Reviews

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

oaaktree's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

shall22's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

noemi1010's review against another edition

4.0

Olivia has grown up in an orphanage for girls with only her mother's journal keeping her company. The girls and the teachers don't like her and consider her a burden because she can't communicate vocally. However, one day she receives a letter from an uncle she never knew existed and finds herself at Gallant house. Here, she finds out about her cousin, the last remaining member of her family and also finds out that Gallant is not what it seems. There is a dark secret in this place, a secret that has been taking the life of her family members for years, and Olivia needs to find a solution if she doesn't want to be the next one to die.

This is my first book by V.E. Schwab. It's a gothic and horror YA that keeps you tense from the beginning. I'm not a big fan of the ending, but it makes sense for the story.

samgilmorexo's review against another edition

3.0

2.5

n_19's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

saeruh's review

dark mysterious

3.5

I absolutely adore Schwab’s writing but I had a hard time connecting/caring about this story unlike the other novel I have read by her (Addie La Rue). She paints a rich picture of the setting of Gallant and Other Gallant but I wasn’t enraptured with the story. I especially felt this a lot in the last third, where everything seemed to happen all at once and all of the problems were resolved so quickly. Interesting that this is classified as a YA as I felt like it was quite scary at times (at least the audiobook version lol) but also there was kinda a limitation of how graphic Schwab could describe in subjects like death or gore.

mareikoe's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

tephtowers's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This books is... Creepy. The story is so good, but wow, the world created in this book is dark, cruel, and overall creepy. 

I have enjoyed every VE Schwab book I have read, and this book is no different. Her characters and worlds are robust, even in short, stand-alone books like this one. Her books seem to always include good vs evil/light vs dark tales... And Gallant is no different with a shadow world and its master, Death, attempting to overtake the world of the living. Olivia is an unexpected hero, but she is just that. This story is filled with mystery that slowly unwinds through the last chapter, leaving the reader guessing. 

(Mark would have rated this book a solid 3. He would not have enjoyed the horror undertones, as it would not have made a great audio book for a 2 am commute. Otherwise he would have enjoyed the mystery and characters, even if he was thoroughly creeped out.)

misshashmeme's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

carol461's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.0