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the_bookish_chimera 's review for:
The Knight and the Moth
by Rachel Gillig
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
“Which is more intricate? THe design of men, trying to reach gods, or that of gods, trying to reach humans? What is either to the intricacies of women who reach both?”
I can’t believe it took me so much time to review this book after reading it. Because how a story it was! The first thing that hit me in The Knight and The Moth was the gothic ambiance, it felt like entering Notre Dame (both the building and Hugo’s) but discovering hiding places and uses. The set up grabbed me starting page one and never let me go. Just like Six/Sibyll, we start the story with a veil in front of our eyes, that hides us from the world, but also hides the world to us. I loved that way to unfold the story and secrets little by little as Sibyll grows. And what universe it is, complex and full of contradictions.
Six is objectified by the abbess and the men, and the constant return/references to water and stone made me think about Medusa. The oracles’ looks (and sights) frighten, fascinate, and thus their eyes are covered. They’re women used to entertain the powerful. The male gaze is omnipresent in this book, insidious and brings women to the frontier of death —with their dreams and all the rest. I loved the parallel with the “Little Death”, because that illustrates Sibyll, always on that edge, and when she finally manages to come, she also rebirths in a way.
But The Night And The Moth is also a story about the Human and the Divine, and the link between them, about stories and how they make —and unmake— the gods. Is our memory (individual and collective) what makes us human? How can memory be a part of how others control us? By affirming our individuality are we freeing ourselves from our chains or are we forging new ones? Sibyll leads us in this questioning during her adventure, helped by a huge range of secondary characters, no matter if they’re idealists, trues, falses, manipulators, maternals or disabused. Finally, maybe the veil is helping her to see the nature of men?
That’s where enters Rory. I adored this character, full of his own complexity and contradictions. During the quest, the Knight motive is, of course, very present, as much as is “l’amour courtois” (my first love in books, thanks to my Middle Grade French teacher, but I digress here). Rory, no matter what he thinks, is the more honorable man in their assembly, the one who personifies the values of Chivalry, who tries to be the best person he can (and yes, in that he reminded me a lot of Tristan, but I digress again). I loved his path as he reflected about morality and loyalty, about values and greater good (and I have A LOT of hypotheses about book 2 in that matter).
And, last but not at all the least, the gargoyle. He is, I believe, the most human among all of them, just like Pinnocchio. He isn’t a “card figure”, he’s a panel of things, devoid of these almost mythological attributes that incarnate the other characters (the knight, the mother, the prophet, the king, etc). He’s the smile in this very dark world, helps us to restrain our tears, gives us the strength to keep going in this adventure. He gives some distance to the story —which was very needed, considering how things are deliciously heavy sometimes.
I won’t say anything about the ending —just in case some people haven’t read that gem of a book already— just… Bartholomey, I’ll need book 2 as soon as possible <3
I can’t believe it took me so much time to review this book after reading it. Because how a story it was! The first thing that hit me in The Knight and The Moth was the gothic ambiance, it felt like entering Notre Dame (both the building and Hugo’s) but discovering hiding places and uses. The set up grabbed me starting page one and never let me go. Just like Six/Sibyll, we start the story with a veil in front of our eyes, that hides us from the world, but also hides the world to us. I loved that way to unfold the story and secrets little by little as Sibyll grows. And what universe it is, complex and full of contradictions.
Six is objectified by the abbess and the men, and the constant return/references to water and stone made me think about Medusa. The oracles’ looks (and sights) frighten, fascinate, and thus their eyes are covered. They’re women used to entertain the powerful. The male gaze is omnipresent in this book, insidious and brings women to the frontier of death —with their dreams and all the rest. I loved the parallel with the “Little Death”, because that illustrates Sibyll, always on that edge, and when she finally manages to come, she also rebirths in a way.
But The Night And The Moth is also a story about the Human and the Divine, and the link between them, about stories and how they make —and unmake— the gods. Is our memory (individual and collective) what makes us human? How can memory be a part of how others control us? By affirming our individuality are we freeing ourselves from our chains or are we forging new ones? Sibyll leads us in this questioning during her adventure, helped by a huge range of secondary characters, no matter if they’re idealists, trues, falses, manipulators, maternals or disabused. Finally, maybe the veil is helping her to see the nature of men?
That’s where enters Rory. I adored this character, full of his own complexity and contradictions. During the quest, the Knight motive is, of course, very present, as much as is “l’amour courtois” (my first love in books, thanks to my Middle Grade French teacher, but I digress here). Rory, no matter what he thinks, is the more honorable man in their assembly, the one who personifies the values of Chivalry, who tries to be the best person he can (and yes, in that he reminded me a lot of Tristan, but I digress again). I loved his path as he reflected about morality and loyalty, about values and greater good (and I have A LOT of hypotheses about book 2 in that matter).
And, last but not at all the least, the gargoyle. He is, I believe, the most human among all of them, just like Pinnocchio. He isn’t a “card figure”, he’s a panel of things, devoid of these almost mythological attributes that incarnate the other characters (the knight, the mother, the prophet, the king, etc). He’s the smile in this very dark world, helps us to restrain our tears, gives us the strength to keep going in this adventure. He gives some distance to the story —which was very needed, considering how things are deliciously heavy sometimes.
I won’t say anything about the ending —just in case some people haven’t read that gem of a book already— just… Bartholomey, I’ll need book 2 as soon as possible <3