I have been excitedly waiting to read this book and I can honestly say this has not disappointed! The only negative I have is now having to wait for the next book.
As with Rachel’s other books I absolutely love the unique and interesting magic and storyline. I found myself sucked into the story from the start.
I do love when the fmc is feisty and confident and this definitely did not disappoint, I really like how loyal and fiercely protective Sybil is of her friends.
I have really enjoyed seeing Sybil grow in her confidence and strength and find her voice.
Our mmc Rory is just perfevt with his charcoal lined eyes and gold earrings add to the fact that he is broody and protective and I was kicking my feet and loving him!
I personally love that this book wasn’t all world building focusing more on the characters and how they grow and develop, I feel I was given the perfect amount of information to keep me hooked and wanting more.
I have never thought I would love a cheeky gargoyle but here we are!

Feisty fmc
Mmc that will have you swooning
Interesting unique magic
Cheeky protective Gargoyle
Found family

I could not put this book down, and that ending!!?? I’m left speechless and needing more as soon as possible!

2.5 stars

After LOVING The Shepherd King duology with all my heart, I was super excited to read Rachel's new book. No one is more surprised than me but... I didn't love it as I expected 🥲

The Knight and the Moth had a strong start, with interesting chapters and I was very curious to see what this story had in store for me. Alas, after 80/90 pages it slowly went downhill. There were lots of descriptions, which sometimes were repetitive and boring. The characters fell flat and I couldn't connect with any of them, especially Sybil. The whole story was predictable after a while and the writing style wasn't as good as in ODW. I missed the prose and the rhymes we had in the previous duology. The only thing I liked was the gargoyle.

So, yeah, pretty disappointed.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for the year. I fell in love with Rachel Gilligs gothic romance style in The Shepherd King duology, and as soon as I heard that she had a gothic romantasy on the horizon I put it on my TBR.

And let me tell you, this book did not disappoint. The Knight and The Moth follows Six and Roderic as they become unlikely allies in an attempt to find Six's diviner sisters, whilst also unravelling the lore behind the Omens Six uses to provide prophecies.

Gargoyle Six's companion is the quippy humour companion needed throughout the book, who provides a some relief and entertainment whenever Six seems to need a friend. He is by fair one of my favourite side characters, and his backstory gets threaded through the book, giving you a heart stopping moment when it all finally pieces together.

The tension, questions raised and way this story was written beautifully encapsulates everything I look for in a book whilst holding me captive throughout the entire story. Providing enough lore to capture you, and giving enough answers sprinkled throughout whilst creating enough questions to keep you turning the page in anticipation.

This book needs to be on your TBR, and is easily going to become your next obsession.
5🌟
1🌶

Thank you to Oribit books for asking me to read and review and to Netgalley for providing the ebook

Guys, this was <i><b>fantastic</b></i>
4 solid stars. Rachel Gillig is a master not only at dreaming up a unique story, but also at telling it well.

The book centres around Sybil, otherwise known as Six - as she is one of six Diviner girls - as her ten year service as a prophetess ends. When her sister Diviners begin to mysteriously disappear, she is determined to find out what’s happened to them. To do this, she enlists the help of the King of Traum, Benji and his knights Maude and Roderick aka ‘Rory’. But the King and his knights have their own agenda, and that agenda might just shatter everything Six has ever believed to be true.

I really enjoyed this novel, and would recommend it to readers looking for an adventurous, gripping story with a ‘quest’ element to it. My favourite part of this was most definitely the plot and the magic system. I would warn though, it is similar at its core to the magic system in the ‘Shepherd King’ series in the sense that the quest is about collecting magical items. So if you enjoy that sort of stuff (which I do) and enjoyed her last series (which I did) you’ll most likely enjoy this storyline too.

After the initial 10% which I found a bit slow, the rest of the book is well paced and there’s lots of intriguing elements to keep you reading like - what’s beneath Six’s shroud? who are the Omens? and where did the other Diviners go? Some of the answers I did suspect, others not as much but I would say this was a book fast paced enough that I didn’t have too much time to be guessing and predicting!

The writing was pretty, dark and descriptive. It transports you to a gothic world full of sprites and gods and gargoyles. It was fab, and had me wishing I was wrapped up inside with a blanket, reading this in the autumn.

My reason for docking a star was unfortunately due to the romance and the likability of the main characters. I struggle with Gillig’s romances - I struggled with it in [b: One Dark Window|58340706|One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)|Rachel Gillig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1734440714l/58340706._SY75_.jpg|89115296] and I struggled here. I’m not a massive fan of grumpy love interests, and I wasn’t a massive fan of Rory as a result. There was no tension, no yearning … it was very ‘meh’. I was way more interested in the main plot than their lacklustre banter.

