The Knave and the Moon

The Stonewater Kingdom #2

by Rachel Gillig

Rachel Gillig, the queen of gothic romantasy, returns with higher stakes, darker mysteries and deeper longings in this gorgeous sequel to the No. 1 international bestselling sensation The Knight and the Moth.

Aisling Cathedral is in ruins. Rodrick Myndacious, Bartholomew and Maude Bauer are rumored to be dead - and the king has taken Sybil Delling as his bride. To show off their union and solidify his power over Traum, Benji proposes a series of tournaments throughout the hamlets. Captive and drugged, Sybil remains determined to vanquish him as she once did the Omens, even if she destroys the kingdom's faith - and herself - in the process.

But then a mysterious knave rises to the top of the lists, a man with no name and no memory who may just be Sybil's ticket to undoing Benji's power. For in a land where stories repeat themselves, where a king can prove as cruel as a god, the only way to truly destroy the Stonewater Kingdom's faith is to save it.

Praise for The Knight and the

'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 Rivals

'The Knight and the Moth delivers pure 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 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

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Gothic, Audiobook, Fiction, Fantasy Romance

396 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2026

About the author

Rachel Gillig was born and raised on the California coast. She is a writer, with a B.A. in Literary Theory and Criticism from UC Davis. If she is not ensconced in blankets dreaming up her next novel, Rachel is in her garden or walking with her husband, son, and their poodle, Wally.

Reviews

[molly lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOMEBODY MURDER ME. TAKE ME BACK. Rachel, you genius. It never ceases to amaze me how she writes so melodically, I feel as though I’ve just read the most enchanting music piece! My body is in pain. My heart is burning. This was all-encompassing beautiful TORTURE. WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE OVER BARTHOLOMEW WHY!!





━━ ⊱⋆⊰ ━━
pre-read ཐི༏ཋྀ ⊹
ITS HEREEEEEE EVERYBODY PANIC

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pre-release ཐི༏ཋྀ ⊹
Me cutely and adorably staring at Rachel Gillig through her window until she releases this book 🧍🏼‍♀️



ONE MORE DAY LEFT. I REPEAT. ONE MORE DAY!!!! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️ (Waterstones if you don’t deliver my preorder in time I will make you rue the day you were born)

EDIT: ITS HEREEEE (MY BOOK ISN’T BUT THE RELEASE DATE IS WHOOP WHOOP. If you witness a Waterstones actively being burned to the ground, mind your business..)

[Bailee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Bartholomew… this was perfect. How Rachel Gillig always makes her second book better than her first is beyond me. STORIES ARE SO IMPORTANT!!! That’s my biggest takeaway from this, that in order for history to not repeat itself it can’t just be told by the victors. I love all of these characters so much.

[maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE BARTHOLOMEW, I LOVE RORY, I LOVE SYBIL, I LOVE MAUDE, I LOVE RACHEL’S WRITING. I LOVE THIS DUOLOGY!!!!

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pre-read
IS IN MY HANDS!!! IM A BUSY WOMAN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!!!!!! no but actually I can’t believe I’m finally going to read this😭

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ONLY A FEW HOURS UNTIL THIS IS IN MY HANDS!!!!!!!!

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big lover of the gold in the cover😌

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NO ONE NEEDS THIS BOOK MORE THAN ME!!!!!! and I mean that😩 everyone knows how obsessed I am with tkatm. How am I supposed to wait a whole year for this?🧍🏻‍♀️

What kind of sorcery I need to do to get an arc of this?😭🤚🏻

[EmmaSkies · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one is more upset than I, Bartholomew, to see that three star rating at the top of this. When I finished this book and a friend immediately asked me what I thought, she got a voice note from me where I said, in a very small voice, "I don't...I don't think I liked it."

What I think could have been quite good about the book is the antagonist and ultimately what a weak antagonist he is. Purposely so! He's childish and impulsive, everything he does is fueled by a massive chip on his shoulder, he's a bit stupid, and a lot of the conflict in the book is downstream of having a person like that in a position of power, which I think is very interesting. Think of someone like Joffrey in Game of Thrones (I can reference only the TV show here); displays very little politcal acumen or strategic knowledge, basically a child with an ant farm he wants to shake, and that childishness becomes terrifying when it's emboldened by a system that gives him massive amounts of power and virtually no checks on it. Where I think this story is left wanting is in having that character and not having a well-rounded system to prop him up. The weakness of the antagonist becomes a genuine narrative weakness when you're left reading it like, 'well, okay, someone should just stab him and be done with it because we have no reason to think there would be any lasting consequences of that.'

In short, an interesting antagonist that exists in a flimsy system is left feeling flimsy altogether.

That's only one of many issues I had with this book, but ultimately I think is a good exemplar. This was just not a strong showing, which I am severely bummed about because of how much I ADORE The Knight and the Moth! A rare five star book for me and one which I loved re-reading and remembering that for all the problems I have with a lot of the current romantasy trend, it CAN be done very well!

This ended up being a very weak sequel. Much of the plot feels conveniently placed for convenience's sake (Sybil's injury is very convenient in when it is and is not a problem, the all-important items are extremely convenient in when they are and are not around, certain characters are very convenient in when they are and aren't present) and the whole narrative feels claustrophobic, which was a feeling I had to sit with for a while to figure out where it was coming from because structurally this book is an exact mirror image of the first, so why did this one feel more closed off? What I've arrived at, I think, is that the change in circumstances from the first book to this second one I think necessitated the world and our perception of it expanding, but they ultimately don't. What felt new and expansive in the first book suddenly feels confined in this one when we're retracing the same steps.

And in things that are out of the author's hands, I think this book also suffers a bit from Orbit's continuing problems with editorial. WHAT is going on over there? This is the third Orbit book I've read this year and the third that has had at least some small amount of glaring line editing issues. I'm really surprised to see this plauging even one of their biggest authors (if not THE biggest author they're publishing right now), though it's much less of a problem here than I saw in others. There were at least a couple scenes where a misused word or a seemingly forgotten piece of armor necessitated reading a scene three or four times and consulting with a friend about what was going on in that moment.

I do not wish to be all doom and gloom though! I really do like the prose here, I (mostly) like where this story ends, and our core characters I think do shine. Rachel Gillig is a VERY good character writer (though, if I'm being honest, I think book 1 is doing a lot of heavy lifting there) and it's not like I was struggling not to DNF or anything at any point. While this will go into the category of books I won't be revisiting, it does not diminsh how much I loved - and still love - the first book and these characters, and it won't keep me from continuing to be excited to see what she brings next.

[shanayaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

✦ let's talk about these two books because i have THOUGHTS

I didn't really review the first book, so you know what? Let's just review both of them together because I haven't written an actual review in ages and apparently I have been hoarding thoughts like they're going to expire. So let's fucking go. Let's dig into this.

First of all, I picked this book up because EVERYONE was talking about it. Like everyone. The hype was everywhere and I was experiencing the worst FOMO known to mankind because people kept mentioning one name over and over again.

Bartholomew.

And I was like... WHO THE FUCK IS BARTHOLOMEW???

Seriously. Who is this man? Why is everyone obsessed with him? Why does everyone talk about him like he's some celebrity who personally pays their rent? I was so confused that at some point I genuinely felt like I had to read the book just to understand the Bartholomew agenda.

And honestly?

I should have.

Because that gargoyle is an ICON.

But let's start from the beginning.

✦ book one

The first book was honestly not what I expected it to be. And do I mean that in a bad way? Absolutely fucking not. I mean it in the nicest way possible because this book genuinely surprised me. I'll be honest, the beginning was slow. The world-building was slow. Like, really slow. The first 50–60 pages were a bit of a struggle for me because I was trying to understand the world, the characters, the rules, the whole fucking situation, and everything was being introduced at a very steady pace. But I wouldn't call it boring. It was just slow. And I think that's an important distinction because once I actually got into the world, I was OBSESSED. Like genuinely obsessed.

The concept was so unique to me. I've read quite a lot of fantasy, and this didn't feel like I was reading the same recycled fantasy plot with different character names slapped on top. There was something about the whole idea of the diviners, the omens, the kingdom and the way people perceived these abilities that made it feel different from the fantasy books I've read before.

And THAT was a huge plus for me.

Rachel's writing also deserves a massive fucking applause because once I got into it, her writing was so addictive. She has this way of pulling you deeper into the story without you even realizing it. And the way she made me feel about these characters??? The way she made me actually CARE??? Ma'am. I was in a fucking reading slump and this woman basically dragged me out of it by the hair. Cheers to her.

✦ so what is actually happening here?

The story revolves around Stonewater Kingdom, where there are six diviners. These diviners can dream and divine for people, interpreting omens and giving signs about what may happen whether those signs are good or bad depending on what they see in their dreams. And because this is apparently a kingdom where everyone takes omens VERY seriously, these diviners are basically treated as these almost god-like figures. Except they're not gods. They're humans with certain powers.

And then things start getting weird because, one by one, the diviners start disappearing. And eventually, the last remaining diviner, Sybil, seeks help from a knight and not just any knight.

Rodrick Myndacious. The most atrocious, nasty, insufferable knight in the entire fucking kingdom. And honestly? I stayed for him.

✦ Rodrick Myndacious

Let's talk about Rodrick because I need everyone to understand that this man had the sluttiest mouth ever. Like, sir???? I was NOT prepared. The dirty talk aside because honestly, that's a whole separate conversation, what I genuinely loved about him was the way he loved Sybil. It wasn't just the typical "she's mine, she's pretty, blah blah blah" kind of thing. He genuinely appreciated her. He loved her in such a soft, affectionate and almost adorable way, and I really loved seeing that side of him because underneath all the nastiness and the attitude, there was so much love there. He was absolutely my favourite character in the first book.

And I loved him in the second book too, don't get me wrong.

But...

The second book belongs to Sybil.

That woman fucking ATE.

✦ Sybil Delling

If the first book made me love Rodrick, the second book made me look at Sybil and go: oh. this woman is THAT bitch.

I loved her with my whole soul. The way she stood her ground. The way she fought for what she believed in. The way she questioned things when they didn't make sense. The way she refused to just sit there and accept whatever was happening around her. The way she did everything in her power to get back what she wanted. I LOVED THAT. She wasn't written as some tiny, dainty little character who needed a man to come in and save the day every five minutes. She didn't just depend on the male character to get what she wanted.

NO.

She fought for herself. She made her own decisions. She questioned things. She pushed back. She stood up for what she believed was right. And she was willing to fucking fight for it. And if you know me, you already know I will eat that kind of female character UP. Give me a woman who refuses to be passive and I'm seated.

✦ MAUDE BAUER. MY WOMAN. MY IT GIRL.

And speaking of strong women...

MAUDE BAUER.

How can I possibly write this review without talking about her? That woman was the IT GIRL. I genuinely cannot forgive Rachel for what she did to her. I simply cannot. I am holding a personal grudge and I will be taking it to my grave. Because Maude was one of those characters who just stays with you. I've read countless books and countless characters, but Maude is genuinely one of those characters I know I'm going to remember for a very, very long time. She had this incredibly warm, motherly charm to her, but underneath that she had SO much fire. She knew when something was right. She knew when something was wrong. And she knew how to stand up for it. There was something so comforting about her while simultaneously being so powerful, and I absolutely adored that combination.

Maude, you deserved better. That's all I'm saying.

✦ AND NOW... THE MAN. THE MYTH. THE LEGEND. BARTHOLOMEW.

THE REASON I PICKED UP THIS FUCKING BOOK. The icon. The celebrity. The GOAT. The entire reason I was sitting there wondering who the hell everyone was talking about. And honestly?

I GET IT NOW.

Bartholomew genuinely made the entire book better. I am not even kidding. He was such a lovable character, and there is just something about him that makes it almost impossible not to love him. He was funny, charming, memorable and just had that IT factor. Like, you know when a character enters the story and you're immediately like oh, you are going to be everyone's favourite, aren't you? Yeah. Bartholomew. I fully understand the hype now. If anything, I should have picked up the book sooner just for him.

✦ the world-building & why i actually loved this so much

One of the biggest things I loved about these books was how immersive they were. This is genuinely why I love fantasy so much. There is something so special about opening a book and suddenly feeling like you've stepped into an entirely different world. A world that doesn't belong to you, doesn't exist around you, and yet somehow, while you're reading, you feel like you belong there. And that's exactly what happened here. Rachel's writing made the world feel real. I didn't just feel like I was reading about Stonewater Kingdom. I felt like I was there. And that's one of the biggest compliments I can give a fantasy book. The writing was so immersive that I genuinely felt connected to the story from beginning to end. And honestly, if I had actually had the time, I probably would've finished both books within a few days because once I was in, I WAS IN. Unfortunately, life decided to be life and I was busy as fuck for basically the entire month, so it took me a whole month to get through everything.

But even with that huge gap between reading sessions, I never lost that feeling of being immersed in the story.

✦ and THE CHARACTERS???

Another thing I really appreciated was how much depth each character had. Even the side characters didn't feel like they were just thrown into the story to fill space. They had their own stories. Their own personalities. Their own motivations. Their own little pieces of history. And that made them feel like actual people rather than characters who existed purely to move the plot forward. I love when authors do that because suddenly you don't feel like you're just reading about a cast of characters. You feel like you know them. And that was absolutely the case here. I cared about these people. I was angry for them. I was rooting for them. I was emotionally attached to them.

And apparently that is exactly what Rachel wanted because look at me now, writing an entire fucking essay about them.

✦ final thoughts

Overall, I genuinely loved these books. The beginning was slow for me, especially those first 50–60 pages, because the world-building took its time and there was a lot to understand. But once I got past that initial hurdle, I was HOOKED. The concept was unique. The world-building was immersive. Rachel's writing was addictive. The characters had depth. The relationships actually made me care. And most importantly, it got me out of a reading slump.

That's honestly one of the biggest compliments I can give a book because when I'm in a slump, getting me genuinely excited about reading again is not an easy fucking task. But this did it. I fell in love with the world, the characters. I got emotionally attached to people I absolutely did not expect to get attached to. I understood the Bartholomew hype. I developed an entirely unnecessary personal vendetta over Maude. I watched Sybil absolutely EAT in the second book. And I stayed for Rodrick and his ridiculously slutty mouth.

⚘ "Overall, if you're thinking about picking this up, please do. Just give the beginning a little time because it takes a while to settle into the world. But once it clicks? You're fucking gone. And if nothing else, read it for Bartholomew." 💌


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౨ৎ pre-read:
⤿ started - 23 September , 2026

jumping right into this bc wtf was THAT ending 😭

[bookluvr (s-ia) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ i’m sawri 😭😭. i thought i would love this, truly, but i’m whelmed. and not the over kind. i was contemplating giving this a 3 but it took me staring at the wall for half an hour upon finishing to really digest that i felt nothing for any single character except bartholomew, and the magic of book 1 didn’t persist for me. i’m so sad, because i really banked on this being a hit ☹️.

this rating probably makes most sense if i frame it within the context of how i felt about the knight and the moth. i’ll break down my review of that book into three key takeaways:

#1
what i loved most about it — the main thing that made me give it 4 stars at the time — was how unique the story and the worldbuilding was. it felt like a completely new story to me, especially in a sea of very similar-feeling (popular) romantasies. this fresh feel and the lush writing is what made me enjoy that book as much as i did.

#2
i didn’t, however, really find myself connected to the mcs all that much. i liked sybil more than i did rory, but both were characters i wouldn’t say i felt a big draw to. i thought rory was a boring hero, especially. i also found myself apathetic towards the romance in there, and mentioned a hope around book 2 converting me on that piece.

#3
bartholomew was in fact pookie — my favourite character by a landslide. he was the other main contributor to my 4 star rating on book 1.

now, reflecting on these things from my first go-around with this story, i’ll link the thoughts that i have about the sequel to my initial feelings on its predecessor. this is therefore not really a review — it’s just a reflection. the “critiques” that i have aren’t even that. it’s really all about how i felt, so it’s more of a personal wrap-up.

🪦 the uniqueness and fresh storytelling

i lost some of that novelty i felt around the world, its constructs and the storytelling when this sequel devolved into the same tropes and plot devices we see in many a romantasy — trials (disguised as tournaments), large amounts of time spent on hauling ass / travelling, mcs seperated by amnesia, etc. if you like these things, you will enjoy them here as well, but because i wanted to keep feeling that newness and wonder i initially felt when i picked up the first book, these done-so-many-times-before aspects didn’t hit home for me. book 1 also had something of a quest, but it was fun because it felt like a scavenger hunt for the omens and the lore was lore-ing — which again, gave the story something of a fresh feel. we were going somewhere that mattered. the plot progression in here though? i really didn’t care about them damn tournaments 🥲, and since a lot of the lore wasn’t new anymore, this read felt incredibly stale for me. the whole thing felt pointless compared to the quest in the first book.

i also found the pacing of this one uneven. despite the fact that the book is only 350 pages, it felt really slow for a long time there. this could be my own fault though, since i read it piecemeal — i read a couple chapters at a time, and broke off to go read something else on several occasions — and i think i came back to this with marginally less enthusiasm each time that i returned. that could very well be why i felt it dragging me along and my enjoyment with it waning (because i was having a pretty decent time in the beginning). then, i was walloped with a very chaotic and crammed ending. the resolution felt quite rushed.

the writing was just ok for me? it felt better in the first one. maybe it’s that i’ve read some fantasy favourites recently that served some stand-out writing — but the prose in here kinda paled in comparison. it wasn’t bad by any means, but i wasn’t as deeply stirred by the delivery as i was expecting to feel.

🪦 the characters and the romance

i STILL didn’t feel all that connected with the mcs in here or care too much for the love story. the amnesia trope ruined things for me a bit but that’s a personal preference since i don’t get on with that device much, rare exceptions aside. the resolution of that problem also felt unintuitive to me.

and what was the vampirism about? their chemistry wasn’t really sizzling for me either.

honestly, rory just doesn’t DO anything for me. i tried to feel SOMETHING, to the point i sprung a headache during my tussle with the second half (which i did read continuously). i don’t dislike him at all but he’s just so bland and uninteresting to me 😭. i wanted to love him like everyone else does, but i just didn’t. adding his pov to this book was more of a hindrance for me than a good thing, because i was wholly disinvested in his character. if i recall, book 1 was single pov (sybil’s) — we could have kept it that way and i wouldn’t have minded. something about their voices didn’t feel easily distinguishable from one another either (and i’m talking about a print version since i read on my kindle). it wouldn’t always be quick for me to tell who’s pov i was in right from jump because their povs were written homogeneously. again, keeping to single would have been preferred for me.

also somewhat linked to character work, i lost the found family vibe that i got from the first book in this one. the diviners, and then even the gang hunting down the omens together in book 1, had their own brands of camaraderie that appealed to me. this book didn’t have that for far too long. and no, i don’t count benji’s bandits lmao. idk, things just felt a bit isolated. it tried to get it together in the second half, but i think it was too late for me to start caring all that much.

🪦 bartholomew

he was still the best thing to happen to me with this story. he was so funny and endearing, and the moments i felt the needle moving most with this sequel were ones he was involved in. this, at least, remained consistent from my experience with the knight and the moth. it’s just not enough for me to go any higher on the rating for this whole read.

🪦 another thing

one of my biggest issues with this book is how i felt as though it was built around an incompetent and lazy villian. i could nawt take that twerp seriously, with his drunk ass and zero charisma. his character and motivations didn’t read to me as though they had a ton of dimension or complexity, respectively. he just didn’t feel formidable enough and i was wondering how he made it so long and continued to thrive in the book. at some point, i almost started to question the prowess and intelligence of the good guys and how they hadn’t managed to dispose of that dweeb sooner. a very weak antagonist, if you ask me.

🪦 in conclusion

i almost wish that the first book was a longer standalone and we wrapped up there. this may have kept the story feeling crisp and novel for me, if so. don’t listen to meeeeee though because so many people are enjoying themselves with this, and you could very well too 🫶🏾.

[Jaime Fok · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We were three liars; unbelievers, performing faith.”
This quote essentially encapsulates the entire vibe of this book, and I loved it! Stories that dive into the power of faith vs wealth/greed and how dangerous it all can be in the wrong hands really work for me every single time. Faith and power can be a spectacle, and I loved all the bits in this story that pointed toward that.

I do love me some Rachel Gillig writing. I love how this series in particular feels gothic and atmospheric and eerie. But there is also a great sense of humour as well, and a lot of that comes in the form of banter between our main characters and of course... BARTHOLEMEW!!! We love a character that is funny & provides light, but also goes through an entire emotional growth journey on their own - and shows us their vulnerabilities and soft spots along the way.

The humour also doesn't just solely act as comedic relief - Rachel has this wonderful way of twisting these funny, nonsensical moments into these emotional full circle ones in the end - and it all just perfectly punches me in the gut (in the best way).

The magic in this duology is honestly just a vibe, I love how it's so tied to spirituality.

I do overall feel like the first book was stronger. This one felt a bit repetitive in the sense that it seemed like we went on almost the exact same journey we did in the first book? Obviously for different reasons, and we experienced different things - but the physical adventure we went on felt very much the same and I wish we played around a bit more with the plot structure. I also feel like the purpose of our characters got a bit muddy along the way at various points - it almost seemed like our characters forgot what they were trying to do, and so the story just felt a bit unfocused in moments.

All in all, I LOVE the way everything wrapped up - made me emotional. Gargoyle will be my love forever!

[Clace · Rating 1.75 out of 5]

I dont know why I willingly suffered an entire month trying to finish this- should've just dnf😔

[chloé ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"flowers grow in the strangest of places, Bartholomew. even cracks."

i’m so sad that this book was disappointing for me…

Bartholomew heavily carried this book on his poor back. i will love him eternally.

i will always adore the way Rachel Gillig’s brain works and i still enjoyed this story overall, but it definitely could’ve been better and hit harder in a lot of ways.

i've had a few days to think on how i feel and come up with some coherent thoughts. CAUTION: spoilers and honest opinions below!

the positives:

⏾ i love the idea of this duology; however, the execution of book two fell short. i loved book one, so it's not like i went into the sequel expecting not to love it. in fact, i thought it would be a five star read.
⏾ bartholomew + maude
⏾ the atmosphere

my personal issues with this book:

⏾ the plot felt a little too repetitive -- like the first book in reverse, in a lot of ways. this made me question whether book one should've just been a standalone, even with the plot twist ending.
⏾ the prose didn't hook me like book one. i fought the urge to skim far too often
⏾ rory and sybil's chemistry wasn't as electric here.
⏾ rory and sybil reuniting was honestly just disappointing and evoked zero emotion. it was TOO convenient, quick, and obvious.
⏾ in fact, many things felt too convenient. (for example, how easy the stone objects were to destroy, how benji basically trusted rory immediately again, etc.)
⏾ benji as a villain became a little cartoonish and over the top
⏾ sybil felt weaker as a character to me
⏾ the plot felt muddled and a little unfocused at times
⏾ we harped too much on a few things... sybil's abdominal injury, blood being hot and viscous, etc.
⏾ bartholomew was wonderful, of course, but i shouldn't have to rely on one character to carry the book when we have multiple leading characters that *should* be contributing emotionally to the story
⏾ the POVs could've been a little clearer (chapter headings, perhaps?)
⏾ the first half was really slow and, dare i say, a little confusing? maybe i just had a hard time getting invested despite being SO excited? this might be a me problem but i'm not sure.
⏾ benji being on the very brink of death and then just… whisking away to the tor was a little ridiculous?
⏾ maude’s death was either unnecessary or far too quick. it either needed to have a heavier impact and not feel so rushed… or it just didn’t really need to happen at all.
⏾ the ending was... i don't even know. but i didn't love it. the epilogue really did nothing for me.

after some thinking, 3 stars might even be a bit generous, but i am biased because i adore Rachel Gillig's writing and i loved book one. this was simply a let down…

will anything written by Rachel Gillig still be an auto-buy for me? 100% yes. i just wish i'd loved this particular story more.

”’it is the duty of a squire,’ he said, ‘to stand in when needed. and i will always be your squire, Bartholomew.’ he looked up into my face. ‘i will shoulder any weight you give me.’”

