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hammie_32's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This was delightful, I genuinely loved this book. It's been a while since something I've read has actually creeped me out or made me feel so intensely empathetic towards the MC. As far as I'm aware, the author is not disabled, however she seems to have done a great job writing for a mute MC and representing how frustrating it is to be so easily silenced and ignored. The reason this didn't get a full 5 from me is mostly the ending: most of the book was very slow-paced and did an excellent job at drawing you into the mystery and asking you to keep guessing, giving bits and pieces at a time. Unfortunately, the end felt really rushed. So much of the novel, we spend so much time in Olivia's head, and that falls off very quickly as the conclusion approached. It ended up feeling very impersonal to me, just because it stopped telling the story of Olivia's internal world/experience and moved on to the events as they were. It made it hard to celebrate with the characters at the end and connect with the stakes. Otherwise, I would read this over again just for the atmosphere and world-building that Schwab crafted, gripes aside. Had it been stretched to 400ish pages, I think this would've been perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Mental illness and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, and Child death
theinkedpath's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
ES:
Mi último libro del año :)
La verdad es que Schwab nunca me decepciona. Historia de casas encantadas, fantasmas y misterios para acabar el año. Me pareció muy interesante el concepto de la historia y cómo la articula...además de que la protagonista es discapacitada (y eso siempre le hace escalar puestos en mi ranking).
La única pega que le pondría es que se me ha hecho corto (y que lo he tenido que dejar por trabajo un poco de lado, así que perdí un poco el hilo. Pero este último detalle es cosa mía).
A pesar de lo que dicho anteriormente, me lo he pasado muy bien y este libro me ha envuelto completamente hasta el punto de no poder hacer otra cosa que leer.
EN:
The last book of 2023 and I could not ask for something better! Ghostly enchanted houses full of secrets and spirits! Give me more, please!
I loved the concept of the story and how it developed. It was very immersive and I loved that we had a disabled main character, which rarely happens. I was very focused on the story, even when, because of work I had to abandon it for a bit, but I could not do other thing other than reading.
Mi último libro del año :)
La verdad es que Schwab nunca me decepciona. Historia de casas encantadas, fantasmas y misterios para acabar el año. Me pareció muy interesante el concepto de la historia y cómo la articula...además de que la protagonista es discapacitada (y eso siempre le hace escalar puestos en mi ranking).
La única pega que le pondría es que se me ha hecho corto (y que lo he tenido que dejar por trabajo un poco de lado, así que perdí un poco el hilo. Pero este último detalle es cosa mía).
A pesar de lo que dicho anteriormente, me lo he pasado muy bien y este libro me ha envuelto completamente hasta el punto de no poder hacer otra cosa que leer.
EN:
The last book of 2023 and I could not ask for something better! Ghostly enchanted houses full of secrets and spirits! Give me more, please!
I loved the concept of the story and how it developed. It was very immersive and I loved that we had a disabled main character, which rarely happens. I was very focused on the story, even when, because of work I had to abandon it for a bit, but I could not do other thing other than reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Blood, and Grief
justmys's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An brilliant book that would be perfect reading on a stormy winter's night.
Beautifully paced with intriguing characters and a bone chilling ghost story woven throughout. It's not a hopeful read, but it's a gift of a story.
Beautifully paced with intriguing characters and a bone chilling ghost story woven throughout. It's not a hopeful read, but it's a gift of a story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
rinku's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment
lisa_m's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
2.75
I liked a lot of things about this book but I feel like there isn't a lot of story to it, mostly just vibes and backstory.
I really liked reading about a mute main character and about how she is communicating with other people.
I liked Olivia as a character and her thoughts and storys where really interesting to read about.
But I constantly felt like I was stuck in the build-up phase of the book. The book is quite short and that also means that the main story is underdeveloped. All the characters besides Olivia are not really flushed out that well and even the main story of the wall and the not-Gallant felt under explained.
The ending was the biggest let-down for me.It is not really an ending but just exactly the same as where we started. The big conflict of the book is not solved. The emotional conflict of her wanting a family does not have a conclusion either because the other characters don't have real personalities. It's just "you choose your family" but it glosses over the fact that she not only looses the last living family she has, the last piece connecting her to her mother (the diary) and does not get many real answers about her father & mother either.
Realistically she just took over Matthews place and is now probably going to die soon. What also bothered me was that the main "adventure" / rescue Mission was completely useless. Honestly the Priors would have been so much better off if Olivia hadn't come. Matthew would still be alive, the Master would be Locked away and nobody would have hope that then gets shattered. They truly do not gain anything from her being there which is sad when you think about it.
It was really beautifully written though. I enjoyed the spooky vibes and what we got from the worldbuilding was interesting too.
I just don't like how the story went and it feels unfinished.
