The Knight and the Moth

Books | Fiction / Fantasy / Romance

Rachel Gillig

'Dreamy prose, characters so vibrant they breathe on the page, a romance that smoulders, and a spellbinding world to get lost in. Prepare to meet your next obsession' Rebecca Ross, author of Divine RivalsFrom New York Times and multi-million-copy bestselling author Rachel Gillig comes the next big romantasy phenomenon: a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a prophetess who is forced on an impossible quest with the one devilishly handsome knight whose future is beyond her sight.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. Praise for The Knight and the Moth:'The Knight and the Moth delivers pure joy: gargoyles! gods! girls in armour! alongside a serious examination of faith, fealty, and the powers they serve. It's a fairy tale with bruised knuckles, perfectly balanced between the mythic and the desperately human. Simply stunning' Alix E. Harrow, author of Starling House'Haunting, elegant and lovely, The Knight and the Moth is that rare fantasy gem: both a thrilling quest and an exquisite love story' Tasha Suri, award-winning author of The Burning Kingdoms trilogy'With the headiness of dreams and the darkness of haunted abbeys, The Knight and the Moth is dazzlingly transportive tale of love, salvation, and freedom that cements Gillig as one of the finest fantasy writers of our age. You will never want to surface from these enchanting, depthless waters' Ava Reid, author of A Study in Drowning'I'm obsessed with Rachel Gillig. The Knight and the Moth is achingly romantic, richly imagined, and told with a gossamer delicacy that keeps the pages flying' Hannah Whitten, author of The Foxglove King'A gothic, romantic fairy tale that feels like falling into a dark, strange dream - one you won't want to wake from. Gillig has done it again - I'm obsessed' Amélie Wen Zhao, author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night'Brimming with beguiling prose, and a dangerous magical world, The Knight and the Moth sparkles with wit and a slow burn romance that left me breathless and impatient for the next instalment' Isabel Ibañez, author of What the River Knows'The Knight and the Moth is a lavender-drenched dream. Readers won't be able to put down this adventurous, dark gem of a book' Kalie Cassidy, author of In the Veins of the Drowning

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More Details:

Author

Rachel Gillig

Pages

400

Publisher

Little, Brown Book Group

Published Date

2025-05-20

ISBN

0356522954 9780356522951

Community ReviewsSee all

"This was a great 4 star read 🫶🏼 It took me absolutely forever to get into this book and actually want to put in the work to get to the good parts but once I did, I absolutely loved it! This book was so different and I absolutely love a modern take on gothic literature! It was very descriptive, I felt like I was there in the story with the character! "

Gabby Lucas

"The author said it best. "It's about a woman who tries her best, an errant knight who falls in love with her, and a precious limestone gargoyle. It's about what we lose and what we gain, the arduous journey of self-discovery-the painful, beautiful burden of living." The atmosphere of this story swept me away to another place and another time. It enthralled and enticed me closer. When I finally realized it, it was too late. The bond between sisters is a feeling that is hard to explain but this book shows it beautifully. Whispers in the dark, the moon watching, warm hands clasped, fever dancing. A magical bond that can never be broken. The author mentioned she put a lot of herself in the book and it shows. I feel like she bared her soul to her readers and held nothing back. I admire her immensely. This story passed judgment and the words rang true. I saw a lot of myself in Six. Starting to question the world around me. I was told I was special enough. It was heartfelt and sad watching Six open her eyes. We get to watch her experience things for the first time and find the beauty that people take for granted. The gargoyle is my new best friend. He was quirky and funny as hell. Also, Maud made my chest burn with envy at her motherly affection. Rory was wonderful I don't know else to explain it. He was judgmental and a brute but also knew how to apologize when at fault. He pushed Six the way she needed to be. The chemistry was a slow-burning furnace. The atmosphere. I have to mention it again because it was such a compliment to the story and filled every crevice of my mind. It was like all things were in perpetual moonlight with Six alone at the center and her companions anchoring her to the world. Did I mention this cover was a photoshoot? I mean it is already gorgeous but that blew my mind. "

Ashley

"I was only going to give this book four stars, but the ending had me wanting to throw up, and I felt extremely empty. This is a good read. A little confusing, even if you’re paying attention, but…"

Twistanna Moon

"Rachel Gillig is one of the most brilliant authors I’ve ever read! Her story worlds have so much depth. Her character development is gripping. I can’t wait for the sequel! "

Angie

"perfection"

Jenna

""To tell a story is in some part to tell a lie, isn't it?" AHHHHH RACHELLLLL RACHELLLLL This might just be my favorite book that I’ve read this year. I was so excited that Rachel Gillig was releasing a new book the year that I found The Shepherd King Duology and fell in love with it. She did NOT disappoint. I didn’t think that there could be a magic system that I liked more than the cards in The Shepherd King, and while this wasn’t an overall brand new winner, it is a very close second. At first, I thought that the Gargoyle was going to be an annoyance, but he ended up being one of my favorite characters. Sybil is also such an amazing character and a fun protagonist, so strong but sensitive, which I feel like sometimes can be a hard balance to make. AND RORY!!!! Give me more men that are so hopelessly pining for their women. Honestly, I hope that we get a Rory POV in Book 2, and with the ending, I feel like we will. My biggest critique is that I did have some issues understanding the way the magic system worked, but it didn’t greatly affect my overall enjoyment of the story."

Claire Jane

"“what name, with blood, would you give me?” four stars. sybil is a diviner stuck in a kingdom where religion isn’t just belief…it’s infrastructure. people look to the omens for everything, and sybil’s whole life has been shaped by visions, duty, and the haunting weight of inherited faith. this book doesn’t go full dune on organized religion, but it’s definitely taking a piss, sometimes literally. it’s a little irreverent, a little uncomfortable, and definitely pokes at the power structures we assign to “belief.” sybil’s journey wrestles with religious duty, inherited trauma, and whether obedience is strength or just a fancy kind of fear. none of this feels heavy-handed, just baked into her every choice. bartholomew is a star. he shouts, “take me with you!” and tackles sybil like a loyal golden retriever made of stone. i cheered every time he showed up. the aisling sisterhood was ride-or-die and deeply funny. at one point five literally says, “absolutely. he was very mean to six. let’s flatten him.” and that’s what i want out of female friendships in fiction and in real life. petty vengeance and unflinching loyalty. i would follow the aisling girl gang into war or a group text chain. same energy. then there’s rory. he’s… there. defiant. brooding. making uncalled-for middle finger gestures. their romance sort of materializes like a moth to a flame, and i did sit back and go “wait, now we’re in love?” but i stuck with it because the dialogue slapped and rory kept saying things like “you could walk over me, sybil delling. throw me down until i am dust. i don’t know what to call it, but i want it. i want you.” and honestly, if someone said that to me during a crisis i would simply perish. the final stretch had me wide-eyed and whispering “is she going to become a gargoyle?” like that was a completely normal question to be asking four stars. would return to traum. would get cut for the aisling girls. would let sybil name me with blood."