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A review by oxfordcommas91
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As a fan of Gillig's Shepherd King duology, I went into this book with high hopes and high expectations and they were absolutely met. Gillig is a master of crafting unique and interesting magic systems that create a compelling premise but are not overwhelming to the reader. Similarly, the limited cast of characters are complex and intriguing - there are breadcrumbs of character development that Gillig leaves for the reader along the way that you can pick up on if you're following closely, but even if you miss them, you're going to have a good time. As always, she imbues her characters with a good dose of humor and wit, which keeps the dialogue crisp and fun to follow.
This book is definitely beginner friendly if you're new to the fantasy genre, and though it's being categorized as a romantasy, I'd more say it's fantasy with a romance subplot. The romance storyline is fun and believable, and there are some good spicy scenes, but not too many as to overwhelm the reader or detract from the main adventure/quest storyline.
Despite there being a fairly clear "this is the path we must take and here is the quest we must undergo" the book stayed interesting and shied away from the trap of getting too formulaic. The pacing was just right - a less careful author could have easily ballooned this another 100-200 pages but it kept up a solid clip of "find, action, quest, travel" repeat that kept us on track and understanding where we were in the storyline.
The ending had a few good reveals that again, didn't come as huge surprises if you'd been paying attention, but I don't mind when an author leads their reader in the right direction. I guessed one of the plot twists, but this isn't a dealbreaker for me. Gillig is making gothic, dark fantasy/romantasy accessible and it's a joy and a delight to read either way. The cliffhanger makes me wish I had book two in hand - I would have jumped right in - and I can hardly stand the wait until it lands in bookstores.
This book is definitely beginner friendly if you're new to the fantasy genre, and though it's being categorized as a romantasy, I'd more say it's fantasy with a romance subplot. The romance storyline is fun and believable, and there are some good spicy scenes, but not too many as to overwhelm the reader or detract from the main adventure/quest storyline.
Despite there being a fairly clear "this is the path we must take and here is the quest we must undergo" the book stayed interesting and shied away from the trap of getting too formulaic. The pacing was just right - a less careful author could have easily ballooned this another 100-200 pages but it kept up a solid clip of "find, action, quest, travel" repeat that kept us on track and understanding where we were in the storyline.
The ending had a few good reveals that again, didn't come as huge surprises if you'd been paying attention, but I don't mind when an author leads their reader in the right direction. I guessed one of the plot twists, but this isn't a dealbreaker for me. Gillig is making gothic, dark fantasy/romantasy accessible and it's a joy and a delight to read either way. The cliffhanger makes me wish I had book two in hand - I would have jumped right in - and I can hardly stand the wait until it lands in bookstores.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Vomit, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment