Reviews with content warning for Blood - Gallant

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

188 reviews

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.

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sarah_shelf's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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theinkedpath's review against another edition

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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.

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justmys's review against another edition

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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.

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rinku's review against another edition

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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

This review for Gallant is probably the shortest review I’ve ever written for a novel lmao. I liked it, hence the three stars, but there was not much more to it.

Olivia lives in an orphanage until one day, a strange letter arrives that she’s invited to Gallant. Arriving there, she soon realizes that something paranormal is happening her and that it’s connected to her mother. The story has some nice creepy vibes, especially with the ghouls. I also liked the mystery around the diary, even though it was a bit confusing. Furthermore, it was nice that we get a deaf rep with Olivia. Her backstory was a bit cliché though, especially the bullying part. I also liked Matthew;

his death was quite sad

. Besides this, the plot is sadly quite predictable. I’m also surprised that we get blood magic again because it was already there in the Shades of Magic series. At least the ending was nice with

the ghouls helping Olivia and how Olivia re-writes the diary, that was so wholesome

If you like Schwab’s writing, this book is probably for you. Otherwise, it unfortunately has not too much to offer besides creepy vibes.

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taffysnail's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Definitely an interesting read to explore deeper but nothing that'll change the way you think or something you'll remember for years to come. I do like the overall concept but I feel like it could've been executed better. Also, if you're like me and you're irked by grammatical errors this might not be the book for you.

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lisa_m's review against another edition

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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.

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hal00alex's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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? No

4.0

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doodeedoda's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

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boydgirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

4.0

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