy.

You are guaranteed a brilliant read from Schwab, and this is no exception. I felt it was aimed possibly at young adult rather than adult readers but this is certainly not a bad thing.

Another lushly written mystery from VE Schwab. I was swept into its gothic story of spectres and spooky houses.

Full marks for cover design, but unfortunately not my favourite in narrative execution. I've read a few Schwab books now, and while I absolutely adore her adult novels, her YA and Middle-Grade books always leave me a little bit cold. They're always a little too simplistic...there's just something missing.

I have loved every book so far by V.E. Schwab, except this one.

🌹Olivia Prior is an orphan raised in an orphanage/school with only her mother's journal as a link to her past. The school receives a letter from her uncle inviting her to live at their house called Gallant, even though her mother's journal tells her to stay away, Olivia is full of curiosity and wants answers to her past.

🌹I did like the character of Olivia. She's mute and creates noise where she goes to remind people she is to be heard and she also signs to talk to people. I found her loneliness and curiosity very believable. She can also see ghouls, they don't harm her and they go away when she wishes it.

However, I didn't like the mystery element to the story. I waited 230 pages of a 305 page book to find out what was going on. It was a spooky story, which isn't my usual genre but I didn't mind that as much.

🌹This story is a mix of Coraline and Secret Garden with pinches of A Little Princess. The illustrations were beautiful and scary, when you look out for them faces appear.

A new Victoria Schwab book always gives me a little giddy boost. Her work although hit and miss for me is still always enjoyable. Granted I have yet to actually finish the Shades of Magic trilogy but I’ll still automatically buy anything she releases. So when this one was promised to be Crimson Peak vibes, I was cautious but excited. And it paid off!

I love a good vibes book to cleanse the pallette, especially after a book that has some hefty plot or worldbuilding. And this just hit the spot. We follow Olivia, a non verbal orphan, as she carries out her daily drudgery at Merilance School for Girls. Extremely Dickensian and gothic with it’s school bullies, her mysterious past unknown to even her and ghouls she can see just living in the shadows. Incomplete ghost like spectres with bits of their old lives attached.

Think it’s safe to say, if you’re a Del Toro or gothic horror fan, you’re getting Crimson Peak vibes. And you are absolutely right, Gallant is not the cozy time it might sound at first. It’s hella spooky and full of spooks. I kid but it really does give me a vibe of Crimson Peak by way of The Graveyard Book. So I’m not shocked this was really up my alley. Since her last novel, I feel like Victoria Schwab has hit the highest point in her writing. This might not hit for many people but because this book is easier on plot and low on action but it’s still written so beautifully and with a real atmosphere. I loved that part since without it, the creepier side of Gallant just wouldn’t be enough.

Olivia is a departure as well from the norm of Schwabs characters where she is both not delivering any spoken word dialogue and she has a temper. Rightfully from her being not being taken seriously or when she refuses to wear a chalkboard around her neck. I feel like that is a very outside take on Olivia as well that is explored in a really interesting way. Like when we are in her thoughts, we get her perspective obviously. But a lot of the times we do see her as “angry”, with a few exceptions, she is just reduced to frustration expressed via gesture. Because not many around her can sign, but not many want to bother trying to hear her the ways she can speak. That is highly relevant? And very real? I just felt that was a point being made.

The only issue I had with this was the other characters that aren’t Olivia are very thin on the development. Like it feels like they are there so she has someone to interact with until she starts to unravel Gallant itself and all it’s mysteries. Like even the eventual antagonist is foreshadowed but feels miles away from what Olivia gets. Now I will say, it is about her journey forward, and back, in her life and finding something that is hers. But I think a book like that still needs people around to have characters like her learn and see themselves reflect back.

Overall, this is a shorter, more ethereal work by a very well established author if you were looking to start with Schwab! It also is perfect for fans of other work I mentioned above and is definitely enthralling. Thank you to Titan Books for the copy for review, Gallant is out now. Happy reading to you all and thanks for checking in!

From the very first line of Gallant I immediately felt the atmosphere of the story surround me like a familiar and welcome blanket; I felt as if I were stood on the grounds of Merilance with Olivia and I was hooked. My favourite thing about Schwab's books has to be their writing. They have an undeniable talent of creating such vivid and visceral worlds which are all too easy to immerse yourself in.

Not quite as action packed as some of Schwab's other tales, Gallant was more character driven, but I found this worked for the story perfectly. I easily became enthralled, desperate to unravel the secrets of Olivia's family and Gallant.

