Publication Date: May 20th, 2025
Hardcover. 400 pages.
Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil's visions. But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god."
*This review was supposed to go up last week in line with the release of The Knight and the Moth, but my scheduling system on the blog has been giving me some trouble and apparently didn't post it, and I've also been out of town so I just realized it. No one probably cares, but my apologies for it not going up sooner!
The Knight and the Moth has been an extremely highly anticipated release of 2025 due to the popularity of Rachel Gillig's previous The Shepherd King duology. I really enjoyed The Shepherd King myself (though I feel like it wasn't as popular when it first came out, and it seems like it really exploded in popularity in the past year or so? or am I wrong about that?), so I was absolutely looking forward to this new release from her as well. I'll go ahead and say that I didn't enjoy this as much as I enjoyed One Dark Window, but I still found it to be a solid and compelling new fantasy to explore.
In The Knight and the Moth, we follow Sybil, one of seven Diviners who serve at the Aisling Cathedral and provide visions from the six entities known as the Omen to those who seek them. Sybil was brought to Aisling Cathedral as a foundling and provides these services in return for shelter for ten years. The Diviners are not given names, but are referred to by their respective numbers, with Sybil being Six. There's some great world-building and background that Gillig dives into as a result of this setup, and I really appreciated the intense detail into how the visions work and where the Diviners play their roles.
What I immediately most appreciated about Sybil was her loyalty and connection with her fellow Diviners. They have formed a true sisterhood together and are always looking out for one another during their years together. I particularly liked that Sybil was seemingly always keeping them in mind with everything she did, and especially once they started disappearing, she never wavered from her goal of finding them despite everything else that happens. I felt that she really does undergo some strong growth and development over the course of the novel. Some of it felt inevitable due to revelations she makes along the way, but it was her reactions to these revelations and the choices she made as a result that really showed how she was evolving throughout the story.
We also, of course, meet the rather blunt and occasionally abrasive knight Rodrick, also known as Rory. He doesn't really believe in the Diviners, and is not afraid to share his true feelings with Sybil. I really enjoyed watching Rory and Sybil's connection grow--although not all of it felt entirely natural to me at times--and I generally appreciated how Gillig portrayed their interactions. Rory, despite his attitude at times, is incredibly respectful of Sybil and develops an allegiance to her that was both admirable and something that felt genuine. I thought their relationship showcased a mutual respect and understanding that I think made it feel like something I could really support and appreciate. I did, admittedly, find that their connection seemed a little too quick and not quite believable, but if I uphold some suspension of disbelief, then I think it worked well.
I adored Sybil's gargoyle companion who leaves the Cathedral with Sybil on her journey. He provides some excellent comedic relief at all the right moments, and also contributed to some more emotional elements that I didn't quite expect. He's strangely wise, delightfully odd, and contributes the best lines at all times. Just like Sybil, he's also fiercely loyal and steadfast in his purpose, which made it even easier to appreciate him.
Gillig did an amazing job creating a rich atmosphere in this book, much as I feel she does in her previous duology. She really seems to thrive in creating these dark, dank atmospheres that feel both foreboding and trapping, yet also with an air of mystery that makes everything that much more compelling. Since she has successfully done this in both of her series, I believe it's definitely a strength of Gillig's writing.
And speaking of her writing, I really find her books such a joy to read. Her prose is thoughtful and accessible and somehow easily manages to dive deep in the psyches of her characters and the range of emotions at play. She can easily craft sentences that convey so much meaning and depth that flow with clear intention. We explore religious trauma, identity, memory, devotion, and so much more, and I felt Gillig handled these topics with care and finesse. The only real issue I had was with some of the dialogue between characters, as at times I felt it was occasionally awkward or just didn't seem to really fit with the entire vibe and setting of the story. It wasn't enough to make me put down the book, but it did stand out to me. I also felt that sometimes it was maybe slightly too much in its wordiness and description, and I found myself feeling like there could've been a bit less said at times, if that makes sense .
The pacing also felt slightly off to me at times. I wouldn't say the story was exceptionally slow, but it did feel like it lingered a bit in places that didn't quite work, and there was something that just prevented me from ever feeling fully immersed in this story. I think this inconsistency is what I felt a bit with the dialogue as well, as mentioned earlier, where it seemed like suddenly people would be conversing in ways that felt too comfortable and friendly for where it seemed like they were at, or vice versa. I felt a little lost on where people stood at times and what stations they were supposed to hold or how they acted in those, and the writing style was occasionally inconsistent as well with what it wanted to sound like.
The ending has definitely left hooked and ready for more, and I look forward to seeing where Rachel Gillig takes this story next. If there's anything Gillig always seems to know how to do, it's craft an ending that will give you plenty of punches and leave you wanting more. Overall, I think this is a solid new start of a series from Gillig that many will love, though it's not one that I think will become a favorite or particularly stand out to me in the future--although that could always change with the sequel, so I always keep an open mind.
