"It happens time and time again: a book gets wildly popular, a million and one similar books come out for the readers left wanting more, and then the genre gets tired. It happened with Twilight and The Hunger Games when we were kids. A Court of Thorns and Roses gave rise to the popularity and subsequent overexposure of sexy, mysterious fae. And Fourth Wing spawned a horde of dragon books. I’ve been caught in this cycle and, at a certain point, have become desperate for a way out. At first, I searched for books without “shadow daddies,” but I’ve since found a book that has totally restored my faith in the romantasy genre. If you, too, are craving something a little different in your next read, here’s why I suggest you pick up The Knight and The Moth next.
From NYT bestselling author Rachel Gillig comes the next big romantasy sensation, a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a young prophetess forced on an impossible quest with the one knight whose future is beyond her sight.
What The Knight and The Moth is about
The people of Traum travel from all over the kingdom to see Sybil Delling and the other five Diviners who call Aisling Cathedral home. There, the six Diviners drown in a spring of water to receive messages and fortunes from the Omens. Such has been the way for the past nine years of Sybil’s life. She doesn’t remember her life before, but dreams of the life she’ll lead once her ten years of service are up. With that time almost up, Sybil is called to divine for the new king. When he receives nothing but bad omens in his reading, it sets off a chain of events that destroys everything Sybil thought she knew about her life, her work, and the world. To make matters worse, Sybil’s fellow Diviners have started going missing, and the only person she has to turn to for help is the infuriating knight Rodrick, who left a terrible impression during his first visit to Aisling with the king.
My review of The Knight and The Moth
When you read a genre almost exclusively, you become extremely familiar with the genre’s tropes and patterns. At a certain point, that familiarity makes reading a little less fun. You spot plot twists from a mile away, you can tell who the real love interest is going to be as soon as their name first graces the page, and you know, without fail, that the frail, not-like-other-girls, main character will eventually come into her own as the chosen one. Whether you eat it up every time or not, you can’t deny that sometimes you need a breath of fresh air. That’s exactly what The Knight and The Moth provides. It’s still romantasy. There is still a dreamy hero and a badass heroine, but nearly everything else about the book feels brand new.
When we meet Sybil Delling, she is already formidable in her own right. She’s described as the strongest of her six sisters, wields a hammer and chisel like they were made for her, and wanders the grounds of Aisling Cathedral barefoot. She’s not the kind of girl to bring the soft side out of her love interest; rather, he brings the soft side out of her while simultaneously supporting her as she fights her own battles and unravels the mystery of her life on her own. What I loved most about their relationship, in contrast to so many others in the genre, is that they felt like equals every step of the way. The story allows Sybil to grow on her own, with her relationship with Rodrick developing alongside that growth, not because of it.
“By the time I got to the last page, I had to physically lift my jaw from the floor and resist sending Gillig a DM asking for a look at whatever draft of book two she’s currently working on.”
The Knight and The Moth deals with some pretty heavy themes: death, identity, and religion among them. But Rachel Gillig expertly balances those moments with levity. This levity often comes from my favorite character in the book, the gargoyle, who made me actually laugh out loud on more than one occasion. The gargoyle is our comedic relief and our loyal companion, but as with everything in this book, he also serves a deeper purpose. Without getting into spoiler territory, there were several tear-inducing moments throughout this book, and the one I expected the least centered the gargoyle.
If you read Rachel Gillig’s first books, The Shepherd King duology, you’ll know that her stories are never exactly what they seem, and she has mastered the art of the cliffhanger. (And if you haven’t read her other books, I highly recommend them). In The Knight and The Moth, Gillig begins planting seeds for a twist that I sincerely didn’t see coming. By the time I got to the last page, I had to physically lift my jaw from the floor and resist sending Gillig a DM asking for a look at whatever draft of book two she’s currently working on.
Should you read The Knight and The Moth?
Whether you’re an aspiring full-time romantasy reader or are simply looking for something good to add to your TBR, I can’t recommend The Knight and The Moth enough. The gothic setting and atmosphere are refreshing changes of pace and make the book feel wholly unique. You’ll fall in love with the characters, whether they’re on every page or just a few of them. And by the end of the book, you’ll be left wanting the next one in your hands immediately. When that happens, remember Rachel Gillig has two other books for you to dive into: The Shepherd King duology. After that, you can join me in counting down the days until Sybil and Rodrick grace our shelves again.
Garri Chaverst, Senior Managing Editor
As Senior Managing Editor of The Everygirl, Garri oversees the pitching, planning, and creation of all content. You might also find her name pop up as a contributor throughout the site, though she mostly works behind the scenes, leading the team in their creative efforts and ensuring they have everything they need to create top-quality content for our audience.