This novel progressed swiftly enough to retain my attention, albeit a bit slow. It was conveyed in a suspenseful manner, and the delicate tension wouldn't deter you from continuing as that's what made Gallant so captivating. The plot was straightforward, but it can be seen that Schwab took a long span and diligence to develop the world.

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. Be honest, how many Victoria Schwab books do those last few lines remind you of? A lot of great authors have a distinct style, something that makes their books identifiable without having to name them, and clearly she falls into that category. Schwab has been a favorite of mine over the past year and after relentless begging I got a chance to read a friend’s advance copy. If there’s one thing I can expect from one of her books, it’s to be swept away to a world just as magical as it is vicious. Schwab continues to delight with her newest novel. If you’ve never read her work before, Gallant is an excellent introduction to those sparks of Schwab’s genius. Her prose is smooth, painting a room or moment or emotion with vivid details and engaging insight. Her characters are complex, and even at their lowest or cruelest, you never lose sight of why you should be rooting for them. And her worlds continue to be places of wonder and danger in equal measures, firmly rooted in the boundary where myth and reality meet, wrestling for dominance. In this one especially, Schwab truly makes the reader feel as though they’re living in a fable that will be passed down as cautionary tale or victory. 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.”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. Olivia especially is a wonderful protagonist in her journey into the shadow that the world itself casts, going to a place where no one else but Death himself could live. Among a strong cast of supporting characters, Olivia shines. Schwab takes her time as the tale begins, sketching in the depths of Olivia, her myriad struggles as a mute young woman in a home that takes no steps to communicate with her or wants to hear from her, the losses and fears she has, all contrasted with the sudden elation of not only finding out she has a home, but that the answers she’s been looking for her whole life might be there waiting for her. Schwab builds Olivia and her new world of Gallant stone by stone, making every room and hearth feel warm and lived in, inviting the reader in with Olivia. Gallant left me feeling unsatisfied and indifferent. This book somehow managed to affect me in absolutely no noticeable way. I’m surprised by how detached I felt while reading this.

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. The writing was beautiful, though. So haunting and delicate and vivid. If only the quality of the content matched the quality of the prose. You can watch me review this book & all of the other 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Winners here: https://youtu.be/fFKXJ1gsZA8 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. Nothing happened in the entire book. No major plot twists, no big interesting revelations, no jaw-dropping moments. Just nothing.

And dreams can never hurt you. That’s what her mother said. Of course, she knows now it isn’t true. Dreams can make you hurt yourself, dreams can make you do so many things, if you’re not careful.” 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. Olivia's drive to have a family is stronger than her trepidation, however, and what she finds at Gallant is nothing like she'd ever imagined. 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. Trigger/Content Warnings: death, death of a parent, child death, suicide, ableism, blood, abandonment, bullying, animal death

Olivia Prior has always hoped for a place to belong and a family that cares for her. Instead, she’s isolated at Merilance School for Independent Girls, with its strict matrons, shunned by students who ostracize and torment her for being mute. Olivia uses sign language, taught to her by a now-departed matron (although nobody else signs); treasures the journal belonging to the mother she doesn’t remember; and can see ghouls. When she receives a letter from her uncle, Arthur Prior, inviting her to live at his manor, Olivia leaps at the chance. However, instead of the big, welcoming family she imagined, the opulent yet run-down Gallant only holds Matthew, her irritable cousin, and kindly caretakers Hannah and Edgar. Olivia unravels the ominous secrets of both her family and the house, where ghouls lurk around every corner and the dilapidated garden gate calls to her. The evolving relationships between Olivia and her found family shine, and themes of freedom, the self, and belonging are well depicted. The gripping writing and effective incorporation of horror elements, including haunting, inky artwork, are satisfyingly spine-tingling. Olivia’s use of sign language and her artistic talents, part of the exploration of the importance of communication, are skillfully incorporated into the overall story. Olivia and the main cast are White.Everything seems so arbitrary and disconnected. There are rules about the Priors, rules about the wall (which is a strangely short wall, by the way—I’m still not sure what the purpose of a door is if you can just walk around the wall)... I don’t know why it has to be this way. I don’t know how the Prior ancestors fought what’s beyond the wall. It seems cheap never to give explicit reasons for why things are the way they are. The only thing Olivia is interested in is that she can see the dead who linger after life, half-formed ghouls of vague description. But not even her ability to see the long gone is enough to provide meaning. That comes in the form of a letter from a long-lost uncle, inviting Olivia to come to their family home known as Gallant. It is here that the novel shifts into gear, as Olivia is whisked away to an old, sprawling estate with a surly, older cousin, a legacy she barely understands, and a suspicious stone wall hiding an iron gate, the other side of which cannot be seen. 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. The relationships among the characters were very surface-level. Hannah and Edgar only existed to help Olivia. Matthew changed as the book went along, but not in a way that felt organic. He switched from being hostile to treasuring Olivia more than anyone else, and did so across the span of a few days. They didn’t even spend that much time together. I get that he was distant because he wanted to protect her, but the change was so abrupt that it felt shallow. literally how did this win GR choice awards in YA fantasy with all the other amazing books on there??? make it make sense