[Liana Gold · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one is more surprised than me at how much I liked this story. I disliked book one so much because of how boring everything just seemed to me. This started off great for me, I found this more interesting and overall enjoyable and I was hooked after the initial 40%. I loved Rory and his unwavering devotion and attention to Sybil. I loved Bartholomew and his selflessness. I loved everything about the little family circle they made. I did an immersive read for this and i enjoyed the audiobook a lot! The gothic aesthetic was chefs kiss.

Full review to follow!



___________________________
Bartholomew, oh how undignified. Did anyone see me fall?

Priorities. Reading this just for YOU, BARTHOLOMEW.

(Yes, yes The Knight and the Moth was my 2 star read. Don't come for me! In the words of Bartholomew.. I'm simply saying what's in my heart!)


This is SO MUCH better than book 1.

[Jono Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the first book, but unfortunately this was a huge letdown. So much of what made it feel fresh and original is replaced by generic romantasy tropes and, even worse, what basically feels like the same story told in reverse.

That’s especially frustrating with Sybil. She fought so hard in the first book to stop being someone else’s tool, only to have essentially the exact same thing happen again, with Benji stepping in for the Abbess as a far less interesting, painfully underdeveloped villain. Sybil spends most of the book incapacitated, while Rory is given surprisingly little to do, leaving both feeling like shadows of the characters they were before.

The side characters steal the show, and Gillig’s writing remains the saving grace, even if much of that lush, gothic storytelling feels missing. Things do pick up in the second half, but everything wraps up so conveniently it almost becomes comical.

Overall, this pales in comparison to the first book. It’s repetitive, heavy-handed, and ultimately does a disservice to the phenomenal world Gillig created the first time around.

[Uswah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.65 ⭐️

I had a feeling that I wouldn’t like this book, tho i was hoping that this book’d prove my feeling wrong, but it kinda didn’t 😭🤧

It wasn’t bad!!! There were definitely things I enjoyed, but overall I just couldn’t fully connect with the story 😢 Some parts had me invested 👀 and I was genuinely curious about where things were going, but other parts felt a little meh and dragged for me 😭🫠

The atmosphere was probably one of my favorite things tho 🙂‍↕️ It had this really interesting vibe that kept pulling me back in, even when the story itself wasn’t completely hitting for me. And there were moments where I was like “Okayyyy wait, NOW we’re getting somewhere.” 👀🤭

Butttt I also found myself struggling to stay fully engaged at times. Some things just didn’t land the way I wanted them to 💀😭

Btw, Bartholomew is still my favorite character of them all 🤭🥹🫶

Overall, 3.65 feels fair for me. Not a bad read, just not one that completely won me over. I’m glad I gave it a chance tho 🥹🫶 and I can definitely see why other readers might enjoy it more than I did!!!

Yea, that’s it guys. Love y’all 🫶🩶

————————————————————————————————
✴︎⋆°.⋆༺ ⚔ ༻⋆.°⋆✴︎ pre-read ✴︎⋆°.⋆༺ ⚔ ༻⋆.°⋆✴︎

Well, it’s time to read this book 🙂‍↕️ But honestly, I have a feeling I won’t like it 😭 I’m hoping it’s the opposite 🩶

[jasmine ☆₊⁺🦢🪽₊⁺★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

——✮∙˙ 6 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆
╰► 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸

✧ To know the world is, in some part, to mourn it, and what is the past, really, if not a portent? ✧

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ i. my thoughts ⋆｡°💭

⋮ ✦┆just a disclaimer: this will be a major spoiler review because i have too much on my mind for this to be a spoiler free review (plus my review for the knight and the moth contained major spoilers). now onto the review:

i cannot believe that this duology is over. around this time last year, i read the knight and the moth for the first time and it created such a dent in my reading journey that it’s now my favorite book of all time. and dare i say that this book is no different. i loved everything about it and i’m honestly glad i didn’t binge it because i got savor everything.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ ii. plot & writing ⋆｡°🎞️

⋮ ✦┆this book follows sybil delling, rodrick myndacious, maude bauer, and bartholomew work together to keep things hidden, play an important role, and most importantly…destroy the 5 stone objects of the omens through a series of tournaments created by the king, benedict castor the third, also know as their old friend benji. from the very beginning, my jaw was already dropped and gasps were already escaping my lips. like what do you mean it’s already sybil’s wedding day and rory was brought back to life with the spring water?? so much was thrown at me within the first 30 pages and i loved it!! i really loved the aspect of the tournaments in this book. lowkey any book with trials/tournaments are immediately getting read by me (give me recs if you have any) gosh i have so much on my mind yet i can’t seem to write it down because i’m still mourning the fact that i just finished the best duology ever. i was so investing in it that i truly didn’t want it to end. i was on the 7. edge of my seat a majority of the time and there wasn’t a single moment where i was bored.

❝ You know this story, Bartholomew, though you do not know all of it.❞

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ iii. characters ⋆｡°🌷

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ sybil delling ⋆｡°
⌞🔨⌝ ⋮ ✦┆this girl really couldn’t catch a break! every few chapters she was in pain because of the limestone in her stomach. and she was quite literally bleeding out. that part in the book when she was in her room and i think it was hamelin (?) who came in and threw her to the ground and literally kicked here stomach three times… that had me baffled like a motherfucker. and she always stood strong even in pain—especially when she kept getting denied to participate in the tournaments. i’m glad she finally got to compete though in the last trial even if it didn’t turn out great… the chime still got destroyed so that was good! oh and i had a theory that the stone in her eyes was gonna fade because of what bartholomew said, ”you know, i think there is something different about you, bartholomew. the light in your eyes has dimmed.”looking back after finishing the book, i realize that i was completely off because that highkey has no correlation. but anyways, sybil has always been a badass and she proved that even more when she fought benji! sybil delling will always be one of my favorite characters ever!!

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ rodrick myndacious ⋆｡°
⌞⚔️⌝ ⋮ ✦┆my man my man my fucking man. i can’t get over his facial expressions and his smirks in this book. i loved when him and sybil finally reunited during one of the tournaments and his name was “knave” because that’s what she called him. oh and he didn’t have any memory of her (or anything because died) and he still found her to be the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. i found that so romantic. also the restraint on rory is actually insane. he saw benji kiss her in front of him and he didn’t storm over and rip benji’s head off because he had a role to play. every time rory appeared i was foaming at the mouth. i actually need him so bad guys… also this quote: “sybil delling.”my woman.“with my killer.” MMMHMHMHMMM!! omfg and when rory won the divination and gave sybil his blood, the tension was fucking insane and…of course i was there for it.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ benedict castor ⋆｡°
⌞👑⌝ ⋮ ✦┆his little punk ass needed to go and i’m so fucking glad they finally got rid of him. he honestly just never knew when to give up. there were a few times where i didn’t really want him to die because of his relationship with everyone in the last book. but he continued to do even more stupid shit in this book that he just had to go. i liked that he threw the artful bigand’s coin to kill hamelin and essentially save sybil, but that was not enough. he’s such a pussy it’s almost sad. so, i’m glad he got the ending he deserved, especially after he basically killed maude with the coin. i hate him.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ maude bauer ⋆｡°
⌞🗡️⌝ ⋮ ✦┆i’m genuinely not okay. maude is such a strong woman and i loved her so much in this book and the last. i loved how she was a mother figure to rory, sybil, and benji even if she never wanted children. once i read that maude’s knees gave out, i started sobbing. fuck i’m lowkey crying right now just thinking about it. sybil repeatedly saying “i love you” to her while’s she’s struggling to breathe and rory crying. omg and then rory asked her if she would drinking the spring water to come back to life and she said, ”i’m sorry, my boy. this time…i cannot do as you ask.” WHY MAUDE?! she was king for a day and yet she made such a difference. tell them i did not die a sprite killer…the name bauer means something yet.” i’ll miss maude so much and i’ll be thinking about her for a while.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ bartholomew ⋆｡°
⌞🦇⌝ ⋮ ✦┆my beloved bartholomew delling…bartholomew has become my favorite characters i’ve ever read about. i love his so dearly it’s not even funny. i don’t play about bartholomew. this scene had me dead: ”the gargoyle huffed. he pulled a chunk of limestone from his shoulder, closed one eye in concentration, and threw it with such outstanding force it knocked benji off his feet.” LIKE HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE HIM?! also in the very beginnning when he had his ass up in the air looking into a rabbit hole, i laughed way too hard. i had some anxiety the whole book because i was afraid that something bad was going to happen to him. and well… as i made my way through the book and saw that more cracks kept appearing in his body and chunks were falling off, my anxiety get growing and my hope died out. you can’t imagine how bad i was crying when both maude and bartholomew died. two deaths in one chapter is insane of rachel gillig because just like sybil, i couldn’t catch a break. the relief i felt when they brought him back to life with the limestone from the tor… jeez it was a roller coaster. the ending of this made me cry even more because i realized it was the last i would be seeing of bartholomew (currently shedding tears as i write this). i love you, bartholomew.

