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A review by alexiab
Gallant by V.E. Schwab
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
any book that makes me cry like this has to be a 5 star as far as I'm concerned. god, just shred my heart with such little cARE, WHY DON'T YOU.
As always, VE Schwab has written a rare, beautiful, haunting story. This book is truly an experience, the use of ink illustrations and letters mingled into the story is such a brilliant way to set the tone for the book, and I also absolutely loved the audiobook narrator.
The concept of a main character who can't speak, and how her lack of voice affects her throughout her journey, is something I've never seen before and I can't imagine I will again any time soon. You can really feel Olivia's frustration at times, and there was a line about Edgar turning away while she tried to sign to him, and how it was "so easy to silence her" that really stuck with me.
A lot of reviews I saw said this story started out almost too slow for them, and while I would agree that it was a slow start, I think the beginning of the journey is the best part of the way Schwab writes. I love to see the characters and worlds she creates and just let them unfold, because they're always so unqiue from both other authors' works and her own. So for me, I didn't find it *too* slow, just enough to set the tone and settle in.
So much of this book is the balance of life and loss, and Olivia's journey really tied those threads together beautifully. Stories that focus around so much loss usually sit very heavily in my heart, but the ache was definitely worth it.
As always, VE Schwab has written a rare, beautiful, haunting story. This book is truly an experience, the use of ink illustrations and letters mingled into the story is such a brilliant way to set the tone for the book, and I also absolutely loved the audiobook narrator.
The concept of a main character who can't speak, and how her lack of voice affects her throughout her journey, is something I've never seen before and I can't imagine I will again any time soon. You can really feel Olivia's frustration at times, and there was a line about Edgar turning away while she tried to sign to him, and how it was "so easy to silence her" that really stuck with me.
A lot of reviews I saw said this story started out almost too slow for them, and while I would agree that it was a slow start, I think the beginning of the journey is the best part of the way Schwab writes. I love to see the characters and worlds she creates and just let them unfold, because they're always so unqiue from both other authors' works and her own. So for me, I didn't find it *too* slow, just enough to set the tone and settle in.
So much of this book is the balance of life and loss, and Olivia's journey really tied those threads together beautifully. Stories that focus around so much loss usually sit very heavily in my heart, but the ache was definitely worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Self harm and Suicide