This novel seemed like it played with genre conventions in a really interesting way - it had the narrative arc of a YA novel (and “felt” like a YA novel, for lack of a better word) but the ending was much grimmer and darker than most teen-hero portal fantasies, even adding in the spooky gothic manor and dark family secrets and so on, would lead me to expect. I was expecting something triumphant or at least vaguely redemptive right up until the last few pages and got less of that than I’d imagined - which is not a bad thing. It’s like if The Secret Garden crashed into The Haunting Of Hill House. Again, not a bad thing, necessarily.

Victoria Schwab has done it again. Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC of Gallant. This book is amazing. I can't wait for it to be out in the world for all to read. We first meet Olivia at Merilance School for Independent Girls, a home for girls. Olivia Prior is mute and doesn't fit in with the other girls, doesn't like Merilance, the Matrons, or the rules. Also, Olivia can see ghouls, but they don't scare her. She longs for a home. All she has left of her Mother is a journal that she has read over and over. Her mother's writings and mysterious illustrations tell part of the story but she is left with many things unanswered. The last piece of advice that her mother leaves for her in the journal is to stay away from Gallant. One day a letter comes from someone saying he is her uncle and that he has been searching for her for years and that he wants her to come home to Gallant. Although, this causes her confusion, not long after a car comes to take her to Gallant. She arrives though not to her uncle, but to Hannah, Edgar, and her cousin Matthew. Her cousin is upset that she is there and wants her to leave. There are secrets about the Priors and Gallant. There is a strange crumbling wall at the base of the garden, a weird metal sculpture of two houses, ghouls, stories untold of missing relatives. She struggles to sleep and even starts having bizarre dreams, where she never used to dream before. Olivia must figure out the secrets of Gallant and what is beyond that crumbling wall, and decide if she will be able to make it her home.

Schwab comes through with another of her classic, haunting tales. A little girl who sees ghouls but is not afraid, a wall separating a house and it's shadow, a family web drawing Olivia into it's mystery. The story is creepy, brave and well crafted. I couldn't help but compare the ethereal illustrations to the Stephen Gammell ones I grew up with reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 💀

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! And THANK YOU VICTORIA SCHWAB for writing this books. It is a hauntingly beautiful story with a protagonist that anyone can find a way to relate to. The pacing is perfect and the world building is perfect. I can’t wait to read it again when it comes out. This is certainly one I will be buying to have on my Schwab Shelf!

Victoria Schwab has penned another beautifully written story. Her prose and storytelling ability are top notch! This time she brings us to a haunted mansion on a hill… one that carries a dark secret. Olivia, the main character, is a girl who has been orphaned and left at a girls school, until a mysterious note arrives and she’s whisked off to the mansion, to more strangers, and a devilishly good adventure. Opposite worlds separated by a wall, familiar obligations, and a devil wanting his due all await the reader as you crack the spine and immerse yourself in a story you won’t want to put down. I highly recommend this newest novel from the talented Schwab. She has definitely become one of my go to authors when recommending books of all levels to people who like a little fantasy, a great story, and books that you will consume with pleasure.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an advanced electronic ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. This was a 5 out of 5 star read for me and one you will definitely want to spring to pick up on its release date this upcoming March 1, 2022.

Schwab has become an auto-buy author for me. Her prose is so beautifully poetic; I want to use it in my literature class to really break down and study. I loved this new story and the world we're introduced to. Her attention to detail when world building is unique and intricate. Olivia is such an interesting main character to follow and the eeriness of this story was really fun.

Schwab does it again. Gallant pulls a reader into a fast paced, Haunted Mansion style ride through a young girl’s life. The illustrations and layout will keep readers of all ages wanting to know what’s going to happen next. This is a perfect read for a fall time book report or paranormal extra credit project.

The book begins by giving us a look into the life of a young orphan named Olivia. We soon find out that Olivia is a very special girl who is living a very unique life in a world full of ghosts, ghouls, shadow men, and bones. It’s not shocking that everything seems so grey for Olivia. However, with just enough determination, she may be able to bring some color back into her dull grey life.

Whimsical and beautifully written, which is something I've come to expect from Victoria Schwab. This was a very interesting novel, following a character that doesn't speak much yet has a world of personality.

Wow this book is a mesmerizing story. I was immediately swept away into this world. The writing is so beautiful and terrifying.

Victoria Schwab never fails to entertain and Gallant is no exception. Living her life in a colorless orphange, Olivia Prior is plagued by ghouls. It would be hard to find the words to descibe this phenomenon, but even harder when you are mute. With only her mother's journal to comfort her, Olivia has tried to make the best of the situation when a letter from a lost uncle arrives. What appears to be a blessing might actually turn out to be a curse.

