Woven in Moonlight was an impressive debut from Isabel Ibañez.
The fantasy setting, based off Bolivia was refreshing and unique. The atmosphere was enthralling and immersive. Descriptions of the food, clothing and palace made the world tangible.

Woven in Moonlight covers the aftermath of war and the intricacies of morality when nothing is black and white.
There were clear parallels between political and cultural aspects of past and present Bolivia, and the Spanish Inquisitor overthrow of the native Incan people.

The characters were a bit hit and miss for me. For the most part I liked our main character, though she could get on my nerves at some stages. I loved Rumi and his sarcastic banter. I thought Atoc was a well developed villain who definitely gave me the creeps. However some others felt a bit one dimensional to me.

I personally was a fan of the romance! It was slowburn- but that paid off in the end. I would love to read more books following these characters.

The magic of this book was what really brought it to life. Abilities such as magical weaving and reading the stars just elevated it to another level.

It was hard to believe this is a debut, as the writing was lyrical, descriptive and beautiful.

Isbañez masterfully wove those elements into a whimsical and intoxicating novel.


My main problems with this story was
1. It was very predictable.
I guessed very very early on who El Lobo was, and thought it was so obvious that it couldn't possibly be him. But no, I was right.

2. The story lacked the tension that should be present from being a decoy in the midst of the enemy. She was more focused on her inner turmoil than her surroundings and it showed, I was very surprised no one figured out she was a decoy- she didn't make it difficult. I would have expected since she had been the Condesa's decoy since she was so young- she would be... better at it?

overall, I would recommend this one when it releases in January 2020
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title.

Woven in Moonlight was such an unique and beautiful story! I loved the Bolivian setting and atmosphere, the story itself and the characters! Our MC is Ximena, a strong woman willing to do anything to save her people, even changing her mind and beliefs in order to do the right thing. I also adored the other characters, and the romance (enemies to lovers, YAS) was amusing and sweet at the same time, and never rushed. Plus, we have a lot of action and some twists I didn't see coming. So, yes I loved Isabel Ibañez's debut novel and I really recommend it to you!

4.5 Stars

I’ve been following Isabel since before she was a “writer” (she owned 9th Letter Press and is from my area of Orlando). So when I finally joined bookstagram and it coincided with the release of her ARCs, I took my overly confident self, my 150 follower count, and wrote to her publicist begging for a copy AND IT PAID OFF BECAUSE I GOT IT!

Isabel is the daughter of two Bolivian immigrants and has created a rich world full of that culture in Woven in Moonlight. This story follows the civil war between the Llacans and Illustrians with a dash of YA Fantasy Magical Realism. Ximena, our main protagonist, is the stand-in Condesa (princess) of the Illustrian people. They have been banished from their city and when the ruler over Inkasisa (named Atoc) demands the Condesa’s hand in marriage, Ximena is sent as decoy in Catalina’s (the real Condesa) place.

While there, Ximena uses her magical weaving powers (she can weave the light of the moon into her tapestries to hide messages) to send messages back to the Illustrian keep, to help the revolution start. But while she is kept in the Llacsan Castillo, she befriends many Llacsan people (like Rumi, the healer, Juan Carlos, her guard, and even El Lobo, the masked Robin Hood of the story) and starts to realize they would be overthrowing one dictator for another and needs to figure out where her loyalties lie: with her people/Catalina or her country.

The cast of characters, the South American setting, THE FOOD, and the romance and drama really drive this story about what is right and wrong and what it means to be a good ruler. Ximena is a strong protagonist who really helps the story feel personal...afterall, she is named after the author’s mother!

Isabel took the Spanish Conquistador (Illustrians) overthrow of the native Incan people of the Andes (Llacsan) as inspiration and has woven (pun intended) a tapestry of political and cultural insight from past and modern Bolivia into YA Fantasy fiction that we can all be inspired by.