❝Everyday is a new flower, a second chance—a rebirth—when you are Bartholomew.❞

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ iv. overall ⋆｡°⌛️

⋮ ✦┆ rachel gillig has such an amazing talent that i believe cannot be replicated. her characters are written with so much depth and you can tell just how much thought she puts into the storyline. this book is filled with so much adventure (just as the first book was), and just seeing how everything was laid out on the pages… it was all such a perfect experience. the wait for this book was so worth it and if you haven’t read this book but you’re reading this review, please read this duology. if you don’t love it, i hope you at least love bartholomew.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆v. quotes i loved⋆｡° 𓂃🖊

ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ "I've been in love with you. I didn't tell you before, because—because for a time I never had anything to fill my hands, and what I did get I gorged myself on before it could slip away. And even when I might have been brave enough to tell you how I felt, I didn't have the language. The enormity of my affection... there's no describing it. But I'll break apart if I don't try."

ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ ”I love you, Sybil Delling. More than anything. And whatever becomes of this world, I'II spend the time I'm afforded without an ounce of pride or disdain or godlessness. To know you is to forget all three. And I know that you think Traum has no need for its stone objects or false gods, but there is not a world that exists in which I have no need for you."

ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ I met each of their gazes, Maude's stoic and green, Rory's and the gargoyle's stone, and realized none of them had ever once peered into my eyes hoping to find themselves. They had always, always searched for me. "Not right now.”

ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ A loud hmpf sounded behind me. I pressed my lips together and kept my gaze forward. It was better, not looking at the gargoyle. Every time I did I laughed, something I quickly learned he did not appreciate.

── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──
ᝰ.ᐟ🌑 ⌗ pre read┆started august 31 | finished september 3 ˎˊ˗
MAMAS GOT HER COPY A DAY EARLY!!! I’M SO SO SO EXCITED!! i seriously don’t want this end guys 🤧 and i’m actually so pissed my classes started today because i just want to binge this 😩 but this is getting read within the week no matter what!

—
pre-release
rachel the knight and the moth is feeling lonely without this book on my shelf 😕 release it now? PLEAK 🙏🧎‍♀️‍➡️ the cover is so beautiful 🥲

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆ “𝕿𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝖜𝖍𝖔 𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝖚𝖕𝖔𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖋𝖊𝖊𝖑 𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖕𝖆𝖎𝖗, 𝕴 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖘𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖍𝖔𝖕𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖋𝖎𝖓𝖉, 𝖞𝖊𝖙. 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖉 𝖞𝖊𝖙. 𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖏𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝖍𝖆𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖊.” ° ࣪𖤐🫧⋆⭒°💫‧₊ִֶָ☾。

IM SOBBING AS I WRITE THIS REVIEW

˚₊ · ͟͟͞͞➳❥ read gorgeous gabbie's review ✨

I CANT BELIEVE THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD IS OVER. THIS IS BEST DUOLOGY OF ALL TIME. I WAS HOLDING MY BREATH, CACKLING, TOSSING MY EBOOK ACROSS THE ROOM, SOBBING, TEARING OUT MY HAIR, SCREAMING. I LOVE BARTHOLOMEW SO FKING MUCH AND I ADORE SYBIL + RORY 💖🫂🔨 THE PLOT WAS CLAUSTROPHOBIC IN THE BEST WAY I WAS ON THE EDGE OF THE SOFA WAITING FOR THEM TO MURDER JOFFREY BENJI AND THE GLADIATOR TRIALS WERE GENIUS. REST IN POWER MAMA MAUDE. THANK YOU TO 🦄🪽GABBIE🦄🪽 FOR SO PATIENTLY BUDDY READING THIS WITH ME NOW WE CAN SCREAM OVER THE ENDING TOGETHER 😭😭💔💔🥰🥰🥹🥹🫂🫂💖💖✨✨

ཐི༏ཋྀ 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉 ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆
BARTHOOOLOMEWWW

buddy read with gorgeous gabriela

࣪ ִֶָ☾. 𝓻𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓮𝓿𝓮 🌼💛✨🌙🪞⚡
BUDDY READ WITH GABRIELA ONCE IT RELEASES BC IM ON THE WEST COAST 🥹🥹🥹

⋆˙⟡ 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 :･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:
book one had me cackling, sobbing, and kicking my feet. you better believe im gonna eat this up on release day 😇

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ As someone who found the first book slightly underwhelming, I didn't have the highest expectations for this one. I think it’s important to keep in mind that this duology isn’t your typical fast-paced, action-packed Fantasy. Rather, it’s a character-driven story that focuses on developing relationships and exploring the lore that forms the series’ foundation. The first half was slow and repetitive, but it still managed to hold my interest until the second half picked up.

I continue to be impressed by just how immersive the writing and dialogue are. However, I would have loved for the author to delve deeper into Sybil’s perspective. At times, I felt somewhat closed off from her thoughts and emotions. But then again, maybe that distance was intentional: just as Sybil’s veil acts as a physical barrier between herself and the kingdom’s subjects, her emotional guardedness creates a similar barrier between herself and us, the readers.

Even if Sybil’s perspective left me wanting more, her relationship with Rory certainly didn’t. Rory’s devotion to Sybil was unparalleled. He gave us ALL the yearning that I didn’t know I needed from him!

Ah, the side characters. No one knows how to write them quite like Rachel Gillig. She crafts side characters who are just as memorable as the protagonists and have a far greater impact on the story than you might initially suspect. I couldn’t imagine this story without Bartholomew, and his mother-child dynamic with Sybil was SO precious.

The ending was perfectly satisfying. By the final chapters, I was so invested in these characters that I could have read an entire book dedicated to the events of the epilogue!

[Catie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars ⭐️

This was amazing. Rachel is just such an incredible writer. The world building, the magical system, the characters, the politics, the love, and the action is just so well written, with so much depth. I am truly just so enamored with this story.

Rory and Sybil are perfection. Their love and devotion for each other is extraordinary. You just feel their love through their actions for each other. They continued to have incredible chemistry and banter, and their support for one another was always unwavering. They have so much growth in this one, and support each other to be their best selves.

Bartholomew and Maude continued to be amazing. They both have so much depth, and both grew so much in this one.

I just love the found family here, and the support they all have for each other. It’s just so heartwarming how much they all love each other and will do anything for each other.

The ending had me in tears, but it was also so perfect. Honestly, I don’t think the ending could’ve been any better.

After reading some poorly written romantasy books lately, it felt so good to read a fantasy book that was so well written with so much depth in both the world and the characters. I’m so sad this series is now over, but honestly it was just so incredible.

~pre-read~
I am so excited for this

[Ayeley 𐙚 ·˚(editing reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

ᯓ★ 3.25-3.5 stars ✮⋆˙


·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ This is a big, huge meh for me.

╰┈➤ Look, maybe I’m just being overdramatic but I genuinely feel really let down by this book. And when I say let down, I mean really fucking let down. That doesn’t mean the book is bad in any way.

For what it’s worth, I was able to get into it way quicker than I did The knight and the Moth, and I don’t think I ever actually put this book down. It was also easier to read in a way.

╰┈➤ But when I read this book, I did not get the feeling The knight and the Moth gave me. I didn’t get that immense swelling in my heart that made me want to immediately close the book and start all over again just so I could find myself back in this world.

Instead, I was disappointed by so much of what happened.

And once again, disclaimer: that does not mean this is a bad book. Because it was good, I just didn’t love it the way I wanted to.


sᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀs ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ


·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ My main problem with this book, from my perspective, is Benji and everything surrounding him.

