Publishers Weekly
03/24/2025
Bestseller Gillig (the Shepherd King series) launches a new series with this uneven romantic fantasy. The Six Diviners confined to Aisling Cathedral, where they foretell futures through dreams and water rituals, are finally nearing the end of their 10-year service. Before they retire, the newly crowned king of Traum, Benedict Castor III, pays them a visit under the pretense of inquiring about his future, but really so he and his court can steal Aisling’s sacred spring water. Diviner Six, once called Sybil Delling, catches them but agrees not to report the crime to the gargoyles that guard the cathedral if king’s knight Rodrick “Rory” Myndacious will help her and her fellow Diviners sneak out for a night of fun. Upon returning to Aisling, however, the Diviners start to vanish one by one. Six, suspecting foul play, flees the cathedral with Rory’s help. As she reintegrates into the wider world and searches for her missing friends, she learns that everything she thought she knew about Aisling is a lie and develops feelings for Rory. The premise feels fresh and the worldbuilding is inventive, but the pace flags in the talky middle section and the relatively chaste romance arrives too late. Still, there’s plenty of promise to be explored in future installments. (May)
From the Publisher
"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
"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 a 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, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning
“A gothic, romantic fairytale that feels like falling into a dark, strange dream — one you won’t want to wake from. With twisty parables, monstrous divinities, a slow-burn romance and magic with a deadly cost, the story of The Knight and the Moth unfolds like peeling back a gossamer shroud. Gillig has done it again — I’m obsessed.”—Amélie Wen Zhao, New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
"Full of haunting, Gothic-tinged prose and boasting what is likely the most gorgeous cover of anything hitting shelves this year, Gillig’s latest is stunning in every way."
—Paste
"The premise feels fresh and the worldbuilding is inventive."
—Publishers Weekly
"Gillig’s creative world building and riveting plot will have readers eagerly anticipating the next book in the Stonewater Kingdom series."
—Booklist
"Gillig excels at creating an eerie world, rife with creepy legends and macabre creatures, sure to please any fan of gothic fantasy; it’s a perfect setting for the love-to-hate-you romance between Six and Myndacious. Excellent for fans of Deborah Harkness, Sarah A. Parker, or Leigh Bardugo."
—Library Journal
“The queen of Gothic romantasy returns! The Knight and the Moth is as dangerous as it is whimsical, and entirely unputdownable.”—Allison Saft, author of A Dark and Drowning Tide
"The Knight and the Moth delivers pure joy—gargoyles! gods! girls in armor!—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 The Ten Thousand Doors of January
"Dreamy prose, characters so vibrant they breathe on the page, a romance that smolders, and a spellbinding world to get lost in…The Knight and the Moth is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Prepare to meet your next obsession."—Rebecca Ross, author of Divine Rivals
"The Knight and the Moth is a lavender-drenched dream. Transportive and pacy, Gillig delivers sparkling romantic tension, eerie atmosphere, and the most unique, endearing characters I’ve read in a long while. The signs are clear—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
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 installment. Rachel Gillig wrote a gorgeous tale I won’t ever shut up about. —Isabel Ibanez, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Library Journal
04/01/2025
Six and her five sisters remember nothing of their lives before they became Diviners for Aisling Cathedral a decade ago. Now, Six drowns daily to trigger premonitions in a dream state. When the newly crowned king comes to have his fortune divined, Six meets his knights, and one knight, Rodrick Myndacious, mocks her belief in the gods and her adherence to the rules. Shortly after, Diviners mysteriously disappear, until only Six remains. Desperate to find her sisters, Six seeks the help of the errant knight, going against everything she believes in to find her sisters and leaving the only home she knows for a quest across the kingdom of Traum with the king and his knights. Six's travels will bring her face to face with her revered gods and make her question whether her destiny is truly preordained or if she has the strength to change it. VERDICT Gillig (Two Twisted Crowns) excels at creating an eerie world, rife with creepy legends and macabre creatures, sure to please any fan of gothic fantasy; it's a perfect setting for the love-to-hate-you romance between Six and Myndacious. Excellent for fans of Deborah Harkness, Sarah A. Parker, or Leigh Bardugo.—Eve Stano