This releases on January 7, 2020 and I CANNOT wait for everyone to read it! Meanwhile, I’ll be anxiously awaiting Woven in Starlight (book 2) to be released so I can continue with this story!

First off, the cover is absolutely gorgeous and it was what first thing that caught my eye about this book.
This book started slow, but if you stick with it it’ll start picking up around halfway. The worlding building is decent and the culture well developed. The food in this book is quite descriptive, so I recommend you don’t read while hungry! Be warned though, this book is a bit heavy on the political intrigue/theme.
Most of this book is actually about Ximena learning that people and the world are not black or white, rather shades of grey spanning from artic white to blackest night. It covers the aftermath of war and the devastation that resulted, on both sides.
Ximena is not actually the queen. She is only a decoy for the last Illustrian royal. A decoy who has to marry a tyrant king in her place. Her people were all but wiped out when the Atoc used a relic to help force the Illustrians from most of their lands, La Ciudad. Xinmena is angry, wanting revenge. So, if she has to marry the prince, Atoc, to get revenge, she will. But only because it gives her the means to become a spy and weave hidden messages into the tapestries she’s so adept at making, able to weave in star/moon light into thread. Her goal is to find the relic, take it, and aid her queen in returning to her throne.
But when she gets there, she discovers things are far more complicated than she imagined. Her views on the world and how things should be and work are challenged, forcing her to reconsider, adapt and grow.
Atoc was a bland bad guy. Ximena is smart, witty, and well aware of her precarious position. Rumi was awesome, rather sarcastic, which I like. And everyone else was just kind of…there for me? I don’t know. I feel like I didn’t really relate to any of the characters…other then Rumi’s use of sarcasm. Also, I could have done without the romance.

This book is a standalone, but there is plenty of room for the author to write additional books set in this world.
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When I saw the cover of this book I knew I needed to read it. The colors are beautiful and then you read the synopsis and it pulls you in. I was so excited to dive in and let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint.

Ximena is living a double life to her people and even her enemies. She can be brash and doesn’t always think about the consequences of her actions. One of the things I love about her character was how much growth she had. She learned to make friends with her enemies and I loved seeing those friendship unfolds.

There are other characters that also caught my attention, like the masked figure El Lobo. He was so suave and wanted to help everyone. He reminded me of Zorro. I also thought I had him figured out but I was not expecting who it actually was!

When it came to Catalina and Atoc, they had a lot more in common than they thought. At times I felt sad for both parties and I understood why Ximena had such difficulties with making choices.

Now, one of the cool things that was included in this book was the magic. There were new abilites I hadn’t read about before like magical weaving and reading of stars. They were fun concepts and I loved how Ximena used her weaving to not only create beautiful tapestries but to also help in her missions.

The plot is thrilling, heartbreaking, and definitely engaging. I read it in one sitting. I enjoyed seeing how everything came together and really hoping it would all work out for the best. The ending was pretty open ended so I hope that there will be another chance to dive back into this world.

As for the romance, it is slow and perfect. That’s all I’m going to say.

Overall, I enjoyed this beautiful book and can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

I’d first heard about this book from Twitter after the cover reveal. It’s so gorgeous, and bonus, the author designed it herself! It fits the book perfectly. Woven in Moonlight is a thrilling tale of magic and destiny.

The writing was so pretty! I loved reading Ximena’s point of view. The descriptions of the world are so detailed as well. The magic system was interesting, although I was confused by which people had magic and who didn’t.

The romance was cute! We love a nice hate-to-love relationship. Their banter was humorous, and I really liked Rumi.

What was particularly intriguing to me about this book was the discussion about the people who’ve taken land from the native peoples and who is owed what (although we’re not talking about white colonizers here). There was a lot of talk about oppression; the Illustrians took over the lands of the Llacsans, forcing them into a lower social class. Then they took their land back and put the Illustrians in the reverse tradition.

However, there’s still a great enmity between the two peoples. Ximena starts out as despising the Llacsans for what they’ve taken from her (her family, her life, everything). Over time, though, she realizes that not all Llacsans are bad. While there are cruel ones, there are also kind ones; you shouldn’t judge a person by their ethnic background.

This is a decoy story, but it lacked the tension of one to me. While Ximena struggles with her own identity after feeling like the Condesa for so long, I thought she didn’t really think about pretending to be the Condesa most of the time. She talks about her childhood to so many people. I felt like it would be obvious she didn’t grow up as a royal because of her different experiences, but no one caught it.

Overall, Woven in Moonlight was a lovely debut. The writing is pretty, the characters are great, and the worldbuilding detailed. I definitely recommend if you want to read and support an ownvoices Latinx (Bolivian) fantasy!

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.

Thank you to Isabel and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

Woven in Moonlight is a rich and beautiful fantasy set in the world of Inkasisa. It is heavily influenced by Bolivia and Bolivian politics and culture. Ximena is the decoy Condesa- taking the place of Catalina, the real Condesa- the last Illustrian royal. The Illustrian people lost everything when Atoc, the Llacsan usurper, took over the throne in a violent revolution, aided by an ancient relic that can summon ghosts. Ximena is driven by her thirst for revenge against Atoc and the Llacsans. When Atoc summons the Condesa to be his wife, Ximena goes in Catalina's place. Ximena believes she can find the deadly relic Atoc is hiding and use it to help the resistance overthrow him. But once in enemy territory, Ximena learns all is not what it seems. She meets people who change her views, and make her question all she thinks she knows about Llacsans and Illustrians.

When I first started reading, I was slightly confused by who was who. It was easily cleared up a couple chapters in, once I started to get to know each character. The world building was great and beautiful. I could picture the scenery and landscape. I can't wait to see the map in the finished copy!

The magic system in WIM is really unique and interesting! The Illustrians worship Luna, the moon goddess, and are given magic gifts through her. Ximena has the ability to turn moonlight into thread, which she uses in her weaving. I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but I love how her ability played out through the story! The world building was beautiful and well done. And all the wonderful food descriptions left me constantly hungry! I also really loved the characters. Ximena's growth and change throughout the book made her such a likable and relatable character. I also love the princess and the friendship she developed with Ximena. Rumi is wonderful as well. And El Lobo! I love a good vigilante character. I did guess right on who he was, but it didn't stop me from enjoying Ximena trying to figure it out! Also I love Juan Carlos.

This is a standalone, but there will be another book set in the same world! The ending left some things open that I think/hope will be in the next book!

Overall, this is a beautiful debut! Excellent world building and character development, and a really cool magic system! I definitely recommend!

Woven in Moonlight was such a unique and magical story. I went into this story blind, and knew nothing about it or it’s origins. I didn’t even realize it was a fantasy book until I started reading, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I give this 4 stars because the characters and storyline were compelling and I completely bought into it. The magic some of the characters wielded was really amazing and something I haven’t really seen before. It’s beautifully written and I’d love to see this turned into a tv show or movie just to have the visual of the amazing tapestries described in the story.

I did knock off one star because I felt there was a little lacking in the world building. Where does this magic come from, what exactly is the history of the different peoples of the world, etc.? I’m excited to read the next book of hers that takes place in this world and hoping it gives more info!!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy

3.5 stars

A lavishly epic adventure! The Spanish mythology and cultural setting gives this story diversity. Think the "Percy Jackson" series but minus the overdone Greek gods trope. This is an exciting young adult fantasy novel that adults will also enjoy. I would categorize this as a new adult book as it can be read by both demographics. I've been dying to read "Woven in Moonlight" ever since it became one of the most popular #bookstagram covers of 2019. The rich language is breathtaking, just ultimately stunning in its creation. The reader is swept up in a unique and tantalizing escapade that captures all five of the senses.