╰┈➤ Characters are allowed to piss me off. But the thing is, Benji feels like such a weak character to me. Not even just in terms of how he was written, but everything about him feels weak. He is such a weak antagonist that I genuinely, wholeheartedly believe he could have been killed at the very beginning of this mf book.

ᝰ.ᐟ I am not joking when I say a random passerby could have killed this boy. He is probably the easiest person to kill in the entire fucking kingdom.
And yet, somehow, I was at 92% and he was still fucking alive.


╰┈➤ Sybil had a chance to kill him at the beginning, and she didn’t. Then situation after situation kept happening where I was just sitting there thinking, surely this is when somebody finally kills him.

ᝰ.ᐟ Even when Rory got on him to beat him, he could have literally slipped a dagger into that boy’s stomach and called it a day.

ᝰ.ᐟ And I tried to understand the nuance. Like, okay, they’re family. There are complicated emotions there. Whatever, whatever, whatever.

But this boy was, excuse me for saying this, a cunt.
There was literally no reason to keep him alive.


╰┈➤ And then there was that fucking room scene.

ᝰ.ᐟ Everyone was just talking without giving a fuck. They’re in the room making guesses about the ox-eye concoction Sybil has been drinking, Bartholomew starts talking about the sprites and everything surrounding them, and they’re doing ALL of this while Benji is literally in the room.

Why the fuck are you in the room with this evil boy spilling elite knowledge?! They were practically explaining everything to benji.


ᝰ.ᐟ I genuinely thought I was losing my mind. That entire conversation blew my shit so badly that I actually went back and started reading from the very fucking beginning because I thought, Did I miss something? Did I miss a line where benji threatened them to speak

So I went back.
And there was no threat.
Just free will


ᝰ.ᐟ And then the moment Benji goes, “Well, I’m going to kill all the sprites then,” everyone is suddenly like

“HOW DARE YOU?!😱😱😱😱”

And I’m sitting there like, WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, BABY?!
What did you think was going to happen when you stood there and told this pos everything?!


╰┈➤ Anyways. We get to the duel between Benji and Sybil

ᝰ.ᐟ Talking about Sybil……WHERE IS MY QUEEN?!

Maybe I don’t remember the events of The Knight and the Moth that well, but I distinctly remember Sybil throwing hands down. Like, my girl used to throw the fuck down.

But in this book it just…left???

Where was the action?!

There was barely any action in this book in the way I expected there to be, and even the action toward the ending was so fucking underwhelming.


╰┈➤ Which brings me back to the duel.

ᝰ.ᐟ Sybil and Benji are fighting. She hurts him. His skull literally crashes against the floor. And then she’s supposed to hit him in the head with a hammer, and this girl goes:

Well, he’s already going to die.

GIRL.

GUESS WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENS NEXT?

Bauer and Rory come to hug Sybil, and while everyone is distracted, this motherfucker (who is supposedly already dying) snatches the coin and disappears.

WHY
WHY
WHY
WHY

ᝰ.ᐟ I hate when it’s time for the villain to die and all off a sudden we have “empathy🤓”
Why won’t you SMOKE THIS BITCH?! And let him die ONCE AND FOR FUCKING ALL.

It’s like nobody wanted to kill him, and he was genuinely the easiest motherfucker to kill in the entire book.

I am so upset.



·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ And then he goes off talking about second chances , and a whole series of things happen after that which, no shade, but I low-key lost track of.

I understood parts of it. I understood what was happening at certain points. But by the end, I was just sitting there like, Okay… so… what the fuck just happened?

The ending just felt really underwhelming to me.


·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ Anyways, the main positive of this book will forever be Sybil and Rory’s connection.

It’s still chemistry after chemistry after chemistry.

ᝰ.ᐟ Their witty banter is still there. Their dynamic is still there. Even though it felt like we barely saw them together (though they were mostly together) they still had their moments. The bathing scene. The first divination after Rory got his memories. Those little moments where you can still feel the chemistry between them.


But

BROOOOO


·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ I don’t even want to talk shit about this book because I genuinely enjoyed the first one so much.

This book is actually making me want to go back and reread the first book just to figure out whether I was doing too much with my praise for it, or whether that book genuinely deserves all the hype I gave it.

And honestly, I probably will reread it because there’s no fucking way.


╰┈➤ But I want everyone to understand that this book is by all means not a bad book. I’m deadass serious. It’s really not.

ᝰ.ᐟ Some part of me recognizes that. I know it’s not badly written. I still liked it. I was still smiling during some moments, even though I was talking to the fucking wall in anger for most of it.

It was still a good experience, and I was genuinely happy to be back in this world.

I was just… tapped out by the end.

And because of that, I can’t rate it lower or higher
(I’m lowk a hypocrite because if Aster wrote this I’d be on her neck for days😭✌🏾)

Would that things were different
I still enjoyed myself. I still liked being in this world.




➼ ➼ Pre- review ➼ ➼

Should’ve just breathed bruh🫩


╭──────────.★..─╮
         Pre-read
╰─..★.──────────╯

The bookstores are confused because I’m already camping for this book😭😭.

I’m not breathing till I get this in my hands

[Shaz ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Gods, I loved looking at her. Every line in her face was a story I wanted to know over and over again."

"I'll carry you, Bartholomew. I’ll carry you wherever I go.”

Ahhh, I forgot how beautiful Rachel’s writing is 🥹 Truly magical in every way.

I will admit the story dragged a little for me and the pacing felt a bit off, but I adore RORY AND BARTHOLOMEW with my entire being 😭🥹 I'm sad this wasn't a 5 star read like book 1 but overall I love this series 🩶

“Wherever she is, my home is there, too.”

"I’d been feeling blindly in my chest for the teeth marks she’d left in my heart—I hadn’t considered how fractured hers might be."

“You’re a mess, knave,”
“Then clean me, Diviner.”

Pre-read:
Time to be reunited with my yearning Knight and his slutty earrings 🥰 Let’s goooo Rory!! ⚔️

[karouzaa ۶ৎ (school-ia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

╰┈➤ 🌙 : the knave and the moon ⋆˙⟡

☆ ── ꒰ 🗝️ “To know the world is, in some part, to mourn it, and what is the past, really, if not a portent?.” ꒱ ❞ ‧₊˚

𖥻 my thoughts 🌙🕯️ ₊˚⊹ ᰔ

First of all, I ADORED the first book. The Night and the Moth had me feeling things, and I went into this sequel fully expecting another five-star experience. I was READY. I had expectations, emotions, and absolutely no idea that I’d spend half my reading time fighting the urge to skim. 😭📖 Unfortunately, something just wasn’t clicking for me this time🙇‍♀️. From the beginning, I had a feeling this wouldn’t be a favorite, and that feeling sadly stayed with me. The memory-loss trope was a big part of it😅. It’s just not something I particularly enjoy, and having Rory essentially start over when I’d already experienced his original journey made it difficult for me to stay invested. Watching him become so different after losing his memories was interesting in theory, but I struggled to connect with this version of the story🫣. The first half felt especially slow and, at times, confusing🌟. The plot also became repetitive, with the constant movement between locations, tournaments, and visions starting to blur together. I loved the world and the lore, but I found myself wishing the story would settle down long enough for me to actually absorb everything happening. My attention span was fighting for its life, and I fear it was winning. 🙂‍↔️

𖥻 characters & relationships 🦋🤍

⋆˙⟡ Bartholomew 🕯️

BARTHOLOMEW, MY BELOVED. 🥹🫂
I love him so much it’s actually embarrassing. He carried this book on his broken back, and I will be eternally grateful for his existence🤣. If I could award him a separate five-star rating, I would do it without hesitation. This gargoyle was doing his job, my job, and apparently the job of the entire narrative. Give him a holiday. Give him a medal. Give him whatever he wants🤌.

⋆˙⟡ Rory & Sybil 🌙

Their relationship didn’t hit the same way it did in the first book. The chemistry felt weaker, and their reunion didn’t evoke the emotions I’d been desperately waiting for. Things happened a little too quickly and conveniently for me. 🧍🏻‍♀️I was also frustrated with Sybil’s storyline. She fought so hard in the first book to stop being used as someone else’s tool, only for her to end up in a painfully familiar situation again😭. I wanted to see that struggle lead somewhere more meaningful for her.

