Published: March 1, 2022
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Series: Standalone
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 334 (Hardcover)
My Rating: 4.0/5.0
Synopsis:
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?
I’m always in favor of fantasy standalone, simply because it’s nice to have a story all wrapped up in a single book. I was delighted when Gallant was announced; the synopsis was right up my alley and I couldn’t wait to check it out.
Gallant is the story of Olivia Prior who’s been in an orphanage since she was just a baby. She didn’t even know her father’s name, but her mother left her a diary that started out normal enough- much of it was addressed to Olivia’s unknown father, but clearly her mother was unwell because it spiraled into madness. Olivia thought her life would be spent alone until a letter arrived from her uncle Arthur Prior who invited Olivia to Gallant. This is the family home that Olivia’s mother warned her to stay away from at all costs…but Olivia is lonely and anywhere is better than the orphanage that she’s about to age out of anyway.
Olivia arrives at a gorgeous estate, complete with a marvelous fountain and a gate to a dark world of death in the garden wall. She’s an unexpected, and according to her cousin Matthew, totally unwanted presence at the grand house full of secrets. Olivia’s situation is made more difficult since she cannot speak and only one person can understand her sign language.
So much of the book is spent with Olivia arriving and somewhat settling in at Gallant that it seems very little is truly dedicated to what lies on the other side of the garden wall- this forbidden land, whose lord haunts the dreams of Priors and eventually drives them mad. The drawn out sense of foreboding and mystery added to the drama of the tale, though once the conclusion arrived it felt rushed which seems to be a common complaint amongst other reviewers. Everything wrapped up so neatly and succinctly in like, 30 pages. I actually really liked the ending – nice and bittersweet – but the overall pacing of the book was a bit strange because it started off quite slow. Overall, I rather liked it and can see myself recommending it to a wide range of readers since I think the appeal spans from YA to adult.
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