Fourteen-year-old orphan Olivia Prior has spent her life at Merilance School for Girls, isolated and voiceless, with only ghoulish drawings for company. Her world shifts when an unexpected letter summons her to Gallant, the ancestral estate of an uncle she's never known. Upon arrival, Olivia discovers a decaying manor, an absent, deceased uncle, and a desolate atmosphere populated only by silent servants. She's permitted to stay, but with two crucial rules: never venture out after dusk, and never cross the crumbling wall at the estate's western edge. However, the shadows of Gallant hold secrets tied to Olivia’s lineage. Drawn by an inexplicable pull, she soon discovers that beyond the wall lies a decrepit, twisted reflection of Gallant – a spectral realm ruled by a mysterious figure known as the Master. As the lines between worlds blur, Olivia must confront a dark family legacy and embrace her own power to prevent the encroaching darkness from consuming both realms, unraveling the mysteries of her past and securing her future.
Critical Reception
"V. E. Schwab's "Gallant" is celebrated as a masterclass in gothic storytelling, praised for its atmospheric prose, intricate world-building, and profound exploration of identity and belonging in the face of ancestral darkness."