Book Review: If you love Gothic Romantasy, Don’t Miss the Conclusion to Rachel Gillig’s Stonewater Kingdom Duology, ‘The Knave and the Moon’
TL;DR: Should you read this completed duology? Yes. If gothic romantasy, strange little creatures, atmospheric fantasy worlds, complicated women, and yearning romance are your thing, you should absolutely pick up Rachel Gillig's The Knight and the Moth now that The Knave and the Moon has completed the duology.
Considering this was one of my most anticipated reads for 2026, it had a lot of expectations to live up to. So did it? Yes. In fact, I think I enjoyed The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig, book two in the Stonewater Kingdom duology, even more than book one, The Knight and the Moth. This gorgeous, gothic romantasy read picks up right where we left off in book one (aka that BRUTAL cliffhanger), and in order to give a proper review, there will be spoilers for book one in this review. You’ve been warned! Once again, Gillig’s prose is beautiful and from chapter one, I was reminded how much I love her writing style, minus the plentiful dropping of f-bombs. Bartholomew was once again my favorite character, and if possible, he was even more precious in this book. While there is a clear plot of wanting to destroy the magical objects, it was a lot of traveling and returning to the same places of book one, and more character driven in my opinion. Sybil and Rory’s journey of figuring out their own self worth, and their yearning love for each other was at the forefront of the story this time. So you basically do a reverse journey. Benji made me so mad. What a disappointment. Now, do you need to reread book one to read this one? No, but I will say, I had to look up a recap because, while I remembered all the big, important bits, there are some details from book one that are good to remember. If you have time, a reread is probably a good idea. Ready for more thoughts and my favorite quotes? Keep reading below…
Things to Know:
Book two in a duology
Romantic subplot with some spice
Gothic fantasy setting
You’ll still love the Gargoyle
TW: gore
I liked Sybil and Rory more in this book. Benji can obviously kick rocks. Bartholomew stole the show once again, and Maude was exquisite.
The sprites also become a bigger part of the story, but if I had to nitpick, I would have liked a bit more interaction with them and our main characters (in terms of conversing). I also feel like the elders or hamlet leaders were all terrible people, and they didn’t really get enough comeuppance for me. If we’re gonna clean house and create a new world, those people have GOT to go.
Sybil was much more likable this time around for me. I think because she was focused on surviving a horrible tyrant and taking her revenge. She never gave up hope. Benji was such a little sh*t. Obviously, we have this HUGE betrayal at the end of book one, and I think we were all left pretty devastated. And he just gets worse. No redemption arc for this character. I’ve seen others say they feel like his motivations weren’t explained enough, but to me, it was very clear. He wanted power and prestige. He saw his grandfather get destroyed, and knew loyalty is fickle, so if he could harness the Omen’s power for himself, he could secure his future. It’s messed up, but clear. Power hungry tyrant. Do we need more than that? Sure, he was a bit one dimensional, but it didn’t take away from the story for me.
Rory is everything you want in a book boyfriend and more. He’ll do anything for Sybil, and I loved when she didn’t know it was him for a while. It created some delicious tension, and yearning. So if you’re a hopeless romantic like me, you’ll love the yearning. Maybe I’ve been watching too many Cdramas, but there’s a bath scene, and you’ll also all love it.
My favorite little bat Gargoyle stole my heart again, like I said above. He truly makes the story, and all his little backwards phrases and quotes still had me giggling. I wondered if that was going to feel too kitschy, but I loved it. He’s so funny while also being so serious at the same time, and is the most loyal of them all. He’s honestly one of my favorite side characters of all time.
I’ve also seen some people saying this was very repetitive and too similar to book one. Now, they aren’t exactly wrong, but it’s very much on purpose, in my opinion. What’s past is portent. In order to move forward, you must go back. I didn’t mind, but I think it’s because I didn’t do a reread. So I’m curious if some of those opinions are from readers who did do a reread of book one, and went straight into book two?
Do things tie up nicely at the end? Yes, I actually really enjoyed the ending. Are there a few lingering questions or tiny holes in the story? Sure, but overall, as Bartholomew says, “A story is a kind of spectacle, I think. A strange, shimmering display. How you look at it determines its meaning.”
PLEASE listen to this audiobook! It’s stunning and dual narrated. I’m obsessed with the voice for Sybil. And yes, as per usual, I did an immersive read with my hard copy. If you’re an audiobook reader, and you can find the audiobook on Audible or Libro.fm (ProTips: Audible is 99 cents/mo for three months (3 books for $2.97) right now AND you can get two free audiobooks on Libro.fm with the code SWITCH right now).
Favorite Quotes from The Knave and the Moon:
“To know the world is, in some part, to mourn it, and what is the past, really, if not a portent?’
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“What an arduous process it is to wait. I say, Bartholomew, I am not made to be kept on my fingers like this.”
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“What a human thing to want something so badly you let it hurt you.”
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“Everyone deserves two chances in this life: the first to err, the second to rectify.”
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“Can I tell you a story, Sybil?” “It won’t change my mind.” “That’s not always what stories are for.”
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“Flowers grow in the strangest of places, Bartholomew. Even cracks.”
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