While I do adore the main character, the side characters are even better! Rumi was such an interesting and mysterious guy. I usually find mysterious male characters to be an annoying trope, but Rumi is so complex and intriguing that I got excited whenever I saw his name. His quotes were the best and I could picture him vividly in my mind. He's like the YA genre's version of Don Quixote, but a better version of course.

I can't forget about the sloth either! Such a cute and original pet for the main heroine. Honestly all my favorite moments were when the sloth was mentioned. It gave the story much-needed humor and entertainment. This is a must-read for any mythology and fantasy readers and readers who enjoy badass female fictional characters.

I am very grateful for a copy of this book but sadly the formatting makes it completely unreadable. I attempted to read it on both my Kindle device and the app on my phone, but to no avail.

This was delightful. Interesting and detailed setting, awesome heroine, fleshed-out world-building, lovely writing. Longer RTC near release date.

Wow. What a fantastic book! From start to finish I was completely engrossed.

Xiemena is a perfect protagonist. She's young and bold and trying to find her place in the world when her identity is that one someone else. She's also got a skill I've never seen anywhere else: the ability to literally weave with moonlight. This ability evolves over the course of the book, and while I don't want to spoil anyone, I just want to say that it's at this point that I truly fell in love with her.

I can wax poetic about how much I love the secondary characters all day long (I wept over a death, you guys) but I really want to share my love of the world. The author has based it on Bolivian culture, but also their struggles and issues. She's woven (see what i did there?) all this together to create a beautiful, colorful world that I can physically see.

And the food - the food! This book made my stomach rumble!

Do yourself a favor and plunge into this world. You're going to love it.

Woven in Moonlight is incredible and quickly skyrocketed to being one of my favorite books of the year. I can't wait til the release of it and I'll honestly probably read it again at some point! I loved getting pulled into this magical world, where almost anything seems possible. And, of course, I loved seeing some of my favorite tropes (like enemies to lover and secret identities). I am so impressed with Woven in Moonlight!

A phenomenal, fast-paced story filled with magic and intrigue. The elements of Bolivian history and the mixture of English and Spanish create a fully-realized, lush world that draws the reader in. Highly recommended.

This book has one of the most beautiful covers I've seen all year. The book is political fantasy with a sprinkle of romance thrown in as well. I enjoyed the fact that it is based on Bolivia, setting it apart from a lot of the other YA books. I'd recommend this young adult readers looking for a fantasy novel with a political bent.

WOVEN IN MOONLIGHT follows Ximena, who has grown up being the decoy of the Condesa. Ximena's people, the Illustrians, have been at war with the current king of their country, King Atoc, ever since he used the power of La Estrella to summon angry ghosts that killed many citizens. When King Atoc summons the Condesa to his citadel and orders her hand in marriage, Ximena goes in her place with the goal of learning where La Estrella is being hidden.

The world-building in WOVEN IN MOONLIGHT was one of my favorite things about the story. Neither the Illustrians and the Llacsans were faultless in how they had treated the other group over the course of Inkasisa's history. Each had a rich culture and traditions that made the book so much more interesting to read.

Ximena's struggle to untangle her opinions on Inkasisa's future after getting to know some Llacsans is one of the main plot arcs of the story and something that I found really interesting to read. She grows a lot as a character over the course of the story but the growth felt entirely realistic.

The pacing of the story was a little uneven but there are plenty of other good elements of WOVEN IN MOONLIGHT that still make this a fun read. My enjoyment was somewhat influenced by the fact that this ARC did not work on my Kindle so I had to read the entire thing on my phone, which wasn't the best reading experience.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did but at the end of the day it was just your typical run of the mill YA fantasy. Ximena is a decoy for the real condesa, Catalina, and is sent to wed the usurper king Atoc. Using this as a cover she plans to search for a gem that can guarantee success of her people by releasing a ghost army to wipe out the enemy, the Llacsans, a move that was used previously on her own people, the Illustrians. I didn't get much of a sense of this world as it all seemed to take place in the same area. There's mention of a castillo and a keep and talk of farmlands but most of the action seems to take place in the castillo, where Ximena, even though she's under constant watch by the king's guards, seems to sneak in and out at will. There's also a Zorro-like character thrown in for good measure. Characters display certain magical abilities. which really don't amount to much. In Ximena's case she can weave moonlight into tapestries and create secret messages and make woven animals come to life. I think this would have worked much better without the magical element, which just seemed weak and kind of pointless. I think YA readers will pick this up simply for the beautiful cover and may enjoy the story of Ximena working to bring together the Illustrians and Llacsans but there's not much substance there overall. It was supposedly based on Bolivian history and folklore but I didn't get anything out of that as there wasn't much storytelling or world-building. 3 Stars.

