Audio Review: GALLANT by V.E. Schwab

GALLANT

Author: V.E. Schwab

Series: N/A
Source: Audio from Audible
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: March 1, 2022
Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Summary:

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?

Purchase:

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"To those who go looking for doors, are brave enough to open the ones they find, and sometimes bold enough to make their own."

Olivia Prior was left on the doorsteps of Merilance School for Girls when she was very young with nothing but her mother's old journal in hand. She never felt as though she belonged and has always wished someone was out there waiting for her to come home.

She then receives a note from an uncle she never knew she had, calling her to return to Gallant. When Olivia arrives, no one seems to want her there or know who has asked her to return. Gallant is hiding secrets and Olivia is determined to figure them out.

I thought this was one of Schwab’s best books in a few years. Good pacing, plot, and I loved the characters. It's definitely more of a character study and not heavily into the action that you typically see in fantasy. Schwab masterfully weaves a fantasy novel that hints at there being something more to everyone.

I became engrossed in this story right from the first sentence. I really loved Olivia as a main character, because although she never talks, she is so expressive and interesting to read about. It was really great to see ASL representation on page and definitely added to the dynamic of the story. I liked seeing how different parts of Olivia's parents are incorporated into her being and the duality of her - and the journals was such a nice touch.

The supporting characters of Hannah and Edgar were wonderful, and I loved how quickly they accepted Olivia into Gallant. I thought they really added to the dynamic and didn't become "the help" but people that you knew you could trust.

The overall spooky and gothic vibes of Gallant was so fun to read, and I loved immersing myself into the two houses and the mystery within them. Although I'm glad I read this during the day and not at night! I liked the way that the gothic vibe was incorporated into the world and the story. I loved seeing the "shadow" Gallant.

But this one ended SO abruptly. It felt like it needed one or two more chapters to be totally complete for me, especially with how quick it felt near the end. It was a little disappointing that way but not too much.

TLDR: This novel feels like a culmination of everything Schwab has been working towards over the years and is a mix of the best parts of A Darker Shade of Magic and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I highly recommend this if you love her works!

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