All the trademarks of Victoria Schwab's work are here: strong female characters, beautiful prose, clever world-building, steady plotting. This is atmospheric and lovely. My only complaint is that the ending was a tiny bit anticlimactic, but for a quiet novel like this, it felt appropriate. I love how the illustrations are such a stunning and important part of the overall story, too. That's one of my favorite things about V's books -- reading them is an experience.

Well that was exquisite. Perfectly haunting and gloomy and dark but with so much spark and hope. Olivia is so well written. I read another review that compared it to the Secret Garden and that is spot on! A more haunting Secret Garden.

Olivia Prior’s story begins at an orphanage for girls. Her only connection to family is her mother’s journal and the entries are puzzling to decipher. Olivia struggles with unknowns and inability to communicate. She doesn’t belong here and she knows it. When she is invited to her familial home, she at last feels a sense of belonging. However, the story turns to a gothic style story reminiscent of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. The house holds secrets, and there are elements of horror and fantasy as Olivia discovers the secrets of the house and within herself. I felt like this was difficult to get into at first but as the story unfolded I had a hard time putting the book down. It was at turns thrilling, scary, and heartwarming. The characters felt real and worth rooting for. I had chills reading it when the supernatural elements began kicking in. I highly recommend it!
Reviewed on Goodreads

It’s rare that I genuinely don’t want to put a book down. I could not stop reading this book, and even when I had to, I was thinking about it.

Schwab does a great job at setting a scene and she creates such a vivid image of this haunted house. It isn’t quite scary, but there is a spookiness that follows you around the entire book.

I will caution that this book is YA and I find that YA doesn’t typically get into the depth of the horror genre as well as it could. But I think that if you like ghosts stories, this is beautifully told.

Overall, as a fan of horror and magic, I absolutely loved this book! It was a quick, immersive read.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This title was lovely. It was dark and it reminded me of aspects of Crimson Peak. Not much the plot but aspects. It had a gothic feel to it that I loved to pieces. I can’t wait for the release to recommend it! It was the kind of dark fantasy I’ve been looking for. And it did something well that I often find can be hit or miss. I love when young adult characters are well formed. Not that there isn’t some very well done young adult age characters. However, some are not written as deftly as Schwab does. I loved this!

Unfortunately, due to Netgalley's new formatting, I wasn't able to download this book onto my kindle. As someone who suffers from migraines, I am unable to read books on my phone or other tablet devices which meant I was unable to finish this book. While I love Victoria Schwab and everything she has written I have no doubt this book will be just as excellent. I look forward to finishing it when it's available in print and as a download for kindle.

This is another winner from V.E. Schwarb. A story about life, death and in between. I loved this and would highly recommend.

Victoria Schwab is incredibly skillful at creating a particular ambiance—the feel of a sort of ethereal, gothic fairy tale. Gallant, her new teen/young adult novel is a fine example of this talent featuring prose is exceptionally visual and colored. The story features Olivia, a now teenage- foundling, returning to the ancestral home of her mother’s family only to discover that her family is cursed to remain in the home or… death will escape its bounds and very bad things will happen. To make the situation more challenging, Death very much wants to escape his bounds and is more than willing to psychologically torture and even kill members of the Prior family to make it happen. The book is spooky more than scary, but the stakes are genuinely high—life or death.
There are, though, elements to the book that some readers might consider flaws. It is, for example, comprised of a variety of fantasy/horror tropes and they aren’t necessarily used in particularly innovative ways. But tropes became the mainstays of genres because people like them—who doesn’t love a good family curse or a plucky orphan who saves the day. Olivia’s success as both a main character and a heroine, being multifaceted and believable, is one of the book’s strongest points. She is strong and scared, she is angry and kind. As a reader, I not only expected her to succeed, I wanted her to.
This story is more than the some of its parts and I think it will have a lot of crossover appeal. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it actually attracts rather more adult readers both due to Schwab’s record of success with books like The Invisible Life of Addie Larue and because it does rather read like some popular adult books (perhaps a unusual comparison but the book it most reminded me of was actually Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell).

Another brilliant, dark, and moving book from Victoria Schwab. This is a fantastic crossover read for those who are familiar with her adult books published as V.E. Schwab. This tale of haunted houses, ghouls, and supernatural inheritance is a gothic horror in which the protagonist refuses to be horrified. I loved Olivia as a character and as a protagonist, her personality and her wants were so fully realized. And I was impressed by the handling of mutism and the inclusion of sign language.

This is the first ARC I have ever received and I would like to thank the publisher for the opportunity!

I really need to remember that I only think I like Victoria Schwab.

A book with a great premise, but not a good delivery. Everything you need to know is in the sumary, and to be honest, it definitely didn't catch my attention. At all.