The rest of the characters - even Sybil - I took a while to warm to them. There was a bit of depth that was missing from them all. The gargoyle was entertaining, I’ll give him that. I’m hoping that book two will breathe some much missing life into the main characters. I found this to be the case in [b: Two Twisted Crowns|63910262|Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)|Rachel Gillig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670090073l/63910262._SY75_.jpg|99880714], where the second book improved the series tremendously. I’m hoping this will happen here too.

Overall, not a perfect read by all means but I’m looking forward to the sequel to continue the story!

<i>
Thank you publishers for the ARC, provided in exchange for an honest review </i>

Wow. Wow. Wow. First of all, thank you Orbit for emailing me a copy of this beauty. I was devastated i wasn't going to get an arc of this as The Shepard King is my favourite duology ever, so you won't believe how excited i was to receive this 🥹

I went into this book hoping it was going to be as good as her other work and i can happily say that this is definitely the best book she's ever written by far and that's saying something considering how amazing her other books are.

Sybil and Rodrick are just PERFECT together, i absoloutely love them so so much. Definitely one of my favourite bookish couples ever! Their banter is brilliant, had me laughing non stop and ugh is he just the cutest thing ever 🥲

Gargoyle, i love you, you deserve the absolute world and i would happily have you as my squire should the need arise🥲

Overall this story was brilliant, had me hooked from the start, i had such contradicting feelings reading this as i wanted to pick it up every two seconds but at the same time i just didn't want it to end😩

And finally Miss Gillig.... i can't believe you've left me with a cliffhanger again and i will be waiting anxiously (basically dying) for your second book because i need it RIGHT NOW.

5⭐️
Thank you Orbit for the ARC!

This book is excellent, Rachel Gillig has such a great way of creating atmosphere with her writing!

Loved every bit of this, found family, interesting magic system, perfectly built up romance.

Would die for the gargoyle- he was my favourite!

The ending. 🤯 had a feeling but was still surprised!

I absolutely loved this! I think even more than the shepherd king duology. Its such a different concept and I loved the characters especially the fun and banter between them all. There were mysteries being revealed throughout and I devoured it! I especially love the gargoyle friend and his comments along the way. The magic was interesting and the mix between wisdom and naivety very interesting. The romance was sweet and sexy and had me kicking my feet. I laughed and cried at several points. Such a good read!

Did I drop everything to read this book as soon as I was able? Yes.
Was it 100% worth it? Also yes.

I have been waiting for this book for what feels like forever! The moment that link dropped in my inbox, I was on it & I have zero regrets, because Rachel has done it again!

It look me a little while to get into this book, I’m not sure what it was, I just wasn’t immediately immersed, but it grew on me page by page until I was racing through to the end, needing to know what happened.

Six’s strength and endurance throughout the book really resonated with me, she might not be the most likeable character ever but her growth and determination really sets her apart. Rory, again, not the most likeable but the way his character unfolded throughout the book worked so well. And them together was perfect, not the fairytale we usually see in books where they magically morph into one consciousness, but something more real and honest where they bicker and have differing opinions, which was so refreshing to see. Now, about the gargoyle, he must be protected at all costs, I will hear no criticism of him at all, he was perfect and I love him.

The world was wonderfully built with the history woven throughout the story. Rachel has once again managed to invent such a unique magic system, although fairly simple on the surface, I liked how it wove into the overall story and the tale of gods and dreamers.

The writing in this book felt more direct, less atmospheric than her other books, but it worked really well for this character, world and plot. Pacing felt a little slow at first but definitely picked up towards the end!

My feelings were very hurt by the ending! I had a vague guess at where we were going to end up, but I didn’t see a lot of it coming and I hated how we ended up! (In a good way, I just really want the next book now)

Can’t wait for everyone else to read this book, I I have people to talk about it to!

