A quiet, slow burn, and chilling tale with the atmospheric writing Victoria Schwab excels at. If you like heavy plot driven books, this one probably won't be for you, but if you don't mind escapism inside a creepy manor, some ghouls, and a girl struggling to find her place, give it a shot!

I don’t have the words at the moment to describe my love for this book. Just know… Schwab did it again!

Let me start this review by saying I have not read any of Schwab’s YA novels (yet). It’s on the list! I have, however, read and loved a plethora of her adult novels.

Gallant is the kind of book you want to pull out in rainy weather, crawl under a blanket with some tea, and binge in one sitting. You definitely will want to make sure you have the lights on, though! I was surprised at how many moments I felt chilled to the bone. There are quite a few surprises in Gallant, but overall it is a solid supernatural thriller that I will more than likely buy a copy for my personal library, a copy for my classroom library, and a few copies as gifts.

5/5

I could not wait to read this book once I got approved for it. Victoria Schwab is a master storyteller and every story she tells truly comes to life. This novel takes a haunting, gothic tone and tells a beautiful story about belonging and death. I will be very excited to add this book to my collection once it comes out and advise everyone to read it.

Victoria Schwab is one of my favorite authors and I will literally read anything she publishes. I had a moment when I got approved to read Gallant and I enjoyed it so much. Gallant gave me everything that I love in a novel. Beautiful writing, complex characters, ghouls, an eerie setting. This was a perfect read now that we are close to the fall season. The storyline was spooky and I loved it so much. I adored Olivia and at times I was sad reading about her not pleasant life before arriving to Gallant. The Gallant manor was very captivating and mysterious and I loved everything about it! Thank you so much Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an amazing story. Can’t wait to have a physical copy for my collection.

I literally had the hardest time putting this book down. The writing style, storyline, and well-developed characters made this one of the best YA titles that I have read this year. I immediately felt a connection with the main character, Olivia, whose strength & perseverance in the face of difficulty was very endearing. After surviving years at a girl’s school(orphanage) where she was ostracized by her peers and discounted by the nuns for her inability to speak, she finds herself at her mother’s family home, Gallant, living with a cousin that doesn’t want her there. However, all Olivia has ever wanted is a home and family so she stubbornly refuses to leave. As she uncovers truths about the house, her family, and a strange curse, Olivia also starts to make sense of her mother’s journal. Even though she was too young to remember her mother when she was left at the school, Olivia has always had her journal. She has memorized her mother’s words in spite of the fact that most of them seem to be incoherent ramblings. But within the context of the house where her mother grew up, Olivia discovers the truth about her mother and father and what happened to them. I found this part of the story and how it was revealed to be very interesting and original. These discoveries lead her to a dangerous world and a house that closely mirrors Gallant yet is the total opposite. This is where Olivia’s strength, bravery, and ingenuity are tested in ways they never were before. The things that Olivia sees there are dark and often horrifying and she has to decide if she wants to fight a battle that seems impossible to win to protect a life she is only starting to feel at home in.

I'm unable to review this fully as I am waiting for a kindle copy to download. Once that becomes available, I will update my review/feedback.

A dark and haunting tale I didn’t know I wanted.

I loved the story, characters, world, and more. I thought the writing was beautiful, and honestly, I wanted more pages.

Perfect for any YA lover that is looking for something a little dark.

Victoria Schwab is always either a hit or miss for me…this one is the first that lands right in the middle…I didn’t get attached to any of the characters but the plot was what kept me ready just to see what would happen next.

If you're looking for a haunting ghost story of loss, love and found things, with a brave and determined heroine, this is it!

My favorite part would have to be the setting, how it was described and how the characters interacted with their world.The atmosphere was a character in itself. I loved how everything made you feel uneasy, but so intrigued!

I enjoyed seeing how everything tied together but was always kept just out of reach of understanding until the end. Kept my attention even when I wasn't reading, I found myself thinking of Gallant and all of the characters within.

Loved it!!

As a fan of Victoria Schwab this was extremely exciting to receive. I thought her character arc for Olivia was perfectly strung together staying consistently engaging and mysterious. The setting would’ve been the perfect Halloween read given it’s atmospheric and gothic scenery. Although at the end I was still left with some questions regarding Olivia’s parents and vocal impairment, I felt that she was able to create a comforting sense of closure. Also as a side yet very minimal complaint, I do think through her books that V.E. Schwab has very common themes surrounding ghosts which can get repetitive but the fact she’s able to execute it well balances it out.

Gallant, the latest fantasy novel by NY Times best-selling author Victoria Schwab, is an enchanting and haunting novel about a young mute orphan girl's search for a place to call home. I read an advance reading copy of the novel courtesy of NetGalley and HarperCollins/ Greenwillow Books in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia Prior was abandoned on the steps of the Merilance School for Girls, with her mother's mysterious notebook as her only possession. Bullied and teased by the other girls and teachers from the moment she arrives, she escapes into her own world, studying the entries and drawings in her mom's notebook in hopes of making some sense of them. When Olivia receives a letter inviting her to her ancestral home, a home she was warned against visiting, she eagerly accepts her and quickly becomes embroiled in tightly-held family secrets. The estate is filled with wandering (but mostly harmless) ghouls, hidden rooms which may or may not be real, dark shadowy hallways, and a "second Gallant", albeit an unconventional one with very dark surprises of its own.

