Gallant

Olivia Prior lives at Merilance School for Independent Girls, where she has spent her entire life as an orphan who cannot speak. Her only connection to her past is her mother's journal, filled with cryptic entries and unsettling drawings. A letter arrives from an uncle Olivia didn't know existed, inviting her to live at Gallant - her family's ancestral home. Upon arrival, she discovers her uncle is dead and her three cousins want nothing to do with her presence at the crumbling manor. Within Gallant's walls, Olivia encounters shadows that shouldn't exist and a parallel version of the house that holds dark secrets. She must uncover the truth about her family's history while navigating two worlds that threaten to collide. This gothic tale explores belonging, identity, and the thin boundaries between light and shadow. Through Olivia's journey, the story examines how family legacies shape who we become and what it means to find one's place in the world.

Readers describe Gallant as atmospheric and gothic but slow-paced. Many note it reads more like a middle-grade novel despite being marketed as young adult. Readers appreciated: - The haunting artwork and illustrations - Olivia's character development as a nonverbal protagonist - The dark, creepy mansion setting - The writing style and imagery Common criticisms: - Limited plot development and action - Too short/underdeveloped at 272 pages - Marketing mismatch - tone and content don't match age category - Lack of character depth beyond Olivia Review Scores: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (74,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (2,100+ ratings) StoryGraph: 3.75/5 "Beautiful but hollow" appears in multiple reviews. Readers frequently compare it to Coraline and The Secret Garden. One top Goodreads review notes: "This feels like a short story stretched into novel length." Several mention expecting more based on Schwab's adult works.

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🌙 V.E. Schwab wrote Gallant during the COVID-19 lockdown, drawing inspiration from The Secret Garden and Crimson Peak to create its gothic atmosphere. 🏰 The author sketched the layouts of Gallant's rooms and gardens herself while writing the book, helping to maintain consistency in the mansion's complex architecture. 📚 Though marketed as YA, Schwab considers Gallant to be "age-adjacent," meaning it can be enjoyed equally by both young adult and adult readers. 🎨 The book features striking black-and-white illustrations by Manuel Šumberac, which help bring the shadowy world of Gallant to life. 🖋️ Gallant's protagonist, Olivia Prior, is mute - a choice Schwab made to explore different forms of communication and challenge herself as a writer to convey emotion without dialogue.