Thank you to Orbit for the opportunity to review this ARC.

i dont even know where to begin... but i just knew rachel gillig’s pen would never fail me n i was right. after falling in love with the shepherd king duology, I had a strong feeling this book would hit just as hard, and it absolutely did.
diving into this book i was swept away by the most atmospheric n dreamy setting, it just completely pulled me in, the loyal family vibes n the romance!!!!!! n i cant forget the gorgeously written sisterhood, i ateeeee it up. sybilrory had that instant chemistry from the very first moment they met. every interaction was filled up with tension, n the longing between them built up so beautifully as the story progressed, it gripped me from beginning to end. their dynamic was utterly perfect. point blank period. the prose in this book? sooo gorgeous n poetic without being too much, while the story leans into darker themes, it balances them out with just the rightttt amount of lightness. n dont even get me started on gargoyle, he has my heart. this book had everything i wanted n more, sybil’s growth goes hand in hand with the mission she takes on alongside her little group, from brutal battles with omens to tense stand offs with some nobles, yet their purpose always carried them through. the worldbuilding? so excellent. it felt original but still easy to follow. the world of traum felt unlike anything i’ve ever read, n what i loved the most was how the lore was shared like a bunch of passed down stories, n how we were left to decide which version to trust. it added a lot to the mystery, rachel did such a good job building something that felt both beautiful n slightly unsettling n i genuinely cant wait for the next book especially after the ending i just read

All stars to TKATM!!!
a hugeee thanks to rachel gillig & her publisher for sending me this arc

Wow just wow, I will read Gillig’s grocery list. I knew this was going to be amazing after being such a big fan of the Shepard King duology, and I love how it gave the same mystic, dark romantasy vibes while still being refreshing and new.
I loved our main protagonist Sybill, reading in her POV felt so new and original as appose to a lot of FMC’s that are in adult romantasys at the moment.
I feel like some of the time jumping and quick changes of scenes might be jarring for some people but for me I loved it as I hate all the filler fluff of books that we don’t necessarily need. I wanted to read this book 24/7, never wanting to put it down
I found the plot to be somewhat predictable once the story got going but it was in no way boring! I also predicted quite a few of the plot twists as there was almost too much foreshadowing on what was going to happen by the end, but saying that I’ve read quite a few books recently where the plot twists have come out of no where and been really annoying to read as it just didn’t match up with the characters.
I loved this book and I CANNOT wait for book two! Thank you so much to Orbit books for providing me with an arc!

3.75 rounded up for goodreads and netgalley.
It was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I feel lucky and grateful to have been able to read it ahead of its publication date.
It definitely is one of my favorite reads of the year so far. The universe is dark and very atmospheric, similar in that regard to The Shepherd King duology while being a little bit different. The plot is easy to follow but also a bit complex and well-rounded. Its pace is satisfying. I did like the main character, she is a deeper kind of character. The other characters were also pleasant to follow, except for one — Benedict. My favorite is probably the gargoyle, it is a highlight of my reading experience for sure. The romance was fine (which is a lot coming from me, I usually don’t vibe with the « romances » in romantasy books) it did not feel insta-lovey and there’s an enjoyable build-up. It’s also not too heavy on the sex, which I highly appreciated.
The only little thing that made the rating go down a little (it felt like a 4/4.25 throughout the story) is the ending. I thought it did not fit the rest of the story and it was a little… underwhelming, maybe? And anticlimactic.
I still had a very good time reading this book, and of course I thoroughly recommend it.

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

✨️Spectacular, gimme 14 of them right now✨️

Rachel Gillig never misses, she proved once again why she's my auto-buy author.

This book was enchanting and magical, had me enthralled since the beginning and didn't let go even after the last page. I'll definitely need 5-7 business days to contemplate everything.

"We all want to be special"

Sybil ily, girl was going thru it, but still managed to slay, some of her quotes hit me like sledgehammer

Rory omg, love my man with eyeliner, had me giggling and bluching since the beginning, the kneeling >>>

Adoro the gargoyle, I never thought he'd be my favorite, but he stole the show and my heart, I'll protect him with my life🥹

And that ending??? knife to heart, I suspected this, but it still hurt, desperately need second book.

Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

This is going to be a hard book to review because I seriously want to discuss everything that happened, but I can't because it'd be too many spoilers🙈

So I'll start by saying how incredibly grateful I am for the opportunity to have been able to read this book early. After reading The Shepherd King duology by the author, I became an immediate fan and so this was one of my most anticipated reads for this year, and it far exceeded expectations😍🤯

I loved the characters we met along the way; Six (who is our protagonist), Rory and Gargoyle especially. And I also had a soft spot for Maude.
I can't begin to tell you just how hooked I was with this plot. Just when you feel you know what's going on, another twist happens and you are forever trying to solve the mystery of it all and I just love a book that you keeps you guessing and surprised up until the end.
And that cliffhanger!!

I won't name names but I feel it will be quite obvious who the main love interests are from early on, and their chemistry is just everything❤️ a slow burn that definitely was worth the pay off.