It is easy to get caught up in Schwab's mysterious Gallant(s). Her writing is vivid, precise, and has a neat, sumptuous, gothic sense about it. She is a master storyteller whose intricate plotting is fresh and original. Best of all, her characters are marvelous creations, from the mute and determined Olivia, who aches to find a home; her hostile and antagonistic cousin; a pair of well-meaning housekeepers, and especially the evil behind the mysterious secret which has haunted the Prior family. I relish reading her descriptive passages aloud, as much for the sound of the words as the sense.

While Schwab's tale is dark and sometimes suspenseful, it is never truly frightening or disturbing. It will not keep you awake all night unless you want to keep reading until the end. The book has a lot to say about the need for a place to call home, a place to belong, the strong ties we maintain to those who have left us. I wanted the story to continue, the sign of a good book.

Is the book perfect? No. Many loose ends, unanswered questions and the like. None of it stopped me from enjoying the story. It is well worth reading. I have yet to be disappointed by any of Schwab's books. They are a delight to read!

This was a solid 4.5 stars.
Thanks again to NetGalley and the author for the advanced reader copy!

This book was so good, but I expected nothing less of Victoria Schwab. The pacing wasn’t as even as I would have liked- but the second half of the book made up for it entirely. The writing is hauntingly beautiful and I loved it. Secret Garden meets Tim Burton meets Coraline, but add a touch of magic. (It also made me think of City of Ghosts and the other two middle grade books she has in that series!) All in all, very happy with this read! Can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy next year.

Victoria Schwab, author of a variety of fantasy novels under the name V. E. Schwab, wows in this YA Gothic Fantasy.
"Home is a choice." Olivia, an orphan who has grown up under the careful eyes of the Matrons of Merilance Home for Independent Girls, has never belonged. She is bright and capable, but she can't speak, and this makes it difficult for her to make friends or prove to anyone that she is more than meets the eye. There's also the fact that she can see ghouls, the shades of those who are no longer living.
One day, she receives a letter from an unknown uncle, telling her that she has a family and a home grander than she could have imagined. But the house, and the family may hold sinister secrets that Olivia must uncover before it's too late.
Schwab's Shades of Magic books have gained ardent followers for their compelling, action packed plots. Her Invisible Life of Addie LaRue enjoyed praise for it's deep dive into the psyche of it's main characters. This novel takes the best of both worlds to create an interesting examination of a young woman's yearning for belonging and the lengths she is willing to go for those she loves.

Honestly, what do you want me to say? Schwab is a genius, and we are lucky to be alive while she's publishing. This book is a perfect MG read - gorgeous illustrations, dark and complicated without being harsh, full of independent spirit. The kids in your life who like ghost stories and horror will love it, but you will too. Lush, challenging, evocative.

Victoria Schwab has an incredible ability to take shopworn themes in fiction and mold them into something new and unique. She does it again here with the Gothic “There’s something wrong with the house” trope, putting her own unusual, fresh spin on one my my favorite topics in one of my favorite genres.

The bones of this are pretty standard to the trope, but Schwab takes us on an atmospheric, beautifully eerie and meandering trip through the strange world of Gallant.

Olivia, who cannot speak but has a gift for sort hung and can see and interact with ghouls, is a fairly standard to the genre but likable protagonist. Her foe (despite being based on an age old character of sorts) is a far more unusual fellow. But Olivia is easy to root for and their relationship to one another is based on some interesting stuff.

I loved the concept of the house and the shadow house, and Schwab’s world building was as creepily gorgeous as always, though I think the story could have used more of it.

This lacks the emotional pull of Addie LaRue, and while it’s less dramatic in some ways, it’s a gentler and more atmospheric novel than Vicious. In all, a lovely, dark gothic fairy tale and a delight to read.

Gallant is a fast paced gothic novel for middle grade/YA that is sure to delight fans of Coraline.

Olivia is a mute orphan who can see ghouls. She lives at Merilance, a school that trains girls up to be maids and other household servants. One day, a letter arrives from her uncle claiming her and returning her to her ancestral home, Gallant.

What ensues is a dark journey into the mysteries of Olivia’s family and why her mother tried to protect her from it all those years ago.

Fantastic storytelling and an unforgettable main character. Highly recommended.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another fantastic read from Victoria Schwab! Olivia discovers she has family she never knew about, and makes a journey into the shadow world. Excellent read!

Enjoyed this book. The plot and characters were well thought out and vivid. I would recommend this book to others and can't wait to read what the author does next.

I am as big fan of all Victoria Schwab’s fiction, but if you have not read her before start with something else. This is a peculiar story reminiscent of another era and it might not suit the contemporary reader’s taste. It is a darkly sad tale from start to finish. The battle between death personified and the Priory family does not lift the spirit in spite of the strength and resilience of the characters. If you are in the mood for haunting melancholy this is the tale for you.