I'm must thank Netgalley for the ARC of this book (even if I couldn't manage to finish it before the release date). I liked the atmosphere and characters of the book, but I also wish that we had a little more time with the Priors. Thought-provoking and compelling (especially once the setting moves to Gallant), fans of Gothic literature and horror should love this book. This book is still sitting with me, and I'm still processing all of my feelings about it.

Another heart-breakingly sad and beautiful story by VE Schwab. Olivia is an orphan; her mother's diary, filled with drawings, is her only link to her parents. When she finds out that she has an uncle, she is sent to live at the mysterious Gallant.

Had shades of Jane Eyre mixed with Wuthering Heights plus magic.

Once again, there are images integral to the plot. Fortunately, they were included in the eARC i read. And those illustrations are beautiful.

Olivia, 14, a mute girl living in a an orphanage, is invited to Gallant, the Price family mansion. Her family's dark secrets and history of premature deaths and the presence of disembodied ghouls make her an unwelcome visitor. This is a very dark story.

VE Schwab has a talent for filling every one of her books with gothic whimsy, and although I will admit I am more of a fan of her adult fiction (ie. Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Vicious), but Gallant was still an engrossing read and I will highly recommend it to anyone who needs a good magical young adult story in their life.

When a book has such spell-binding storytelling that 350 pages feel like 50, you have to give it five stars. Also, I'm pretty sure V.E. Schwab was channeling the Grimm brothers for this YA gothic fairytale. Part fantasy, part supernatural fable, Schwab weaves the story of Olivia, a mute orphan (who can awesomely, see ghosts) and is left at a convent girl's school to be raised by nuns with only her mother's old journal as a clue to who her family is.

The first few chapters track Olivia's lonely existence among the other girls at school, but the story really takes off when she receives a letter from a long-lost uncle calling her home. After arriving at her ancestral home, Gallant, she begins to unravel the mystery of the house, her mother and father, and the dark family legacy. Ooh, you'll be on the edge of your seat!

Ultimately, it's a story about life and death, finding your true place in the world and the family you make along the way. Like all Grimm tales, the ending is bittersweet and you're not sure what exactly you were supposed to learn from it, but you can't wait to make everyone you know read it too and discuss. Yep, this would make a great one for your book club to dissect.

Five stars, and big thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC adventure!

I liked how spooky this was and the slow build to see what was going on. Was I happy with the ending, not 100%, but I enjoyed the ride of getting there so much I'm not mad about it. This gave me all the best vibes of all the great gothic novels so I never wanted to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first experience reading anything by V.E. Schwab, and it certainly didn't disappoint. It was equal parts haunting and beautiful, and Schwab's writing is near lyrical. I'll definitely be recommending this to my readers that want something spooky, but not terrifyingly so.

V.E. in my opinion is a heck of a story teller. You can't help but be drawn into the worlds and words she builds. This was crafted so hauntingly - the characters were unforgettable. Every moment I had was dedicated to finishing this book.

Thank you HCC Frenzy for the eARC! I've never read any V.E. Schwab books before but now I'm obsessed and want to read everything! I love her writing style 😍 It's so atmospheric and gives off a dreamy spooky gothic vibe! I liked how the story of Gallant was slowly revealed throughout the book so readers are hooked till the very end. The story isn't really epic but it's more of a relaxing, spooky read. The pacing is also quite relaxed until the end where all the main action happens. I was also left stunned with what happens to one of the characters at the end. It also features a mute main character who uses sign language to communicate. Anyhoo, I highly recommend this 😍

This book was fantastic and an excellent addition to V.E. Schwab's already wonderful collection! This book took me less than a day to read and it was so beautifully woven together between the two sides of Gallant, and I couldn't decide which side of Gallant was more interesting to read about. The characters have just enough development to still provide a bit of mystery surrounding them without feeling like you need more to understand the storyline.

V.E. Schwab described this story as not a fairytale, but a deathtale, and that is EXACTLY how I would describe this story.

Olivia Prior is an orphan at Merilance when she receives a letter from who she thinks is her uncle asking her to come home to Gallant. The only problem is that the last line in her mother’s beloved journal tells her that the only way she can stay safe is if she stays FAR away from Gallant. With the orphanage kicking her to the curb, she has nowhere else to go but the one place her mother told her not to. Her arrival is nothing short of strange, and it only gets even more intense as the events unfold.