I received an early copy from the publisher for review!

Ximena Rojas is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the Illustrian princess Catalina. A Llacsan usurper, Atoc, has taken over the thrown by means of violence that killed Ximena’s parents and left Catalina as the last Illustrian royal. The Illustrians and the Llacsans have never known peace, and Ximena has no intention of changing that. Until, however, she’s taken by Llacsan guards to be Atoc’s wife. In enemy territory, Ximena learns the Llascan’s side of history and sees that not everything was as it seemed. Ximena must put aside her revenge if there is to ever be peace in her country. But that would require turning her back on Catalina, her Condesa and best friend. But this may be one sacrifice she has to make.

I really enjoyed this one! There were a lot of tropes I love in this book, such as a the decoy princess and concealed identities of other characters in the book. I thought the magic was really unique, and I loved seeing it. I really liked Ximena as a main character and seeing her character development. This book has it’s flaws, but I still enjoyed it so much and it was so fascinating to see a Bolivian-inspired fantasy world. Also, the food described always made me hungry.

I think what I enjoyed seeing the most was Ximena getting to learn the other side of the tensions between the Illustrians and Llacsans. The political system mirrored real life history, and it's always something I enjoy seeing in Fantasy.

The main issue I had with this book was the romance. I'm generally pretty picky with romances I like, especially in YA. To me there was no chemistry between Ximena and her love interest, and a few of the romantic moments between them felt off or misplaced to me. I felt like it could've been done better or not at all. Also, I wasn't exactly settled on the ending of this book if it's to be a standalone. There was one major issue that wasn't fully resolved. I hear there's going to be a companion novel to this story, so I'm thinking the issue I have in mind may be settled in that book.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to more books the author puts out in the future!

3.5 stars

Excellent fantasy with gorgeous world building.

Ximena , the decoy queen has to get married to the tyrant king. She has a lot of plans and hate when she goes into King's Castillo. Soon she discovers not everything is black and white.

I picked up the book because of the cover. I didn't even read the description or know that this was an ownvoice Latinx book before requesting. So I couldn't contain my excitement when I was approved and read the description.

I expected a lot more action and conversations , but Ximena wasn't much of a talker or a charmer. The plot and the pace picked up around 60 percent , and then it was so amazing.


The main theme of the book was exploring Human's characters , and doing it from the perspective of a person who is a decoy for the queen was a really great idea.

Woven in Moonlight has a great way of digging through identities and finding out people are more than just black and white. This is a more important read because it discusses more about the aftermath of a war which destroyed so many in either side. Atoc's tyranny has affected everyone.

Atoc is a great character who can be connected with any ambitious politician or some authority figure you hate. I've never read anyone like Atoc and I really loved the fact he was a relatable villain .

I loved the book , but it's not a five star . Mainly because of the drag of the plot in the first half , and , we rely for everything on Ximena's pov when she's basically a new person in the Castillo.

The world building was started out with great expectations whenever Ximena travelled or explored. But it's the kind of world that needs so much exploring and woven in Moonlight doesn't do justice. I'm really excited for the next book set in the same world , Written in Starlight.


I recommend this book for readers who are searching for

Political fantasy
Ownvoice fantasy books

I received this e-ARC from NetGalley and publisher. This review will go online closer to the publishing date.