The Knight and the Moth

By Rachel Gillig

Book Overview

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Gillig comes a sensational romantasy, a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a young prophetess forced on an impossible quest with the one knight whose future is beyond her sight.

"Prepare to meet your next obsession." -- Rebecca Ross, author of Divine Rivals

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316573752
• ISBN13: 9780316573757
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Orbit
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

I Expected More

I really wanted to love The Knight and the Moth. The premise, gothic atmosphere, and overall aesthetic were exactly the kind of fantasy I gravitate toward, but the execution left me wanting so much more. My biggest issue was the pacing. About a third of the way through, I found myself wondering how the author could possibly wrap up everything that had been introduced in the pages that remained. Unfortunately, instead of slowing down and letting the story breathe, the final third became a rapid succession of victories that never felt earned. The story spends a lot of time building up powerful threats and impossible odds, but when those moments finally arrive, they’re resolved with surprising ease. I kept expecting the characters to face real sacrifice, difficult choices, or meaningful consequences, yet most of the biggest obstacles seemed to disappear almost as quickly as they appeared. Because of that, the climax never carried the weight or tension I was hoping for. The story was also very predictable. I had a pretty good idea where it was headed long before the ending, so there were very few surprises along the way. Ultimately, I never felt the emotional payoff that I look for in fantasy. The world had so much potential, but the plot moved too quickly and many of the resolutions felt rushed and unearned. It was an entertaining enough read, but it never lived up to the promise of its premise. This one just wasn’t for me, and I won’t be continuing the series.