*Thank you to HCCfrenzy for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

VE Schwab is one of my favourite authors, so I went into this with my expectations high. And it did not disappoint. The way that VE Schwab can create a world in a standalone like Gallant is phenomenal.

Gallant follows Olivia, who has grown up in the Merilance School for Girls, and the only relic she has of her past is her mother's journal, which seems to unravel into madness. Only she receives a letter from her uncle at Gallant, where her mother's journal says to stay away from Gallant to be safe. Yet when Olivia arrives at Gallant, no one is expecting her. But Olivia knows Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses the ruined wall, she finds herself in a place that is Gallant, but not.
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 loved Gallant. I love Schwab's writing style, and this didn't disappoint. It's so easy to sit down and read, not realizing you just read 50 pages. Schwab creates this spooky world full of ghosts, mysteries, and questions that you are figuring out as you read the book.

The illustrations brought so much to the story, and I love how well thought out they are. They are placed perfectly, and without them, Gallant would not be the same.

Olivia is nonverbal, and to read a book where the main character doesn't speak is a whole different experience. I was curious at how Schwab would write Olivia, especially since she doesn't speak, but it was done so well. It was a new experience for me, and I loved it.

Gallant is the perfect book for October, just like Schwab's middle-grade series City of Ghosts. Gallant is filled with ghosts, and I want to reread this when it hits October 1st.