Name: Sandrin's review of Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez
Item: Woven in Moonlight
Rating: 5
Author: Sandrin

Isabel Ibañez

Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena’s motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight. When Atoc demands the real Condesa’s hand in marriage, it’s Ximena’s duty to go in her stead. She relishes the chance, as Illustrian spies have reported that Atoc’s no longer carrying his deadly relic. If Ximena can find it, she can return the true aristócrata to their rightful place. She hunts for the relic, using her weaving ability to hide messages in tapestries for the resistance. But when a masked vigilante, a warm-hearted princesa, and a thoughtful healer challenge Ximena, her mission becomes more complicated. There could be a way to overthrow the usurper without starting another war, but only if Ximena turns her back on revenge—and her Condesa.

Woven in Moonlight #1

Woven in Moonlight

Iulia Lupu

Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena’s motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight. When Atoc demands the real Condesa’s hand in marriage, it’s Ximena’s duty to go in her stead. She relishes the chance, as Illustrian spies have reported that Atoc’s no longer carrying his deadly relic. If Ximena can find it, she can return the true aristócrata to their rightful place. She hunts for the relic, using her weaving ability to hide messages in tapestries for the resistance. But when a masked vigilante, a warm-hearted princess, and a thoughtful healer challenge Ximena, her mission becomes more complicated. There could be a way to overthrow the usurper without starting another war, but only if Ximena turns her back on revenge—and her Condesa. A lush tapestry of magic, romance, and revolución, drawing inspiration from Bolivian politics and history.

Sandrin

This is my type of shit.

Loved the magic system and the writing style. The author does a beautiful job creating a vivid world with complex characters, minus the villain but for me it was never about him, not really. So him being a little cartoonish was not a problem. 

Was debating whether to give it 4 or 5 stars because the heroine has a habit of repeating herself constantly and there was a lot of telling instead of showing. But I decided to interpret the constant repeating as a form of her - the decoy Condesa fighting against her true feelings, against who she really is - Ximena.

Francesca G

2.5 stars

Unfortunately not a very strong start to the reading year. Woven in Moonlight had the possibility to be something spectacular but I did not see its full potential shine. 
What annoyed me the most was the use of language. If a book is written in English I see absolutely no point in peppering in Spanish sentences just for the sake of it, it feels very patronising. If something doesn't have to be said in Spanish, then don't say it in Spanish. 
Also I was quite underwhelmed with the world building, because if anything it was just a fantastic and whimsical depiction of Bolivia, maybe it was ✨a metaphor✨ but I think the novel could've worked just fine without it. 
That being said, there were things I actually liked about it, I was incredibly fond of the animals, and Ximena's character development was very well done. Also, the cover of the book is beautiful. All in all, it could've been a lot worse.

Jantien 

** spoiler alert **
           Ugh. I have so many feelings for this book and none of them are good. I should have just read it in Spanish, that way I wouldn’t have been aggravated by the TONS of Spanish words used throughout the book. If you’re going to write a book in English, please make it English. You can use one or two words but there was a page with no less than 17 differents Spanish words on it. The “spanish dictionary“ in the back of the book is laughable since it’s nowhere near complete. The story is just meh. No offence to Isabel who has put in a lot of work, and the fact that it’s about the politic situation in South America is very brave. But this book was not worth my time.

Gisela Ayala 

Whoa wow. I love and I need more. It's been a while since I've read some really good imaginative YA! And the added plus is that the author takes inspiration from her Bolivian background and weaves a world full of magic, sword fights, evil spirits, and SO MUCH GOOD FOOD. My mouth was watering the whole time. 

But in all seriousness, it is so damn refreshing to have a fantasy based around Latin-American folklore instead of the regular English-based folklore (that we get A LOT of). The characters developed quite beautifully and although I saw a few things coming, I was still pleasantly surprised with most aspects of the book. I'm excited to read more the author!