The only gripe that I have is that we now need to wait until the next one is released to see what happens next🤭

If you are already a fan of this author, or you just think the synopsis sounds interesting then I really do recommended this to everyone - you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK, Orbit and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

I loved The Shepherd Duology so much that I just knew I would love this just as much as it did not disappoint. I enjoyed every minute of reading this book and although I did kind of guess one of the plot twists, it still took me for a ride. I think Gargoyle may be one of my favourite side characters ever and the tension between the two love interests is just chefs kiss! 10 out of 10 stars for this book and at this point, I will honestly read anything that Rachel Gillig writes because that woman does not miss.

When I got the ARC of this book I knew I had to start reading immediately. People who know me will know I am a HUGE fan of Rachel’s Shepherd King duolody and have been buzzing about this series since it was announced. I can happily confirm that I was not disappointed at all and that The Knight and the Moth is another banger of a book.

ODW and TTC were like no other books that I’ve ever read, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that this is the same. TKATM is another completely unique book filled with magic and intrigue. The magic system in this story is very unique and so dissimilar to anything that I have read before.

However while I really enjoyed this book, I did still feel slightly underwhelmed by the atmosphere created. I know it’s wrong but I just can’t help comparing this book to ODW which had such an amazing gothic atmosphere. In comparison I did feel that this book was not as atmospheric and didn’t manage to immerse me into the world quite as much.

Overall, I am really happy with this story and will 100% be reading the second book as soon as it is out!!

Exquisite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I didn't even read the blurb, I just went in completely blind (because it's Rachel Gillig)

And wow, I wasn't disappointed.

I can't even put into words the level of creative genius that Rachel seems to possess. It was a stunning read that had me captivated.

♾️🌟 This deserves infinity stars!

"To tell a story is in some part to tell a lie, isn’t it?"

Honestly, this book is amazing!. I loved The Shepherd King duology, and The Knight and the Moth surpasses that by miles for me.
Like One Dark Window and Two Two Twisted Crowns, this is dark, gothic, and beautifully written. It has a humorous element to it and is spicier, although I would consider it mildly spicy.

The story of the Omens and the Diviners is intriguing. Following Six as she discovers the truth and learns who she is and how to be herself, how to embrace her name (Sybil).

Rodrick is everything Sybil was taught a Knight shouldn't be. He is rogueish and unbelieving. But he cares.

The Gargoyle has to be my favourite character. He is so loyal to Sybil and gets his sayings mixed up, and he makes me laugh. He calls everyone Bartholomew and learning the reason why is just heartbreaking.

This was just so beautifully woven. Rachel Gillig just knows how to deliver what we want.

“It is all the same, then. Contentedness. Truth and honesty and virtue. Omens. They are all stories, and we”— he gestured to the Seacht’s climbing walls—“ tread the pages within them.”

Look, I loved this book so bloody much. Gillig can do no wrong in my eyes, I just felt this one was a teeny tiny little bit more predictable than One Dark Window, making it give off less of a dark vibe than maybe I was hoping for... This is probably (absolutely) a me thing though, so don't let it put you off reading this absolute gem of a book.

Sybil Delling has my heart and can do absolutely no wrong in my eyes. I pretty much fell head over heels in love from our first meeting. Her strength, both physical and strength of character (holding out on bedding Rory for as long as she did... whew, she's a stronger woman than me), her love for her fellow Diviner's, and her righteous anger when she learns that everything she has been told, the entire basis of her life is a lie. She doesn't have an easy ride, from her time drowning at the cathedral to read peoples fortunes via dreams, to the way her world is turned upside down when she leaves, but she is fighting for more than herself, and that is what pushes her on, even in the face of danger.

I'm not saying the gargoyle was my favourite character, but he kinda was... Something I never thought I'd say. Gargoyle's protect the cathedral, and the Diviners, but one particular gargoyle has always held a soft spot for Six (Sybil) and so when she leaves the Cathedral to try and find her sisters, he asks to come along, and boy was that the best decision ever because his character brings a levity to the story. Making me cackle with laughter, how he called everyone Bartholomew, but also cry with equal measure. His story is so intrinsically linked with Sybil's but it's not until towards the end that we learn his truth.

Listen. I'm not gonna name names, but I was getting vibes from one of the characters the entire way through this book and I felt so vindicated when they turned out to be as much of a prick as I was expecting. Not only did I get to let out a 'I bloody knew it' but this reveal, even with the hints thrown throughout the book made the ending super emotional. Like, I knew it was coming, but it still shocked me. Some of the plot twists were a little predictable, not in a bad way, but Gillig leaves us plenty of crumbs to guess where the story is going. There was only one twist towards the end, one that broke me, but that I didn't see coming. But even the twists that we can guess as still add an emotional undertone to the book. It's a heartbreaking story in a lot of ways, but also one filled with so much hope.

