Book: The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
Reviewed by Rallie X
Rating: 5/5
Happy Ｔｈｕｒｓｄａｙ! So a fun fact about me is that for years, B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶ @spookysharkshow has referred to my brand as "sad books and songs about drowning" and this book fits both of those criteria perfectly (AND there's magic and a creature friend [sort of]). A lot of people have recommended The Knight and the Moth but it was B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶ @peachedparchment who told me to just read it already!
The first thing I have to say is a question - B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶ Rachel Gillig, why are you such a MONSTER??!?! No but in all seriousness, The Knight and the Moth is just a fantastically beautiful book with so much depth and emotion woven in, characters you have no choice but to care about (this fucking gargoyle is my life), and the gothic ambiance that feels perpetually drowned.
I started this as an audiobook and moved to ebook about halfway through, and loved it so much that I'm continuing the audiobook from where I'd left off because I just 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵, I 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. The narrator's choice for the gargoyle is immaculate and is what I heard in my head the entire time I was eyeball-reading.
B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶'̶s̶ Gillig's writing is both lyrical and weighty. I haven't read her other books, but if they are at all similar to this one I expect to enjoy them because it is the writing that really makes this book so fantastic.
B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶ Six stands out from other similar heroines in that she is never helpless, although she might need help. She begins the story with a quiet strength that surprises her more than it surprises others. She is not delicate like the gossamer she wears, but that doesn't mean there aren't tatters that need mending through the help and love of her newfound family. I loved that the entire time she kept the other Diviners close to her heart, they never took a backseat for her regardless of their relative unimportance (outside of tools for motivation) to others. Although I loved B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶ Rory (but what the fuck last name is "Myndacious"), my second favorite character (not counting the gargoyle who is actually my favorite of all of them because my god) was B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶ Maude. A middle-aged lady knight who has not - 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 - put down the sword until all the work is done, who genuinely cares for the younger people she has brought into her family, who makes room for B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶ Six and the gargoyle without question and with no strings attached.
The setting felt very fresh and new to me, and I love that the reader is kind of exploring B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶'̶s̶ Gillig's world along with B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶ Six as she leaves the cathedral for the first time. All of the places we travel to on this road trip to liberate the kingdom are related but distinct, and the domains of the Omens were just as uncanny and unsettling as the Omens themselves (the domain of the heartsore weaver especially gave me the heebie jeebies).
I love how B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶ Six begins her adventure, and most importantly I love how she is never alone. For some reason that feels so deeply important to me for this character. And again I cannot overstate how much I appreciated B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶'̶s̶ Gillig's choice to defy stereotype and make B̶a̶r̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶m̶e̶w̶ Six strong from the start - she has the body of a stone-carver, not a waifish or buxom priestess who must learn to fight (often unrealistically quickly). And did I mention how much I love the gargoyle?
I love the gargoyle.