ARC REVIEW: “Woven in Moonlight” by Isabel Ibanez

Title: Woven in Moonlight (Woven in Moonlight #1)
Author: Isabel Ibanez
Pages: 384

Release Date: January 7 2020
Publisher: Page Street Books
Format: Hardcover

Genre: Fantasy
Goodreads Rating:  4.19 (of 646 ratings)

  
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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.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC courtesy of Page Street through NetGalley. I am grateful for the opportunity to review an ARC for my readers, but this will not influence my final rating. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and based solely on the book. 

My soul is crying, I loved this book so much.

Let me paint the scene for you. I had just hopped off a disappointing read not three weeks into 2020. My hope for a five-star read was already shaken and I was ready to slide into my first reading slump of the year. Then my mouse clicked over to my NetGalley shelf where I got a panicked surprise that my approved copy of Woven in Moonlight came out at the beginning of January.

A disappointing read AND I was late to review a book? Great start to the year, Sha! I swore to finish the book quickly to get the review out. At that point, y’all, I didn’t even remember the synopsis. I was hot mess.

But. But. BUT. Can I tell you honestly that finishing this book quickly was nOT ONE PROBLEM because I needed more. (Can’t believe this sat unread in my Kindle for so long! I deprived myself for so many days!) Ximena is a force all of her own. Raised to be the condesa’s decoy, she has lost none of her own fierce personality.

I was captivated every second of this book. Ximena never let anyone dictate what she did, throwing even me off guard several times. (And I’ll admit it, I like to believe I can guess the plot to half the YA books out there.) The descriptions of the Llacsan culture was gorgeous and vivid, and the politics between them and the Illustrians fascinating. Nothing about either the Illustrian nor the Llacsan’s governing was simple. My hopes are that book two looks more into the fallout of book one. If you know what I mean.

The romance in this book. I called it, I’m just going to say that. I can’t not say that. I still adored the pairing. I want to comment a bit more but I’m worried I’ll dive into spoilers so *my lips are now zipped*.

Oof, but the death toll in this book. Part of me wants to knock off half a star and part of me is like, Sha, it’s war. People will die. I’m just slightly frustrated that there wasn’t as much mourning as I would have expected. There is sadness, but we don’t get extended periods. I’m back and forth on how I feel about it all because there are a lot of factors.

rating: a Moana rating because this! book! was! ahh! Even if I don’t quite know if I want to read the sequel, since what can the major plot be? I would have preferred Woven in Moonlight be longer. I could have read many more pages.  
representation: Bolivian? Does it count if it’s inspired by? 
content warnings: graphic death, death of a principal character, murder, animal death (ish), tyranny, maiming, torture
read this if you: want some Bolivian rep, to be inspired by political revolutions

What do you think? Let’s discuss in the comments below!