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The Stonewater Kingdom #2
The Knave and the Moon
Rachel Gillig, the queen of gothic romantasy, returns with higher stakes, darker mysteries, and deeper longings in this gorgeous sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling sensation
The Knight and the Moth.
Aisling Cathedral is in ruins. Rodrick Myndacious, Bartholomew, and Maude Bauer are rumored to be dead—and the king has taken Sybil Delling as his bride. To show off their union and solidify his power over Traum, Benji proposes a series of tournaments throughout the hamlets. Captive and drugged, Sybil remains determined to vanquished him as she once did the Omens, even if she destroys the kingdom’s faith—and herself—in the process.
But then a mysterious knave rises to the top of the lists, a man with no name and no memory who may just be Sybil’s ticket to undoing Benji’s power. For in a land where stories repeat themselves, where a king can prove as cruel as a god, the only way to truly destroy the Stonewater Kingdom’s faith is to save it.
Aisling Cathedral is in ruins. Rodrick Myndacious, Bartholomew, and Maude Bauer are rumored to be dead—and the king has taken Sybil Delling as his bride. To show off their union and solidify his power over Traum, Benji proposes a series of tournaments throughout the hamlets. Captive and drugged, Sybil remains determined to vanquished him as she once did the Omens, even if she destroys the kingdom’s faith—and herself—in the process.
But then a mysterious knave rises to the top of the lists, a man with no name and no memory who may just be Sybil’s ticket to undoing Benji’s power. For in a land where stories repeat themselves, where a king can prove as cruel as a god, the only way to truly destroy the Stonewater Kingdom’s faith is to save it.
353 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2026
About the author
Rachel Gillig
9 books33.8k followersRachel Gillig was born and raised on the California coast. She is a writer, with a B.A. in Literary Theory and Criticism from UC Davis. If she is not ensconced in blankets dreaming up her next novel, Rachel is in her garden or walking with her husband, son, and their poodle, Wally.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,105 reviews
September 7, 2026
SOMEBODY MURDER ME. TAKE ME BACK. Rachel, you genius. It never ceases to amaze me how she writes so melodically, I feel as though I’ve just read the most enchanting music piece! My body is in pain. My heart is burning. This was all-encompassing beautiful TORTURE. WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE OVER BARTHOLOMEW WHY!!
━━ ⊱⋆⊰ ━━
pre-read ཐི༏ཋྀ ⊹
ITS HEREEEEEE EVERYBODY PANIC
━━ ⊱⋆⊰ ━━
pre-release ཐི༏ཋྀ ⊹
Me cutely and adorably staring at Rachel Gillig through her window until she releases this book 🧍🏼♀️
ONE MORE DAY LEFT. I REPEAT. ONE MORE DAY!!!! 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️ (Waterstones if you don’t deliver my preorder in time I will make you rue the day you were born)
EDIT: ITS HEREEEE (MY BOOK ISN’T BUT THE RELEASE DATE IS WHOOP WHOOP. If you witness a Waterstones actively being burned to the ground, mind your business..)
━━ ⊱⋆⊰ ━━
pre-read ཐི༏ཋྀ ⊹
ITS HEREEEEEE EVERYBODY PANIC
━━ ⊱⋆⊰ ━━
pre-release ཐི༏ཋྀ ⊹
Me cutely and adorably staring at Rachel Gillig through her window until she releases this book 🧍🏼♀️
ONE MORE DAY LEFT. I REPEAT. ONE MORE DAY!!!! 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️ (Waterstones if you don’t deliver my preorder in time I will make you rue the day you were born)
EDIT: ITS HEREEEE (MY BOOK ISN’T BUT THE RELEASE DATE IS WHOOP WHOOP. If you witness a Waterstones actively being burned to the ground, mind your business..)
September 4, 2026
I LOVE BARTHOLOMEW, I LOVE RORY, I LOVE SYBIL, I LOVE MAUDE, I LOVE RACHEL’S WRITING. I LOVE THIS DUOLOGY!!!!
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pre-read
IS IN MY HANDS!!! IM A BUSY WOMAN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!!!!!! no but actually I can’t believe I’m finally going to read this😭
_________
ONLY A FEW HOURS UNTIL THIS IS IN MY HANDS!!!!!!!!
_______
big lover of the gold in the cover😌
________
NO ONE NEEDS THIS BOOK MORE THAN ME!!!!!! and I mean that😩 everyone knows how obsessed I am with tkatm. How am I supposed to wait a whole year for this?🧍🏻♀️
What kind of sorcery I need to do to get an arc of this?😭🤚🏻
__________
pre-read
IS IN MY HANDS!!! IM A BUSY WOMAN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!!!!!! no but actually I can’t believe I’m finally going to read this😭
_________
ONLY A FEW HOURS UNTIL THIS IS IN MY HANDS!!!!!!!!
_______
big lover of the gold in the cover😌
________
NO ONE NEEDS THIS BOOK MORE THAN ME!!!!!! and I mean that😩 everyone knows how obsessed I am with tkatm. How am I supposed to wait a whole year for this?🧍🏻♀️
What kind of sorcery I need to do to get an arc of this?😭🤚🏻
September 9, 2026
Oh, Bartholomew… this was perfect. How Rachel Gillig always makes her second book better than her first is beyond me. STORIES ARE SO IMPORTANT!!! That’s my biggest takeaway from this, that in order for history to not repeat itself it can’t just be told by the victors. I love all of these characters so much.
September 5, 2026
“We were three liars; unbelievers, performing faith.”
This quote essentially encapsulates the entire vibe of this book, and I loved it! Stories that dive into the power of faith vs wealth/greed and how dangerous it all can be in the wrong hands really work for me every single time. Faith and power can be a spectacle, and I loved all the bits in this story that pointed toward that.
I do love me some Rachel Gillig writing. I love how this series in particular feels gothic and atmospheric and eerie. But there is also a great sense of humour as well, and a lot of that comes in the form of banter between our main characters and of course... BARTHOLEMEW!!! We love a character that is funny & provides light, but also goes through an entire emotional growth journey on their own - and shows us their vulnerabilities and soft spots along the way.
The humour also doesn't just solely act as comedic relief - Rachel has this wonderful way of twisting these funny, nonsensical moments into these emotional full circle ones in the end - and it all just perfectly punches me in the gut (in the best way).
The magic in this duology is honestly just a vibe, I love how it's so tied to spirituality.
I do overall feel like the first book was stronger. This one felt a bit repetitive in the sense that it seemed like we went on almost the exact same journey we did in the first book? Obviously for different reasons, and we experienced different things - but the physical adventure we went on felt very much the same and I wish we played around a bit more with the plot structure. I also feel like the purpose of our characters got a bit muddy along the way at various points - it almost seemed like our characters forgot what they were trying to do, and so the story just felt a bit unfocused in moments.
All in all, I LOVE the way everything wrapped up - made me emotional. Gargoyle will be my love forever!
This quote essentially encapsulates the entire vibe of this book, and I loved it! Stories that dive into the power of faith vs wealth/greed and how dangerous it all can be in the wrong hands really work for me every single time. Faith and power can be a spectacle, and I loved all the bits in this story that pointed toward that.
I do love me some Rachel Gillig writing. I love how this series in particular feels gothic and atmospheric and eerie. But there is also a great sense of humour as well, and a lot of that comes in the form of banter between our main characters and of course... BARTHOLEMEW!!! We love a character that is funny & provides light, but also goes through an entire emotional growth journey on their own - and shows us their vulnerabilities and soft spots along the way.
The humour also doesn't just solely act as comedic relief - Rachel has this wonderful way of twisting these funny, nonsensical moments into these emotional full circle ones in the end - and it all just perfectly punches me in the gut (in the best way).
The magic in this duology is honestly just a vibe, I love how it's so tied to spirituality.
I do overall feel like the first book was stronger. This one felt a bit repetitive in the sense that it seemed like we went on almost the exact same journey we did in the first book? Obviously for different reasons, and we experienced different things - but the physical adventure we went on felt very much the same and I wish we played around a bit more with the plot structure. I also feel like the purpose of our characters got a bit muddy along the way at various points - it almost seemed like our characters forgot what they were trying to do, and so the story just felt a bit unfocused in moments.
All in all, I LOVE the way everything wrapped up - made me emotional. Gargoyle will be my love forever!
September 9, 2026
No one is more upset than I, Bartholomew, to see that three star rating at the top of this. When I finished this book and a friend immediately asked me what I thought, she got a voice note from me where I said, in a very small voice, "I don't...I don't think I liked it."
What I think could have been quite good about the book is the antagonist and ultimately what a weak antagonist he is. Purposely so! He's childish and impulsive, everything he does is fueled by a massive chip on his shoulder, he's a bit stupid, and a lot of the conflict in the book is downstream of having a person like that in a position of power, which I think is very interesting. Think of someone like Joffrey in Game of Thrones (I can reference only the TV show here); displays very little politcal acumen or strategic knowledge, basically a child with an ant farm he wants to shake, and that childishness becomes terrifying when it's emboldened by a system that gives him massive amounts of power and virtually no checks on it. Where I think this story is left wanting is in having that character and not having a well-rounded system to prop him up. The weakness of the antagonist becomes a genuine narrative weakness when you're left reading it like, 'well, okay, someone should just stab him and be done with it because we have no reason to think there would be any lasting consequences of that.'
In short, an interesting antagonist that exists in a flimsy system is left feeling flimsy altogether.
That's only one of many issues I had with this book, but ultimately I think is a good exemplar. This was just not a strong showing, which I am severely bummed about because of how much I ADORE The Knight and the Moth! A rare five star book for me and one which I loved re-reading and remembering that for all the problems I have with a lot of the current romantasy trend, it CAN be done very well!
This ended up being a very weak sequel. Much of the plot feels conveniently placed for convenience's sake and the whole narrative feels claustrophobic, which was a feeling I had to sit with for a while to figure out where it was coming from because structurally this book is an exact mirror image of the first, so why did this one feel more closed off? What I've arrived at, I think, is that the change in circumstances from the first book to this second one I think necessitated the world and our perception of it expanding, but they ultimately don't. What felt new and expansive in the first book suddenly feels confined in this one when we're retracing the same steps.
And in things that are out of the author's hands, I think this book also suffers a bit from Orbit's continuing problems with editorial. WHAT is going on over there? This is the third Orbit book I've read this year and the third that has had at least some small amount of glaring line editing issues. I'm really surprised to see this plauging even one of their biggest authors (if not THE biggest author they're publishing right now), though it's much less of a problem here than I saw in others. There were at least a couple scenes where a misused word or a seemingly forgotten piece of armor necessitated reading a scene three or four times and consulting with a friend about what was going on in that moment.
