Tag Archives: Rachel Gillig

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Audioboo Review: The Knight and the Moth, by Rachel Gillig

I borrowed a copy of Rachel Gillig‘s The Knight and the Moth through Libby for a road trip.

the knight and the moth audio cover

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.

my review

I really enjoyed this. The heroine was kind, strong, and determined to save herself and everyone else. There were some serious elder daughter vibes going on there. But I did find that she triumphed in ways and moments that she really shouldn’t have. The MMC was wonderful, loyal, and interesting. A little less so after he and the FMC pair up, though. He morphed into a generic perfect boyfriend. Maude and the bat-winged gargoyle were marvelous side characters, the gargoyle especially. He added the humor and comic relief that the story needed. And the world was intriguing, with a subtle kind of magic.

There is a lot to appreciate, but I did find almost everything, even the twist at the end, pretty predictable, and it ends on a cliffhanger. But the narrator,  Samantha Hydeson, did a marvelous job with the narration. It was a pleasure to listen to. 


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🎧 The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

 

the shepherd king duology

Book Review: Shepherd King Duology, by Rachel Gillig

I was given a paperback copy of Rachel Gillig‘s One Dark Window and then purchased a copy of the sequel Two Twisted Crowns.
the shepherd king covers

Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.

Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

my review

I very much enjoyed this series, the second book slightly more than the first. The villains are a bit cliched, and the focus remains closely focused on the main characters, such that there is little sense of the rest of the people in the world. But the main characters are all interesting and engaging in their own way. I adored Nightmare and his genuine affection for Elspeth, but honestly, they all have qualities I appreciated (not least of which was the genuine familial love on display). The magic of the world is really interesting, the writing is easy to read, and the conclusion is satisfying. I’ll pick up another Gillig book, happily.

the shepherd king duology


Other Reviews:

Series Review: The Shepherd King