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 isn’t 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 unravelled 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?
In Gallant, New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab has crafted a vivid and lush novel that grapples with the demons that are often locked behind closed doors. It’s an eerie, standalone saga about life, death and the young woman beckoned by both.
The novel is told from the perspective of Olivia Prior, a young, mute outcast who is desperate to learn more about her mother’s past and find a place to belong. Though others consider her to be strange, Olivia is gifted. She can see things others can’t – like the ghouls that lurk in the corners of her vision. When she receives the letter that beckons her to Gallant, Olivia finally hopes she will find a place to call home. What follows is a dark and twisty tale of life and death, ghouls and ghosts, and long-kept family secrets.
Setting plays a pivotal part in any gothic story, and this certainly stands true in Gallant. Through vivid prose and meticulous detail, Schwab transports readers first to the bleak Merilance boarding school and then to the mysterious Gallant estate, which conjures up images of great gothic settings, such as Jane Eyre’s Thornfield Hall. Then there’s the shadow world, a strangely familiar yet otherworldly realm that is brought to life through deliciously dark and atmospheric imagery.
Unique, haunting and utterly beguiling, Gallant is a richly imagined gothic tale that is sure to be enjoyed by both new and long-time readers of Schwab. Fans of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Melissa Albert and Garth Nix will quickly lose themselves in this novel with crossover appeal for both YA and adult readers.
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