Gallant by Victoria Schwab

Summary from Goodreads:

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?

Review:

This was different…I kind of wish I read it on a rainy October evening, and not a heatwave sunny week in July. I feel like the best way to describe this book is to say that Victoria Schwab is already a successful author and can now do what she wants? You can tell she just went for it, and had fun with this story. It’s not the typical YA novel. This is a full-on atmospheric, horror story that will give you the creeps and keep you up late at night. And it’s not the kind of horror story I’ve come to anticipate. It’s not a fast-paced thriller. It’s the slow, eerie, almost old fashioned kind that makes you think of and black and white movies.

That being said, this book is not for everyone. And I can see a lot of folks putting this one down and not completing it. I almost did, a few times. I definitely tend to be more of a plot, high suspense kind of reader in the summer time. My brain just can’t appreciate the finer things when it is overworked and over-stressed, and overheated. That being said, I took classes on horror and noir in college, so this did speak to me….And the setting was everything. A mansion with secret passages, creepy gardens, family curses, doors to other worlds, zombie-looking ghosts, okay, yeah….this definitely spoke to me. The story also starts in a very creepy orphanage, reminiscent of the one in Jane Eyre.

I also found the idea of a mute main character interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the main character was mute. How this played into the story was really unique too. There were too many little mysteries that I wanted to find out. Were the ghosts really there? Why were they all missing limbs? What was the family curse? Why did her mother not want her to go to the house? The pacing was very slow. The book was more about the setting and the feeling of the setting than it was about the mysteries and not a lot happens until the very end. Then the end feels a bit rushed. However, I did mostly enjoy reading this. Not everyone will. Fans looking for something spooky, and anyone looking for a haunting ghost story will enjoy it. Just keep in mind, it’s not a lot like her other work. I give this one a 7/10.

Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

Summary from Goodreads:

Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more...?

Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn't been too great, but at least he's not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He's heard a little about Charlie - the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months - but he's never had the opportunity to talk to him.

They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner...

Review:

Sometimes you just need a super sweet, YA romance to fill you up with positive vibes. This is that book. I know I’m kind of slow to jump on this train. I guess this was on a lot of Library Best Books, in 2020, and since then has gotten also sorts of praise/positive reviews. I know it’s a Netflix series now too. I haven’t watched it yet. I think I want to read them all first. I know I must read them all.

I basically started this before bed one night, thinking I’d read a few pages before falling asleep (like I do with most books in the summer because my job exhausts me too much to read like I normally would for most of July), but I read the whole book in one go. I don’t do that often any more, even with graphic novels. I certainly don’t do that in July (busiest season for Cape Cod Children’s Librarians). But this book, just took me over, in a good way.

The artwork is just so charming, and simple in the best of ways. The panels are all big and easy to follow -no over complicated moments where you have to re-read something. The facial expressions of the teens are just so purely teenager. I have literally felt like I have seen teens making these faces. And everything they do is just so believable -from playing video games, to going to practice, to how they text each other. Nothing seemed too forced from the adult perspective.

And of course it’s one of my two favorite types of romance tropes: the friends to love trope. The two become best friends first. And you don’t get to see this kind of trope often with two guys in stories. It was all just so endearing and charming. I was sad when the book ended because I wanted more. I will have to get the next installment soon, so I can find out what happens next, and also so I can let myself watch the series too.

All in all, this un-put-down-able graphic novel was the sweet, fluffy romance I needed to read right now. I get the hype for it completely. I give it a 10/10.

Alliana Girl of Dragons by Julie Abe

Summary from Goodreads:

Once upon a time, Alliana believed in dreams and fairy tales as sweet as spun-sugar clouds. Alliana wished on shooting stars, sure that someday she and her grandmother would be able to travel to the capital city to see the queen. Then her grandmother passed away—and those dreams disappeared in a disenchanted puff.

Now Alliana’s forced to attend to the whims of her wicked stepmother—with long days of cleaning her stepfamily’s inn as her skin burns raw or staying up until the crack of dawn to embroider her stepsister’s ball gowns. Until she meets two beings who change her life forever—the first is a young nightdragon who Alliana discovers she can magically talk to. And the second is Nela, a young witch.

Nela needs Alliana’s help navigating the mysterious abyss, filled with dangerous beasts, a place Alliana knows by heart. Alliana sees Nela’s request as a chance to break free of her stepmother’s shadow and to seize a chance at a life she’s barely dared to hope for—but there’s a risk. If caught, Alliana will be stuck working for her stepmother for the rest of her life. Can Alliana truly make wisps of dreams into her own, better-than-a-fairy-tale happily ever after?

Inspired by the Japanese Cinderella story and set in the same world as the Eva Evergreen series, this story can be read as a standalone.


Review:

If you liked Julie Abe’s Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch, you’ll need to read this one too. I was lucky enough to get an ARC from my favorite book store in Chicago. I’m not a huge Cinderella fan, but I am a huge Julie Abe fan at this point. And how can anyone not fall in love with the cover of this book? Its publication date is sometime in August 2022 (so in a few weeks, I think).

What I loved about this version of Cinderella is that Alliana is no damsel. There is no prince. If you’re looking for the romance element of the tale, you’ll be disappointed. This one is more about self-worth, girl power, friendship, and choosing your own family. There is still a big ball where everything culminates, but what Alliana wants from the ball is a chance to get into a royal program that sounds kind of like an Ivy League school.

There are special magical elements to this book that really reminded me of old school Tamora Pierce. Alliana’s gift was a lot like the main character of Wild Magic. And I now have this strong itch to go back and read some old childhood favorites. I love how much time is spent talking about magical creatures. And this author also, weirdly, always makes me hungry….She spends a lot of time talking about baked goods!

The other thing Abe excels at in her books is a strong emphasis on the importance of kindness. Alliana (like Eva, and Eva’s mother before her) values helping others above almost all else. She wants to do right by her step-grandmother. She wants to help everyone. She sees value in doing the right thing. She never questions whether she should save the town she lives in or do what would value her more. In other words, Abe’s main characters are heroes. And it’s so nice to read about girl heroes.

I didn’t find the suspense or plot quite as riveting as I did in the Eva books. Maybe we all know the Cinderella plot so well, so there couldn’t exactly be a lot of surprises. I still read it rather quickly. I loved the characters and creatures. I liked the emphasis on kindness, and the overall message about standing up for your dreams and choosing your own family. I give it an 8/10.