The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig- Book Review

I think I've just finished THE fantasy novel of the year.

When I originally saw that Rachel Gillig was releasing the first book in a new fantasy series, I was intrigued. Though I enjoyed the Shepherd King books, there were aspects of the duet that fell flat for me. The voice, for example, was at times difficult to sink into, so I could never truly immerse myself in the world. With that in mind, I went into The Knight and the Moth with moderate expectations. This book proceeded to blow every single one of those expectations out of the water.

The premise: A young acolyte, Sybil, has lived in service to six godlike figures known as Omens for the last nine years. As a Diviner, Sybil has the ability to dream of and receive visions from the Omens, a great and terrible gift in the kingdom of Traum. When her fellow Diviners each begin to vanish, Sybil is forced to leave her cathedral home in search of them, teaming up with a roguishly handsome, heretical knight along the way.

One of the most impressive things about this novel was how wildly original it was. Though it was a typical hero's journey, with a hint of coming-of-age romance, it never once felt like I was reading something familiar. The setting was rich, alive, and revealed so expertly by the author that I felt like it was me, not Sybil, leaving the protective safety of the cloister for the first time.

The cast of characters, too, were at once silly, courageous, and multi-dimensional. Maybe I was just in a good mood, but nobody in this book felt like a caricature of a person. This includes a childlike gargoyle who calls everyone Bartholomew, as he especially delighted me. Sybil, a girl both terrified and in desperate need of change, was deeply relatable and did not suffer from the girlboss-ification that I fear many fantasy protagonists receive these days. She was strong, but she was also vulnerable; inexperienced, but not viriginal; brave, but not to an idiotic extent. I simply adored her. Her irreverent love interest Rodrick 'Rory' Myndacious (a last name so heavy-handed that, yes, I rolled my eyes) was everything that a girl who watched Once Upon A Time growing up could ever want. Colin O'Donoghue's Hook, I AM TALKING TO YOU!!! The love story between these two was a fantastically plotted slow burn that actually felt believable. I loved that any animosity between the two of them had real stakes, but none so high that he was unable to apologize for unkind behavior later on. Too often, we're served enemies-to-lovers that's actually just the love interest being a dick for no reason. This man was not that and yes, it made my little heart flutter. The bar is in hell.

What also blew me away was that this story did not have an ounce of fat on it, which is so refreshing in the climate of current romantasy. Each word, each page, each chapter served a purpose that became clear as the book carried on. Even the plot twists were precise in execution and, whether I saw them coming or not, genuinely moved me to tears on a couple of occasions.

Overall, Rachel Gillig knocked this out of the freaking park. It's incredible to see how much an author can grow in such a short time period and The Knight and the Moth proves that Gillig certainly has. This gets a big fat FIVE STARS from me. I will be gnawing my own arm in anxious anticipation of the next installment. I hope you enjoy that image!

- Emma