I do not wish to be all doom and gloom though! I really do like the prose here, I (mostly) like where this story ends, and our core characters I think do shine. Rachel Gillig is a VERY good character writer (though, if I'm being honest, I think book 1 is doing a lot of heavy lifting there) and it's not like I was struggling not to DNF or anything at any point. While this will go into the category of books I won't be revisiting, it does not diminsh how much I loved - and still love - the first book and these characters, and it won't keep me from continuing to be excited to see what she brings next.
What I think could have been quite good about the book is the antagonist and ultimately what a weak antagonist he is. Purposely so! He's childish and impulsive, everything he does is fueled by a massive chip on his shoulder, he's a bit stupid, and a lot of the conflict in the book is downstream of having a person like that in a position of power, which I think is very interesting. Think of someone like Joffrey in Game of Thrones (I can reference only the TV show here); displays very little politcal acumen or strategic knowledge, basically a child with an ant farm he wants to shake, and that childishness becomes terrifying when it's emboldened by a system that gives him massive amounts of power and virtually no checks on it. Where I think this story is left wanting is in having that character and not having a well-rounded system to prop him up. The weakness of the antagonist becomes a genuine narrative weakness when you're left reading it like, 'well, okay, someone should just stab him and be done with it because we have no reason to think there would be any lasting consequences of that.'
In short, an interesting antagonist that exists in a flimsy system is left feeling flimsy altogether.
That's only one of many issues I had with this book, but ultimately I think is a good exemplar. This was just not a strong showing, which I am severely bummed about because of how much I ADORE The Knight and the Moth! A rare five star book for me and one which I loved re-reading and remembering that for all the problems I have with a lot of the current romantasy trend, it CAN be done very well!
This ended up being a very weak sequel. Much of the plot feels conveniently placed for convenience's sake and the whole narrative feels claustrophobic, which was a feeling I had to sit with for a while to figure out where it was coming from because structurally this book is an exact mirror image of the first, so why did this one feel more closed off? What I've arrived at, I think, is that the change in circumstances from the first book to this second one I think necessitated the world and our perception of it expanding, but they ultimately don't. What felt new and expansive in the first book suddenly feels confined in this one when we're retracing the same steps.
And in things that are out of the author's hands, I think this book also suffers a bit from Orbit's continuing problems with editorial. WHAT is going on over there? This is the third Orbit book I've read this year and the third that has had at least some small amount of glaring line editing issues. I'm really surprised to see this plauging even one of their biggest authors (if not THE biggest author they're publishing right now), though it's much less of a problem here than I saw in others. There were at least a couple scenes where a misused word or a seemingly forgotten piece of armor necessitated reading a scene three or four times and consulting with a friend about what was going on in that moment.
I do not wish to be all doom and gloom though! I really do like the prose here, I (mostly) like where this story ends, and our core characters I think do shine. Rachel Gillig is a VERY good character writer (though, if I'm being honest, I think book 1 is doing a lot of heavy lifting there) and it's not like I was struggling not to DNF or anything at any point. While this will go into the category of books I won't be revisiting, it does not diminsh how much I loved - and still love - the first book and these characters, and it won't keep me from continuing to be excited to see what she brings next.
September 13, 2026
No one is more surprised than me at how much I liked this story. I disliked book one so much because of how boring everything just seemed to me. This started off great for me, I found this more interesting and overall enjoyable and I was hooked after the initial 40%. I loved Rory and his unwavering devotion and attention to Sybil. I loved Bartholomew and his selflessness. I loved everything about the little family circle they made. I did an immersive read for this and i enjoyed the audiobook a lot! The gothic aesthetic was chefs kiss.
Full review to follow!
___________________________
Bartholomew, oh how undignified. Did anyone see me fall?
Priorities. Reading this just for YOU, BARTHOLOMEW.
(Yes, yes The Knight and the Moth was my 2 star read. Don't come for me! In the words of Bartholomew.. I'm simply saying what's in my heart!)
This is SO MUCH better than book 1.
Full review to follow!
___________________________
Bartholomew, oh how undignified. Did anyone see me fall?
Priorities. Reading this just for YOU, BARTHOLOMEW.
(Yes, yes The Knight and the Moth was my 2 star read. Don't come for me! In the words of Bartholomew.. I'm simply saying what's in my heart!)
This is SO MUCH better than book 1.
Currently Reading
September 7, 2026Lets see how this goes 😗 The covers so damn pretty tho-
Buddy reading with Hoda
Buddy reading with Hoda
September 8, 2026
2.5 ⭐️ i’m sawri 😭😭. i thought i would love this, truly, but i’m whelmed. and not the over kind. i was contemplating giving this a 3 but it took me staring at the wall for half an hour upon finishing to really digest that i felt nothing for any single character except bartholomew, and the magic of book 1 didn’t persist for me. i’m so sad, because i really banked on this being a hit ☹️.
this rating probably makes most sense if i frame it within the context of how i felt about the knight and the moth. i’ll break down my review of that book into three key takeaways:
#1
what i loved most about it — the main thing that made me give it 4 stars at the time — was how unique the story and the worldbuilding was. it felt like a completely new story to me, especially in a sea of very similar-feeling (popular) romantasies. this fresh feel and the lush writing is what made me enjoy that book as much as i did.
#2
i didn’t, however, really find myself connected to the mcs all that much. i liked sybil more than i did rory, but both were characters i wouldn’t say i felt a big draw to. i thought rory was a boring hero, especially. i also found myself apathetic towards the romance in there, and mentioned a hope around book 2 converting me on that piece.
#3
bartholomew was in fact pookie — my favourite character by a landslide. he was the other main contributor to my 4 star rating on book 1.
now, reflecting on these things from my first go-around with this story, i’ll link the thoughts that i have about the sequel to my initial feelings on its predecessor. this is therefore not really a review — it’s just a reflection. the “critiques” that i have aren’t even that. it’s really all about how i felt, so it’s more of a personal wrap-up.
🪦 the uniqueness and fresh storytelling
i lost some of that novelty i felt around the world, its constructs and the storytelling when this sequel devolved into the same tropes and plot devices we see in many a romantasy — trials (disguised as tournaments), large amounts of time spent on hauling ass / travelling, mcs seperated by amnesia, etc. if you like these things, you will enjoy them here as well, but because i wanted to keep feeling that newness and wonder i initially felt when i picked up the first book, these done-so-many-times-before aspects didn’t hit home for me. book 1 also had something of a quest, but it was fun because it felt like a scavenger hunt for the omens and the lore was lore-ing — which again, gave the story something of a fresh feel. we were going somewhere that mattered. the plot progression in here though? i really didn’t care about them damn tournaments 🥲, and since a lot of the lore wasn’t new anymore, this read felt incredibly stale for me. the whole thing felt pointless compared to the quest in the first book.
i also found the pacing of this one uneven. despite the fact that the book is only 350 pages, it felt really slow for a long time there. this could be my own fault though, since i read it piecemeal — i read a couple chapters at a time, and broke off to go read something else on several occasions — and i think i came back to this with marginally less enthusiasm each time that i returned. that could very well be why i felt it dragging me along and my enjoyment with it waning (because i was having a pretty decent time in the beginning). then, i was walloped with a very chaotic and crammed ending. the resolution felt quite rushed.
the writing was just ok for me? it felt better in the first one. maybe it’s that i’ve read some fantasy favourites recently that served some stand-out writing — but the prose in here kinda paled in comparison. it wasn’t bad by any means, but i wasn’t as deeply stirred by the delivery as i was expecting to feel.
🪦 the characters and the romance
i STILL didn’t feel all that connected with the mcs in here or care too much for the love story. the amnesia trope ruined things for me a bit but that’s a personal preference since i don’t get on with that device much, rare exceptions aside. the resolution of that problem also felt unintuitive to me.
and what was the vampirism about? their chemistry wasn’t really sizzling for me either.
honestly, rory just doesn’t DO anything for me. i tried to feel SOMETHING, to the point i sprung a headache during my tussle with the second half (which i did read continuously). i don’t dislike him at all but he’s just so bland and uninteresting to me 😭. i wanted to love him like everyone else does, but i just didn’t. adding his pov to this book was more of a hindrance for me than a good thing, because i was wholly disinvested in his character. if i recall, book 1 was single pov (sybil’s) — we could have kept it that way and i wouldn’t have minded. something about their voices didn’t feel easily distinguishable from one another either (and i’m talking about a print version since i read on my kindle). it wouldn’t always be quick for me to tell who’s pov i was in right from jump because their povs were written homogeneously. again, keeping to single would have been preferred for me.
also somewhat linked to character work, i lost the found family vibe that i got from the first book in this one. the diviners, and then even the gang hunting down the omens together in book 1, had their own brands of camaraderie that appealed to me. this book didn’t have that for far too long. and no, i don’t count benji’s bandits lmao. idk, things just felt a bit isolated. it tried to get it together in the second half, but i think it was too late for me to start caring all that much.
🪦 bartholomew
he was still the best thing to happen to me with this story. he was so funny and endearing, and the moments i felt the needle moving most with this sequel were ones he was involved in. this, at least, remained consistent from my experience with the knight and the moth. it’s just not enough for me to go any higher on the rating for this whole read.
🪦 another thing
one of my biggest issues with this book is how i felt as though it was built around an incompetent and lazy villian. i could nawt take that twerp seriously, with his drunk ass and zero charisma. his character and motivations didn’t read to me as though they had a ton of dimension or complexity, respectively. he just didn’t feel formidable enough and i was wondering how he made it so long and continued to thrive in the book. at some point, i almost started to question the prowess and intelligence of the good guys and how they hadn’t managed to dispose of that dweeb sooner. a very weak antagonist, if you ask me.
🪦 in conclusion
i almost wish that the first book was a longer standalone and we wrapped up there. this may have kept the story feeling crisp and novel for me, if so. don’t listen to meeeeee though because so many people are enjoying themselves with this, and you could very well too 🫶🏾.
this rating probably makes most sense if i frame it within the context of how i felt about the knight and the moth. i’ll break down my review of that book into three key takeaways:
#1
what i loved most about it — the main thing that made me give it 4 stars at the time — was how unique the story and the worldbuilding was. it felt like a completely new story to me, especially in a sea of very similar-feeling (popular) romantasies. this fresh feel and the lush writing is what made me enjoy that book as much as i did.
