The Knave and the Moon (The Stonewater Kingdom, #2)

Fiction
Written By Deedi Brown

About the book

Author: Rachel Gillig
Publisher: Orbit

More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.

Buy and support indie bookstores (+ I earn a small commission):
Bookshop.org (print or ebook) | Libro.fm (audio)

My review

The Knave and the Moon was one of my most anticipated fall reads after I read and became absolutely obsessed with The Knight and the Moth earlier this year. Final verdict: The first book was much stronger, but I still had fun with this sequel and cried like a baby at the end.

First, let’s talk about the good: Knave picks up almost immediately after Knight left off (thank YOU), and we get a dual POV throughout the book between Sybil and Rory (THANK YOU). If you fell in love with Knight because of the characters — and who didn’t! — there is much to love here. We get a ton of great time with Maude and, of course, our beloved Bartholomew. They are as lovable and hilarious and brave and heartbreaking as ever. They’re also what makes the ending deeply emotional; reader, I sobbed! Sybil and Rory’s romance also continues to be fantastic, rooted in the same chemistry and mutual respect that made us fall in love with them in Knight.

Now for the less good: Especially for a sequel, Knave felt almost too short and too fast-paced. The tension of Knight’s cliffhanger doesn’t take long to get resolved, and then their plans start bearing fruit right away, before you know it, it’s all resolved and done. Plus, while I loved the way Knight played with common fantasy tropes (trials, amnesia, etc) and made them feel new and creative, Knave not only uses the same ones (trials, amnesia, etc) but reverts to a much more typical and conventional execution of them. As a result, I felt like this book never reached its full potential or really even felt like it had a chance to get started before it was over.

So TLDR, a bit of a bummer that the ending fell flat for me, but I would still highly recommend the duology if you are susceptible to the whims of a motley crew of deeply lovable characters in a found family!

 
 
 

Content and trigger warnings

  • Suicidal thoughts

  • Sexual content

  • Death, violence, blood

Deedi Brown

Content marketer by day, book reviewer by night (and very early morning). Come hang out with me on Instagram at @deedireads!

https://deedispeaking.com
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