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

I finished reading this book fifteen minutes ago, and I’m still smiling and already missing Rumi. *cries a river*

I had so much fun reading Woven in Moonlight, especially since Ximena arrives at the Castillo. The story immediately begins with a bang, but her arrival at the castillo marks the start of my first 2020 ship! The interactions between Ximena and Rumi are a big part of the reason I never wanted to put the book down. I was always looking forward to their next scene together. They’re just so adorably bantery and Rumi is so decent, as our lovely protagonist mentions herself. 

I enjoyed the setting and cultural aspects of this story. I enjoyed the language, the food, the descriptive imagery of La Ciudad, the characters…Yes, I enjoyed everything. Ximena was a fun protagonist to follow, Rumi was the love of my life, Atoc is incredibly evil. Apart from Rumi, I especially loved the interactions between Ximena and the mysterious El Lobo. Their scenes gave me Zorro vibes, and I love Zorro!

This was a YA Fantasy different from anything I’ve ever read, and I highly recommend it! I wish I knew how to be more eloquent but how do you write a smart review of a book you absolutely adored?

Sheena

It's either a hit or miss, and unfortunately it was a miss for me. Typically I gravitate towards YA fantasy novels filled with diverse characters but for whatever reason I wasn't able to resonate with Ximena storyline on becoming a decoy Condesa, the stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal or anything else pertaining to her journey. Despite the great Spanish mythology and cultural setting, I found myself zoning out and re-reading the same paragraph over and over again, it than became apparent that this novel wasn't the best fit for me.

mighty dragon 

oooh it was an enjoyable read! but the ending was too underwhelming for me (i mean, seeing it has a sequel, i was hoping for more cliffhanging ending)

Megan Beth Davies

Woven in the moonlight tells the story of Ximena, the decoy Condesa for the Illustrians. Her people have been ousted from their city in a bloody revolt, and now they plan to place their queen back on the throne. Ximena goes to the palace in the guise of the Condesa marrying the false king. While she is there, she discovers things are more complicated than they first seemed and her loyalty to her queen and her people is tested against her loyalty to what is right.

What I loved 
Firstly, I want to talk about what I loved about this book. The world was colourful and rich and I loved all the little details of the language and the food. I wanted to step in it and look around, eat the food and soak up the culture. I loved the way the author deals with diversity and the tough theme of war, how no side truly wins. I enjoyed watching Ximena question her blinkered loyalty to her people and her queen and think for herself. It is a powerful message.

What fell flat
Honestly, this book had so much potential. All the things that i listed above that I loved, I wanted to see more of. It felt like the author only just scraped the surface of the wonderful world she had created. I wanted more, and I wanted her to go deeper. The magic system as well was never fully explained. There could have been so much more explored with that. The romantic subplot as well fell flat for me, and I am a BIG sucker for romance. I never really understood why he fell for her. Again, it all felt very surface level. And the actions of the characters - I screamed in frustration on more than one occasion as things they did were just so idiotic, or brattish, or just made little sense. I really struggled to connect with Ximena and even Rumi and towards the end things unravelled in a way that made me really annoyed - it almost felt like it was rushed to a climax.

I hate giving any book less than four stars. As a writer, I know how much blood, sweat and tears go into a novel and I know that creating this novel would have been no easy feat. 

All the elements of a great novel are in this book, and the author is a talented writer. I almost wished she had made this a series so that she could have fully explored the world, the magic, the characters and the themes. I will keep an eye out for her future books, and I'm sure this is just the beginning for her.

A lush tapestry of magic, romance, and revolución, drawing inspiration from Bolivian politics and history. “A vibrant feast of a book.” – Margaret Rogerson, NYT bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens “Pure magic.” – Shelby Mahurin, NYT bestselling author of Serpent & Dove “A wholly unique book for the YA shelf.” – Adrienne Young, NYT bestselling author of Sky in the Deep “A spellbinding, vivid debut.” – Rebecca Ross, author of Queen's Rising Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena’s motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight. When Atoc demands the real Condesa’s hand in marriage, it’s Ximena’s duty to go in her stead. She relishes the chance, as Illustrian spies have reported that Atoc’s no longer carrying his deadly relic. If Ximena can find it, she can return the true aristócrata to their rightful place. She hunts for the relic, using her weaving ability to hide messages in tapestries for the resistance. But when a masked vigilante, a warm-hearted princesa, and a thoughtful healer challenge Ximena, her mission becomes more complicated. There could be a way to overthrow the usurper without starting another war, but only if Ximena turns her back on revenge—and her Condesa.

Katherine WIneland

I think that the plot was a little lacking, and the dialogue was a little funky. Nonetheless, the descriptions of food in this book made my mouth WATER.
I can't wait to see this authors growth, because she can only do better!!

Sheila

3 stars. This was an easily digestible narrative on colonialism. I like that the story has the protagonist confront her biases and change her worldview because of it, but I didn’t like the sometimes bizarre decision-making she was prone to doing. I also wasn’t terribly into the lack of explanation for people’s magical abilities; we’re just sort of meant to accept that they ~exist and to not examine further, which is a shame imo. 

That said, apparently there will be a stand-alone sequel and I’m still interested enough in this story to give it a read, so why not?

Leah | @LeahsLittlePleasures

You guys. Woven In Moonlight has my entire heart! 😭 It gets all the stars and more.
⁣
This story in a few words: unique, mystical, & magical.

Also: Heroin strength. The underdog. A people oppressed fighting to take back their livelihood. A love story that pulled at my heartstrings 💖⁣
⁣
I loved the power the moon 🌙 and stars ✨ had in this story, too. It feels very mystical & spiritual — two things that resonate with my soul.⁣
⁣
I love how Isabel infuses (or should I say "has woven" 🤓) Bolivian culture, history, & heritage into the book. On a related note, I don’t think I’ve ever read a story that combines English & another language — and I absolutely LOVED it. It's subtle & easy to follow if you aren’t fluent; just a word thrown in here & there, but it's frequent enough & feels seamlessly written in. I looked some words up while reading, too, so it felt like I got to learn a little bit of a new (well not so new to me; I took Spanish in school many moons ago) language! ⁣
⁣
All I want to do is read it again and I'm so excited for Written In Starlight to come out! 💖👏

Sheila Goicea

I'm excited to be a part of the WOVEN IN MOONLIGHT blog tour with The Fantastic Flying Book Club, from January 20 - 26th, 2020! 

I received a copy of this book via the publisher, Page Street Kids in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.



All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.



Content Warning: Forced/Arranged Marriage, Oppression, War, Violence, On page death, Executions

  Rising tides can’t be held back, but they can be ridden. I have to ride this wave through. It’s the only way I’ll be free.

I was really excited to get into this book after receiving an ARC from Page Street Publishing. The overall diversity, foreign setting, magical properties, and societal upheaval grabbed my attention immediately. To say the least, I had high hopes for this new series. 

Woven In Moonlight takes place in the land of Inkasisa—a place inspired by Bolivia. Two peoples groups, the Illustrians and the native Llacsans have been warring for centuries. For the last four-hundred years, the Illustrians have ruled over the Llacsans. That was until recently, when they were overthrown by the "false" king's magical stone that summons ghosts of the dead. Overwhelmed and defeated, the usurper took the throne of La Ciudad for himself. 

Ximena lost her parents during the revolt. In turn, she was taken in, and trained as a decoy for the true Condesa, Catalina. Privy to the ugly details of the conditions her people are now subjected to, Ximena gets a taste of what responsibility is like for an entire nation of people. While Ximena oversees her people, Catalina waits in the wings to take over and become queen when the opportunity arises. But, food and supplies are running low. Forced to exit the safe magical barriers of their haven, scouts are sent out in order to bring supplies back. When they do not return that Ximena knows something is wrong. 

With the Captain of the Queen's Guard, Ana absent on a scouting mission, the only magical defense the Illustrians have against the usurper's priest are her magical powers. Ximena, too, holds the ability to weave tapestries using thread spun from moonlight. 

King Atoc soon demands the Condesa's hand in marriage. Ximena, acting in her place, must leave the safety of her home, and travel to La Ciudad to prepare for the wedding. She does not desire to marry him, but her duty to the Condesa calls her to spy on the king to give her as much intel from La Ciudad as possible. Ximena, rather resourceful in her ways, figures out how to send Catalina messages by her magical tapestries through the city's merchants for the members of the Resistance to see and relay. She also begins to search for the relic to call upon the dead and regain the city that was stolen from them. 

As time passes for Ximena in the white walls of the city, she comes to the realization that her viewpoint on the situation between her people and the Llacsans is unfounded. Surprisingly, she befriends a slightly-eccentric healer that introduces her to other "allies" in a sense. She later finds herself quick companions with an imprisoned princess, as well as a masked-vigilante who's identity remains a secret for a vast majority of the book. For a story that is founded in seeking revenge, Woven In Moonlight does an amazing job at investigating the truth further, and redirecting revenge into something more useful.

  I've never thought about what that day must have been like for the Llacsans. It's easier to focus on what we lost and what they gained. Beyond that, anything else makes the solid ground I'm standing on wobble. I want to remain standing...not topple over and forget where I came from.

Woven In Moonlight is an interesting story. I say "interesting," because it doesn't fail to explore a variety of subplots, details, and topics. Love, magic, the paranormal, politics, and so much more are additions to the overall story-line. Furthermore, topics like fairness, prejudice, responsibility, and acceptance are deeply represented. Ximena's character undergoes a lot being the decoy for her best friend. Subject to position, then humiliation, she experiences an entire spectrum of authority and adversity. 

It is powerful when someone from the point of privilege, understands a viewpoint from the opposite side. Ximena has certainly known struggle, but was never postured to live in the footsteps of the oppressed Llacsans. Barred from receiving an education, and many other basic rights, the Llacsans were certainly oppressed underneath the Illustrian rule. While it isn't a direct fault of Ximena, most of what she stands for when first entering La Ciudad at the beginning of the story isn't correct. She sees life through what she knows. When she learns about how many people lived before the usurper took the throne, Ximena goes through a period of processing and comparing what she knows to what she's made aware of.

One of my problems with this book was that there simply wasn't enough world building. Since it's a diverse read (which I love) and set in Bolivia, I want to know more about where I am. When introducing a diverse setting, it is vital to include as much detail and backstory as possible to aide the reader in understanding more about where they are, how the people are, what customs are common, etc. It cannot, and should not be assumed that the readers just "gets it" with a few explicit details. Need I say, this should be done for all settings, especially in fantasy novels, even if the world is "familiar."

I definitely think that Woven In Moonlight has some great lessons to tell. I was much more interested in these details of the story than anything else. The world building needed more work, in my opinion, as well as the reasoning for the magic in this story. In all honesty, I feel that the magical aspect could have been left out, and this rather told as a fiction, or possible historical fiction if this is based off of a true historical event. (I'm not privy to Bolivian history, so excuse my negligence if this is based on a specific event,) and its message would be just as effective.

Vulgarity: Minimal.
Sexual content: Kissing.
Violence: Moderate (see Content Warning for further details.)

My Rating: ★★★1/2​

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Jennifer

Paola C

Woven in Moonlight is a whimsical book about Ximena, who is a decoy pretending to be a Contesa in a stolen kingdom with a fake ruler. She is to be wed to the king but needs to find the magical item that gave him the kingdom in order to take back the kingdom for her people.

This book is an enjoyable and well written. I loved the magic system and I loved the world in this book. I did find some of the plot a bit predictable but nonetheless I still enjoyed it. I'm not sure if this is considered YA but it reads more as middle grade, with a bit of a slight romance plot.

Ximena, our main character is likable and you can tell that she is doing her best with what she has. Rumi, is a healer who is devoted to the false king, and he is also devoted to get under Ximenas skin, which he does. Catalina, is the real Contesa, and I didn't really care much for her since she was first introduced.

I believe that there is going to be a sequel for this book, which I think is not necessary, I feel like this book reads better as a standalone and the ending wasn't open ended in my opinion.

Kath Lau

The Illustrians lost everything when Atoc attacked them using a powerful ancient relic that can summon ghosts. Atoc became the (fake) King of Inkansisa and the rest of the Illustrian people have been driven out of La Ciudad. They are planning on how to take back the throne so Catalina, the Condesa and the only survivor of the Illustrian royalty, can rule Inkansisa. In order to protect the Condesa, Ximena acts as her decoy. And when Atoc demands Condesa's hand in marriage, it's Ximena's duty to go. Her mission is too spy on the king, find the relic and send information to Catalina. But her mission becomes more difficult when she get to know more about their enemies and finds out what really happened in the past.

I think this was the very first young adult fantasy book I read inspired by Bolivian culture. It was very interesting to read and I think it was one of the things that stand out in the story. Aside from the gorgeous cover which was designed by the author herself, I also liked the fantasy elements particularly Ximena's gift. It was really fascinating and I wish I have it too. Magic is present in this book but it wasn't explored enough and I would have loved to know more about it. Same goes with the majority of the characters. I felt like they lacked depth. There's also a mysterious character which I thought was not that very mysterious at all because the identity was pretty obvious. At least for me. I thought the romance in the story is unnecessary. I was actually hoping for an f/f romance. The ending quite reminded me of what happened in HP and the Philosopher's Stone. I'm definitely part of the minority here but overall, I had fun reading Woven in Moonlight. I'll definitely read the companion novel following Catalina once it's out.

isabela. 

haven’t read it. won’t read it. but reminder that this book glorifies the spanish colonization. 

so goodreads friends... if you were planning on reading it, don’t <3

and check this review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Paige Green

Edit 1/4/21: In light of what own voice reviewers have stated, I will be lowering my review of this book, adding it to the problematic list, and reviewing the second book with a better idea of what I need to pay attention to. I admit that I did not see much into the issues at hand (they perpetuate racist stereotypes and misconceptions about Bolivia and it's indigenous people, they center on white colonizers and fall into the white savior trope, real life Indigenous beliefs are horribly misconstrued and misrepresented, and it's sold as Bolivian Fantasy when it's rewritten to help make the colonizers look better). All of these talking points are from iamrainbou, but others have also voiced their valid opinions about the book. I am sorry for promoting a book that I should have researched into more and should have read more into.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Woven in Moonlight

Author: Isabel Ibanez

Book Series: Woven in Moonlight Book 1

Diversity: YA Fantasy

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: January 7, 2020

Publisher: Page Street

Recommended Age: 15+ (some violence, some gore, little romance, domestic violence TW)

Synopsis: Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena’s motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight.

When Atoc demands the real Condesa’s hand in marriage, it’s Ximena’s duty to go in her stead. She relishes the chance, as Illustrian spies have reported that Atoc’s no longer carrying his deadly relic. If Ximena can find it, she can return the true aristócrata to their rightful place.

She hunts for the relic, using her weaving ability to hide messages in tapestries for the resistance. But when a masked vigilante, a warm-hearted princess, and a thoughtful healer challenge Ximena, her mission becomes more complicated. There could be a way to overthrow the usurper without starting another war, but only if Ximena turns her back on revenge—and her Condesa.