#2
i didn’t, however, really find myself connected to the mcs all that much. i liked sybil more than i did rory, but both were characters i wouldn’t say i felt a big draw to. i thought rory was a boring hero, especially. i also found myself apathetic towards the romance in there, and mentioned a hope around book 2 converting me on that piece.
#3
bartholomew was in fact pookie — my favourite character by a landslide. he was the other main contributor to my 4 star rating on book 1.
now, reflecting on these things from my first go-around with this story, i’ll link the thoughts that i have about the sequel to my initial feelings on its predecessor. this is therefore not really a review — it’s just a reflection. the “critiques” that i have aren’t even that. it’s really all about how i felt, so it’s more of a personal wrap-up.
🪦 the uniqueness and fresh storytelling
i lost some of that novelty i felt around the world, its constructs and the storytelling when this sequel devolved into the same tropes and plot devices we see in many a romantasy — trials (disguised as tournaments), large amounts of time spent on hauling ass / travelling, mcs seperated by amnesia, etc. if you like these things, you will enjoy them here as well, but because i wanted to keep feeling that newness and wonder i initially felt when i picked up the first book, these done-so-many-times-before aspects didn’t hit home for me. book 1 also had something of a quest, but it was fun because it felt like a scavenger hunt for the omens and the lore was lore-ing — which again, gave the story something of a fresh feel. we were going somewhere that mattered. the plot progression in here though? i really didn’t care about them damn tournaments 🥲, and since a lot of the lore wasn’t new anymore, this read felt incredibly stale for me. the whole thing felt pointless compared to the quest in the first book.
i also found the pacing of this one uneven. despite the fact that the book is only 350 pages, it felt really slow for a long time there. this could be my own fault though, since i read it piecemeal — i read a couple chapters at a time, and broke off to go read something else on several occasions — and i think i came back to this with marginally less enthusiasm each time that i returned. that could very well be why i felt it dragging me along and my enjoyment with it waning (because i was having a pretty decent time in the beginning). then, i was walloped with a very chaotic and crammed ending. the resolution felt quite rushed.
the writing was just ok for me? it felt better in the first one. maybe it’s that i’ve read some fantasy favourites recently that served some stand-out writing — but the prose in here kinda paled in comparison. it wasn’t bad by any means, but i wasn’t as deeply stirred by the delivery as i was expecting to feel.
🪦 the characters and the romance
i STILL didn’t feel all that connected with the mcs in here or care too much for the love story. the amnesia trope ruined things for me a bit but that’s a personal preference since i don’t get on with that device much, rare exceptions aside. the resolution of that problem also felt unintuitive to me.
and what was the vampirism about? their chemistry wasn’t really sizzling for me either.
honestly, rory just doesn’t DO anything for me. i tried to feel SOMETHING, to the point i sprung a headache during my tussle with the second half (which i did read continuously). i don’t dislike him at all but he’s just so bland and uninteresting to me 😭. i wanted to love him like everyone else does, but i just didn’t. adding his pov to this book was more of a hindrance for me than a good thing, because i was wholly disinvested in his character. if i recall, book 1 was single pov (sybil’s) — we could have kept it that way and i wouldn’t have minded. something about their voices didn’t feel easily distinguishable from one another either (and i’m talking about a print version since i read on my kindle). it wouldn’t always be quick for me to tell who’s pov i was in right from jump because their povs were written homogeneously. again, keeping to single would have been preferred for me.
also somewhat linked to character work, i lost the found family vibe that i got from the first book in this one. the diviners, and then even the gang hunting down the omens together in book 1, had their own brands of camaraderie that appealed to me. this book didn’t have that for far too long. and no, i don’t count benji’s bandits lmao. idk, things just felt a bit isolated. it tried to get it together in the second half, but i think it was too late for me to start caring all that much.
🪦 bartholomew
he was still the best thing to happen to me with this story. he was so funny and endearing, and the moments i felt the needle moving most with this sequel were ones he was involved in. this, at least, remained consistent from my experience with the knight and the moth. it’s just not enough for me to go any higher on the rating for this whole read.
🪦 another thing
one of my biggest issues with this book is how i felt as though it was built around an incompetent and lazy villian. i could nawt take that twerp seriously, with his drunk ass and zero charisma. his character and motivations didn’t read to me as though they had a ton of dimension or complexity, respectively. he just didn’t feel formidable enough and i was wondering how he made it so long and continued to thrive in the book. at some point, i almost started to question the prowess and intelligence of the good guys and how they hadn’t managed to dispose of that dweeb sooner. a very weak antagonist, if you ask me.
🪦 in conclusion
i almost wish that the first book was a longer standalone and we wrapped up there. this may have kept the story feeling crisp and novel for me, if so. don’t listen to meeeeee though because so many people are enjoying themselves with this, and you could very well too 🫶🏾.
September 11, 2026
⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆ “𝕿𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝖜𝖍𝖔 𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝖚𝖕𝖔𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖋𝖊𝖊𝖑 𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖕𝖆𝖎𝖗, 𝕴 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖘𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖍𝖔𝖕𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖋𝖎𝖓𝖉, 𝖞𝖊𝖙. 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖉 𝖞𝖊𝖙. 𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖏𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝖍𝖆𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖊.” ° ࣪𖤐🫧⋆⭒°💫‧₊ִֶָ☾。
IM SOBBING AS I WRITE THIS REVIEW
˚₊ · ͟͟͞͞➳❥ read gorgeous gabbie's review ✨
I CANT BELIEVE THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD IS OVER. THIS IS BEST DUOLOGY OF ALL TIME. I WAS HOLDING MY BREATH, CACKLING, TOSSING MY EBOOK ACROSS THE ROOM, SOBBING, TEARING OUT MY HAIR, SCREAMING. I LOVE BARTHOLOMEW SO FKING MUCH AND I ADORE SYBIL + RORY 💖🫂🔨 THE PLOT WAS CLAUSTROPHOBIC IN THE BEST WAY I WAS ON THE EDGE OF THE SOFA WAITING FOR THEM TO MURDERJOFFREY BENJI AND THE GLADIATOR TRIALS WERE GENIUS. . THANK YOU TO 🦄🪽GABBIE🦄🪽 FOR SO PATIENTLY BUDDY READING THIS WITH ME NOW WE CAN SCREAM OVER THE ENDING TOGETHER 😭😭💔💔🥰🥰🥹🥹🫂🫂💖💖✨✨
ཐི༏ཋྀ 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉 ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆
BARTHOOOLOMEWWW
buddy read with gorgeous gabriela
࣪ ִֶָ☾. 𝓻𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓮𝓿𝓮 🌼💛✨🌙🪞⚡
BUDDY READ WITH GABRIELA ONCE IT RELEASES BC IM ON THE WEST COAST 🥹🥹🥹
⋆˙⟡ 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 :･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:
book one had me cackling, sobbing, and kicking my feet. you better believe im gonna eat this up on release day 😇
IM SOBBING AS I WRITE THIS REVIEW
˚₊ · ͟͟͞͞➳❥ read gorgeous gabbie's review ✨
I CANT BELIEVE THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD IS OVER. THIS IS BEST DUOLOGY OF ALL TIME. I WAS HOLDING MY BREATH, CACKLING, TOSSING MY EBOOK ACROSS THE ROOM, SOBBING, TEARING OUT MY HAIR, SCREAMING. I LOVE BARTHOLOMEW SO FKING MUCH AND I ADORE SYBIL + RORY 💖🫂🔨 THE PLOT WAS CLAUSTROPHOBIC IN THE BEST WAY I WAS ON THE EDGE OF THE SOFA WAITING FOR THEM TO MURDER
ཐི༏ཋྀ 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉 ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆
BARTHOOOLOMEWWW
buddy read with gorgeous gabriela
࣪ ִֶָ☾. 𝓻𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓮𝓿𝓮 🌼💛✨🌙🪞⚡
BUDDY READ WITH GABRIELA ONCE IT RELEASES BC IM ON THE WEST COAST 🥹🥹🥹
⋆˙⟡ 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 :･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:
book one had me cackling, sobbing, and kicking my feet. you better believe im gonna eat this up on release day 😇
September 7, 2026
——✮∙˙ 6 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆
╰► 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸
✧ To know the world is, in some part, to mourn it, and what is the past, really, if not a portent? ✧
◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦
⋮ ✦┆just a disclaimer: this will be a major spoiler review because i have too much on my mind for this to be a spoiler free review (plus my review for the knight and the moth contained major spoilers). now onto the review:
i cannot believe that this duology is over. around this time last year, i read the knight and the moth for the first time and it created such a dent in my reading journey that it’s now my favorite book of all time. and dare i say that this book is no different. i loved everything about it and i’m honestly glad i didn’t binge it because i got savor everything.
⋮ ✦┆this book follows sybil delling, rodrick myndacious, maude bauer, and bartholomew work together to keep things hidden, play an important role, and most importantly…destroy the 5 stone objects of the omens through a series of tournaments created by the king, benedict castor the third, also know as their old friend benji. from the very beginning, my jaw was already dropped and gasps were already escaping my lips. like what do you mean it’s already sybil’s wedding day and rory was brought back to life with the spring water?? so much was thrown at me within the first 30 pages and i loved it!! i really loved the aspect of the tournaments in this book. lowkey any book with trials/tournaments are immediately getting read by me (give me recs if you have any) gosh i have so much on my mind yet i can’t seem to write it down because i’m still mourning the fact that i just finished the best duology ever. i was so investing in it that i truly didn’t want it to end. i was on the 7. edge of my seat a majority of the time and there wasn’t a single moment where i was bored.
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ sybil delling ⋆｡°
⌞🔨⌝ ⋮ ✦┆this girl really couldn’t catch a break! every few chapters she was in pain because of the limestone in her stomach. and she was quite literally bleeding out. that part in the book when she was in her room and i think it was hamelin (?) who came in and threw her to the ground and literally kicked here stomach three times… that had me baffled like a motherfucker. and she always stood strong even in pain—especially when she kept getting denied to participate in the tournaments. i’m glad she finally got to compete though in the last trial even if it didn’t turn out great… the chime still got destroyed so that was good! oh and i had a theory that the stone in her eyes was gonna fade because of what bartholomew said, ”you know, i think there is something different about you, bartholomew. the light in your eyes has dimmed.”looking back after finishing the book, i realize that i was completely off because that highkey has no correlation. but anyways, sybil has always been a badass and she proved that even more when she fought benji! sybil delling will always be one of my favorite characters ever!!
