The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

 

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

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

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

Review: Sybil Delling was a foundling girl who promised ten years of her live in the great cathedral as a Diviner known as Six. She is drowned over and over during which she receives visions from six Omens that predict events that will occur. People travel from all over the kingdom to learn about their futures from the diviners. As she approaches the end of her years of service, a knight arrives in the company of the young king. When the diviners begin to disappear one by one, Sybil seeks his help in finding them. 

The worldbuilding in this was so well done and unique. The vibes are gothic and mysterious. This felt so distinct and different from all other fantasies I have read and I loved the originality. One of the main characters is a gargoyle and I found him very endearing and a nice sort of comedic relief at times. 

There were parts of this that did not work super well for me:

•  I found the diviners themselves full of contradictions. They are supposed to live like nuns in a cloister and revered by the world as ethereal and mysterious beings. Yet they're allowed to go out to party and have sex with strangers? It just didn't line up for me. Given what we learn as the story goes on, I don't buy that they would have been allowed out to socialize and be tempted to run off or experience the real world.
• The pacing in this didn't flow well. More time was obviously devoted to the setting and atmosphere, which were very well done. But the plot suffered as a consequence. I felt like I was waiting around for sections of this to find out if anything was going to happen. 
• I loved the enemies to lovers vibes in this story. But I also didn't think the main characters' connection was built on much beyond physical attraction. When they finally come together, it felt sort of out of nowhere. I would have appreciated some more build up in their connection and relationship before that point. 

This ending of this felt well done. We get a satisfying conclusion/explanation to one of the key mysteries of this book - the disappearance of the diviners. But we also have a lot of other moving parts that are left unresolved and sets us up so well for book two. 

Stars: 4