I really liked reading about a mute main character and about how she is communicating with other people.
I liked Olivia as a character and her thoughts and storys where really interesting to read about.
But I constantly felt like I was stuck in the build-up phase of the book. The book is quite short and that also means that the main story is underdeveloped. All the characters besides Olivia are not really flushed out that well and even the main story of the wall and the not-Gallant felt under explained.
The ending was the biggest let-down for me.
Realistically she just took over Matthews place and is now probably going to die soon. What also bothered me was that the main "adventure" / rescue Mission was completely useless. Honestly the Priors would have been so much better off if Olivia hadn't come. Matthew would still be alive, the Master would be Locked away and nobody would have hope that then gets shattered. They truly do not gain anything from her being there which is sad when you think about it.
It was really beautifully written though. I enjoyed the spooky vibes and what we got from the worldbuilding was interesting too.
I just don't like how the story went and it feels unfinished.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
doodeedoda's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, and Blood
ilaxaria's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism
kaitieg97's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? No
5.0
I really enjoyed this story! It's rare to have a main character with a disability that isn't "goody-goody" all the time! I enjoyed watching Olivia struggle with her disability, AND BE MAD ABOUT IT!
Plus there's ghosts which is pretty cool!
Plus there's ghosts which is pretty cool!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Suicide
_haggis_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Atmospheric and intriguing. The world building was really compelling and it was hard to put down! I found Olivia a little unlikeable at first but she definitely grew on me and I really liked the other characters. It was really lovely having a main character who communicated entirely in sign language and I thought V E Schwab did a good job in making you feel Olivia's frustration at people not listening to her/taking her seriously/silencing her.
The thing that stops me rating this 4 stars is that although the world building and mood are gripping, the climax is very fast and abrupt (only about 20 pages in total) and the fight is too easily won/just not engrossing enough .
The story about Olivia finding out who she is and what she can do is really intriguing but told at the cost of the parallel plot - the family secrets, death and the wall. I think it feels a bit underwhelming and the plot potential & villain never quite fully realised.
Having said that, Schwab really trusts her reader and doesn't spell everything out - she gives us hints and things to ponder -perhaps that's why Matthew dies - although it' tragic and feels like it was all for nothing, it points to bigger questions of death and meaning.
All in all, a really quick read with plenty of spook. 13 yr old me would have adored it.
The thing that stops me rating this 4 stars is that although the world building and mood are gripping, the climax is very fast and abrupt (only about 20 pages in total)
The story about Olivia finding out who she is and what she can do is really intriguing but told at the cost of the parallel plot - the family secrets, death and the wall. I think it feels a bit underwhelming and the plot potential & villain never quite fully realised.
Having said that, Schwab really trusts her reader and doesn't spell everything out - she gives us hints and things to ponder -
All in all, a really quick read with plenty of spook. 13 yr old me would have adored it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Murder
Minor: Ableism and Suicide
poisonenvy's review against another edition
dark
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? No
3.75
Gallant follows Olivia Prior, a young nonverbal girl who's grown up all her life in an orphanage. Among the abusive Mothers and the bullying children, she's never felt like she's found a place where she belongs. All she has is her mother's journal and the ghouls that only she can she -- the ghosts of people who'd once lived and died there.
And then, one day, she recieves a letter from her family, calling her back to her family home where she belongs, and where she's wanted. But when she gets there, it's not what she expects.
This story was very enjoyable. It was an easy read with beautiful prose. I can't say that the story was especially deep -- it sometimes feels more like dressings than a fully realized story -- and the ending was anticlimactic, but I still very much enjoyed myself throughout the entire story.
As an aside, the book itself is beautifully out together too. I had the Illumicrate special edition, which is to be expected for some of the extra flourishes -- the journal pages were designed to look like journal pages and the section dividers were lovely -- but even the regular editions that my friends read had beautiful ink drawings and certain pages were white text on a black background which I thought was an especially nice touch. I'm a big fan of when books put forth just that little bit of extra effort to make their books something special.
And then, one day, she recieves a letter from her family, calling her back to her family home where she belongs, and where she's wanted. But when she gets there, it's not what she expects.
This story was very enjoyable. It was an easy read with beautiful prose. I can't say that the story was especially deep -- it sometimes feels more like dressings than a fully realized story -- and the ending was anticlimactic, but I still very much enjoyed myself throughout the entire story.
As an aside, the book itself is beautifully out together too. I had the Illumicrate special edition, which is to be expected for some of the extra flourishes -- the journal pages were designed to look like journal pages and the section dividers were lovely -- but even the regular editions that my friends read had beautiful ink drawings and certain pages were white text on a black background which I thought was an especially nice touch. I'm a big fan of when books put forth just that little bit of extra effort to make their books something special.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Animal death and Mental illness