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ rodrick myndacious ⋆｡°
⌞⚔️⌝ ⋮ ✦┆my man my man my fucking man. i can’t get over his facial expressions and his smirks in this book. i loved when him and sybil finally reunited during one of the tournaments and his name was “knave” because that’s what she called him. oh and he didn’t have any memory of her (or anything because died) and he still found her to be the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. i found that so romantic. also the restraint on rory is actually insane. he saw benji kiss her in front of him and he didn’t storm over and rip benji’s head off because he had a role to play. every time rory appeared i was foaming at the mouth. i actually need him so bad guys… also this quote: “sybil delling.”my woman.“with my killer.” MMMHMHMHMMM!! omfg and when rory won the divination and gave sybil his blood, the tension was fucking insane and…of course i was there for it.
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ benedict castor ⋆｡°
⌞👑⌝ ⋮ ✦┆his little punk ass needed to go and i’m so fucking glad they finally got rid of him. he honestly just never knew when to give up. there were a few times where i didn’t really want him to die because of his relationship with everyone in the last book. but he continued to do even more stupid shit in this book that he just had to go. i liked that he threw the artful bigand’s coin to kill hamelin and essentially save sybil, but that was not enough. he’s such a pussy it’s almost sad. so, i’m glad he got the ending he deserved, especially after he basically killed maude with the coin. i hate him.
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ maude bauer ⋆｡°
⌞🗡️⌝ ⋮ ✦┆i’m genuinely not okay. maude is such a strong woman and i loved her so much in this book and the last. i loved how she was a mother figure to rory, sybil, and benji even if she never wanted children. once i read that maude’s knees gave out, i started sobbing. fuck i’m lowkey crying right now just thinking about it. sybil repeatedly saying “i love you” to her while’s she’s struggling to breathe and rory crying. omg and then rory asked her if she would drinking the spring water to come back to life and she said, ”i’m sorry, my boy. this time…i cannot do as you ask.” WHY MAUDE?! she was king for a day and yet she made such a difference. tell them i did not die a sprite killer…the name bauer means something yet.” i’ll miss maude so much and i’ll be thinking about her for a while.
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ bartholomew ⋆｡°
⌞🦇⌝ ⋮ ✦┆my beloved bartholomew delling…bartholomew has become my favorite characters i’ve ever read about. i love his so dearly it’s not even funny. i don’t play about bartholomew. this scene had me dead: ”the gargoyle huffed. he pulled a chunk of limestone from his shoulder, closed one eye in concentration, and threw it with such outstanding force it knocked benji off his feet.” LIKE HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE HIM?! also in the very beginnning when he had his ass up in the air looking into a rabbit hole, i laughed way too hard. i had some anxiety the whole book because i was afraid that something bad was going to happen to him. and well… as i made my way through the book and saw that more cracks kept appearing in his body and chunks were falling off, my anxiety get growing and my hope died out. you can’t imagine how bad i was crying when both maude and bartholomew died. two deaths in one chapter is insane of rachel gillig because just like sybil, i couldn’t catch a break. the relief i felt when they brought him back to life with the limestone from the tor… jeez it was a roller coaster. the ending of this made me cry even more because i realized it was the last i would be seeing of bartholomew (currently shedding tears as i write this). i love you, bartholomew.
⋮ ✦┆ rachel gillig has such an amazing talent that i believe cannot be replicated. her characters are written with so much depth and you can tell just how much thought she puts into the storyline. this book is filled with so much adventure (just as the first book was), and just seeing how everything was laid out on the pages… it was all such a perfect experience. the wait for this book was so worth it and if you haven’t read this book but you’re reading this review, please read this duology. if you don’t love it, i hope you at least love bartholomew.
ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ "I've been in love with you. I didn't tell you before, because—because for a time I never had anything to fill my hands, and what I did get I gorged myself on before it could slip away. And even when I might have been brave enough to tell you how I felt, I didn't have the language. The enormity of my affection... there's no describing it. But I'll break apart if I don't try."
ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ ”I love you, Sybil Delling. More than anything. And whatever becomes of this world, I'II spend the time I'm afforded without an ounce of pride or disdain or godlessness. To know you is to forget all three. And I know that you think Traum has no need for its stone objects or false gods, but there is not a world that exists in which I have no need for you."
ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ I met each of their gazes, Maude's stoic and green, Rory's and the gargoyle's stone, and realized none of them had ever once peered into my eyes hoping to find themselves. They had always, always searched for me. "Not right now.”
ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ A loud hmpf sounded behind me. I pressed my lips together and kept my gaze forward. It was better, not looking at the gargoyle. Every time I did I laughed, something I quickly learned he did not appreciate.
── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──
ᝰ.ᐟ🌑 ⌗ pre read┆started august 31 | finished september 3 ˎˊ˗
MAMAS GOT HER COPY A DAY EARLY!!! I’M SO SO SO EXCITED!! i seriously don’t want this end guys 🤧 and i’m actually so pissed my classes started today because i just want to binge this 😩 but this is getting read within the week no matter what!
—
pre-release
rachel the knight and the moth is feeling lonely without this book on my shelf 😕 release it now? PLEAK 🙏🧎♀️➡️ the cover is so beautiful 🥲
╰► 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸
✧ To know the world is, in some part, to mourn it, and what is the past, really, if not a portent? ✧
◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ i. my thoughts ⋆｡°💭
⋮ ✦┆just a disclaimer: this will be a major spoiler review because i have too much on my mind for this to be a spoiler free review (plus my review for the knight and the moth contained major spoilers). now onto the review:
i cannot believe that this duology is over. around this time last year, i read the knight and the moth for the first time and it created such a dent in my reading journey that it’s now my favorite book of all time. and dare i say that this book is no different. i loved everything about it and i’m honestly glad i didn’t binge it because i got savor everything.
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ ii. plot & writing ⋆｡°🎞️
⋮ ✦┆this book follows sybil delling, rodrick myndacious, maude bauer, and bartholomew work together to keep things hidden, play an important role, and most importantly…destroy the 5 stone objects of the omens through a series of tournaments created by the king, benedict castor the third, also know as their old friend benji. from the very beginning, my jaw was already dropped and gasps were already escaping my lips. like what do you mean it’s already sybil’s wedding day and rory was brought back to life with the spring water?? so much was thrown at me within the first 30 pages and i loved it!! i really loved the aspect of the tournaments in this book. lowkey any book with trials/tournaments are immediately getting read by me (give me recs if you have any) gosh i have so much on my mind yet i can’t seem to write it down because i’m still mourning the fact that i just finished the best duology ever. i was so investing in it that i truly didn’t want it to end. i was on the 7. edge of my seat a majority of the time and there wasn’t a single moment where i was bored.
❝ You know this story, Bartholomew, though you do not know all of it.❞
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ iii. characters ⋆｡°🌷
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ sybil delling ⋆｡°
⌞🔨⌝ ⋮ ✦┆this girl really couldn’t catch a break! every few chapters she was in pain because of the limestone in her stomach. and she was quite literally bleeding out. that part in the book when she was in her room and i think it was hamelin (?) who came in and threw her to the ground and literally kicked here stomach three times… that had me baffled like a motherfucker. and she always stood strong even in pain—especially when she kept getting denied to participate in the tournaments. i’m glad she finally got to compete though in the last trial even if it didn’t turn out great… the chime still got destroyed so that was good! oh and i had a theory that the stone in her eyes was gonna fade because of what bartholomew said, ”you know, i think there is something different about you, bartholomew. the light in your eyes has dimmed.”looking back after finishing the book, i realize that i was completely off because that highkey has no correlation. but anyways, sybil has always been a badass and she proved that even more when she fought benji! sybil delling will always be one of my favorite characters ever!!
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ rodrick myndacious ⋆｡°
⌞⚔️⌝ ⋮ ✦┆my man my man my fucking man. i can’t get over his facial expressions and his smirks in this book. i loved when him and sybil finally reunited during one of the tournaments and his name was “knave” because that’s what she called him. oh and he didn’t have any memory of her (or anything because died) and he still found her to be the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. i found that so romantic. also the restraint on rory is actually insane. he saw benji kiss her in front of him and he didn’t storm over and rip benji’s head off because he had a role to play. every time rory appeared i was foaming at the mouth. i actually need him so bad guys… also this quote: “sybil delling.”my woman.“with my killer.” MMMHMHMHMMM!! omfg and when rory won the divination and gave sybil his blood, the tension was fucking insane and…of course i was there for it.
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ benedict castor ⋆｡°
⌞👑⌝ ⋮ ✦┆his little punk ass needed to go and i’m so fucking glad they finally got rid of him. he honestly just never knew when to give up. there were a few times where i didn’t really want him to die because of his relationship with everyone in the last book. but he continued to do even more stupid shit in this book that he just had to go. i liked that he threw the artful bigand’s coin to kill hamelin and essentially save sybil, but that was not enough. he’s such a pussy it’s almost sad. so, i’m glad he got the ending he deserved, especially after he basically killed maude with the coin. i hate him.
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ maude bauer ⋆｡°
⌞🗡️⌝ ⋮ ✦┆i’m genuinely not okay. maude is such a strong woman and i loved her so much in this book and the last. i loved how she was a mother figure to rory, sybil, and benji even if she never wanted children. once i read that maude’s knees gave out, i started sobbing. fuck i’m lowkey crying right now just thinking about it. sybil repeatedly saying “i love you” to her while’s she’s struggling to breathe and rory crying. omg and then rory asked her if she would drinking the spring water to come back to life and she said, ”i’m sorry, my boy. this time…i cannot do as you ask.” WHY MAUDE?! she was king for a day and yet she made such a difference. tell them i did not die a sprite killer…the name bauer means something yet.” i’ll miss maude so much and i’ll be thinking about her for a while.
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ bartholomew ⋆｡°
⌞🦇⌝ ⋮ ✦┆my beloved bartholomew delling…bartholomew has become my favorite characters i’ve ever read about. i love his so dearly it’s not even funny. i don’t play about bartholomew. this scene had me dead: ”the gargoyle huffed. he pulled a chunk of limestone from his shoulder, closed one eye in concentration, and threw it with such outstanding force it knocked benji off his feet.” LIKE HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE HIM?! also in the very beginnning when he had his ass up in the air looking into a rabbit hole, i laughed way too hard. i had some anxiety the whole book because i was afraid that something bad was going to happen to him. and well… as i made my way through the book and saw that more cracks kept appearing in his body and chunks were falling off, my anxiety get growing and my hope died out. you can’t imagine how bad i was crying when both maude and bartholomew died. two deaths in one chapter is insane of rachel gillig because just like sybil, i couldn’t catch a break. the relief i felt when they brought him back to life with the limestone from the tor… jeez it was a roller coaster. the ending of this made me cry even more because i realized it was the last i would be seeing of bartholomew (currently shedding tears as i write this). i love you, bartholomew.
