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yrlaevelyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicide and Murder
archer_w27's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
tays_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Suicide, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death and Child death
literally_mint's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
marareading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It is beautiful, Gothic, mysterious, and atmospheric. I devoured this book and will probably do it again. Highly recommend.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Gallant is a YA standalone novel by V.E. Schwab. This was the perfect atmospheric read for spooky season! We get ghouls, a haunted house/haunted garden, and blood magic. This was sort of like if you mashed The Secret Garden with the upsidedown in Stranger Things.
We follow Olivia Prior, a mute girl who is an orphan at a school for girls that has never felt like home. She also sees ghouls everywhere. As she is about to age out of the school, she receives a letter apparently from her uncle that invites her to come live at his estate called Gallant. Olivia sees this as an opportunity to finally have a family.
When she gets to Gallant, it becomes quite clear that her uncle was not the one to send that letter, and she is far from welcome. Her cousin, Matthew, demands she leave. Olivia has her mother's journal that is full of mad ramblings and drawings that don't make much sense, but she holds onto it for comfort anyway. The. She realizes there is more to the garden than just a wall.
Not a ton happens in this book. It's slow paced and doesn't have much action, but the spooky vibes are immaculate. It was fascinating to see the world through Olivia since she can't talk. I'm pretty sure Olivia is ace based on how she talks about kissing someone. Matthew is dyslexic and sickly through the majority of the book. We get good character growth out of him. The other side of the garden wall is creepy af! I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that.
I do wish Schwab had given us more about Hannah and Edgar as well as the being on the other side of the garden wall. I wanted to see more from Olivia when she was over there. I absolutely loved the journal entries and drawings from Grace's journal throughout the book. Over all, this was a good read. Schwab hasn't steered me wrong yet.
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
Moderate: Self harm and Blood
r0ry_'s review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
koistyfishy's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
This was the first time I’ve ever picked up a VES book and wasn’t sure what to expect based on aspects I have read and watched in reviews of her books.
The story is simple but even in the simplicity it’s mysterious charm kept me entertained even though reading the additional genres (horror, paranormal, mystery) are not something I typically read.
This is the perfect book for spooky season and is just a lovely Victorian Vibe with a mystery I wanted to solve…
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying and Gore
lizzie24601's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I'm surprised she published this under V. E. Schwab instead of Victoria Schwab like she does for most of her YA - bc this is definitely YA, if not middle grade. I guess I was expecting something more adult, like Darker Shades of Magic or Vicious. Regardless, I wasn't terribly impressed by the characters or plot - Olivia doesn't have much character growth, and nothing super unexpected happens. The ending also felt unsatisfying, with
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Suicide
phillyhufflepunk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A young adult gothic novel which features a character who struggles within an ableist institution, doesn't needlessly info dump, and doesn't waste time telling the story. Would love to see this as a movie or limited series. Quality storytelling.
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death, Self harm, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail