The Knight and the Moth

By: Rachel Gillig

Narrated by: Samantha Hydeson

From NYT bestselling author Rachel Gillig comes the next big romantasy sensation, a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a young prophetess forced on an impossible quest with the one knight whose future is beyond her sight. Perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Leigh Bardugo.

Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil's visions. But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.

©2025 Rachel Gillig (P)2025 Orbit

Critic reviews

"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

"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

Incredible

10/10. This is a must read, one of my favorites books of the year!

A step into a different world

Wow, what an adventure! Rachel Gillig is a master storyteller. The way she can design an immersive world that needs no breath to drown in is flawless. Each of her books is like that scene from Legend when Mia Sara/Princess Lili first meets the unicorn with Jack, the first step is ethereal.
As usual, I didn't read the blurb because I don't like the distraction of knowledge when it comes to my slam dunk authors. Perhaps, I should've for this one. It took a hot min to get into this book and I kept going back chapters bc I was completely lost. Though, this is typical of me since I have the focus of a toddler. Once I got back on track, it flowed like a river.
This was definitely a slow-burn. So slow, I didn't expect the smootching + when it finally happened. As a matter of fact, I didn't feel the relationship going that was till they mushed faces. I knew they were, but I didn't get heart of kitty vibes from Six.
That ending, yo! Color me surprised.
Is this my favorite book of 2025? It's up there, but not in my top 5. Was I blown away? No. Will I get the next book? Ofc!

Unexpectedly Great!

I have been on an Audible binge for the last week and I Have to say this is probably the best Romantasy I have read in a while. The story is very well paced. And you really get a feel for the characters and thier stories. Although the ending was not that big of a surprise if you really pay attention. the world building is also very good!

It was Good

First and foremost, I must commend the Narrator’s exceptional performance. The story was generally enjoyable, although it did drag slightly for me. However, it picked up significantly towards the end. I don’t perceive this as an adult fantasy novel, except for a few instances where its removal would make it feel more like a Young Adult or New Adult story. The gargoyle serves as the central character and my personal favorite.

Slow Start, Strong Finish— Gargoyle is BB Girl

Wellllllllll. I’ll say that this was a slow start for me— the world building and lore dump in the beginning felt a little tedious. It was interesting, it just didn’t have my rapt attention and took a bit of extra focus for me to truly absorb. Around 20ish% in I started to really become engrossed in the story and characters. And I will say that the ending kind of brought me full circle and made the beginning much more interesting upon reflection— which is why I decided on a full 5⭐️ despite my feelings early on.

MCs had great banter and chemistry, side characters had strong and dynamic relationships, and I grew very fond of quite a few characters (read: gargoyle lol).

The story was very interesting, quite twisty, and while some things may have been a bit predictable, others definitely were not… or at least not fully??? Anyways, it was a good time and I’m really anticipating the next book in the duology.

I crieddddd so hard

The narrator was perfect and I loved the Gargoyle’s voice. A beautiful love story and then the jaw dropping cliffhanger! Rory and Sybil 💕💕💕

So good.

I was enraptured the entire time I read. But sigh, that cliffhanger. Gonna be a long wait till the next book comes out.

Loved it!!!

Rachel did it again with another great story! The world building, the characterization, the beautiful writing—it was all done so well! Dare I say that I liked this one even better than One Dark Window. There were themes that really resonated with me. And the romance was a top tier slow burn! Also, the gargoyle!!! I love him so much! I can’t wait for the next book to continue with these characters and story.

Wow wow wow!!

I loved the Shepherd king duology and was excited to see if this could compare. Happy to say this book exceeded all expectations. The magic system the story the performances I would change nothing except to have book two in my hands today! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Bartholomew!!

I knew that cliffhanger was coming but wasn't expecting it. Rachel gillig ! You did your thing!