The Knight and The Moth Review

Stone > Flesh: How a Gargoyle Stole the Show

I really struggled to get through "The Knight and the Moth". Six, the FMC, just didn’t work for me. She was described in ways that made her feel unattractive and unlikable, and I never found myself rooting for her. The romance between Six and Rory, the MMC, also fell flat—there wasn’t enough development to make it feel believable or worth investing in. Likewise, Six’s quest to find the other diviners didn’t hold much mystery or tension, so I never felt fully pulled into the journey.

That said, Rachel Gillig’s writing itself is strong. The worldbuilding and the magic system were interesting, and I wanted to like this book more than I ultimately did. My biggest complaint is that the story needed more character and relationship development—I just wasn’t invested in the people at the heart of it.

The shining star for me was Bartholomew, the gargoyle. He absolutely stole every scene he was in. His witty, insightful commentary was often laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly profound. He’s incredibly quotable, and the twist involving him at the end completely caught me off guard in the best way. Honestly, he’s the reason this book landed at 3 stars instead of 2.

If you’re drawn to Gillig’s worldbuilding and prose, this might still be worth the read. But for me, the lack of compelling characters and relationships made this a tough one to love.

Should Gillig ever write a spin-off starring Bartholomew, I’m first in line. Until then, this one’s a 3-star slog carried by a gargoyle. Stone c0ld truth.

The Knight and The Moth Review

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