Review: Holy cow this book was so magical and amazing! I loved the lore used. I had never read a book with Bolvarian lore and it was an amazing tale. I loved that the main was fierce and a fighter, but her main strength was in her weaving. A lot of people don't realize that in the times of our ancestors, people used many things to smuggle secret messages especially during times of war, tapestries being one of the most popular. The message about equality and peace in the time of war was present, as well as an arms race style of fantasy. This book spoke to so many volumes and themes that are becoming more and more realistic in this decade and I loved how the author went with a message of peace rather than all out war as a solution. You very rarely see that in books and even though there was a fight in the book, because there will always be people who think fighting is the only way, it was still a very insightful and inspiring book. The characters were well developed, the world building was astounding, and the magic system was fantastic!

While I loved the book, in fairness I have to say a downside, and I think it will be how neat the ending was? Like it obviously leaves room for a book 2 but the ending didn't leave the reader with a cliffhanger, a need to read book 2. I want to read book 2 because I'm interested in the next city and I don't mind how the book ended (one of the best endings I've read in awhile) but I can see how it wouldn't suit for some readers.

Verdict: I HIGHLY recommend this one!

Anjana Madhusoodanan

** spoiler alert **
           It's actually 4.5 stars but since I can't give it a 4.5 here in GR, I'm giving it a 4. The twists and turns were surprising and intriguing. I loved the process of finding out El Lobo's identity along side Ximena. There were so many hints and clues from the very beginning. I also love how the world in this book is not perfect. No one side is depicted as good. Struggles of both the sides are shown and it is shown that both the Illustrians and the Llacsans have suffered at the hands of each other. There are good people and bad people (people who resort to evil due to grief and greed) but no side is perfect. I believe that's a real representation of the world we live in as well. It shows that for things to improve, things need to fundamentally change and not revert back to how they were in the past.

I wish there were more scenes between Ximena and Rumi.. I love them so so so much! And Ximena's magic, OMG! I love how she can make the animals she weaves come to life.. it's just so beautiful and I felt like those animals were so pure and too good for this world. I love how Ximena loves her creations and wants to protect them so much. The death of the Jaguar really hit me. It was a really sad scene. Speaking of deaths, all the deaths in this book were so sudden and quick.. you just couldn't see it coming. It's like one moment the characters are there and the next they are dead.. and I also love the author's ability to make us fall in love with the characters like Sofia and Ana in just a few sentences, only to break our hearts with their death. I also love how the author made us feel like we were living the story, as Ximena, while reading.

Overall, it's a really nice book with good writing! I enjoyed it a lot. It was super engaging.

Mousumee

This book reminds me why I love to read in the first place: rich culture (including clothes, traditions, language, food and more), lush writing, a believable and complex cast of characters, character interactions that lead to character development, no exposition, dreamy magic, a delicious dash of culture appropriate food descriptions, a strong female protagonist, an unpredictable plot line that lingers when it needs to and picks up pace towards the climax (basically, 'exactly' how plot pacing is meant to be done) and a sour, grumpy-ish male lead done right! What a dazzling debut by author @Isabel Ibañez. 
•
I went into it not knowing what to expect and came out buzzing with the magic of words running in my veins. If you love true good writing, simmering romance, plot twists and a storyline that keeps you guessing, please read Woven in Moonlight. You will not regret it, i can guarantee that. 
•
PS: This book should be made the official manifesto of Bolivia's tourism industry. Madre de Luna, how can you not want to go over there, eat Salteñas and wash them down with Té de maté?

Deborah Kerr

This book was an enjoyable read. The world was well-constructed, the characters had actual layers, and the teen angst wasn't overwhelming. I really enjoyed the unique magic system--how the Illustrians got their "powers" at night and how the Llacsans powers/skills varied. I honestly wish we would've gotten more of background/it had been more important in the story because it was really interesting.

This book follows Ximena--the Illustrian Queen's decoy--as she goes to the Llacsan King's castle, though her true intentions are to kill him and steal the Estrella--a mystical gem that allows its holder to wield an army of ghosts. My only major complaint is that legit that's all of the information we are given on the Estrella and even though finding it is Ximena's main objective we don't really hear about it a ton.

