Early Review: Gallant

Gallant
By VE Schwab

Published By: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: March 1, 2022
Date Read: November 7, 2021
Genre: Middle Grade – Fantasy
Source: eARC from Greenwillow Books
Format: E-Book
Pages: 352

From Goodreads:
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.

#1 New York Times–bestselling author Victoria Schwab weaves a dark and original tale about the place where the world meets its shadow, and the young woman beckoned by both sides. The Secret Garden meets Crimson Peak in this stand-alone novel perfect for readers of Holly Black and Neil Gaiman.

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?

New York Times bestselling author Victoria Schwab crafts a vivid and lush novel that grapples with the demons that are often locked behind closed doors. An eerie, standalone saga about life, death, and the young woman beckoned by both. Readers of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Melissa Albert, and Garth Nix will quickly lose themselves in this novel with crossover appeal for all ages.

“A house like this has too much history, and history always brings its share of ghosts.”

There were no words to describe my utter excitement of getting an ARC of Gallant by VE Schwab. I have been such a huge fan of VE Schwab for years and completely and utterly love every single thing she has ever written so Gallant was without a doubt one of my most anticipated books of 2022. I had such high expectations for Gallant and it surpassed every single one of them.

Gallant follows the story of Olivia, a mute girl living in a home. She has never known any family, all she knows is the journal of her mothers that she keeps by her bedside. She knows she must have had a family, and she is haunted by the words in her mother’s journal… stay away from Gallant. What is Gallant? And does it have anything to do with the spirits and ghosts that only she can see? Gallant is a journey of discovering family secrets, and yourself.

I loved everything about this book. It has small illustrations throughout the book that were beautiful. I read this as an e-arc so I’m super excited to get the physical copy and see these in print. It really accompanied the story perfectly, and for me at least, it really added to the whole reading experience. Gallant is so different from VE’s other books, in the best way. It’s intriguing and deliciously creepy. I couldn’t read this book fast enough. I was dying to find out all about the secrets surrounding this mysterious family. It was just brilliant.

There isn’t a lot of dialogue in this book due to the main character being mute. That was a huge change for me as usually I’m a action/plot/dialogue driven reader. I sometimes get bored of long descriptions and things like that but this book was so fantastically unique. I loved it. I loved Olivia’s different ways of communicating and it just added something else special to this book.

I loved every single moment of this book and it is definitely one that I will be re-reading again in the future. If you’re new to VE Schwab this is a perfect glimpse into her wonderful work and her beautiful story telling skills. I highly, highly recommend Gallant to everyone. It’s utterly phenomenal!

“Death comes for the roses and the apples, it comes for the mice and the birds. It comes for us all. Why should death stop us from living?”