Spooky and atmospheric. Olivia, who cannot make sounds and has to communicate through sign language, is being raised at an orphanage for girls; she has nothing of her parents except her mother’s old diary. Unexpectedly, a letter arrives inviting her to her ancestral home of Gallant, a place her mother’s diary explicitly warns her against visiting. Of course she goes anyway, and uncovers deep dark family secrets. Although the writing is beautiful and creepy, the plot itself is fairly straightforward and predictable; the one little twist was the identity of Olivia’s father, which I thought was a nice touch. None of the characters grow or change much as they march through this gothic tale; the point is to defeat the monster, not to explore anyone’s inner development.
Tag: author-v.e. schwab
Vengeful, by V. E. Schwab
Sequel to Vicious and just as well-paced and violent, this novel continues to really dig into the gray areas between good and evil. No one gets to escape; characters who had previously been certain of their moral standing find themselves forced to make compromises.