My final read of 2022! It took me a while but I finished this eARC just before the year was over. I was super excited to get this eARC but after reading a little bit I put it down in favour of something else and it took me months to pick it back up. In December I finally did and now I want to share my thoughts with you all. Let’s jump in!
Everything casts a shadow. Even the world we live in. And as with every shadow, there is a place where it must touch. A seam, where the shadow meets its source.
Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home—to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home, it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.
Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.
Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?
Gallant by V.E. Schwab, Victoria Schwab, Manuel Sumberac
Published by Greenwillow Books on 01/03/2022
Pages: 334
Goodreads
All of V.E. Schwab’s books are completely different from the others, they’re all in the SFF genre but from there they all go in different directions. But I also think they do share a certain vibe. All of her books have a pretty dark vibe and most have something to do with death. And that isn’t any different for this one!
“When people see tears, they stop listening to your hands or your words or anything else you have to say. And it doesn’t matter if the tears are angry or sad, frightened or frustrated. All they see is a girl crying.”
Our main character Olivia is non-verbal. And that is something I haven’t seen that much in books. It was really interesting and I thought it was very well done. Of course I’m no expert but V.E. Schwab did have a sensitivity reader so I have high hopes this was a good representation. I would love to hear the opinion of any non-verbal readers about it though. Olivia was also an interesting character, she was curious and maybe didn’t make all the best choices but she did her best even though she didn’t feel wanted most of the time.
“Ash holds its shape until you touch it.”
The story was definitely interesting and while the ending wasn’t super surprising I did enjoy it. I will say this book was more about the vibes for me than for the plot. It was just cool to read about the house and everything surrounding it. If you read mostly for a good plot I’d say this one might not be for you as you probably find it predictable. But if you’re like me, and can also enjoy a book if another aspect apart from the plot is very well done, you might want to give it a try!
“But what is safe? Tombs are safe. Merilance was safe. Safe does not mean happy, does not mean well, does not mean kind.”
I don’t want to say too much about the plot as I think I would quickly give away most of it. This was a quick read once I got into the story and I enjoyed the writing style. In between some of the chapters we also get some illustrations and I loved those. It really brought something different to the story and I loved that you could imagine what they were saying for yourself.
V.E. Schwab is one of my favorite authors and I can’t wait to read the unread books by her I still have. And of course I’m really looking forward to her next release. Have you read this one yet? Or are you planning on reading it? Let me know in the comments!