❝Everyday is a new flower, a second chance—a rebirth—when you are Bartholomew.❞
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ iv. overall ⋆｡°⌛️
⋮ ✦┆ rachel gillig has such an amazing talent that i believe cannot be replicated. her characters are written with so much depth and you can tell just how much thought she puts into the storyline. this book is filled with so much adventure (just as the first book was), and just seeing how everything was laid out on the pages… it was all such a perfect experience. the wait for this book was so worth it and if you haven’t read this book but you’re reading this review, please read this duology. if you don’t love it, i hope you at least love bartholomew.
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆v. quotes i loved⋆｡° 𓂃🖊
ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ "I've been in love with you. I didn't tell you before, because—because for a time I never had anything to fill my hands, and what I did get I gorged myself on before it could slip away. And even when I might have been brave enough to tell you how I felt, I didn't have the language. The enormity of my affection... there's no describing it. But I'll break apart if I don't try."
ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ ”I love you, Sybil Delling. More than anything. And whatever becomes of this world, I'II spend the time I'm afforded without an ounce of pride or disdain or godlessness. To know you is to forget all three. And I know that you think Traum has no need for its stone objects or false gods, but there is not a world that exists in which I have no need for you."
ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ I met each of their gazes, Maude's stoic and green, Rory's and the gargoyle's stone, and realized none of them had ever once peered into my eyes hoping to find themselves. They had always, always searched for me. "Not right now.”
ᯤ ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ A loud hmpf sounded behind me. I pressed my lips together and kept my gaze forward. It was better, not looking at the gargoyle. Every time I did I laughed, something I quickly learned he did not appreciate.
── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──
ᝰ.ᐟ🌑 ⌗ pre read┆started august 31 | finished september 3 ˎˊ˗
MAMAS GOT HER COPY A DAY EARLY!!! I’M SO SO SO EXCITED!! i seriously don’t want this end guys 🤧 and i’m actually so pissed my classes started today because i just want to binge this 😩 but this is getting read within the week no matter what!
—
pre-release
rachel the knight and the moth is feeling lonely without this book on my shelf 😕 release it now? PLEAK 🙏🧎♀️➡️ the cover is so beautiful 🥲
September 11, 2026
5 stars ⭐️
This was amazing. Rachel is just such an incredible writer. The world building, the magical system, the characters, the politics, the love, and the action is just so well written, with so much depth. I am truly just so enamored with this story.
Rory and Sybil are perfection. Their love and devotion for each other is extraordinary. You just feel their love through their actions for each other. They continued to have incredible chemistry and banter, and their support for one another was always unwavering. They have so much growth in this one, and support each other to be their best selves.
Bartholomew and Maude continued to be amazing. They both have so much depth, and both grew so much in this one.
I just love the found family here, and the support they all have for each other. It’s just so heartwarming how much they all love each other and will do anything for each other.
The ending had me in tears, but it was also so perfect. Honestly, I don’t think the ending could’ve been any better.
After reading some poorly written romantasy books lately, it felt so good to read a fantasy book that was so well written with so much depth in both the world and the characters. I’m so sad this series is now over, but honestly it was just so incredible.
~pre-read~
I am so excited for this
This was amazing. Rachel is just such an incredible writer. The world building, the magical system, the characters, the politics, the love, and the action is just so well written, with so much depth. I am truly just so enamored with this story.
Rory and Sybil are perfection. Their love and devotion for each other is extraordinary. You just feel their love through their actions for each other. They continued to have incredible chemistry and banter, and their support for one another was always unwavering. They have so much growth in this one, and support each other to be their best selves.
Bartholomew and Maude continued to be amazing. They both have so much depth, and both grew so much in this one.
I just love the found family here, and the support they all have for each other. It’s just so heartwarming how much they all love each other and will do anything for each other.
The ending had me in tears, but it was also so perfect. Honestly, I don’t think the ending could’ve been any better.
After reading some poorly written romantasy books lately, it felt so good to read a fantasy book that was so well written with so much depth in both the world and the characters. I’m so sad this series is now over, but honestly it was just so incredible.
~pre-read~
I am so excited for this
September 10, 2026
"Gods, I loved looking at her. Every line in her face was a story I wanted to know over and over again."
"I'll carry you, Bartholomew. I’ll carry you wherever I go.”
Ahhh, I forgot how beautiful Rachel’s writing is 🥹 Truly magical in every way.
I will admit the story dragged a little for me and the pacing felt a bit off, but I adore RORY AND BARTHOLOMEW with my entire being 😭🥹 I'm sad this wasn't a 5 star read like book 1 but overall I love this series 🩶
“Wherever she is, my home is there, too.”
"I’d been feeling blindly in my chest for the teeth marks she’d left in my heart—I hadn’t considered how fractured hers might be."
“You’re a mess, knave,”
“Then clean me, Diviner.”
Pre-read:
Time to be reunited with my yearning Knight and his slutty earrings 🥰 Let’s goooo Rory!! ⚔️
"I'll carry you, Bartholomew. I’ll carry you wherever I go.”
Ahhh, I forgot how beautiful Rachel’s writing is 🥹 Truly magical in every way.
I will admit the story dragged a little for me and the pacing felt a bit off, but I adore RORY AND BARTHOLOMEW with my entire being 😭🥹 I'm sad this wasn't a 5 star read like book 1 but overall I love this series 🩶
“Wherever she is, my home is there, too.”
"I’d been feeling blindly in my chest for the teeth marks she’d left in my heart—I hadn’t considered how fractured hers might be."
“You’re a mess, knave,”
“Then clean me, Diviner.”
Pre-read:
Time to be reunited with my yearning Knight and his slutty earrings 🥰 Let’s goooo Rory!! ⚔️
Want to Read
September 29, 2025rachel gillig said hot lady knight fall is over it’s time for knave autumn 2026
also love yelling “knave!” we should bring it back
(shoutout to sarah for coining the knave autumn bit💕)
Bookstagram | Blog
also love yelling “knave!” we should bring it back
(shoutout to sarah for coining the knave autumn bit💕)
Bookstagram | Blog
September 13, 2026
“Nothing stains the mythical more acutely than humanity.”
My husband asked me who Bartholomew was after an IG story post, and now he thinks I have a thing for gargoyles. And let’s be honest, yes I do. At least one specifically has wriggled his way into my heart.
What a timeless and beautiful story Rachel has crafted. Written in her signature alliterative and lyrical prose, the atmosphere in this duology is almost folkloric in both its simplicity and depth.
When I first read The Knight and the Moth I was too lost in the characters and strangeness of the omens and their magic to consider much beyond the details, but on my reread I was struck by the themes of greed and power. How these traits seem to be cyclically tied to those who crown themselves rulers. I also love the ways that belief and faith are explored, and how societal values are presented as gods.
Our lovely and unlikely found family returns: the diviner, the king, the knights, and of course the gargoyle. They find themselves with goals that were initially similar and fundamentally different, on opposite sides of the coin so to speak. Champions for change, and yet the question is asked. Can the world ever truly change?
I’ll start with the king. Oh how I haven't loathed a character this much in a long time, especially for someone who was initially so guileless. His stupidity. His audacity. The lies that he knowingly feeds to the kingdom and to himself. And the horde mentality that panders to his carelessness is so well presented, it made me sick.
I usually love a villain I can empathize with, and there were times I did feel sympathy. But this story shows how someone who should be small and harmless and even ridiculous can become a catalyst for unimaginable horrors. How history is repeated under the guise of being remade. Where else have we possibly seen such a narrow minded, incompetent leader leave such a trail of disasters in his wake?
On to characters I do love, and I’ll start with the one everyone loves. Bartholomew is such a lovable conundrum. Endlessly curious and innocent, but also shockingly wise. He is somehow the perfect narrator and he instills so much hope (maybe because he never loses it and I feel like somehow that’s the whole point).
The diviner, the knight, and the knave. As someone who has to pretend to align with the king, Sybil’s journey feels the most hopeless, even as she works to slowly derail his gods. Rory and Maude and Bartholomew feel like pillars of strength when she survives on nothing but determination. Together they present humanity and so many different kinds of love. I wouldn’t say this story is terribly romantic per se, but there is a sort of romance in their devotion to each other, and in pursuing justice and truth as a unit.
I think it’s fitting that Rachel doesn’t provide an answer to the cycles of greed and injustice, but an offer of hope that the world can be better with time and intention. Her dedication ties this duology together perfectly.
“Flowers grow in the strangest of places, Bartholomew. Even cracks.”
Thank you so much to the beautiful Angelina read her review here and my mom for buddy reading. We were all on different timing, but still on the same page in our feelings for Bartholomew and dislike for the king.
5⭐️’s kindle and audio
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pre-read (dedication): ”To those who look upon the world and feel despair. I promise there is hope to find, yet. Love to spend, yet. There just has to be.”
Buddy read with my mom and the lovely Angelina 🖤
My husband asked me who Bartholomew was after an IG story post, and now he thinks I have a thing for gargoyles. And let’s be honest, yes I do. At least one specifically has wriggled his way into my heart.
What a timeless and beautiful story Rachel has crafted. Written in her signature alliterative and lyrical prose, the atmosphere in this duology is almost folkloric in both its simplicity and depth.
When I first read The Knight and the Moth I was too lost in the characters and strangeness of the omens and their magic to consider much beyond the details, but on my reread I was struck by the themes of greed and power. How these traits seem to be cyclically tied to those who crown themselves rulers. I also love the ways that belief and faith are explored, and how societal values are presented as gods.
Our lovely and unlikely found family returns: the diviner, the king, the knights, and of course the gargoyle. They find themselves with goals that were initially similar and fundamentally different, on opposite sides of the coin so to speak. Champions for change, and yet the question is asked. Can the world ever truly change?
I’ll start with the king. Oh how I haven't loathed a character this much in a long time, especially for someone who was initially so guileless. His stupidity. His audacity. The lies that he knowingly feeds to the kingdom and to himself. And the horde mentality that panders to his carelessness is so well presented, it made me sick.