⋆˙⟡ Benji 🃏

Benji as a villain felt a little over-the-top at times, and I struggled to take him seriously as an antagonist. Also, the fact that he was STILL alive when I reached 92% had me questioning whether this guy was immortal or if i missed something😭 I genuinely thought we were approaching the end, and there he was, continuing to exist😃.

𖥻 the plot & worldbuilding 🕸️📜

I genuinely enjoyed how the world expanded and how the lore connected to the characters’ personal journeys🌸. That was one of my favorite aspects of the book, and I still love the creativity behind this duology🥹 i also ADORE rory and sybil so much💗. However, some things felt far too convenient, from how easily the stone objects could be destroyed to how quickly Benji was trusted again. The different POVs could also have been clearer, and the plot occasionally felt unfocused. I wanted all these interesting pieces to come together in a way that felt more impactful🥲. and perhaps my biggest disappointment was that I didn’t feel the same emotional intensity as I did in book one. I wanted to be genuinely obsessed. I wanted to be highlighting everything, rereading passages, and bothering everyone with my thoughts. Instead, I was negotiating with myself not to skim another chapter. A humbling experience, really. 🥀

₊⁺ 𖥻 overall 🌙🤍 ⋆.˚୨ৎ

This genuinely makes me sad because I wanted to love this book SO badly🎀. I love Rachel Gillig’s imagination, I love the idea behind this duology, and I still think there’s so much to appreciate here💖. But for me, the execution of the sequel fell short of what made the first book so special. the memory-loss trope simply isn’t for me, or maybe my expectations were too high after loving the first book. I’m not ruling out a reread someday, because I do wonder whether a different mood might change my experience. But I also don’t want to force myself to finish books or pretend to love something just because I desperately wanted to. Three stars because there were things I genuinely enjoyed, even if the story never fully pulled me in. I’m sad this one didn’t hit harder but either way my love for the first book hasn’t changed and i would never forget it💘.
And Bartholomew? Five stars. Six, if I could 😔🙋‍♀️

⋆.˚ ★— started: 18 sept
⋆.˚ ★— finished: 16 oct
pre read: finished and that plot twist was NOT appreciated 😭 immediately starting the next book because i NEED to know what happens nowww 🙈 i’m so exciteddd 🫶🏻

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Nothing stains the mythical more acutely than humanity.”

My husband asked me who Bartholomew was after an IG story post, and now he thinks I have a thing for gargoyles. And let’s be honest, yes I do. At least one specifically has wriggled his way into my heart.

What a timeless and beautiful story Rachel has crafted. Written in her signature alliterative and lyrical prose, the atmosphere in this duology is almost folkloric in both its simplicity and depth.

When I first read The Knight and the Moth I was too lost in the characters and strangeness of the omens and their magic to consider much beyond the details, but on my reread I was struck by the themes of greed and power. How these traits seem to be cyclically tied to those who crown themselves rulers. I also love the ways that belief and faith are explored, and how societal values are presented as gods.

Our lovely and unlikely found family returns: the diviner, the king, the knights, and of course the gargoyle. They find themselves with goals that were initially similar and fundamentally different, on opposite sides of the coin so to speak. Champions for change, and yet the question is asked. Can the world ever truly change?

I’ll start with the king. Oh how I haven't loathed a character this much in a long time, especially for someone who was initially so guileless. His stupidity. His audacity. The lies that he knowingly feeds to the kingdom and to himself. And the horde mentality that panders to his carelessness is so well presented, it made me sick.

I usually love a villain I can empathize with, and there were times I did feel sympathy. But this story shows how someone who should be small and harmless and even ridiculous can become a catalyst for unimaginable horrors. How history is repeated under the guise of being remade. Where else have we possibly seen such a narrow minded, incompetent leader leave such a trail of disasters in his wake?

On to characters I do love, and I’ll start with the one everyone loves. Bartholomew is such a lovable conundrum. Endlessly curious and innocent, but also shockingly wise. He is somehow the perfect narrator and he instills so much hope (maybe because he never loses it and I feel like somehow that’s the whole point).

The diviner, the knight, and the knave. As someone who has to pretend to align with the king, Sybil’s journey feels the most hopeless, even as she works to slowly derail his gods. Rory and Maude and Bartholomew feel like pillars of strength when she survives on nothing but determination. Together they present humanity and so many different kinds of love. I wouldn’t say this story is terribly romantic per se, but there is a sort of romance in their devotion to each other, and in pursuing justice and truth as a unit.

I think it’s fitting that Rachel doesn’t provide an answer to the cycles of greed and injustice, but an offer of hope that the world can be better with time and intention. Her dedication ties this duology together perfectly.

“Flowers grow in the strangest of places, Bartholomew. Even cracks.”

Thank you so much to the beautiful Angelina read her review here and my mom for buddy reading. We were all on different timing, but still on the same page in our feelings for Bartholomew and dislike for the king.

5⭐️’s kindle and audio

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pre-read (dedication): ”To those who look upon the world and feel despair. I promise there is hope to find, yet. Love to spend, yet. There just has to be.”

Buddy read with my mom and the lovely Angelina 🖤

[amandathebookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh. Perfection. 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ & just one of the most touching stories. Rachel, you’ve done it again.


PLOT
After the ending of book 1, Sybil is more a symbol than she ever was & more hopeless than she’s ever been. When the king marches her around for a tournament meant to earn coin & loyalty, she aims to do just the opposite.
- book 2 in a duology
- best side character ever
- themes of religious weaponization & colonialism
- beautiful writing
- memory loss trope (don’t panic, it’s good & intentional), found family
- low spice


PROS
- Bartholomew is simply the best side character to ever exist. I couldn’t love him more if you paid me. The balance of unbridled silliness & whimsy against stunningly profound wisdom is truly a feat. I will love him forever.
- The story in this just got better. I think there are some devastating parallels to real life regarding hopelessness in the face of the powers at be, but the underlying message of hope was really special & important.
- I wanted to wring Benji’s neck so often. What a lil shit. & making me hate him so is fab writing.
- Speaking of, Rachel Gillig could write an 800 page ode to toilet paper & I’d eat it up. What a tremendous brain she has.
- Rory’s story in this was also very fun. I enjoyed him so much. He’s a fabulous character & his journey was great.
- The chemistry between Rory & Sybil remained so good & I sort of wondered how we’d keep it from book 1 but man oh man, what a delight.
- Obsessed with the found family. This truly is one of the best embodiments of it IMO.
- I welled up a lil bit.


CONS
- That it’s over.


5 star duology. I feel privileged to be alive at a time where Rachel Gillig is sharing her take on the world, one whimsical set of books at a time.

[Robin]

rachel gillig said hot lady knight fall is over it’s time for knave autumn 2026

also love yelling “knave!” we should bring it back

(shoutout to sarah for coining the knave autumn bit💕)

Bookstagram | Blog

[Samantha (ladybug.books) · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I (still) loved it Bartholomew.

The more time passes, the more I do have to admit that this is not a solid five star read for me. I had so much fun but the weaknesses in the plot/world building are starting to stand out over time.

(Emma me lowering my rating is not your fault!!!)

[luna ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

words cannot describe how truly sad i am that the duology has come to an end and gosh do i hate myself for binge reading it, should've savored it truly. who am i kidding though? the book was very fast paced and it made me want to turn to the next chapter. rachel, you are an absolute genius.

i love you, batholomew.


⋆˚𖤓˖° pre-read

after doing my endoscopy this morning, my mom treated me with buying the physical copy of this book. i'm a lucky girl. 🤭❤️

[Brooke 𝜗𝜚 · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

—— 4.5 ☆

❝𝓢𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓾𝓹 𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓸𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓸𝓷 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓪𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝓶𝓮: 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻-𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓽.❞

📖: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠

⤷ buddy read with Kelsey ♡ check out her review!

