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It is easier, swearing ourselves to someone else's cause than to sit with who we are without one.
The Knight and The Moth —
Rachel Gillig
The Stonewater Kingdom Book 1★★★
Sybil Delling has spent nearly 10 years serving as a Diviner in Aisling Cathedral, reading the Omens’ portents for the people of Traum. When the new king visits the cathedral, she meets Rory, a heretical knight who gets under her skin like no one else. Near the end of their term, the other five Diviners start to disappear. With no one else to turn to, Sybil asks Rory for help. Together, they travel the hamlets of Traum searching for the lost Diviners and facing the ethereal beings Sybil serves.
Review
The Knight and The Moth is an atmospheric novel with unique world building. Traum has five hamlets, and Gillig does a great job making each one distinct. The design and culture of each hamlet are rooted in the Omen (i.e. a god) that favors them, and the differing values of the hamlets mesh clash with our characters’ values in really interesting ways. It provides a different lens to understand them and their motivations more deeply throughout the book. That said, I wanted a bit more. I don’t have a real sense of how the hamlets interact with each other. Characters recognizing aspects of their hamlets’ culture during their travels or something similar would make it feel like one unified kingdom.
On the characters, I found many of them quite endearing. I like Sybil as a protagonist, but the side characters really shine. They’re fun and complex and add texture to the story. Maude and the gargoyle were easily my favorite characters, and I’m excited to see more of them in the sequel. Unfortunately, I don’t feel as strongly about our main couple – Sybil and Rory. They have some cute banter and fun moments together, but their relationship could have benefited from some more development. Hopefully, it will come in the sequel.
Overall, I enjoyed my read, but the story hasn’t really stuck with me. Generally, it was well paced, but the final two reveals left something to be desired. I didn’t feel that there was a good reason for some information to be held until the end. There were some signs, but I wanted more. This is the first I’ve read from Rachel Gillig, and it did disappoint a little considering what I’ve heard about her work. I’m still planning to read The Shepherd King Duology and see how it compares. Reviews seem to be mixed on whether this book was of the same quality.
Either way, romantasy lovers should give this one a go. I’m definitely planning on picking up the sequel when it comes out later this year and am open to reading more Gillig in the future. My feelings are still pretty mixed, so if you’ve read this one, let me know what you think! How did you feel about the final reveals? If you’ve read The Shepherd King Duology, how does it compare?
Content warnings (from the author): adult language/ profanity, body horror, death of magical creatures, emesis (vomiting), grief/loss, religious abuse (physical and psychological), sexual content, violence/gore
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