V. E. Schwab never lets me down.

Always incredible.
Always insipiding.
Always thought provoking and lyrical.

I will always recommend their books.
All time fav status- achieved

Olivia has grown up in a dreary, grey orphanage surrounded by girls who can’t, and don’t try, to understand her. Yet it does not dampen her spirit or her longing to discover a place where she feels at home. A place where she can understand the journal her mother has left for her. And then, a mysterious letter arrives offering her this opportunity, even though it goes against the one instructions her mother left for her. Gallant takes me back to The Secret Garden, which I read over and over as a child. Yet has a much more gothic breath to it that fans of Crimson Peak will enjoy. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Gallant, and would also highly recommend the audio book version. Thank you to Netgalley and Greenwillow books for the arc.

I, along with many of our library patrons are huge fans of Schwab. My personal favorite is her standalone "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Schwab has a way of incorporating deep emotions with dark plots and themes that bring to life stories for different age groups. "Gallant" was no different. 

The story follows Oliva Prior who was abandoned as a small child at a girls school. She is mute and is surrounded by a cast of characters that she is unable to communicate with and who make little to no effort to communicate with her. Honestly, that alone is enough to make this a story packed with emotion, fear, and drama but Schwab doesn't stop there. Out of the blue, a mysterious uncle sends her a letter that will change her life as she knows it. 

The story is full of dark twists and themes while not overstepping the boundaries that make it a book for its particular age group.

I highly recommend and look forward to adding it to my own personal shelves. I missed the archive date for this one, but luckily our library bought a copy a head of time and I was able to read it that way.

A short and spooky read! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

When I was in the 7th grade and wanted to get into horror, I immediately grabbed my parents copy of Stephen King's IT and read that.

I have to say I think this book would be a much better fit for a seventh grader LOL. 

I liked the book's plot, and enjoyed the storyline. V. E. Schwab has a definite way with words, and she uses them beautifully. It was a nice one-night read for me.

I also really enjoyed the journal-within-a-book plotline. it added a nice depth as you learned as the MC learned!

I think the one thing I can discount on this book is that it is almost TOO short. I wish it covered more about the MC! We learn what we need to know for the storyline...but I would have loved some more superfluous details.

while I received an ARC of this book in exchange for review, I also got the special edition of this from illumicrate, which was absolutely BEAUTIFUL

I was super excited for this book, because V.E. Schwab. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my (admittedly) very high expectations. Olivia was incredibly interesting as a main character, as she is nonverbal and uses sign language to communicate. But many of the events that took place seemed to be very rushed and glossed over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's for access to the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia Prior is mute, and living in a girl's school after being abandoned there by her mother when she was very small. She's lived her whole life at this school, surrounded by people who she can't communicate with and who refuse to communicate with her in a way that she can understand. A letter from a mysterious uncle sends her down a path that there is no return from.

This is a book I can see my students definitely enjoying based on the dark and intriguing plot. It was not my cup of tea, but it will be one that I add to our classroom library.

I loved everything about this book. The atmosphere, the characters, the prose - absolutely everything. V.E. Schwab blows me away, yet again with Gallant.  And don't even get me started on the illustrations - they were such a perfect addition. All of the stars for Gallant.

Books have a way of finding you when you are ready for them and this was one of those cases. I tried to pick up Gallant several times and I couldn't get passed more than a few pages - until now. And now I'm so glad I've read this book and lived in this world and met these characters. V.E. Schwab creates unique, haunting, fully formed worlds that I want to live in - and feel like I have. Gallant is no different. It's a story that feels so complete like it has existed and will continue to exist long after I close the book. 
"Home is a choice."
"I am so happy. I am so scared.
The two, it turns out, can walk together, hand in hand."
"Stay with me. Stay with me. Stay with me. I would write the words a thousand times if they'd be strong enough to hold you here"

Schwab is one of those authors that I auto-order. Whatever she writes, I will read, and I know I will enjoy it. Since my research is focused on the role of place (especially the rural) in YA literature, I was particularly fascinated by the role of place and house and foliage in this book. It's something I continue to think about long after finishing the book. Schwab is a mater at character development, world building, and sucking the reader into the mysteries of both. I used to do a spooky unit every October, and if I was still in the classroom, this book would definitely be on the book menu from which students could select. I will definitely keep it in mind for my teacher education courses. Really loved it.

Let me begin by breaking one of my own rules: I very rarely compare one book to another, but Gallant reminded me of the eerie, atmospheric melancholy and overwhelming familial love that Neil Gaiman brought us with The Graveyard Book, and knowing that V is a big fan of Gaiman's, I don't think they would mind me saying that any fan of The Graveyard Book NEEDS a copy of Gallant in their lives. (Except, honestly, I liked Gallant even more than TGB.) I adored the mixture of tragedy and homecoming, the helpful ghouls and sinister forces, and our lonely, lovable protagonist. Most of all, I loved the prose and how V let their poetic nature positively shine in this story. One of my copies of this book is absolutely full of page tabs to mark so many of the quotes that resonated with me.

