Welcome to Litsy!

4.4⭐️ Victoria Schwab has to be one of my all-time favorite authors, and she doesn‘t disappoint with this story. Gallant was dark and mysterious with rediscovering family and purpose. It‘s sad and hopeful and can give you some feels. It is a YA so it does read a little young, but all in all a great book.

4✨ read this really fast! It was too good to put down. We have a young girl who cannot speak left at a girl home when her mother disappears. All she has is her mothers journal show her slowly going crazy. One day she gets a letter to return home to her uncle. When she gets there there is a lot more happening than just some family drama.

OK, let‘s see if I can focus my attention a little bit more on my TBR list for the month as I present August #BookSpinBingo. I have some pretty big reads on here this month, but also some fun cozy mysteries that I‘m hoping balance things out. Still working on catching up my #FriendsPicForMe so this month I am reading Belinda and The Shadow Of What Was Lost. I do have a re-read on here because last time I sped through it, so I‘m rereading Bunny.

I don't know about this one. I loved the idea of the story. It started out slow, but it was interesting so that was ok, but it stayed slow. Then all of the sudden it just seemed to hurry up and end. Just felt like there should have been more. Maybe I just wanted there to be more. It wasn't a bad book. Just left a lot to be desired I guess. I always feel bad saying I didn't like someone's work.

A rather simple story, but it is atmospheric and captive. The writing was nice and the concept was cool.

I loved the haunting imagery I got from this Gothic tale. It made my imagination run wild with ghouls.

Finished this audio while helping to scrap the paint off the nursery floor. Today we are finishing it and I'm so happy. 38.5 weeks and my body is rebelling by swelling so this is not an easy task. (Any tips? Happy to hear!)
This book was so Gaiman-esque that I would have assumed that's who the author was had I not known. So if you're a fan of that fantasy/supernatural/gothic style, queue it up!
Also, mute heroine was great!

#bookreport #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

#6 - Audio - 7 March - Hollow Places - 2.5 🌟
#7 - Audio - 8 March - Butcher & the Wren - 3.75🌟

#DoubleSpin
#17- 10 March - Gallant - 3.75🌟

A little blurb about each is below in the comments. Been super busy with getting back to work after the break. Managed to squeeze in reading and 2 audiobooks!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY! 💕💕💕

I usually highlight some of my favorite classic women authors (Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen, Anne Bronte) on this day, but with the exciting bookish announcement that dropped earlier today I decided to feature one of my favorite contemporary women authors - V.E. Schwab! I absolutely adore her! 🥰💕📚

Olivia, Olivia, Olivia, a mute orphan, finds her family home and relatives she didn't know existed. Gallant is her home, but it exists on the border between two worlds. Olivia learns that home is a decision and death is an inevitability.

Book 10 of 2023! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely devoured this one. Creepy, eerie goodness!

I enjoyed this book! Thanks again @Gissy

A gripping display of world-building and personality. Shadows that reach beyond the page and into what it is to face death amongst life and life amongst death.

Thank you so much @Gissy This book has been on my list for awhile and I‘ve read others by her so looking forward to it. We shall see if I have time to start it tonight. And the chocolate sounds super yummy, my favorite. #jolabokaflod

This book is not intended for high suspense or adrenaline. That was not the purpose behind the writing of this book and Schwab makes that very clear from the get-go. Instead, it more reads like a detailed/extended fable or Grimm‘s fairy tale. It‘s something I like to call a “cozy read”. The writing style is paced, purposeful, and slowly sinks you into this beautiful story about chosen homes and making “thick or thin” choices for family. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Seeing as this is the newest book by one of my favorite authors, AND I‘ve been absolutely dying to read it, I just can‘t understand why I‘ve been putting it off for so long! It‘s been almost a year since it was released and I am more than ready to jump into this as my next read!
#fantasy #veschwab #addielarue #gallant #newread #bookworm #book #booklovers

And with that I'm done #fourfoursin22! Thanks for a fun challenge @Lauredhel!

Dark Academia/ orphanage / magical - this book had so much depth for a YA novel. I almost feel like it shouldn‘t be one. It‘s deep, well written, and causes you to 💭 ponder.

When people see tears, they stop listening to your hands or your words or anything else you have to say. And it doesn‘t matter if the tears are angry or sad, frightened or frustrated. All they see is a girl crying.

Good read for spooky month, but not a great read for me, personally. Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#gallant

VE Schwab shares her spookiest reads! I may be readjusting my October tbr list. #scarathlon #teamslaughter @Clwojick @StayCurious

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjNuFXaD_4z/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

This was so atmospheric, which I loved! Definitely a slow burn story, so I would only recommend for major Schwab fans and people who don‘t mind not much happening. I adore Schwab‘s writing style, which is what made this a pick for me. Great book to get you in the Spooky Halloween mood! Olivia was a great MC, but I wish the side characters were more fleshed out.

