V.E. Schwab, Manuel Sumbera: Gallant (Hardcover, 2022, Greenwillow Books)
Hardcover, 338 pages
English language
Published March 1, 2022 by Greenwillow Books.
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, …
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?
So I really enjoyed this, just, the plot seemed super confusing to me at some points and I thought that the style it was told in was surprisingly achronological buuuuut I think the reasons for that are a) that I was pretty distracted and b) that I must have accidentally skipped at least an hour, managing to listen to 5 hours of the book in what was at most 4 hours in my world, at normal speed. Well, either way, I liked it.
I agree with other reviews I've seen on here that the ending for this book leaves a bit to be desired, and is incredibly abrupt. I just don't think that takes enough away from the characters and world building that led up to those final moments. I thoroughly enjoyed my brief time in the world Schwab builds around Gallant. If anything I want more of it, but I'll take this glimpse.