I really enjoyed the author's writing style, the characters, and the world.

Alejandra Bran

I was so close to buying a paperback that was the only one left on Barnes & Noble Huntington Beach, but I really want a Hardcover!! That’s how much I loved the book.
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I listened the book on Audible while on my trip to El Salvador. I felI love with it.
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The plot was a bit easy to predict for me, but I was so enthralled with the characters and the world that I didn’t care I just wanted more.
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The characters were so well rounded and interesting. The Spanish intermingled on the conversation had me smiling, they is just something about Spanglish on books that makes so happy.
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And the romance... nothing more than a kissing happens, but still my heart was beating as fast as a hummingbird wings 😂 It was just so cute.
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I want to know more about the magic system because there are a couple of tribes or ethnic groups that have magic, but don’t specify if it work the same way or similarly. That why I cannot wait for the next book.
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I loved that while reading a fantasy you are able to pick up on those threads that make reference to our real world. Like the gastronomy and trends that reflected part of the indigenous culture of the Andean region. I’m not South American but when they mentioned choclo I was so excited 😆 because I knew what it was.
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I’ve notice that lately I’ve been more interested on Latinx content, from literature to media, I feel proud of myself!

Elodia

** spoiler alert **
           I debated giving this a 3.5 because I struggled so much in the beginning to get into it, but in the end I truly loved it and am giving it a 4.

The book is rich in descriptions, from food to clothes, to the color of the walls. The world was beautifully created, I loved the details that were inspired by Bolivian culture! The characters were phenomenal and the main character’s development and growth was amazing to read. 

While it was predictable at times, it didn’t make me like it any less. Hoping for a sequel but I’ll be fine since I loved where everything leaves off and the hopeful tone it ends with.

Inouch

3⭐︎

my review:

“Everything always seems sweeter in the minutes before darkness descends.”  
― Isabel Ibañez, Woven in Moonlight

trigger warning: battle scenes, references to torture and brief descriptions of execution, some graphic violence described, gore, addiction, violence, talks of slavery, violence, a colonizer narrative

english version:
This story was a sweet to read thanks to his universe that I enjoyed thanks to his fluid pen. The universe is cool even when you have some basic knowledge about colonization. I read that this book was critical of politics in Bolivia and since I know nothing about politics, let alone Bolivian, I cannot express myself on this part of the history. But it is obvious that the villain of this story is his weak point, he lacks relief unlike the other characters who are them a little less smooth. And it is surely the characters who lacked the magic spark that could have made this story even more unique. 
It was a very amusing and enriching reading by his universe and his political questions but which lacked good characters to really hold on to it.

version française:
Cette histoire fut un bonbon à lire grâce à son univers que j'ai apprécié grâce à sa plume fluide. L'univers est cool même quand on a des connaissances assez basiques vis à vis de la colonisation. J'ai lu que ce livre critiquait la politique en Bolivie et comme je n'y connais rien en politique, encore moins Bolivienne, je ne saurais m'exprimer sur cette partie de l'histoire. Mais il est évident que le méchant de cette histoire est son point faible, il manque de relief contrairement aux autres personnages qui sont eux un peu moins lisses. Et c'est d'ailleurs sûrement les personnages qui manquaient de l'étincelle magique qui aurait pu rendre cette histoire plus unique encore. Ce fut une lecture très amusante et enrichissante par son univers et ses questionnements politiques mais qui manquait de bons personnages pour nous y accrocher vraiment. 

where I found the trigger warning : https://bookathonblog.wordpress.com/2...
https://thestorysanctuary.com/review-...
https://leahs-books.com/2020/12/13/wo...

(ps: I usually find them on https://booktriggerwarnings.com/index...)

Iulia Lupu &
Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez

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Iulia Lupu &Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez

Reviews

Join the club

Iulia Lupu &
Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez