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sennewillems 's review for:
The Knight and the Moth
by Rachel Gillig
4.5
The Knight and the Moth is a great example of ‘fantasy romance’. Just calling it fantasy doesn’t quite cut it, but it also doesn’t fully fit under the romantasy label either. I’m not the biggest fan of labeling subgenres, but I wanted to mention it in this review. I think the heavy romantasy marketing for this book might scare readers away that only link this genre with books like ACOTAR or Fourth Wing. There is a lot more focus on the fantasy elements in this story, so I would highly recommend it for any genre reader to give this a chance.
Our main character Sybil, better known as Six, is a Diviner. She lives in a close-knit community in a great cathedral where she receives visions of the future for both noble as commoners. After ten years of service, Diviners are free to leave, and Six’s time is almost up. She’s making plans to explore the world when the new boy-king and his mysterious knight arrive for a troubling divination. Combine this with the sudden disappearance of Six’s fellow Diviners and you have a great premise for what seems a rather straightforward mystery.
However, there are much more layers to this story thanks to the excellent worldbuilding of Rachel Gillig. There are six Omens, some kind of gods, that are worshipped and seem to play a role in the bigger picture. There’s a sassy talking gargoyle that stole my heart from the very beginning. There’s some subtle political tension and maneuvering. And of course there is Rodrick, that mysterious and rude knight, who helps Six to be her true self after being in service of the cathedral for so many years. Oh, and did I already mention that he is extremely handsome and flirty?
This ended up being one of my most surprising reads of the year. I didn’t expect to love it this much when I picked it up. Rachel Gillig immediately became an auto-buy writer when I noticed her smooth prose and excellent dialogue. The dynamics between the different characters are perfect and she succeeds in flawlessly switching from tense and action-packed scenes to funny and emotional moments.
I can’t wait for book 2 and I wish to have an awesome gargoyle as a side kick at some point in my life.
The Knight and the Moth is a great example of ‘fantasy romance’. Just calling it fantasy doesn’t quite cut it, but it also doesn’t fully fit under the romantasy label either. I’m not the biggest fan of labeling subgenres, but I wanted to mention it in this review. I think the heavy romantasy marketing for this book might scare readers away that only link this genre with books like ACOTAR or Fourth Wing. There is a lot more focus on the fantasy elements in this story, so I would highly recommend it for any genre reader to give this a chance.
Our main character Sybil, better known as Six, is a Diviner. She lives in a close-knit community in a great cathedral where she receives visions of the future for both noble as commoners. After ten years of service, Diviners are free to leave, and Six’s time is almost up. She’s making plans to explore the world when the new boy-king and his mysterious knight arrive for a troubling divination. Combine this with the sudden disappearance of Six’s fellow Diviners and you have a great premise for what seems a rather straightforward mystery.
However, there are much more layers to this story thanks to the excellent worldbuilding of Rachel Gillig. There are six Omens, some kind of gods, that are worshipped and seem to play a role in the bigger picture. There’s a sassy talking gargoyle that stole my heart from the very beginning. There’s some subtle political tension and maneuvering. And of course there is Rodrick, that mysterious and rude knight, who helps Six to be her true self after being in service of the cathedral for so many years. Oh, and did I already mention that he is extremely handsome and flirty?
This ended up being one of my most surprising reads of the year. I didn’t expect to love it this much when I picked it up. Rachel Gillig immediately became an auto-buy writer when I noticed her smooth prose and excellent dialogue. The dynamics between the different characters are perfect and she succeeds in flawlessly switching from tense and action-packed scenes to funny and emotional moments.
I can’t wait for book 2 and I wish to have an awesome gargoyle as a side kick at some point in my life.