There was one little bit of the world building that I felt was just ignored a little, it was to do with Sybil and the effects of her drownings, I wont say more than that, but I felt this was mentioned and then kind of ignored? It may get mentioned in the next book, but it seemed a pretty big point to just forget about. But that's probably my one issue, and a fairly small one at that. Gillig builds her world effortlessly, allowing us to traverse it alongside Sybil for the first time, so the introduction to people and places felt really natural. And once again Gillig's writing style was just lush. Her writing was one of my favourite things from her previous duology, and I was amazed at how easily she mastered the atmosphere and emotion with just a few sentences.

Now for the romance. *Mwah.* It was the most beautiful, slow burn, I don't want to say enemies, more like reluctant travelling companions to lovers lol, but boy was it fun to watch. How they antagonised one another, making each other blush and frown in equal measure. Everything from the tension and the push and pull was just *chefs kiss*, and I loved that it was definitely a little spicier than the previous duology. But underneath all that angst and tension, are two people pulled from the gutter and raised to new heights who are learning how to deal with it. Sybil, once revered for her Diviner name, now no longer believes in her own power. And Rory, a non noble Knight constantly battling to feel like he belongs. They really were the perfect two sides of a coin and I can't wait to see what Gillig has in store for the next book.

I mentioned the ending earlier, but boy did I not expect it to go down the way it did. I expected a certain character to reveal the prat I thought they were, but whoo I did not expect to feel that many emotions. I got angry, I cried and then then bloody book ended and I realised I'd have to wait over a year to find out what happens next... I'm not sure I can cope. If you loved Gillig's previus duology, you're gonna demolish this. And if you haven't read it yet... have you been living under a rock? Perfect for readers who like their stories on the gothic side, with slow burn romances and truly standout sidekicks.

Be mythical, be fearsome.

This is a book that lets you work for it. While in the Shepherd King dilogy, I could just fall into the magic system and was swept away, The Knight and the Moth challenges me. I'm still not sure I understood it completely, but it's in my head and will stay there for a while.

But wait, let's start from the beginning. From Omens, signs and portents, from dreams. Because these are not only content, but also the vibe of this book. And I couldn't help but think that there were portents on the page as well.
And while we're talking about this - and because Rachel Gillig is playing with German words in this story - the literal translation for 'signs and portents' is 'Zeichen und Vorzeichen'. Which is the same word twice, just with a prefix added.
If you thought I had a point with this - I don't lol. It's just something I thought about, and it's a sign for how much this book changed my brain chemistry.

Rachel Gillig excels at a lot, but most of all at structure and pacing. Her Two Twisted Crowns had been the best structured and paced book I have ever read. And here, she shows perfection again. She just doesn't put a foot wrong.

But there's also characters. She writes the most intricate and intriguing characters, none of them you find in other books of the genre.
Sybil aka Six who was a foundling and now a Diviner - and soon a warrior.
Rory, a bad knight and Maude, a good knight. (Calling them that does not even start to do them justice, but I want you to discover them on your own).
A gargoyle who calls everyone Bartholomew, and mostly wants to be tucked in and take a nap (relatable!).
And last but not least a villain whose villainess will surprise no one if you read the signs and portents.

There is also something to unpack about trees and numbers. Something I might be able to do on my second or third reading. Because I have to dive back into this for sure.

The last part of the book I kept choking up while digging my nails into both the story and the edge of my seat.
And the ending...well...the ending is another the beginning.

6/5 stars I'm not gonna apologize for this rating

Thank you so much @littlebrownbookgroup_uk (shoutout to Nazia) and @netgalley for the eARC!

#TheKnightAndTheMoth #Bartholomew #Netgalley #Bookstagram

Straight up 4 stars! I know everyone loves it so much, I do too, but I can't help and question some things.
I cant ask those questions while keeping my review spoiler free, but I can confirm that I cannot wait to read the next installment.
The story progresses fast, it is easy to read, and it seems to not take itself too seriously. The banter is quite good (I'm biased cause I just read another book with got tier banter and now everything else seems half as good), and the romantinc plotline progressed well
Thank you for providing this arc for me.
I have to say, knowing that it would be a duology, led me to smell the plot twist a mile away, because there wasn't much else that could provide enough plot for a whole other book. Do with that information what you will.