Sue Child > Recent Status Updates

I'm also not feeling close to the characters, although I do still worry about Bartholomew. The reason I'm invested in them at all is because of book 1. I think it's a problem with character arc/development/agency and structure of the duololy. The world and story feel stretched a bit thin for a duopoly.

Although it's better than the beginning, I'm still struggling to pick it up and finish. I feel distanced from the story and oftentimes it's not immediately clear whose POV I'm in when there's a POV shift. tbc

It's got better. Main characters together on page. There's been an injection of tension from Sybil's goal - at last some agency! I didn't mind the characters practically living in their armour in Knight and the Moth until I did in Knave and the Moon.

For a romantasy, the romantic/sexual tension is lost. Tension, if any, between them is created by external happenings. Echoes of Pirates of the Caribbean in some of the wording.

There's been some overwriting. Only a bit, but enough for a nose wrinkle or two.

It's become more interesting, but has taken ages to get going and lacks page-turning tension. There is some interesting character depth from Rory's perspective, but it only fleshes out, via flashbacks, what we already know. The conflict is mostly plot/external rather than from the central relationship.

his armour is doing a lot of heavy lifting

The tourney is giving GRRM vibes and feels like a weak imitation.

up to page 91 continued Frustrating, as my first read of Knight and the Moth was 5 stars and second read was still over 4). I'm loving the characters because of Knight and the Moth not Knave and the Moon and I still love the gothic fairytale tone and prose, but not sure it's a 4 at the moment. Also the main characters first seeing each other at p91 seems a lot of time apart for the romantasy element.

Up to page 91: I'm not loving this as much as I expected. I don't like the <spoiler> memory loss</spoiler> it feels very convenient and contrived. There's a lot of plot so far and lots of coincidences. The main characters are kept apart, which feels forced. <spoiler> FMC doesn't recognise MMC as he's wearing a helmet yet we know how she knows his height, his voice his posture. I don't buy this. tbc</spoiler>

I'm loving the change to first person for this new POV! I'm liking the deep POV here (which I've been missing) and hoping we get more of this character depth in the next book and more of this character.

455 telling us what we already know, albeit to another character, is still repetition

Swann a bit unheroic here too