The Knight and the Moth, by Rachel Gillig

Rachel Gillig’s The Knight and the Moth is so much bigger and better than the “romantasy” box it’s being marketed into. Yes, there is romance, but it’s a subplot that comes second to the complex, compelling fantasy world Gillig has built.

The synopsis:

Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil’s visions. But when Sybil’s fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she’d rather avoid Rodrick’s dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god. 

As I mentioned, romance is not the main feature of The Knight and the Moth – notions of identity, loyalty, and truth are. Gillig’s writing is delicious – at times earnest and thought-provoking, at other times just plain funny. And though the world of the book has medieval overtones, the fantasy world Gillig has created is fresh and unique.

The characters are distinct, nuanced, and flawed; I loved them all. And the romance isn’t forced or rushed – it slowly builds with humor, some heartache, and a lot of heat. There is something relatable and mature about the love that blooms between Sybil and Rory, and I appreciate that Gillig trusts her readers enough to be patient with it.

The Knight and the Moth is a rich, atmospheric book that felt a bit like a dream, but had the solid, stone foundation of what will likely be one of my favorite books of the year.

*Many thanks to Hachette Book Group and Edelweiss for a digital copy of this book for review.