I was immediately invested in Olivia's character. Having been left at an orphanage as a child, Olivia has known no family, with her only link being an old journal of her mother's. As she is non-verbal, she struggles to communicate with the others at the orphanage, and as a result feels a huge amount of loneliness. I mean, if we don't count the ghosts that tend to linger around her...

As I say, it was a character driven story, but not just driven by Olivia. Gallant itself, the Prior's house, was a complex character in its own right. Full of twists and turns, both figuratively and literally, I would love to have read more about it's history.

Gallant explores themes of loss, family, belonging and grief. You could call this a light horror or a gothic novel. I’m still in love with Schwab’s writing and can’t wait for whatever she publishes next.

I loved every single thing about this. After reading mixed reviews, I was a bit hesitant to dive in, but the blurb sounded right up my alley. It definitely was. It took a little while before I was fully into it, but then the atmosphere took over, and it was just hauntingly beautiful. I can absolutely recommend this!

a little dark and a little creepy but oh so good!

I was given this book as an ARC from Netgalley and I am so thankful!

in this story we follow Olivia, who cannot speak. we first find her in an all girls orphanage type place where she receives a letter saying her uncle has been looking for her and wishes she would return home to Gallant. all she has is the clothes she was given by the orphanage and her mother's journal, in which she is explicitly told not to go to Gallant. but why? this is what Olivia wishes to find out.

this story was amazingly written, the characters are great! I love the interactions between them all. it was very interesting reading a story from the perspective of someone who cannot verbally speak and going through the emotions of trying to express herself and trying to communicate with people.

I will warn you though, you'll need tissues for the end of story, it shattered my heart and is the first book of 2022 to make me cry!

Olivia Prior has never had parents or a voice. She grew up in Merilance School For Girls but when she receives a letter from an uncle inviting her to his estate Gallant, she arrives to find that the letter was old and her uncle is dead. Gallant is now home to her cousin and the servants. Although she’s allowed to stay, Olivia is forbidden from going out after dark or venturing over the wall on the western side of Gallant. But what’s behind the wall is calling to Olivia. I have been a fan of V. E. Schwab for years and she always manages to come up with the most brilliant, unique dark fantasy ideas. Gallant has a wicked Gothic heart, an intriguing plot and a heroine that I firmly rooted for. A heart-rending story about choosing home, finding out who you are and living alongside cold, ominous shadows but overcoming them.

3.75 stars
V.E. Schwab's books have been on my TBR for a long time. I have heard a lot of good things about her works so when I got the ARC of Gallant, I was pretty excited to read it. It's a pretty good book overall; I loved the spooky, gothic vibes and Olivia, was such a great character. I loved Schwab's writing too; it's flowery and gorgeous and for the most part, enjoyable.

Unfortunately, after a certain point, I felt as though the flowery language was a bit much. I know this is Schwab's writing style, but it kind of put me off the last half of the book. I basically had to force myself to push through. While this was an overall fun read and I will be picking up Schwab's other works, I don't know if this is a book I'd come back to.

But if you're a fan of V.E. Schwab's books and her writing style and if you love spooky, gothic books, then this is something you all might enjoy.

Gallant by V E Schwab is a short paranormal story about belonging more than anything. It’s about no vocal communication, about loss, about finding your place in the world. I really enjoyed it. I expected as much since I love Schwab’s writing - of course, I would enjoy this. It was also on my top 10 most anticipated releases of 2022 and it didn’t disappoint me at all. The story is well thought through and built up. It has elements you don’t see coming but also things you see from miles away and get excited about before they arrive. The main character is mute and signs for communication. It was eye-opening how easy it was for non-mutes to just ignore her by turning their backs. I’ve learned that is not what I’ll be doing if I ever spent time with someone who signs. It’s interesting how much I learn from fiction books whiteout really knowing. Back to be the main character. I saw a lot of myself in her. And all her decisions made perfect sense. Why run for your life and draw attention to yourself if you can hide, be quiet, and be clever to find your way out instead? Made perfect sense.

Really enjoyed this book. It’s a strong 4 🌟 from me.

Thanks to Lydia at Titan Books for my gifted copy and beautiful pins and prints.

Thank you to Victoria for writing such a beautiful story! I fell in love with Addie LaRue and knew that I would love Gallant but I didn’t realise how much it would touch my heart.

