Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Gallant

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

33 reviews

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.

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karydiazc's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

What was that ending?
I have to admit I was expecting more...

I mean, it was a fitting ending to the story, but at the same time I felt it rushed.
And my question is... What is going to happen to Gallant once Olivia is not there anymore? What if she decides to have children?

I liked Olivia as a character, she was interesting to read, how she could picture and feel the world around her. She felt real, a curious girl who has always wanted something and is finally getting it, although not as she expected.
Matthew was very human. He was afraid and tired of everything. You can definitely see how that shaped his actions throughout the book.
Edgar and Hannah were mostly side characters, and didn't have much relevance to the actual plot, but I liked them.

This book was dark and I was expecting some closure at the end, however, as I mention at the beginning, the ending was fitting for the type of story and the information given to Olivia. We as readers know the same about Gallant as she does. Therefore making her actions understandable and not childish or rash, since Olivia was filled with curiosity for a world she did not know anything about.

I would have liked to rate the book higher, but I was expecting a bit more of action at the end and I would have liked more information about her parents. Still, in real life we don't always get the answers we seek.

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kittykaz's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

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

2.25

I liked the premise and the dark atmosphere but the plot fell short for me. It was entirely crammed into the last 50 pages and because the writing focuses on the loneliness and estrangement of the main character, the connections she supposedly feels towards other characters are hard to believe.

With the importance her parents (and the diaries!) were given I also wish they had more payoff, and her cousin as a character felt almost like a misplaced Love Interest rather than a relative.

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mrs_bastos's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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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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_haggis_'s review against another edition

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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.

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cr_ashe's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The way everything tied together was phenomenal. It feels like coraline but more grown up and with more at risk. Beautiful writing wrapped itself around a story that felt brand new in a familiar way. The narrator being mute was an interesting way to tell the story, and it helps the readers feel her frustration at every new turn.

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bone_empress's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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charlottx's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I wasn’t too fond of our protagonist in the beginning but I greatly enjoyed all of the side characters/ villains! I look forward to reading more of Schwabs works and hopefully I can find some that have more horror elements as that’s what I thought I was missing in this book!
Loved Matthew <3

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jennyg1234's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Another surprise. I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did. Ending was … not climatic, but I wasn’t mad.

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