INFORMATION ABOUT THIS BOOK
Publisher : Greenwillow Books
Publication date : March 2022
Format: Hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook
Print length : 352 pages
Genre: Teen and YA Fiction
MY PERSONAL OPINION OF “GALLANT”
This would be my fourth book from author V.E. Schwab. The book The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of my all-time favorite books. I also have three other books written by her that are on my shelf; I will start one of them soon. When, at the beginning of the year, I set up my reading challenges, there is always the prompt “Read a YA fiction book”, which is a difficult prompt for me, as I tend to dislike YA books. When I found this book available in audio at Libby, I was happy to borrow it.
This book was incredible; the storytelling was just remarkable. The way the author calls you into the storyline, the characters’ development, the setting- it was all gothic perfection. The main character, Olivia, is a remarkable character, with flaws, but so much strength and courage.
Gallant is, at its core, a sad story, but built upon courage and hope, and most importantly, faith to find a home, and strength to risk everything to keep a family. The strength to believe we can belong.
The story follows Olivia, an orphaned mute girl, who has longed all her life to belong to a family. With no knowledge about her family, except for a half-destroyed diary her mom left her, she is suddenly provided the possibility of finding a home, when she is invited to Gallant, her family estate.
As she discovers the truth about Gallant’s secrets, the story of her mother and father, the curse on her family, and the fear of the shadows, Olivia is given the opportunity to prove she belongs in Gallant, and that she is a Prior.
Beautifully written, and the narration was superb. This is a fabulous 4.5-star read for me.
PREMISE OF THE BOOK AS FOUND IN AMAZON / GOODREADS:
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?
MY RATING: 4.5
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: V.E. SCHAWB
VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the Cassidy Blake series and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Her work has received critical acclaim, translated into over two dozen languages, and optioned for television and film. First Kill – a YA vampire series based on Schwab’s short story of the same name – is currently in the works at Netflix with Emma Roberts’ Belletrist Productions producing. When she’s not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.
OTHER BOOKS BY V.E. SCHWAB
- Villains (Trilogy)
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
- Bury Your Bones in the Midnight Soil
- The Near Witch
- Shades of Magic (Trilogy)
- This Savage Song
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