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A review by shannonmreviews
The Knight And The Moth by Rachel Gillig
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
I received a physical Advanced Reader Copy, not from the publisher, but a very kind woman who happened to receive a second copy at the B&N Book Fest (thanks again, Anna). These opinions are my own.
Actual Rating: 4.25
The Important Highlights
After the Shepard King duology, I hyped the Knight and the Moth up to the very top of a giant pedestal and I was ANXIOUS going into this. What if it wasn't as good? What if I DNF'd it? I was promised a gothic/medieval slow burn romantasy with detailed worldbuilding and interesting magic system. Upon reading, I discovered only one horse, witty AF banter, adversaries-to-lovers, and oh, did I mention the slow burn already? I also found the most lovable and precious side character in any book ever. This is book one is a brand new duology that does end in a cliffhanger.
My Unhinged and Messy Thoughts
Let's just get this out of the way... the bat-like gargoyle is MAIN CHARACTER material. I would take a novella strictly from his point of view about literally anything. Once you have read this, you will agree with me. So, let's petition Miss Rachel for a gargoyle spin off. This is the most loveable character in the whole book.
I struggled with the other characters. They are fleshed out, with unique backstories, but they didn't wow me, if that makes sense. Six is a very interesting character though and learning about her backstory was super intense. Rory isn't book boyfriend material for me, unfortunately. He's alright, I guess. This is definitely not enemies-to-lovers and I could have sworn that's how it was marketed. I give this a hesitant "adversaries to lovers".
The romance itself is VERY slow burn. I think it was 75% before the romance kicked into gear, which I LOVE. The longer it takes, the better. There was tension and banter, which is super important to Romantasy, IMO.
Okay, let's talk about the magic system. It's not unique by any means, at least I don't think so, but it IS super interesting. It doesn't feel as unique as the magic system in her previous duology. It gives off Doctor Strange vibes, for sure. This world isn't full of magic the way it is in most fantasy novels, much like the Shepard King duology.
This book was a wee bit on the slow side and took a bit to build up, around 20-25%, I'd say. But once it got rolling, it was great! I do have some concerns about the pacing for duology overall. I am worried that... the thing they set out to do was complete, basically, at the end of the book and honestly, without giving too much away, I think this could have easy been a standalone with an extra 100-150 pages to follow the cliffhanger we were left on. I have confidence that the author will make a fantastic sequel, but it just may not be necessary. We shall see!
I am also incredibly worried that she uses a specific formula in her duologies that will take the mystery out of them and that will just become super predictable as she keeps releasing stories. But, it really doesn't matter, because if Rachel Gillig writes it, I will read it.
In Conclusion
This is absolutely not a bad book, clearly, because I rated it 4.25, but it definitely didn't live up to the personal hype that I created for it. If the Shepard King duology had you in a chokehold, you will absolutely love this one too. If you liked the religious (i.e. nun) and side character (the relic and Trouble) aspects of Vespertine but wanted more adult vibes then you will LOVE this book. I am excited to see where this goes in book 2!
Actual Rating: 4.25
The Important Highlights
After the Shepard King duology, I hyped the Knight and the Moth up to the very top of a giant pedestal and I was ANXIOUS going into this. What if it wasn't as good? What if I DNF'd it? I was promised a gothic/medieval slow burn romantasy with detailed worldbuilding and interesting magic system. Upon reading, I discovered only one horse, witty AF banter, adversaries-to-lovers, and oh, did I mention the slow burn already? I also found the most lovable and precious side character in any book ever. This is book one is a brand new duology that does end in a cliffhanger.
My Unhinged and Messy Thoughts
Let's just get this out of the way... the bat-like gargoyle is MAIN CHARACTER material. I would take a novella strictly from his point of view about literally anything. Once you have read this, you will agree with me. So, let's petition Miss Rachel for a gargoyle spin off. This is the most loveable character in the whole book.
I struggled with the other characters. They are fleshed out, with unique backstories, but they didn't wow me, if that makes sense. Six is a very interesting character though and learning about her backstory was super intense. Rory isn't book boyfriend material for me, unfortunately. He's alright, I guess. This is definitely not enemies-to-lovers and I could have sworn that's how it was marketed. I give this a hesitant "adversaries to lovers".
The romance itself is VERY slow burn. I think it was 75% before the romance kicked into gear, which I LOVE. The longer it takes, the better. There was tension and banter, which is super important to Romantasy, IMO.
Okay, let's talk about the magic system. It's not unique by any means, at least I don't think so, but it IS super interesting. It doesn't feel as unique as the magic system in her previous duology. It gives off Doctor Strange vibes, for sure. This world isn't full of magic the way it is in most fantasy novels, much like the Shepard King duology.
This book was a wee bit on the slow side and took a bit to build up, around 20-25%, I'd say. But once it got rolling, it was great! I do have some concerns about the pacing for duology overall. I am worried that... the thing they set out to do was complete, basically, at the end of the book and honestly, without giving too much away, I think this could have easy been a standalone with an extra 100-150 pages to follow the cliffhanger we were left on. I have confidence that the author will make a fantastic sequel, but it just may not be necessary. We shall see!
I am also incredibly worried that she uses a specific formula in her duologies that will take the mystery out of them and that will just become super predictable as she keeps releasing stories. But, it really doesn't matter, because if Rachel Gillig writes it, I will read it.
In Conclusion
This is absolutely not a bad book, clearly, because I rated it 4.25, but it definitely didn't live up to the personal hype that I created for it. If the Shepard King duology had you in a chokehold, you will absolutely love this one too. If you liked the religious (i.e. nun) and side character (the relic and Trouble) aspects of Vespertine but wanted more adult vibes then you will LOVE this book. I am excited to see where this goes in book 2!