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amandasky21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This novel is incredibly atmospheric and detailed, so much so that it does create a movie in your head. However, because of how detailed visually the book seemed to be written as, I felt as though the character development with the main character, Olivia, fell flat. The pacing took too long in getting her accustomed to Gallant, that by the third act I was already bored, even with her meeting Death . Even with the found family trope of the book, it felt cliche and forced. I felt as though the author could have done more with her bonding with her found family, and maybe create a balance in her finding out about her parents and appreciating her found family. I genuinely think that this would make a great movie, but as a novel, it did fall flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
bessadams's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, and Suicide
Minor: Animal death
themichellegray's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A dark, mysterious story told with stunning atmospheric writing! While I enjoyed my time reading this book, I was left wishing there was a bit more explanation behind Gallant's secrets.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child death, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicide and Grief
Minor: Animal death
angeldevoursliterature's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide and Medical content
leweylibrary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Gosh I love V. E. Schwab. This is so different from her other stuff I've read so far, and I loved it. It was the perfect amount of creepy and tense, the MC was really interesting and also pretty badass for a kid lol I love that she's mute and yet also kinda has this superpower to bring life in the shadow Gallant. I think that aspect of her identity also works well because so much of the narrative then can be in her own head through thoughts and memories rather than dialogue. And the shadow Gallant being a place where the only one who speaks is the Master/Death but she doesn't need to speak, that this is a place where she SHOULD feel more at home, is really interesting to me. The journals are also really interesting and the way the artwork in them works with the story, especially once you learn what exactly they are and who drew them. The entire shadow Gallant aspect is such a cool concept for a horror story like this.
Honestly I just can't wait to talk about this book with others in our book club! I feel like there's a lot of cool stuff going on that I'm only scratching the surface of on my own.
Honestly I just can't wait to talk about this book with others in our book club! I feel like there's a lot of cool stuff going on that I'm only scratching the surface of on my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death and Child death
jelkebooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I'm going to be honest here, I just don't think this really worked for me. This book just completely failed to pull me in. There wasn't a single point in the novel were I actually felt invested, and when I closed the book at the end, all I could think about was just how underwhelming the reading experience it was for me.
I do have to say that I did really like the concept of this book. The story was interesting to me. I read this book relatively quickly, and most of that was because I was intrigued enough to find out what was going on. The atmosphere was also really well build. I do think the resolution was a little dissapointing, but overall I did really like the story. I did also really like the illustrations througout the book. They were absolutely stunning.
I also quite liked our cast of characters. Besides Olivia they were quite one dimensional but I still quite liked seeing them. Olivia was a really interesting main character. I just liked being inside her head. She is obviously extremely smart, but also quite creative, and very brave. The cast of side characters were a great addition to the story, and I liked the role they got to play.
So yeah, this wasn't a bad book at all, and I definitely wouldn't want to steer you away from this book, however it just completely wasn't for me. I would be quite curious to see this book adapted though because I do think this would make a great movie if done correctly (of course).
I do have to say that I did really like the concept of this book. The story was interesting to me. I read this book relatively quickly, and most of that was because I was intrigued enough to find out what was going on. The atmosphere was also really well build. I do think the resolution was a little dissapointing, but overall I did really like the story. I did also really like the illustrations througout the book. They were absolutely stunning.
I also quite liked our cast of characters. Besides Olivia they were quite one dimensional but I still quite liked seeing them. Olivia was a really interesting main character. I just liked being inside her head. She is obviously extremely smart, but also quite creative, and very brave. The cast of side characters were a great addition to the story, and I liked the role they got to play.
So yeah, this wasn't a bad book at all, and I definitely wouldn't want to steer you away from this book, however it just completely wasn't for me. I would be quite curious to see this book adapted though because I do think this would make a great movie if done correctly (of course).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Ableism and Suicide
em_of_swags's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Grief
Minor: Ableism and Bullying
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
sageandcitrus's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This book had INCREDIBLE vibes. Every chapter had me ready to dive in! The plot was so engaging and well paced, if a little slow at times. This book was very easy to immerse myself in. The art and design of the book adds to the overall experience. I would have ADORED this book as a young teen! While it didn’t absolutely blow me away at 23, I have no complaints! I’m looking forward to reading more of V.E. Schwab’s books. She has a wonderful voice as a writer!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, and Self harm
juan_adhd_reading's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As I struggle to write this review, I’m doubting if it really deserves 5 stars. Because the thing about a 5 star review is that it implies perfection, an exemplary book, a story that would be universally enjoyed. This book is not perfect and I don’t think everyone would enjoy it. But it was perfect for me; and so, it gets 5 stars.
The thing is, I just really love VE Schwab. I love how her prose can be both beautiful yet haunting: a shiny rose, vivid and colorful; its stem full of sharp thorns, tangling around a skeletal hand. This story was as dark, mysterious and fantastical as I hoped it would be. Though I wouldn’t describe it as fast paced, I was constantly kept at the edge of my seat, savoring the rich setting that is the Gallant manor along the way. The illustrations and the diary were beautiful, a perfect picture of Olivia’s parents’ relationship. This book, I think, will stay with me for a long time to come, and will probably remain one of my favorites of 2024.
The thing is, I just really love VE Schwab. I love how her prose can be both beautiful yet haunting: a shiny rose, vivid and colorful; its stem full of sharp thorns, tangling around a skeletal hand. This story was as dark, mysterious and fantastical as I hoped it would be. Though I wouldn’t describe it as fast paced, I was constantly kept at the edge of my seat, savoring the rich setting that is the Gallant manor along the way. The illustrations and the diary were beautiful, a perfect picture of Olivia’s parents’ relationship. This book, I think, will stay with me for a long time to come, and will probably remain one of my favorites of 2024.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Self harm, and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent and Abandonment