This book has Schwab’s classic writing style, and the fact that Olivia can say so much without ever uttering a single word is a testament to their strength as a writer. Olivia was born with the inability to speak, and I loved to see the neurodivergence representation in this YA novel. I’ve recently been struggling to connect with YA characters because of their more “juvenile” motivations, but I never felt this with Olivia and I was rooting for her the whole time.

This seems strange to say because the book was fairly complex in its story, but the plot was somewhat basic, and that’s why I took off the one star. There was a tonne of build up for mostly predictable events by the end of it. Of course there were still things I did not anticipate, but the general ending of the story was something I was able to piece together while reading.

HOWEVER, it was still magical and beautiful and everything I’ve come to expect from a V.E. Schwab book. I also may have shed a tear or two by the end of it… because it wouldn’t be one of their books if I didn’t.

Overall, I definitely recommend for all Schwab fans, and any younger readers who are into a paranormal mystery, or are just trying to find a main character with the same struggles as them.

Thank you so so much to HarperCollins Canada and NetGalley for sending me an eARC for review!!

V.E. Schwab masterfully weaves this mysterious tale of the thin line that separates the living from the dead. Equal parts charming and creepy, this story will have you turning pages until well past the witching hour.

Raimskie Read: Gallant by V.E. Schwab (@veschwab)
Digital Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC),
To be released on March 1, 2022
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I’m going to be completely honest here when I say that I am not a huge fan of anything gothic, queer book or otherwise. The genre just feels a bit heavy, a bit dark for me to read and appreciate, and the last time that I read a quadrilogy with that genre, it took me almost three months to finish them.
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[FULL BOOK REVIEW on my Bookstagram, @raimskiereads.]

Despite Schwab's typically lovely writing, this atmospheric YA fantasy falls down a bit in terms of character - even the small cast lacks depth and focus - and gets somewhat mired in the slow pacing and lack of action. Fans of haunted house books might enjoy, as well as those who focus on language over plot or character.

I really enjoyed this book. I also appreciated that it was a quick read (only took me two days!) because Addie LaRue took me literal months to read. Don’t get me wrong, Addie is one of my favorite books of all time but I like that VE can split their books so that the pacing is different. She does a very good job at writing a story about something confusing but not leaving the reader confused at the same time.

This is a story about finding home.

This strongly felt like The Secret Garden by way of Black Mirror to me- and I have no complaints! It was creepy & lovely- full of hope, but with an edge. I also love a book with a disabled main character whose disability is not portrayed as their only personality trait or interest. I think this is a perfect October pick!

Thank you so much Netgalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, & Greenwillow Books

A history of madness. Sentient shadows. An old manor full of darkness. A locked door. Blood, bone, and death.
Is our heroine meeting a grim end, or find a fantastical beauty in darkness? Gallant is a classic gothic horror novel in the truest sense, layered with complexity through old family drama, and a protagonist you will never forget.

First of all, I am new to Schwab. I went into this book relatively blind. I knew nothing of this book, not even the plot synopsis. I have a friend who absolutely adores Schwab's books, so I figured I would give it a chance.

Now the book. I really enjoyed the story. It was a one day read for me. The style follows the gothic horror tradition. In the best way, this story gave me the dark creepy vibes much like Henry James' Turning of the Screw. Schwab nails it with creating atmosphere. Her imagery is quite strong. Her descriptions of the ghouls and Gallant enveloped me in that dark gothic feeling. It's suspenseful, filled with mystery and intriguing. I was right along with Olivia Prior as she tried discover the history of her family, the fate of her mother, and why her cousin is so eager for her to leave. I felt Olivia's frustration with her world and lack of answers. The mystery of it all pulled me a long. It's a solid book, in my opinion. It's a great story with a fun atmosphere and some wonderful over arching themes of life and death. I don't know if this book is typical of Schwab's other works, but I am really compelled to dip my toe into her bibliography a bit further.

I greatly appreciate an arc of this novel. However, this was not good. It read very quickly, but the actual plot of the story was boring and unimpressive. I’m not sure what Victoria Schwab wanted to do with this book, but she didn’t do it. Also where was the climax? I couldn’t find one at all.

Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity!

Honestly, this book felt very underdeveloped in terms of characters and somewhat plot wise? Like I can describe Olivia Prior but the rest of the characters-I don't even think I rmemeber their names.

This book is just pretty language and ominous vibes to chalk it up with a few words.

I'm going to wait until I get my physical copy from Illumicrate box and listen with an audiobook and see if my feelings change.