Olivia is mute and Schwab has captured the feelings of someone who is constantly overlooked and dismissed because of their different ability to communicate.

Some people may know that I advocate for books with deaf and sign langue representation because both my maternal grandparents were deaf. This is definitely a book which has a good representation of how other senses can come to the fore when one is removed.

The following passage actually made me well up:
🥀 Hannah frowns, not at the letter but at her. "Have you lost your voice?"
Anger spikes through her. No, she signs, the gestures sharp, deliberate. I didn't lose it.
The retort is only for herself, of course. She knows they will not understand.
Or so she thinks, until Edgar answers. "I'm sorry." He signs as he says it, and she spins toward him, spirits lifting. It has been so long since she could speak with someone, and her fingers are already flying through the air.
But he holds up his hands. "Slow down," he pleads, signing the words. "I'm very rusty." 🥀

This beautiful gothic tale shows what it means to belong and the bounds of family but that whilst you may feel you belong somewhere, Home is a choice.

A beautifully written story, that completely gripped me. I adore V.E. Schwabs writing, and this book was certainly no exception.

It centres around Olivia Prior, a young girl who can not speak. She does not have parents (their fate is confirmed later on within the story), and was living at an all girls orphanage. That is until she receives a letter from a mysterious uncle, asking her to come home. Upon arrival, she discovers her Uncle is dead.

What follows is a pretty good Young Adult ghost story. There where parts that creeped me out a little, even at the age of twenty-six! It was just the right amount of descriptive, without feeling like it was too much. It created the perfect amount of atmosphere.

I loved the characters, and the backstory that was created for them. I felt like I could get attached to them quite easily, which I liked.

The only downside to this story was the ending. It just felt a little rushed, and I wanted something more.

Interesting read!
As usual, the writing was lovely! V.E. Schwab's writing never disappoints everything is always beautifully written,
The concepts and ideas that went into Gallant were fascinating and cool.
It started well, it had creepy, horror vibes - not something I'm usually into but I was captivated.
However, the ending let me down a bit. I just expected more.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This was my first V.E. Schwab book – and it did not disappoint. ‘Gallant’ follows sixteen-year-old Olivia Prior, who by the way is remarkably intelligent for a teen. Olivia is an orphan, but when she gets a mysterious letter offering her the one thing she has always wanted, a family and a home, she gives into the temptation. But the glamourous Gallant is not all what it seems; beyond the wall lurks an evil. Olivia being the typical teenager is eager to find out what’s beyond the wall, and more importantly uncover the truth about her parents and heritage. Olivia’s cousin Matthew is reluctant to let her stay at Gallant, and eventually gives in, if she stays indoors after dusk and stays on the right side of the wall. I’m frustrated that I cannot tell you anymore, well actually I can, but morally that feels wrong because I’ll end up spoiling it. But what I will say is that you NEED to pick this up. Think ‘long lost family’ meets ‘genuinely evil villain who only cares for himself,’ and a lot of angst, and alright, I’m caving – one spoiler- the wall that shouldn’t be crossed, is crossed. I don’t know what kind of trope that is, but let’s just say I’ve created an incredibly specific one.

Her writing style is genuinely like no other, how on Earth does she connect things the way she does? How does her brain work?? Around about 50% of my way through the book I had the ‘ohh, this all makes sense’ moment, and it was an insane experience because of how intricately Schwab has written the book. She describes in such detail; her writing is just incredibly captivating – and it made reading this book more of an experience. I also loved the variety of writing, we had multiple POVs, we had letters, and of course an epilogue which feeds the soul and all.

I also thought the pacing of this book was very well structured, it was pretty fast I’d say, and it left me very eager to read on and uncover the secrets alongside Olivia. The book does in some sense shift between tenses, BUT it’s easy to follow, and it adds to the story. It goes back and forth because this is how Olivia is piecing the story.

If there was one thing that genuinely broke me while reading this, it’s how Olivia so disparately yearns for a family. It’s all she has ever wanted. I found it quite upsetting to see just how lonely this young lady was, and her time was not made easier by girls at her orphanage abusing her inability to speak. Olivia is a likeable character, not just because of her tragic life, but because of her resilience and strength that she has despite the circumstances.

I gave this a 4-star review, this was a book certainly outside of my comfort zone, but I’m glad I read it – I really enjoyed it. It opened me to a new genre, and most certainly a new author, I’ll be reading a lot more of her work!