I usually love a villain I can empathize with, and there were times I did feel sympathy. But this story shows how someone who should be small and harmless and even ridiculous can become a catalyst for unimaginable horrors. How history is repeated under the guise of being remade. Where else have we possibly seen such a narrow minded, incompetent leader leave such a trail of disasters in his wake?
On to characters I do love, and I’ll start with the one everyone loves. Bartholomew is such a lovable conundrum. Endlessly curious and innocent, but also shockingly wise. He is somehow the perfect narrator and he instills so much hope (maybe because he never loses it and I feel like somehow that’s the whole point).
The diviner, the knight, and the knave. As someone who has to pretend to align with the king, Sybil’s journey feels the most hopeless, even as she works to slowly derail his gods. Rory and Maude and Bartholomew feel like pillars of strength when she survives on nothing but determination. Together they present humanity and so many different kinds of love. I wouldn’t say this story is terribly romantic per se, but there is a sort of romance in their devotion to each other, and in pursuing justice and truth as a unit.
I think it’s fitting that Rachel doesn’t provide an answer to the cycles of greed and injustice, but an offer of hope that the world can be better with time and intention. Her dedication ties this duology together perfectly.
“Flowers grow in the strangest of places, Bartholomew. Even cracks.”
Thank you so much to the beautiful Angelina read her review here and my mom for buddy reading. We were all on different timing, but still on the same page in our feelings for Bartholomew and dislike for the king.
5⭐️’s kindle and audio
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pre-read (dedication): ”To those who look upon the world and feel despair. I promise there is hope to find, yet. Love to spend, yet. There just has to be.”
Buddy read with my mom and the lovely Angelina 🖤
September 2, 2026
ᯓ★ 3.25-3.5 stars ✮⋆˙
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ This is a big, huge meh for me.
╰┈➤ Look, maybe I’m just being overdramatic but I genuinely feel really let down by this book. And when I say let down, I mean really fucking let down. That doesn’t mean the book is bad in any way.
For what it’s worth, I was able to get into it way quicker than I did The knight and the Moth, and I don’t think I ever actually put this book down. It was also easier to read in a way.
╰┈➤ But when I read this book, I did not get the feeling The knight and the Moth gave me. I didn’t get that immense swelling in my heart that made me want to immediately close the book and start all over again just so I could find myself back in this world.
Instead, I was disappointed by so much of what happened.
And once again, disclaimer: that does not mean this is a bad book. Because it was good, I just didn’t love it the way I wanted to.
sᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀs ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ My main problem with this book, from my perspective, is Benji and everything surrounding him.
╰┈➤ Characters are allowed to piss me off. But the thing is, Benji feels like such a weak character to me. Not even just in terms of how he was written, but everything about him feels weak. He is such a weak antagonist that I genuinely, wholeheartedly believe he could have been killed at the very beginning of this mf book.
ᝰ.ᐟ I am not joking when I say a random passerby could have killed this boy. He is probably the easiest person to kill in the entire fucking kingdom.
And yet, somehow, I was at 92% and he was still fucking alive.
╰┈➤ Sybil had a chance to kill him at the beginning, and she didn’t. Then situation after situation kept happening where I was just sitting there thinking, surely this is when somebody finally kills him.
ᝰ.ᐟ Even when Rory got on him to beat him, he could have literally slipped a dagger into that boy’s stomach and called it a day.
ᝰ.ᐟ And I tried to understand the nuance. Like, okay, they’re family. There are complicated emotions there. Whatever, whatever, whatever.
But this boy was, excuse me for saying this, a cunt.
There was literally no reason to keep him alive.
╰┈➤ And then there was that fucking room scene.
ᝰ.ᐟ Everyone was just talking without giving a fuck. They’re in the room making guesses about the ox-eye concoction Sybil has been drinking, Bartholomew starts talking about the sprites and everything surrounding them, and they’re doing ALL of this while Benji is literally in the room.
Why the fuck are you in the room with this evil boy spilling elite knowledge?! They were practically explaining everything to benji.
ᝰ.ᐟ I genuinely thought I was losing my mind. That entire conversation blew my shit so badly that I actually went back and started reading from the very fucking beginning because I thought, Did I miss something? Did I miss a line where benji threatened them to speak
So I went back.
And there was no threat.
Just free will
ᝰ.ᐟ And then the moment Benji goes, “Well, I’m going to kill all the sprites then,” everyone is suddenly like
“HOW DARE YOU?!😱😱😱😱”
And I’m sitting there like, WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, BABY?!
What did you think was going to happen when you stood there and told this pos everything?!
╰┈➤ Anyways. We get to the duel between Benji and Sybil
ᝰ.ᐟ Talking about Sybil……WHERE IS MY QUEEN?!
Maybe I don’t remember the events of The Knight and the Moth that well, but I distinctly remember Sybil throwing hands down. Like, my girl used to throw the fuck down.
But in this book it just…left???
Where was the action?!
There was barely any action in this book in the way I expected there to be, and even the action toward the ending was so fucking underwhelming.
╰┈➤ Which brings me back to the duel.
ᝰ.ᐟ Sybil and Benji are fighting. She hurts him. His skull literally crashes against the floor. And then she’s supposed to hit him in the head with a hammer, and this girl goes:
Well, he’s already going to die.
GIRL.
GUESS WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENS NEXT?
Bauer and Rory come to hug Sybil, and while everyone is distracted, this motherfucker (who is supposedly already dying) snatches the coin and disappears.
WHY
WHY
WHY
WHY
ᝰ.ᐟ I hate when it’s time for the villain to die and all off a sudden we have “empathy🤓”
Why won’t you SMOKE THIS BITCH?! And let him die ONCE AND FOR FUCKING ALL.
It’s like nobody wanted to kill him, and he was genuinely the easiest motherfucker to kill in the entire book.
I am so upset.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ And then he goes off talking about second chances , and a whole series of things happen after that which, no shade, but I low-key lost track of.
I understood parts of it. I understood what was happening at certain points. But by the end, I was just sitting there like, Okay… so… what the fuck just happened?
The ending just felt really underwhelming to me.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ Anyways, the main positive of this book will forever be Sybil and Rory’s connection.
It’s still chemistry after chemistry after chemistry.
ᝰ.ᐟ Their witty banter is still there. Their dynamic is still there. Even though it felt like we barely saw them together (though they were mostly together) they still had their moments. The bathing scene. The first divination after Rory got his memories. Those little moments where you can still feel the chemistry between them.
But
BROOOOO
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ I don’t even want to talk shit about this book because I genuinely enjoyed the first one so much.
This book is actually making me want to go back and reread the first book just to figure out whether I was doing too much with my praise for it, or whether that book genuinely deserves all the hype I gave it.
And honestly, I probably will reread it because there’s no fucking way.
╰┈➤ But I want everyone to understand that this book is by all means not a bad book. I’m deadass serious. It’s really not.
ᝰ.ᐟ Some part of me recognizes that. I know it’s not badly written. I still liked it. I was still smiling during some moments, even though I was talking to the fucking wall in anger for most of it.
It was still a good experience, and I was genuinely happy to be back in this world.
I was just… tapped out by the end.
And because of that, I can’t rate it lower or higher
(I’m lowk a hypocrite because if Aster wrote this I’d be on her neck for days😭✌🏾)
Would that things were different
I still enjoyed myself. I still liked being in this world.
➼ ➼ Pre- review ➼ ➼
Should’ve just breathed bruh
╭──────────.★..─╮
Pre-read
╰─..★.──────────╯
The bookstores are confused because I’m already camping for this book😭😭.
I’m not breathing till I get this in my hands
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ This is a big, huge meh for me.
╰┈➤ Look, maybe I’m just being overdramatic but I genuinely feel really let down by this book. And when I say let down, I mean really fucking let down. That doesn’t mean the book is bad in any way.
For what it’s worth, I was able to get into it way quicker than I did The knight and the Moth, and I don’t think I ever actually put this book down. It was also easier to read in a way.
╰┈➤ But when I read this book, I did not get the feeling The knight and the Moth gave me. I didn’t get that immense swelling in my heart that made me want to immediately close the book and start all over again just so I could find myself back in this world.
Instead, I was disappointed by so much of what happened.
And once again, disclaimer: that does not mean this is a bad book. Because it was good, I just didn’t love it the way I wanted to.
sᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀs ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ My main problem with this book, from my perspective, is Benji and everything surrounding him.
╰┈➤ Characters are allowed to piss me off. But the thing is, Benji feels like such a weak character to me. Not even just in terms of how he was written, but everything about him feels weak. He is such a weak antagonist that I genuinely, wholeheartedly believe he could have been killed at the very beginning of this mf book.
ᝰ.ᐟ I am not joking when I say a random passerby could have killed this boy. He is probably the easiest person to kill in the entire fucking kingdom.
And yet, somehow, I was at 92% and he was still fucking alive.
╰┈➤ Sybil had a chance to kill him at the beginning, and she didn’t. Then situation after situation kept happening where I was just sitting there thinking, surely this is when somebody finally kills him.
ᝰ.ᐟ Even when Rory got on him to beat him, he could have literally slipped a dagger into that boy’s stomach and called it a day.
ᝰ.ᐟ And I tried to understand the nuance. Like, okay, they’re family. There are complicated emotions there. Whatever, whatever, whatever.
But this boy was, excuse me for saying this, a cunt.
There was literally no reason to keep him alive.
╰┈➤ And then there was that fucking room scene.
ᝰ.ᐟ Everyone was just talking without giving a fuck. They’re in the room making guesses about the ox-eye concoction Sybil has been drinking, Bartholomew starts talking about the sprites and everything surrounding them, and they’re doing ALL of this while Benji is literally in the room.
Why the fuck are you in the room with this evil boy spilling elite knowledge?! They were practically explaining everything to benji.
ᝰ.ᐟ I genuinely thought I was losing my mind. That entire conversation blew my shit so badly that I actually went back and started reading from the very fucking beginning because I thought, Did I miss something? Did I miss a line where benji threatened them to speak
So I went back.
And there was no threat.
Just free will
ᝰ.ᐟ And then the moment Benji goes, “Well, I’m going to kill all the sprites then,” everyone is suddenly like
“HOW DARE YOU?!😱😱😱😱”
And I’m sitting there like, WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, BABY?!
What did you think was going to happen when you stood there and told this pos everything?!
╰┈➤ Anyways. We get to the duel between Benji and Sybil
ᝰ.ᐟ Talking about Sybil……WHERE IS MY QUEEN?!