I am loving the illustrations in this book! My eye catches in one thing then slowly sees the other details.

🍄Username change, previously 4thhouseontheleft🍄

It may be in the 80s outside, but it certainly feels like fall when reading an atmospheric spooky story with a kitten curled up in my lap! #monalisa #catsoflitsy

🍄 Previously 4thhouseontheleft, will keep this note at the bottom of my posts for the next few weeks. 🍄

#fourfoursin22 circumference (the cover art) @Lauredhel

I do enjoy a good gothic creepy house with secrets book. I'm also late to Schwab's work, this is my first book of hers. Won't be the last!

Gallant 🤘⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - all the Gothic home feels and continuous sense of unease.
My Sister the Serial Killer 🤘⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - just wow! This is going to be a reread for me for sure. And to think it languished on my kindle for 2 years.

Soft pick for me. I liked the gothic atmosphere and the ghosts and it has a good, tense climax, but I found the ending unsatisfying. Maybe it's the just that I don't like sad endings?

Wasn‘t really a huge fan of this one as much as her other works. The story is pretty atmospheric and doesn‘t drag, but it just lacks something for me.

This book is as beautifully written as it‘s external (special edition) appearance.

🥀Gorgeous atmospheric, lyrical prose;
🥀 Gothic vibes;
🥀 A wonderful protagonist on Olivia, who despite her loneliness and fear is incredibly brave and loyal;
🥀 Stunning illustrations;
🥀 Themes of family, belonging, loss, grief.

#youngadult #fantasy #gothic #specialedition

This book was creepy as. I listened on audio, the narration was great. Perhaps not my favorite Schwab book. But that‘s far from an insult as I think she‘s fast becoming one of my most favorite authors. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mixed feelings. I liked the writing style and story. It started so well. But then in the middle of the story some parts were like disconnected, loose descriptions without adding depth to the story. Then, those final chapters were so good connecting the characters with the house. Are we expecting a sequel? So gothic. Olivia is in a birding school with no family. But then, one day she received a letter from an unknown uncle.⬇️

Gonna start this soon

This book has SUCH an interesting premise. It just didn‘t live up to how wonderfully it started. By the end I had to kind of give myself a push to finish it. The ultimate villain was very cool, I wish we could have seen more from him before the very end of the novel.

The interplay between image and word was really interesting, but I ultimately felt like the plot was a bit thin and would have liked a deeper exploration of why Olivia‘s family were chosen (cursed?). I think I‘m finding that V.E. Schwab generally does not solidify the rules of their worlds enough for me to really enjoy their works (see also my review of Addie LaRue)

I enjoyed this book so much. I didn‘t expect the twist and turns I got from it, but they were also unsurprising. I couldn‘t put down once I started reading it— I couldn‘t wait to read more! I‘ll be looking up more books from this author asap!

A young girl living in girl's school called Merilance gets a chance to leave when a letter arrives from an uncle asking for her to come to Gallant. But unfortunately it doesn't seem like the happy ending she so hopes for. YA, fantasy and horror from V.E. Schwab.

My parents are visiting this weekend (le sigh) which is always a bit of an anxiety inducing event, BUT! My April bookish box just arrived yesterday so that is for sure the highlight of the weekend so far! 🤣📚💕 LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS EDITION OF GALLANT! 😍 #bookishbox

Why have I waited so long to read Gallant by V.E. Schwab? I‘m already invested. #summerofreading

My #thebookishbox edition!

Thanks to V.E. Schwab for getting me back into reading with my two new buddies! I really needed a good book after a pretty awful month where we lost not only two humans but also a furry family member.

An interesting plot and beautifully crafted storyline. I love the MC . It‘s short but strong 💪 a good read for fantasy lovers.

#YA #bookspinbingo #gothic

I actually really enjoyed this one 😊 An intriguing book.

4.25/5

Read for prompts for:

#Buzzwordathon2022
#53BookClubReadingChallenge2022

I've been a fan of this author since I read her Shades of Magic trilogy. Some of her recent books have been a miss for me though, but this one is a definite pick.

It was such a fun mix of gothic horror and the supernatural to keep my geeky heart happy. Also, binging Stranger Things while reading this might have added to my appeal as well. 😁

I loved the included artwork too.

Got distracted by my #audiobook while making breakfast and the result is slightly disturbing yet still delicious 👀

Bk5 of June & #BigJuneReadathon & Bk2 of #JoysOfJune #readathon is done! After listening to some of Chamber Of Secrets, I picked up this recent addition & ended up reading it straight through🙌It wasn‘t the best horror/fantasy I‘ve ever read but it was compelling in its own way. The setting is what sold it I think, reminded me a lot of Crimson Peaks, the movie with Tom Hiddleston. 3.5⭐️ #BookspinBingo #Booked2022 #NewIn2022