📜: 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 𝟹𝟻𝟹
🏷️: 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢
📆: 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝟿/𝟷𝟶/𝟸𝟼-𝟿/𝟷𝟿/𝟸𝟼
💬: 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
「 ”Aisling Cathedral is in ruins. Rodrick Myndacious, Bartholomew, and Maude Bauer are rumored to be dead and the king has taken Sybil Delling as his bride. To show off their union and solidify his power over Traum, Benji proposes a series of tournaments throughout the hamlets. Captive and drugged, Sybil remains determined to vanquished him as she once did the Omens, even if she destroys the kingdom's faith, and herself, in the process. But then a mysterious knave rises to the top of the lists, a man with no name and no memory who may just be Sybil's ticket to undoing Benji's power. For in a land where stories repeat themselves, where a king can prove as cruel as a god, the only way to truly destroy the Stonewater Kingdom's faith is to save it.”」

⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊⊱·✶·⊰₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹ ⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊⊱·✶·⊰₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹ ⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊⊱·✶·⊰₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

❝𝓝𝓸𝔀 𝓪 𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓯𝓪𝓵𝓼𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓭 𝔀𝓪𝓵𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓱, 𝓪𝓷𝓭, 𝓲𝓯 𝓽𝓸𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝓷, 𝓪 𝓯𝓪𝓻 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓼𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓽. 𝓜𝓮.❞

ᴍʏ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ★★★★½
ɢᴏᴏᴅʀᴇᴀᴅꜱ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 𝟺.𝟸𝟾 ☆ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ
ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ?: 👍🏼
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ꜱʜɪᴘ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀᴇᴄᴋ — ꜰʟᴏʀᴇɴᴄᴇ + ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇ
0:40 ———♡——— 3:54

⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

╭───
┆
╰⪼ and, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I said? I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed. and, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I did? did I drink too much? am I losing touch?

⊱ ────── {⋆ ‧₊˚♪𝄞 ⋆} ────── ⊰

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
🌙 ɢᴀʀɢᴏʏʟᴇꜱ
🌙 ᴇᴘɪᴄ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛꜱ
🌙 ᴋɴɪɢʜᴛ x ᴅɪᴠɪɴᴇʀ
🌙 ᴀᴛᴍᴏꜱᴘʜᴇʀɪᴄ ʀᴇᴀᴅꜱ
🌙 ɢᴏᴛʜɪᴄ ꜰᴀɴᴛᴀꜱʏ ᴠɪʙᴇꜱ

❝ “𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝓲𝓼, 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮, 𝓽𝓸𝓸.” ❞

⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊⊱·✶·⊰₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹ ⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊⊱·✶·⊰₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹ ⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊⊱·✶·⊰₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

💭: 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
• While I didn’t love this one as much as the first, don’t get me wrong I still loved it, but I found it a bit more dragged out at times & I was getting a little bored cause nothing was happening. At least Bartholomew was there to keep me entertained.
• All in all, this duology will hold a special place in my heart. I will miss visiting the Stonewater Kingdom.

⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊⊱·✶·⊰₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹ ⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊⊱·✶·⊰₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹ ⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊⊱·✶·⊰₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

❝ “𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓲𝓯 𝓲𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓻, 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽: 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓶𝓪𝓭𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓷𝓮. 𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓭𝓸 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱”—𝓘 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓼𝓶𝓲𝓵𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓿𝓸𝓲𝓬𝓮—“𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝔀𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓶𝓮.”

[Grace Harper]

pre-read 🥹

Starting in the morning!! Yayyyyyy

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I love you Sybil Delling. More than anything. There is not a world that exists in which I have no need for you." My heart, I love him so much! ❤️

I loved this book so much! ❤️ This was an amazing and heart wrenching gothic fantasy about power, family, second chances, and most of all love. The Knave and The Moon continues where the first book left off and in this book each of the characters go on an important journey of self discovery. This book has an epic tournament, secrets and enemies the characters must face.

Thoughts
I was completely immersed in this book from the very first page. I loved being back in this world and falling in love with the characters again. The plot was intriguing and the pacing was perfect throughout the book. I enjoyed the tournament and the focus on the characters past. The world building continued to develop and expand, especially learning more about the Diviners and the origin of the magic. The dark descriptions of places, magic and fantasy creatures brought the book to life. I enjoyed that the book was written from Sybil and Rory's perspective, I was able to understand them both at a deeper level and was able to learn about both their backstories. The writing was concise, descriptive and beautiful. The storytelling was excellent, I felt connected to the characters and their emotions. I loved that this story focused on several important topics and showing the complexity of the characters. I felt many emotions while reading this book, happiness, sadness, and anger. I teared up so much at end. The ending was exciting and heart wrenching as well as hopeful. This series and the characters will stay in my heart for a long time.

Characters
I loved Sybil, she developed even more in this book and her determination and bravery was very inspiring. I also loved that she had flaws, but learned from her mistakes to be a better person. I loved her interactions with Rory, Bartholomew and Maude so much, it was so heartwarming. The found family was well done. I adored Rory, he was so sweet, resilient, strong, brave, and protective of Sybil. His yearning was amazing and he was so obsessed with her, but at the same time didn't try to change her. I swooned at all the sweet things he did for her. Bartholomew was one of my favorite characters, he was so funny, wise, charming, sassy, and sweet. I laughed and kicked my feet at the funny things he said. I also loved Maude, she was brave, loyal, strong, wise, and caring.

Romance
The romance was excellent! Sybil and Rory have my heart and deserve the world. I loved that the romance started off as slow burn and the deep connection between them was amazing! It was realistic since it took time for them to share their feelings and it didn't feel one-sided. The romantic scenes made me blush so much. I loved that they communicated to each other and showed growth. I also loved the banter, I laughed a lot.

[dak · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬. 𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨—𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵.”

i have no words but 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙬 🖤🖤🖤 ohh and i would crawl on broken glass for Rory. that is all 🙂‍↕️✨

˖⁺‧ ཐི༏ཋྀ 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒦𝓃𝒶𝓋𝑒 & 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒟𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓇 ☾ ₊‧

but really what a beautiful and emotional adventure. my heart is so full. all the emotions were FELT lemme tell you!! give me some time to soak this in and gather my thoughts but wow just wow!! thank you Rachel 🥹🫶🏻

“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯.”

[Alya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughts
Oh I do hate binge reading ☹️ not ready for this world to come to an end -- It was a mixed emotions kind of ending to say the least 💔 I can't explain how much I love this duolgy -- the characters; the world building -- this book was genuinely everything I wanted and more! Rory!!!💘 oh lord where does one begin??? This man 🫠 the way he's so ALL or nothing for Sybil 😭 or should I say ALL for Sybil and nothing for everyone else attitude 😂 he's just so dedicated, so supportive it melts my heart 🥹
Sybil's character development was just so beautifully done, watching her gain confidence in herself, her strength as well as seeing the other side of the strong personality.
One of my favourite things about this author's writing is how much she focuses on the details whether it's the characters or the world itself she'll always have you feeling as though you're experiencing the journey or the world, at least that's how immersed I get into her books and one of the things that make me love this genre thanks to the way she delivers!

Plot Summary
With Aisling Cathedral destroyed and several key figures presumed dead, Sybil finds herself imprisoned and forced into marriage with King Benji. Determined to bring him down, she looks for a way to break his hold over Traum. Her hopes rise when a mysterious, nameless man with no memory emerges as a powerful contender in the king’s tournaments. Together, they may have a chance to challenge Benji, but saving the kingdom could be the only way to destroy the faith that gives him power.

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[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bartholomew remained my favourite part. 
Warning: you may cry, you might laugh, you’ll probably want to dress a statue in a pink dress. 

NON-SPOILER review for the SERIES:
Rachel pulls off the pacing well. Despite the trepidation I had at the suddenness of book one’s ending, the sequel picks up straight after and despite the slightly shaky and rushed (end and) start, the characters pull you along. 

"A hare?" 
"Not one hair, a great many, and all upon an adorable little creature." His fingers trilled excitedly. "I want to catch it and put it in my mouth and let it build a nest there."

Whilst not as atmospheric as One Dark Window, Rachel leaned into the current romantasy obsession with knights. Book one was about the rake, the sequel was about the knave. 

This was less descriptive and jumped from scene to scene. This kept it fast-paced even if the action scenes left something to be desired. 

"a story is like the moon. Every night, she is a little different, but ever beautiful, and ever to remain." Another sprite soared above me, dropping its shadow upon the tor. "I think," I said, grinning, "that a story is a kind of gargoyle. A multifaceted body, hewn facts and falsehoods—and made stronger for it."

It is hard to write a review for the sequel with the ending of book one being what it was. However, it had a satisfying ending. My favourite part was actually the last few pages because Rachel closed it off beautifully. 
3.5-3.75 stars.🌟 

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