The Knight & the Moth: Characters, spice, review, magic, triggers

Written By Esta Pinto

If you're here for a The Knight and the Moth review and guide, welcome. 

I’ll share the The Knight and the Moth synopsis, character lists and breakdowns, spice level assessments, and where to find the spicy chapters, whether for avoidance, or to skip straight there. 

I’ll also cover The Knight and the Moth trigger warnings up front, because consent and emotional prep matter. Whether you're here for knightly angst, moth metaphors, or just want to know how the magic system works, you’re in the right place.

Happy reading friends!

 

The Knight and the Moth synopsis.

From BookTok sensation and NYT bestselling author Rachel Gillig, comes the next big romantasy phenomenon: a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a prophetess who is forced beyond the safety of her cloister on an impossible quest to defeat the gods with the one knight whose future is beyond her sight.

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.

Get The Knight and the Moth here.

 

The Knight and the Moth characters.

The Knight and the Moth is narrated from a first person point of view, from a Diviner, known as ‘Six’’s (real name: Sybil Delling) first person perspective. The love interest is ‘the foulest knight in all of Traum’, Rodrick Myndacious. 

There are a host of interesting supporting characters, including a gargoyle, who for me, personally steals the spotlight, as well as a motley crew featuring another lady knight named Maude, and a young 17 year old boy-King Benedict Castor the third. 

Main characters.

Sybil Delling, the diviner.

Otherwise known as ‘Six’, our female main character Sybil Delling came to Aisling cathedral as a foundling child and was rescued by the abbess. She’s a curious mix of teacher’s pet, emotional sponge, and quietly rebellious gremlin. Her growth is slow, messy, heart-wrenching and satisfying.

Rodrick Myndacious, the knight.

Sybil initially calls Rodrick Myndacious, aka Rory, the foulest knight in all of the land. He challenges her worldview, and seems to loathe everything she stands for in the religious sense. However, he’s got layers and getting to unpeel them is quite satisfying.

Batlike gargoyle who calls everyone ‘Bartholomew’.

He lectures, he bawls and he’s got a heart of gold and an ancient wisdom alongside a dash of eccentric weirdness. He is without a doubt, the best character in the book. That’s all I’m going to say.

Supporting characters.

Below are all the characters, besides Six/Sybil, Rory and the gargoyle that we meet in The Knight and the Moth, including a list of some of the unnamed gargoyles, as well as mentioned characters who don’t appear on-page.

  • Maude Bauer

  • King Benedict Castor the third, aka, Benji

  • Fig (a horse)

  • The abbess

  • Hamelin Fischer

  • Avice Fischer

  • Tory Bassett

  • Brenna Bassett

  • Dedrick Lange

  • Helena Eichel

  • Jordy

  • Victor 

  • Aisling

Diviners.

The diviners are holy dreamers consisting of six women, who came to Aisling Cathedral as foundlings. They don’t have names, but we know them as:

  • One

  • Two

  • Three

  • Four

  • Five

  • Six (Six is Sybil Delling, our female main character)

Gargoyles.

There are twenty three gargoyles composed of limestone at Aisling Cathedral, and no two alike, bearing an unsettling combination of human and animal qualities, most fitted with wings and the gift of flight.

  • Batlike gargoyle who calls everyone Bartholomew

  • Feline gargoyle

  • Bear gargoyle

  • Serpentine gargoyle

  • Falcon gargoyle

  • Wolf gargoyle

Omens, on-page & mentioned.

  • The Artful Brigand 

  • The Harried Scribe 

  • The Ardent Oarsman

  • The Faithful Forester 

  • The Heartsore Weaver 

Creatures.

  • Mountain sprites.

  • Water sprite.

  • Tree sprites

  • Silkworm sprites.

  • Shale (rock) sprites.

Mentioned characters who don’t appear on the page.

  • Benedict Castor the First

  • King Augur

  • Ingle Taliesin

  • Rothspar

  • Bartholomew

The Knight and the Moth book review.

  • Spice level: 🌶
    1.5/5, mild to moderate spice

Some books draw you in gently. This one drowns you in a spring that smells like rotten flowers and pulls you under until you see gods.

I knew I was in trouble by chapter one thanks to a limestone gargoyle who calls everyone ‘Bartholomew’ with zero context. And I loved him immediately. He is full of wisdom and weirdness and adorableness, and if you didn’t come for him originally, you’ll stay for him. He’s perfect.

But that’s just the beginning. Rachel Gillig builds a dark fantasy world with a cathedral, perched on a tor, and it’s less a building and more a character in its own right. Inside, a cloying spring churns with magic. In it, six foundling girls ritually drown, so they can fall into a dream where they can divine omens from their gods.

At the heart of this story is Sybil, otherwise known as ‘Six’, our protagonist. Her growth is slow and heart-stirring. She’s complicated, naive and a 'teacher’s pet' yet also loyal, compassionate and curious.

I wasn’t her biggest fan at first, but she grew on me. What really pulled me in was the bond she had with the other five diviners, which was a loyal, fierce sisterhood.

What I found refreshing was that Sybil starts out physically strong and her character development is more around mental growth. No not like other girls/chosen one tropes. Just development that made me want to give her a hug.

Plus there’s also Rory, the foulest knight in all of the land. Or is he? Although he challenges Sybil's worldview, he also respects boundaries.

He asks for consent and sews. Lots of green flags. I'd take a bet that Pedro Pascal would approve.

Now, it wasn't five star worthy although I really wanted it to be. I can't really put my finger on why, maybe it's a "me" problem.

I wasn't quite as besotted with the main characters (gargoyle excluded obvs) and the magic system as I'd have liked to be perhaps. I think the magic system in One Dark Window/Two Twisted Crowns was also a lot more compelling for me, this one felt less impactful.

Additionally, I wanted more types of representation, as there wasn't much—no characters of colour—and a low key amount of queer rep.

Nonetheless, I’m sure we’ll all welcome the age diversity in a major side character: Maude is 41 and she’s fleshed out satisfactorily.

Quibbles aside, this story hooked me. It’s drenched in dread and beauty, teeming with grief, longing and desire to be seen not for what you do, but for who you are and who you might be.

Personally, I’m most enthralled and endeared by the gargoyle and think he’s one of my favourite characters in fiction this year. I may have rated this less if it wasn't for him.

If you loved The Shepherd King duology, you’ll probably love this too. And even if you didn’t, this one might change your mind.

 View my review and follow me on GoodReads here. I chat about books a lot.

The Knight & the Moth by Rachel Gillig FAQs.

SPOILER ALERT:

Some answers may spoil the book if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution.

Is The Knight and the Moth part of a series?

Yes, The Knight and the Moth is book one in The Stonewater Kingdom series. I can’t find information as to whether this is a duology or something more, but I will update as soon as I know. Watch this space.

What are the content and trigger warnings?

  • Religious abuse: physical and psychological

  • Body horror

  • Vomit

  • Grief/loss

  • Adult language + profanity

  • Emesis

  • Sexual content

  • Death of magical creatures

  • Grief/loss

  • Murder

  • Death

  • Animal death

  • Blood drinking

  • Violence

How many chapters are in The Knight and the Moth?

There are 31 chapters in The Knight and the Moth.

What is The Knight and the Moth’s age rating?

The Knight and the Moth is an adult dark fantasy romantasy, so the age rating is approximately for readers 18+ as it contains adult themes. Please see content warnings above for more information.

Is The Knight and the Moth spicy?

Spice level: 🌶

1.5/5, mild to moderate spice, one open-door scene, and others that aren’t that aren’t explicitly described that vary between kissing to closed door.

What are the The Knight and the Moth spicy chapters?

Whether you’re looking to avoid the spice and still enjoy the story or jump straight into The Knight and the Moth’s spicy chapters, I’ve got you covered! I’ve mapped out the swoony, spicy chapters and rated the heat using a capsicum-to-chilli scale. Here’s where to find all the chapters that earn that spice level rating.

  • Chapter 19: 🫑

  • Chapter 24: 🫑🫑🫑

  • Chapter 25: 🌶️🌶️

  • Chapter 26: 🫑

Enjoyed reading The Knight & the Moth? You may also enjoy reading:

Esta Pinto
Next

The Floating World: Synopsis, characters, book review & FAQ