Gallant

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V.E. Schwab writes with a poetic beauty that reminds me of some of the finest authors of our time. This might be a grand statement, but it is that good. Schwab can make words flow like a clear stream of water in a quiet forest. Her language is soothing, without being overly flowery. The tone was very Middle Grade which could have worked if the author had gone for a more ambiguous overall tone (like Gaiman does in Coraline) but I found her portrayal of her heroine and the villain simplistic indeed. The blurb makes it sound as if Olivia is taken by them but that was not the case at all. Even a Disney villain has more nuance than this one. Olivia Prior has never been a quiet girl. She has always made a point of making noise, everywhere she goes, in part to remind people that just because she cannot speak, does not mean that she is silent, and in part because she simply likes the weight of sound, likes the way it takes up space.” This book was SO good and I truly am in love with V. E. Schwab’s writing. They write like a painter creates Impressionism - eloquently and filled with striking, beautiful details. It’s impossible to not be blown away.

Despite the praises, I still find the book to be overly simplistic and uninspiring in comparison to the buzz surrounding her work. When I first read the summary, I had a different impression than after reading the outcome which pivots more on Olivia unearthing the Gallant. I also wished for the supporting characters to be given more substance, but alas was just there to fit as a piece to the story. In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.

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I already talked about the characters, but apart from the kind of cliché MC Olivia, we have 3 other characters- all of whose names I have forgotten and all of whom had no personality. Other than that, nothing about Gallant appealed to me. It's considered horror but??? What horror, there was literally nothing spooky about this. Gallant felt like it was written by a completely different person but maybe it's because of the shift in genre of Schwab going more for horror than fantasy so it felt different?? I don't know but I literally adored Schwab's Shades of Magic series and Addie Larue so I was really hoping to love this too. Instead, I was dying of boredom. Trigger/Content Warnings: death, death of a parent, child death, suicide, ableism, blood, abandonment, bullying, animal death But there are lower powers, stranger ones, and there in the dark, behind the door, she prays to them. I want Schwab to try out writing different characters and stop presenting the exact same thing to us. I'd love to see some amazing female friendships as well, because I don't see that in Schwab's work either.

Gallant is about Olivia Prior, who has grown up in Merilance School for girls. All Olivia has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. When she gets a letter from her uncle inviting her to Gallant, she can't help but accept. 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, which she is determined to find out. Overall, Gallant was an enchanting fantasy read that would appeal to adults as well as YA readers. The elegant writing is enough to capture your senses.I also enjoyed the unique character that Oliva is and appreciate that Schwab didn't end up relying on the old stereotypes and tropes that frankly everyone is tired of seeing from a mute character. In fact, the absence of Olivia's voice will force you to hunt for answers outside the characters. It keeps the visual aspects of things in Gallant going strong. But one day, out of the blue, she receives a letter from an uncle she never knew she had, asking her to come home to Gallant, where she is wanted and loved. Gallant. The one place her mother warned her never to go in the only letter she wrote her infant daughter. Olivia Prior can see ghosts, shadows of the long-dead: a bony hand here, a half-formed face there. She carries her mother’s last written words with her: stay away from Gallant, her family’s manor. But when she’s given a chance to escape the bleak gray walls of her boarding school, she takes it. However, Gallant is hiding something even darker than the ghouls she sees around her, and Olivia is determined to solve this mystery. And that does seem to be my issue with this book. It’s just not a complete circle. Some things are delved into so deeply that I feel them coming to life around me, and others feel rushed through. The ending is also fairly abrupt for this level of magical build-up, to the point at the end I was wondering, ‘what was this all for?’

We also have a villain who doesn't get introduced until 60%. The villain was meant to be terrifying and scary, but he too had no personality. This book really is the definition of pretty writing, bland story. Like sure the writing was very descriptive and fancy but??? I was bored out of mind?? I could care less about the characters, story, plot (haha what plot) and everything else. I don't care if you have the most beautiful writing in the world. If the story doesn't capture my attention, then I don't like it. Note- I have tried to include all the content warnings that I noticed, but there is no guarantee that I haven’t missed something. There’s a lot to like in Olivia Prior. She doesn’t speak, she’s never been able to, but there’s plenty to glean from her character besides dialogue. Schwab does an excellent job finding ways for her to express herself without uttering a single word. With bottomless curiosity and a ferocious streak when provoked, Olivia is the quintessential Schwab heroine. Unlikeable and an outsider to the society she lives in, but easy for the reader to root for. There are glimmers of some of these qualities in other characters in the book, but none that feel as fully developed as she is. Also, BIG shout out to Manuel Šumberac, the illustrator, because the illustrations were absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Seriously, I think this may be the prettiest book I own and that’s completely fine with me.

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Gallant is dark, tragic, and heartbreaking, but also warm and moving. The basic desire to belong and be loved is so fundamental to human nature. That is all Olivia wants. Everything about Gallant reads like a cliché YA book. It has nothing unique to offer, apart from the representation. It felt like a typical Schwab story. As someone who is not familiar with Schwab's works, her writing does hold lot of talent and I do see what the hype is all about. But Gallant could not impress me enough.

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. Would I say read Gallant? Absolutely if you’re a Schwab fan, but I probably won’t have to tell my fellow Schwablins that. If you like old gothic mansions, ghosts & the paranormal and a quieter, creeping kind of magic, then you may enjoy this as well. But I’m still on the hunt for that incredible fantasy novel of 2022, and though I had hoped this would be that book—I’m going to have to keep looking. If I had to compare all of them, I can barely think of any differences. They all act the same way, say the same things, and none of them form any lasting female friendships with other characters. In fact, this is pretty much the only kind of female characters I see in Schwab's work. Ones who are dethatched from their emotions and act in a 'traditionally masculine' way.Gallant doesn't have a rich plot, but it does have well-developed characters. Oliva Prior, a non-verbal teen is trapped and abandoned in an orphanage after the death of her mother. She has no one, or that is what she has been told. When she receives a peculiar letter from a long lost relative telling her to come to live with them, Olivia is perplexed but also relieved. Finally, she gets to have a family, someone who will love her. There was no plot whatsoever (until like over halfway), but in general I don't even care 99% if there isn't one as long as I'm invested in the characters. Which wasn't the case at all here. Do you know how how frustrating it is to read 90% of a great story? Victoria Schwab’s writing is just so damn engrossing—she gets her hooks into you all she needs is to give a slight yank and I’ll come running. When she gets a story right it’s absolutely right. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Vicious immediately come to mind. The writing and the characters are always consistently good from her, and the plot of those two is perfectly constructed. It’s just some of her books are missing something to make that perfect whole. All the ingredients are there, but it still doesn’t feel one hundred percent fully formed. I can’t even say what that extra 10% is or where is should go, just that it’s MIA.