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?
Review:
Gallant is a story about an orphaned girl named Olivia who can see ghosts, or ghouls as she calls them. She has one of her mother's journals which has always been a puzzle to her, until she receives a letter telling her that she may not actually be alone in the world. Like most stories about orphan children, nothing—not even her mother's written warnings—will stop her from having a home, even if all she has is the hope that she could have one and certainly not a guarantee that she will be welcomed.
I adored the cast of this story, but I also felt as though they were a bit typical for this sort of tale. Schwab's writing never lets me down and her prose is some of the best out there in my opinion. For example, I saved a quote that raised gooseflesh and really tugged at my heart strings:
“Her vision blurred with tears, Olivia can almost imagine the woman on the bed is real. Perhaps she is. Real, she is learning, is a slippery thing, not a solid black line but a shape with soft edges, a great deal of gray.”
I think that this is something many people can relate to, especially when concerned with the loss of a loved one. Perhaps they aren't seen as clearly as Olivia can see her mother's shade, but I think the presence of people who no longer occupy physical space in the world can be felt and whether that's real or not is up to the person to make sense of or not to. Loss and family is a huge portion of this book but combined with the overall mystery of not only Olivia's parents but her long family history that goes back to the very first Priors who ever lived at Gallant generations removed from her was just beautiful and captured my attention. It reads a bit like a cross between The Secret Garden and Coraline, and while that sounds like a weird mix, it totally works. Family histories are one of my weaknesses, how they seem to flourish like a garden before the yields become less and less as time goes forward until, like in this story, where once there were many Priors, now there are merely two.
I also loved the visuals; several scenes are utterly breathtaking and in particular, a ballroom dance. I won't spoil the details but it just filled me with such a melancholy feeling. It's also kind of a spooky read. I think the first few chapters felt more like a ghost story than the rest of the book, but it also makes sense that as we learn about who the ghosts are and why Olivia can see them, the creepiness goes away. But I think that's how a lot of ghost stories are; it's one thing if you don't know who they are or what they want, but as Olivia learns about them, it's like it's just not spooky anymore.
While I can't say that this was an utterly original concept for a story, I'm also not disappointed. There's a sort of comfort about things that feel familiar and for me, that's exactly my experience with Gallant. I adored reading the full journal and seeing the illustrations as they are to Olivia. I think seeing it laid out completely like they were just punched right through my heart and I could absolutely not see the little twist that involved her father. I cried immediately.
I'm not rating this book higher than a three because, while I enjoyed it, again it didn't break any real new ground. This isn't a book that you haven't read before and you'll meet characters you seem to have meant thousands of times. That being said, it's absolutely worth reading. It has the nostalgic kind of magic that feels like grandma's chicken noodle soup when you have a cold; it's just cozy and lovely and good.