I wanted Gallant to be a real place and wanted to visit it, to soak in its sad, eerie darkness. I loved the estate, the descriptions of it and its characters as well, and how broken and lonely they all were in their own ways. I also was so pleased by the fact that Olivia was mute and spoke in sign language, as that's something we so rarely see in stories (alongside the implication that she was ace and aro). Truly, all of these characters just meant so much to me and my heart ached for them all. I wanted to climb into the pages and protect these poor souls.

I wish I could review this book in a way that does it justice, but I simply can't because it's too close to my heart. V's writing has this way of sinking into my bones and holding me hostage a little more every time I read one of their works, and every single time I turn the final page in a V.E. Schwab title, I find myself in awe at the impact their writing has had on me. I love this book so much and I recommend it with my whole heart, and I know it's the kind of story that I'm going to re-visit time and time again in the future. Something about it feels timeless like that.

Five stars and then some.  V.E. Schwab never ceases to disappoint and the wellspring of ideas she draws from is as deep as it is diverse.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

The imagery in this book was fantastic and I’m always interested in what V.E. Schwab writes! I would definitely recommend this to a lot of people.

VE Schwab is an author who always delivers, and Gallant was no exception! An amazing novel, that I absolutely could not put down. As always, superb characterization, plot-development, and world-building. 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

The best way to describe this book was atmospheric. You felt the unsettling vibes straight from the beginning. As in her previous books, Schwab's writing is impeccable and so well done. Though, unlike the others, this had a less character-driven plot and more like the plot happening to the characters. I think this was sort of the point with humans dealing with a force and being beyond their control. There was more of a dark fairytale setting than a realistic world with magic. One thing I thought was an interesting choice, but well-executed was that the main character Olivia was mute. Schwab did a great job of making her have her own voice and her own person. As this is a shorter book and not focused on characters, I felt like there could have been more exploration of the relationships and backstories of other characters. Overall this was a good read with a spooky atmosphere that kept you on the edge of your seat, though different than her previous works.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.*

I loved this book - the eerie atmosphere, the fabulous world-building, the amazing characters, the gate leading to a mirror world, and the fact that the main character can’t speak, but is powerful in other ways. It kept me guessing with tricky hints and plot twists. I highly recommend it to middle school and up. It’s a must purchase for any middle school library.

V.E. Schwab always paints a vivid picture in her novels. She did a good job of slowly revealing and building upon earlier descriptions for optimum creepiness. This book had a well developed main character and loveable side characters. I didn't think the villain was as scary as he could be, but was definitely ominous and creepy. I didn’t find the conclusion very satisfying, but the ride until the end was very entertaining. This is a book I would definitely recommend to our teen readers. I think fans of dark academia would like this book, even though it is not strictly in that genre it has very similar vibes.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Gallant by V.E. Schwab.
Once again, Victoria Schwab delivers a book that draws you in from the beginning and keeps you hooked until the end. Ghost stories, paranormal, and horror are not preferred genres for me, but Schwab is an exception. Creating three dimensional characters, descriptive settings, and plot twists that are sound. She ties everything together in the end and makes you feel like you are part of the story.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
 
This is only the second V.E. Schwab book I've read and I stand by the conclusion that she is an excellent writer. I really enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. But this one? Just wasn't it.

Olivia Prior is a fourteen year-old living at an all girls' residential school. There, she is often singled out as a result of her mutism and strange behavior. Yet, what no one else realizes is that her strange behavior is tied to her unique ability to see the dead. She has no ties to her family and very little sense of where she's come from. The only information she has are the journals and drawings left behind by her mother. 

However, the story starts to really take shape when Olivia receives a letter from her uncle inviting her to the family estate at Gallant. Ominously, her mother has issued a warning to Olivia against this structure. But, keen on the idea of belonging somewhere (and absolutely hating her life at the residential school), Olivia sets off to learn more about where she's come from. Yet, she's not exactly given a warm welcome when she arrives at Gallant. No one understands how she received an invitation from her SPOILER ALERT deceased uncle. From there, we learn more about Olivia's abilities and why her mother was invested in keeping her from Gallant.

I won't lie -- reflecting back on all of it, that sounds very much up my alley. And yet, I was incredibly bored throughout the vast majority. The pacing and character development were drastically different from what was seen in Addie LaRue. I assure you, you will not want to compare the two. The only common thread is that Schwab's prose remains as strategic and thoughtful as ever. The story, itself, though? Didn't grab me. I wasn't invested at any point. 

I will say that the book (which, despite getting a digital ARC, I presumptuously bought) is beautiful. The front and back covers are so aesthetically pleasing. The illustrations? Dark and beautiful. However, as the old adage says, you should never judge a book by its cover. I tend to disagree with this statement. And yet, here it most certainly holds true.

This was my first story by V.E. Schwab.  Which is amazes me while I type this review.  She is such a prolific author, I would've thought by now I would've read something she has written.  

That being said, I highly enjoyed this story.  It did take about 40% of the book for me to get to a point of not wanting to put it down, but the writing style and the plot was fun and enjoyable.  

I went in not knowing what to expect, but while the book was a bit strange and a bit haunted, I very much enjoyed the description and the choices that Schwab made while writing the book.