Priestess Guidance

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

The Knight and the Moth

 



Published May 20, 2025

Genres Adult Gothic Romantasy

Pages 400 

Format Audio, Everand

I have not finished this book yet, but I am trying to hang on and finish. 3 strikes, and you're out. And it has already happened 2 times. The irreverence of spiritual truth *facepalm* (the whole reason I picked it up). But maybe the part about killing Gods should've given me a clue. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Tentative 3 stars)

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig is a beautifully written book with a dark, mist-laced atmosphere that immediately drew me in. The poetic prose, the gothic tone, and the character of Sybil—torn between spiritual depth and external pressures—have enough gravity to keep me reading for now.

But I’m reading with caution.

As someone who walks the path of priestesshood and honors mysticism as something sacred and alive, I found this book’s portrayal of spiritual work unsettling. It doesn’t just use mysticism as an aesthetic—it belittles it. Priestesses and their vows are painted as naïve or even laughable, not from a place of exploration or nuance, but from a place that seems deliberately dismissive.

Worse, the second time these themes surfaced, the story began romanticizing casual sex—not as something neutral or individual, but as a supposedly enlightened alternative to sacred devotion. That’s not awakening. That’s shallowness dressed up as liberation. Deep, soulful connection—between ourselves, others, and the divine—is what makes us truly alive. Reducing intimacy to impulsiveness, and depth to outdated tradition, doesn’t feel revolutionary. It feels like joining the crowd in a world that already fears depth.

I’m continuing the book because I’m still drawn to the writing and setting. But if the narrative continues to tear down what is sacred, treating spiritual connection as something to “outgrow,” I may have to walk away.

For now, I remain intrigued, but alert.

Also... I pre-ordered the special edition from Barnes and Nobles. AND bought an audio copy from Everand. PLEASE get better!

Get the book here

No comments:

Post a Comment