Maybe I don’t remember the events of The Knight and the Moth that well, but I distinctly remember Sybil throwing hands down. Like, my girl used to throw the fuck down.
But in this book it just…left???
Where was the action?!
There was barely any action in this book in the way I expected there to be, and even the action toward the ending was so fucking underwhelming.
╰┈➤ Which brings me back to the duel.
ᝰ.ᐟ Sybil and Benji are fighting. She hurts him. His skull literally crashes against the floor. And then she’s supposed to hit him in the head with a hammer, and this girl goes:
Well, he’s already going to die.
GIRL.
GUESS WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENS NEXT?
Bauer and Rory come to hug Sybil, and while everyone is distracted, this motherfucker (who is supposedly already dying) snatches the coin and disappears.
WHY
WHY
WHY
WHY
ᝰ.ᐟ I hate when it’s time for the villain to die and all off a sudden we have “empathy🤓”
Why won’t you SMOKE THIS BITCH?! And let him die ONCE AND FOR FUCKING ALL.
It’s like nobody wanted to kill him, and he was genuinely the easiest motherfucker to kill in the entire book.
I am so upset.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ And then he goes off talking about second chances , and a whole series of things happen after that which, no shade, but I low-key lost track of.
I understood parts of it. I understood what was happening at certain points. But by the end, I was just sitting there like, Okay… so… what the fuck just happened?
The ending just felt really underwhelming to me.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ Anyways, the main positive of this book will forever be Sybil and Rory’s connection.
It’s still chemistry after chemistry after chemistry.
ᝰ.ᐟ Their witty banter is still there. Their dynamic is still there. Even though it felt like we barely saw them together (though they were mostly together) they still had their moments. The bathing scene. The first divination after Rory got his memories. Those little moments where you can still feel the chemistry between them.
But
BROOOOO
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ I don’t even want to talk shit about this book because I genuinely enjoyed the first one so much.
This book is actually making me want to go back and reread the first book just to figure out whether I was doing too much with my praise for it, or whether that book genuinely deserves all the hype I gave it.
And honestly, I probably will reread it because there’s no fucking way.
╰┈➤ But I want everyone to understand that this book is by all means not a bad book. I’m deadass serious. It’s really not.
ᝰ.ᐟ Some part of me recognizes that. I know it’s not badly written. I still liked it. I was still smiling during some moments, even though I was talking to the fucking wall in anger for most of it.
It was still a good experience, and I was genuinely happy to be back in this world.
I was just… tapped out by the end.
And because of that, I can’t rate it lower or higher
(I’m lowk a hypocrite because if Aster wrote this I’d be on her neck for days😭✌🏾)
Would that things were different
I still enjoyed myself. I still liked being in this world.
➼ ➼ Pre- review ➼ ➼
Should’ve just breathed bruh
╭──────────.★..─╮
Pre-read
╰─..★.──────────╯
The bookstores are confused because I’m already camping for this book😭😭.
I’m not breathing till I get this in my hands
September 7, 2026
Ugh. Perfection. 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ & just one of the most touching stories. Rachel, you’ve done it again.
PLOT
After the ending of book 1, Sybil is more a symbol than she ever was & more hopeless than she’s ever been. When the king marches her around for a tournament meant to earn coin & loyalty, she aims to do just the opposite.
- book 2 in a duology
- best side character ever
- themes of religious weaponization & colonialism
- beautiful writing
- memory loss trope (don’t panic, it’s good & intentional), found family
- low spice
PROS
- Bartholomew is simply the best side character to ever exist. I couldn’t love him more if you paid me. The balance of unbridled silliness & whimsy against stunningly profound wisdom is truly a feat. I will love him forever.
- The story in this just got better. I think there are some devastating parallels to real life regarding hopelessness in the face of the powers at be, but the underlying message of hope was really special & important.
- I wanted to wring Benji’s neck so often. What a lil shit. & making me hate him so is fab writing.
- Speaking of, Rachel Gillig could write an 800 page ode to toilet paper & I’d eat it up. What a tremendous brain she has.
- Rory’s story in this was also very fun. I enjoyed him so much. He’s a fabulous character & his journey was great.
- The chemistry between Rory & Sybil remained so good & I sort of wondered how we’d keep it from book 1 but man oh man, what a delight.
- Obsessed with the found family. This truly is one of the best embodiments of it IMO.
- I welled up a lil bit.
CONS
- That it’s over.
5 star duology. I feel privileged to be alive at a time where Rachel Gillig is sharing her take on the world, one whimsical set of books at a time.
PLOT
After the ending of book 1, Sybil is more a symbol than she ever was & more hopeless than she’s ever been. When the king marches her around for a tournament meant to earn coin & loyalty, she aims to do just the opposite.
- book 2 in a duology
- best side character ever
- themes of religious weaponization & colonialism
- beautiful writing
- memory loss trope (don’t panic, it’s good & intentional), found family
- low spice
PROS
- Bartholomew is simply the best side character to ever exist. I couldn’t love him more if you paid me. The balance of unbridled silliness & whimsy against stunningly profound wisdom is truly a feat. I will love him forever.
- The story in this just got better. I think there are some devastating parallels to real life regarding hopelessness in the face of the powers at be, but the underlying message of hope was really special & important.
- I wanted to wring Benji’s neck so often. What a lil shit. & making me hate him so is fab writing.
- Speaking of, Rachel Gillig could write an 800 page ode to toilet paper & I’d eat it up. What a tremendous brain she has.
- Rory’s story in this was also very fun. I enjoyed him so much. He’s a fabulous character & his journey was great.
- The chemistry between Rory & Sybil remained so good & I sort of wondered how we’d keep it from book 1 but man oh man, what a delight.
- Obsessed with the found family. This truly is one of the best embodiments of it IMO.
- I welled up a lil bit.
CONS
- That it’s over.
5 star duology. I feel privileged to be alive at a time where Rachel Gillig is sharing her take on the world, one whimsical set of books at a time.
September 2, 2026
words cannot describe how truly sad i am that the duology has come to an end and gosh do i hate myself for binge reading it, should've savored it truly. who am i kidding though? the book was very fast paced and it made me want to turn to the next chapter. rachel, you are an absolute genius.
i love you, batholomew.
⋆˚𖤓˖° pre-read
after doing my endoscopy this morning, my mom treated me with buying the physical copy of this book. i'm a lucky girl. 🤭❤️
i love you, batholomew.
⋆˚𖤓˖° pre-read
after doing my endoscopy this morning, my mom treated me with buying the physical copy of this book. i'm a lucky girl. 🤭❤️
September 9, 2026
4.5 stars
I (still) loved it Bartholomew.
The more time passes, the more I do have to admit that this is not a solid five star read for me. I had so much fun but the weaknesses in the plot/world building are starting to stand out over time.
(Emma me lowering my rating is not your fault!!!)
I (still) loved it Bartholomew.
The more time passes, the more I do have to admit that this is not a solid five star read for me. I had so much fun but the weaknesses in the plot/world building are starting to stand out over time.
(Emma me lowering my rating is not your fault!!!)
September 6, 2026
I really loved the first book, but unfortunately this was a huge letdown. So much of what made it feel fresh and original is replaced by generic romantasy tropes and, even worse, what basically feels like the same story told in reverse.
That’s especially frustrating with Sybil. She fought so hard in the first book to stop being someone else’s tool, only to have essentially the exact same thing happen again, with Benji stepping in for the Abbess as a far less interesting, painfully underdeveloped villain. Sybil spends most of the book incapacitated, while Rory is given surprisingly little to do, leaving both feeling like shadows of the characters they were before.
The side characters steal the show, and Gillig’s writing remains the saving grace, even if much of that lush, gothic storytelling feels missing. Things do pick up in the second half, but everything wraps up so conveniently it almost becomes comical.
Overall, this pales in comparison to the first book. It’s repetitive, heavy-handed, and ultimately does a disservice to the phenomenal world Gillig created the first time around.
That’s especially frustrating with Sybil. She fought so hard in the first book to stop being someone else’s tool, only to have essentially the exact same thing happen again, with Benji stepping in for the Abbess as a far less interesting, painfully underdeveloped villain. Sybil spends most of the book incapacitated, while Rory is given surprisingly little to do, leaving both feeling like shadows of the characters they were before.
The side characters steal the show, and Gillig’s writing remains the saving grace, even if much of that lush, gothic storytelling feels missing. Things do pick up in the second half, but everything wraps up so conveniently it almost becomes comical.
Overall, this pales in comparison to the first book. It’s repetitive, heavy-handed, and ultimately does a disservice to the phenomenal world Gillig created the first time around.
Want to Read
September 2, 2026pre-read 🥹
Starting in the morning!! Yayyyyyy
Starting in the morning!! Yayyyyyy
September 3, 2026
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬. 𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨—𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵.”
i have no words but 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙬 🖤🖤🖤 ohh and i would crawl on broken glass for Rory. that is all 🙂↕️✨
˖⁺‧ ཐི༏ཋྀ 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒦𝓃𝒶𝓋𝑒 & 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒟𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓇 ☾ ₊‧
but really what a beautiful and emotional adventure. my heart is so full. all the emotions were FELT lemme tell you!! give me some time to soak this in and gather my thoughts but wow just wow!! thank you Rachel 🥹🫶🏻
“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯.”
i have no words but 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙬 🖤🖤🖤 ohh and i would crawl on broken glass for Rory. that is all 🙂↕️✨
˖⁺‧ ཐི༏ཋྀ 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒦𝓃𝒶𝓋𝑒 & 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒟𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓇 ☾ ₊‧
but really what a beautiful and emotional adventure. my heart is so full. all the emotions were FELT lemme tell you!! give me some time to soak this in and gather my thoughts but wow just wow!! thank you Rachel 🥹🫶🏻
“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯.”
September 2, 2026
Thoughts
Oh I do hate binge reading ☹️ not ready for this world to come to an end -- It was a mixed emotions kind of ending to say the least 💔 I can't explain how much I love this duolgy -- the characters; the world building -- this book was genuinely everything I wanted and more! Rory!!!💘 oh lord where does one begin??? This man 🫠 the way he's so ALL or nothing for Sybil 😭 or should I say ALL for Sybil and nothing for everyone else attitude 😂 he's just so dedicated, so supportive it melts my heart 🥹
Sybil's character development was just so beautifully done, watching her gain confidence in herself, her strength as well as seeing the other side of the strong personality.
One of my favourite things about this author's writing is how much she focuses on the details whether it's the characters or the world itself she'll always have you feeling as though you're experiencing the journey or the world, at least that's how immersed I get into her books and one of the things that make me love this genre thanks to the way she delivers!
