BOOKS | Review: Gallant by V.E. Schwab

Name: Gallant

Author: V.E. Schwab

Publisher: Titan Books

Date published: March 2022

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, mystery, horror, gothic

Pages: 310

Rating: 5/5

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 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?

- From Goodreads.

This was a wonderfully atmospheric story that really immersed me in the world of the book and got me caught up in all the action and emotions. Everything was described perfectly, in detail that really added to the mystery and suspense. It made me feel fear for the characters and curious as to how the mysteries would be resolved and how everything would come to an end. This was enhanced by the beautiful illustrations that were interwoven throughout the book and were really crucial to the story.

I loved the main character, Olivia, my heart really felt for her and her desire to find her place in the world and have a family. I also do not remember reading many mute characters before and I really felt Olivia's pain and frustration as she wanted to make herself heard and make noise in the world, and when she so badly wanted to cry out and scream but could not, it was so heart-breaking. I loved that she fought for herself and had real determination and at heart really yearned for a sense of belonging.

I also really liked the other characters in the story and felt they each stood out as real, interesting people, even just the characters we knew through backstory. As this was not a long book, and it took place over quite a short amount of time, we did not spend a long time with these characters, but I still felt we got to know them quite well and even became quite attached to and really worried for some of them.

Overall, this was a very well told gothic style mystery with very strong characters at its heart that I found very easy to get lost in. I ended up very emotionally connected to the story and even cried at the end. I would absolutely recommend this if you have enjoyed V.E. Schwab's writing style in the past because I feel this definitely has her style, although the story certainly feels like something I have not read from her before.

BOOKS | Review: The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

Name: The Witness for the Dead

Author: Katherine Addison

Publisher: Solaris

Date published: July 2021

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, mystery, steampunk

Pages: 313

Rating: 5/5

When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had set the bombs that killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his father’s Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it. He lost his place as a retainer of his cousin the former Empress, and made far too many enemies among the many factions vying for power in the new Court. The favour of the Emperor is a dangerous coin.

Now Celehar lives in the city of Amalo, far from the Court though not exactly in exile. He has not escaped from politics, but his position gives him the ability to serve the common people of the city, which is his preference. He lives modestly, but his decency and fundamental honestly will not permit him to live quietly. As a Witness for the Dead, he can, sometimes, speak to the recently dead: see the last thing they saw, know the last thought they had, experience the last thing they felt. It is his duty use that ability to resolve disputes, to ascertain the intent of the dead, to find the killers of the murdered.

Now Celehar’s skills lead him out of the quiet and into a morass of treachery, murder, and injustice. No matter his own background with the imperial house, Celehar will stand with the commoners, and possibly find a light in the darkness.

- From Goodreads.

This was a wonderfully intriguing story following one of the side characters from The Goblin Emperor, Thara Celehar. I was worried I would not enjoy this book as much because Maia, the main character of that previous book, was one of the main things that I loved so much about it, but I really fell in love with the main character of this one too. It was really interesting to follow him, see the world from his perspective and see what his life was like in more detail.

I was surprised by the change to first person since The Goblin Emperor was written in third, but it worked well and I enjoyed reading the narrative style.

It was fascinating to see more of the world and different places in this book, I found all the details of where Thara Celehar lived and worked and travelled interesting to learn about. The world in The Goblin Emperor felt real already, but this book allowed us to see more of what we could not in the previous one, with the same intricate detail of the previous book.

I found the mysteries of the story compelling and was excited to read to the end to find the resolutions to all of them. I think they were woven into the story well and I found the conclusions satisfying.

The side characters all felt well-rounded and interesting too, and I became really attached to a couple of them, as well as Thara Celehar. I especially like the interactions he had with Pel-Thenhior, who was a wonderfully lively character.

I am glad to know there is going to be another book after this one as I am always happy to read more from this world and this book has shown me I would love to see more of Thara Celehar and the people he knows. I would definitely like to see another book following Maia, but this book pleasantly surprised me by how excited it made me to see more from Thara Celehar's perspective.

BOOKS | Review: A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova

Name: A Dance with the Fae Prince

Author: Elise Kova

Publisher: Silver Wing Press

Date published: August 2021

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, retellings, fairy tales

Pages: 374

Rating: 4/5

Katria swore she'd never fall in love. She's seen what "love" means through the cruelty of her family. So when she's married off to the mysterious Lord Fenwood for a handsome price, all Katria wants is a better life than the one she's leaving. Feelings are off the table.

But her new husband makes not falling in love difficult.

As their attraction begins to grow, so too do the oddities within her new life: strange rules, screams in the night, and attacks by fae that Katria never thought were real. When she witnesses a ritual not meant for human eyes, Katria finds herself spirited away to the land of Midscape.

Surviving the fae wilds as a human is hard enough. Katria must survive as a human who accidently pilfered the magic of ancient kings - magic a bloodthirsty king is ready to kill her for in order to keep his stolen throne - and her new husband is the rightful heir in hiding.

The power to save the fae is in her hands. But who will save her from a love she vowed never to feel?

- From Goodreads.

This was a wonderful addition to this world, and although I preferred the first book in this series, A Deal with the Elf King, I still found this story to be really enjoyable. It expanded the world, introduced us to new intriguing characters, and gave us a captivating romance to follow.

I really liked the side characters. Elise Kova created a group of supporting figures that really added to the story and had a lot of personality. The main character of Katria also had a lot of heart and it was easy to see why she was interested in her love interest, Lord Fenwood.

However, as mentioned, there was something that made me prefer A Deal with the Elf King to this book. While the plot was exciting and I liked all the characters, I think it was something lacking in the romance that made me love it just slightly less. I still liked the relationship between Katria and Lord Fenwood, but there were a few moments where I did not feel the impact of the emotions between them as strongly as I would have liked, and in general I think I expected the relationship to develop differently.

I liked the fairytale retelling elements of the story, the Cinderella influences were done well. I do not often read many Cinderella retellings as I prefer other fairytales, but this was still done in an exciting way and mixed with the other parts of the story well. I also liked the Eros and Psyche twist to the story, although I would have liked to see more of that part and see it more explored for a bit longer.

Overall, it was a lovely, romantic story that added to the world created in A Deal with the Elf King and made me eager to continue with reading this series.