The Book:
Title: Gallant
Author: V.E. Schwab
Published March 1st 2022 by Greenwillow Books
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Horror
Pages: 352
“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?”-Goodreads
My Review:
Yes!
I finally did it. I finished a book within a week of it being published and am getting a review up.
It wasn’t hard with a book this good.
Schwab is not one of my top authors but with every book, I read she is slowly climbing up there. I loved this book.
It follows the story of Olivia who cannot speak while she tries to navigate a new familial relationship and the horrors that exist in her family’s house.
The plot is unique. I won’t give too much away because every little detail is so beautiful it needs to be discovered on its own. I craved more and could not put down the book every time I picked it up.
It was unique to read a book where the main character could not speak. The lack of dialogue made the book so much more. A lot could have been explained sooner if the main character would have been able to speak, but her troubles in navigating this make the book that much more suspenseful.
I am genuinely in awe over the illustrations in the book as well. Each time I saw them I noticed a new thing, a new message, trying to be conveyed to the main character and the reader.
This book honestly has no faults. Sometimes there were a few dull moments, but those were good to put the book down after you have been reading it for an hour or two. The only reason I am not giving it five stars is that I won’t be considering this one of my favorites. It will probably be on my top ten list of books this year though!
As always, thanks for reading,
A Bookie
Star Rating: 4.9