Plot Summary
With Aisling Cathedral destroyed and several key figures presumed dead, Sybil finds herself imprisoned and forced into marriage with King Benji. Determined to bring him down, she looks for a way to break his hold over Traum. Her hopes rise when a mysterious, nameless man with no memory emerges as a powerful contender in the king’s tournaments. Together, they may have a chance to challenge Benji, but saving the kingdom could be the only way to destroy the faith that gives him power.
My Bookstagram
Oh I do hate binge reading ☹️ not ready for this world to come to an end -- It was a mixed emotions kind of ending to say the least 💔 I can't explain how much I love this duolgy -- the characters; the world building -- this book was genuinely everything I wanted and more! Rory!!!💘 oh lord where does one begin??? This man 🫠 the way he's so ALL or nothing for Sybil 😭 or should I say ALL for Sybil and nothing for everyone else attitude 😂 he's just so dedicated, so supportive it melts my heart 🥹
Sybil's character development was just so beautifully done, watching her gain confidence in herself, her strength as well as seeing the other side of the strong personality.
One of my favourite things about this author's writing is how much she focuses on the details whether it's the characters or the world itself she'll always have you feeling as though you're experiencing the journey or the world, at least that's how immersed I get into her books and one of the things that make me love this genre thanks to the way she delivers!
Plot Summary
With Aisling Cathedral destroyed and several key figures presumed dead, Sybil finds herself imprisoned and forced into marriage with King Benji. Determined to bring him down, she looks for a way to break his hold over Traum. Her hopes rise when a mysterious, nameless man with no memory emerges as a powerful contender in the king’s tournaments. Together, they may have a chance to challenge Benji, but saving the kingdom could be the only way to destroy the faith that gives him power.
My Bookstagram
September 4, 2026
♾️ ✨’s
Ohhh Bartholomew , how will I ever move on from this duology?! It took me about 10 times to get my thoughts together because the tears wouldn’t stop. My brain is having a hard time at the moment coming up with words to describe how much this duology means to me. I refuse to believe this is the end. 😭
I want to start off by saying Rachel Gilling’s writing is just so beautiful, majestic and poetic and I will never tire of it. The storyline as well was so well written and everything tied in so beautifully together with the eerie aspect, the politics, the romance ; I felt so immersed into the story as if I myself was there. Rachel, you have outdone yourself.
Rory Myndacious, I have no words yet again, but perfection Bartholomew. 🙂↕️This man just had me in the strongest chokehold ever, all I can say is I love him so much and no one can compare. The yearning, the angst and the sacrifices he did to be with Sybil. He is just the new standard l!! I will miss his charcoal eyes, slutty piercings and that mouth of his 😩
Sybil, one of my fave fmcs off all time. The things she went through and endured , but never gave up and kept fighting. She was everything. Her relationship with Rory was just so pure, raw and real. The way they both yearned so hard for one another ,fought to be together and became equals in every sense altered my brain chemistry. I love them so much and need more of them 😭😭😭 also the character development between the two?! Wow it truly was amazing to see.
Bartholomew, I adored him even more in this one. All I wanted to do was jump into this book and protect him the entire time 🥹 his relationship with Sybil just healed something in me. and Maude, she became one of my faves in this little found family that was made. Benji, well there’s not much to say about him because he was just a waste of space and time.
The ending of this book brought up so many emotions in me, again I refuse to believe this is the end. While feeling whole and completely satisfied with the ending, I feel empty because what do I do now?!! I will miss all these characters dearly ❤️🩹
“I think a story is like the moon. Every night, she is a little different, but ever beautiful, and ever to remain.” 🖤
Ohhh Bartholomew , how will I ever move on from this duology?! It took me about 10 times to get my thoughts together because the tears wouldn’t stop. My brain is having a hard time at the moment coming up with words to describe how much this duology means to me. I refuse to believe this is the end. 😭
I want to start off by saying Rachel Gilling’s writing is just so beautiful, majestic and poetic and I will never tire of it. The storyline as well was so well written and everything tied in so beautifully together with the eerie aspect, the politics, the romance ; I felt so immersed into the story as if I myself was there. Rachel, you have outdone yourself.
Rory Myndacious, I have no words yet again, but perfection Bartholomew. 🙂↕️This man just had me in the strongest chokehold ever, all I can say is I love him so much and no one can compare. The yearning, the angst and the sacrifices he did to be with Sybil. He is just the new standard l!! I will miss his charcoal eyes, slutty piercings and that mouth of his 😩
Sybil, one of my fave fmcs off all time. The things she went through and endured , but never gave up and kept fighting. She was everything. Her relationship with Rory was just so pure, raw and real. The way they both yearned so hard for one another ,fought to be together and became equals in every sense altered my brain chemistry. I love them so much and need more of them 😭😭😭 also the character development between the two?! Wow it truly was amazing to see.
Bartholomew, I adored him even more in this one. All I wanted to do was jump into this book and protect him the entire time 🥹 his relationship with Sybil just healed something in me. and Maude, she became one of my faves in this little found family that was made. Benji, well there’s not much to say about him because he was just a waste of space and time.
The ending of this book brought up so many emotions in me, again I refuse to believe this is the end. While feeling whole and completely satisfied with the ending, I feel empty because what do I do now?!! I will miss all these characters dearly ❤️🩹
“I think a story is like the moon. Every night, she is a little different, but ever beautiful, and ever to remain.” 🖤
September 1, 2026
Bartholomew remained my favourite part.
Warning: you may cry, you might laugh, you’ll probably want to dress a statue in a pink dress.
NON-SPOILER review for the SERIES:
Rachel pulls off the pacing well. Despite the trepidation I had at the suddenness of book one’s ending, the sequel picks up straight after and despite the slightly shaky and rushed (end and) start, the characters pull you along.
"A hare?"
"Not one hair, a great many, and all upon an adorable little creature." His fingers trilled excitedly. "I want to catch it and put it in my mouth and let it build a nest there."
Whilst not as atmospheric as One Dark Window, Rachel leaned into the current romantasy obsession with knights. Book one was about the rake, the sequel was about the knave.
This was less descriptive and jumped from scene to scene. This kept it fast-paced even if the action scenes left something to be desired.
"a story is like the moon. Every night, she is a little different, but ever beautiful, and ever to remain." Another sprite soared above me, dropping its shadow upon the tor. "I think," I said, grinning, "that a story is a kind of gargoyle. A multifaceted body, hewn facts and falsehoods—and made stronger for it."
It is hard to write a review for the sequel with the ending of book one being what it was. However, it had a satisfying ending. My favourite part was actually the last few pages because Rachel closed it off beautifully.
3.5-3.75 stars.🌟
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Warning: you may cry, you might laugh, you’ll probably want to dress a statue in a pink dress.
NON-SPOILER review for the SERIES:
Rachel pulls off the pacing well. Despite the trepidation I had at the suddenness of book one’s ending, the sequel picks up straight after and despite the slightly shaky and rushed (end and) start, the characters pull you along.
"A hare?"
"Not one hair, a great many, and all upon an adorable little creature." His fingers trilled excitedly. "I want to catch it and put it in my mouth and let it build a nest there."
Whilst not as atmospheric as One Dark Window, Rachel leaned into the current romantasy obsession with knights. Book one was about the rake, the sequel was about the knave.
This was less descriptive and jumped from scene to scene. This kept it fast-paced even if the action scenes left something to be desired.
"a story is like the moon. Every night, she is a little different, but ever beautiful, and ever to remain." Another sprite soared above me, dropping its shadow upon the tor. "I think," I said, grinning, "that a story is a kind of gargoyle. A multifaceted body, hewn facts and falsehoods—and made stronger for it."
It is hard to write a review for the sequel with the ending of book one being what it was. However, it had a satisfying ending. My favourite part was actually the last few pages because Rachel closed it off beautifully.
3.5-3.75 stars.🌟
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September 12, 2026
4.35/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.
RTC. I'm feeling super lazy rn
:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.
RTC. I'm feeling super lazy rn
September 3, 2026
“There was light to touch, yet. Things to dream of, yet.”
oh i am SOBBING
oh i am SOBBING
Currently Reading
September 16, 2026Okay, I couldn’t wait any longer to read this!! But let’s be honest, most of us are here for Bartholomew🥺
September 5, 2026
Oh Bartholomew 😭😭 the perfect ending do the perfect duology. The characters are everything to me. The plot, lore, history, humor, romance !!! Everything hits. I loved every second!
September 6, 2026
A duology I will cherish forever. 🖤
"Flowers grow in the strangest of places, Bartholomew. Even cracks." 🥹🥹
My goodness, Rachel Gillig is a mastermind. She will forever be one of my favorite authors. Her writing is perfection and will take you to a place you could never imagine. I had tears in my eyes finishing this because I am just so in love with this world and these characters.
Top tear yearning, an amazing storyline, & the most lovable Gargoyle. I will rave about this one forever.
HIGHLY recommend reading along with the audio. 10/10.
"Flowers grow in the strangest of places, Bartholomew. Even cracks." 🥹🥹
My goodness, Rachel Gillig is a mastermind. She will forever be one of my favorite authors. Her writing is perfection and will take you to a place you could never imagine. I had tears in my eyes finishing this because I am just so in love with this world and these characters.
Top tear yearning, an amazing storyline, & the most lovable Gargoyle. I will rave about this one forever.
HIGHLY recommend reading along with the audio. 10/10.
September 4, 2026
rory, sybil, maude and the gargoyle… y’all will ALWAYS be famous! 5 stars!
this book was SO GOOD. fantasy at its finest- truly! the stakes are high, the rage is all feminine and the gargoyle is still the best, bartholomew.
we range from heartwarming, tender moments… to absolutely blood boiling, anger-inducing moments. i loved every second. benji truly is one of the worst kinds of villains: a big ole wimp who uses power to hide. yuck.
the ending of this was so satisfying. although i will miss these characters, this ending was absolutely perfect, i think. I MISS THIS BOOK ALREADY
this book was SO GOOD. fantasy at its finest- truly! the stakes are high, the rage is all feminine and the gargoyle is still the best, bartholomew.
we range from heartwarming, tender moments… to absolutely blood boiling, anger-inducing moments. i loved every second. benji truly is one of the worst kinds of villains: a big ole wimp who uses power to hide. yuck.
the ending of this was so satisfying. although i will miss these characters, this ending was absolutely perfect, i think. I MISS THIS BOOK ALREADY
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