Rating: 3.5/5
I received a copy of eARC for my honest opinion.

What would you do if you were cast aside your whole life, thought to be unlucky and whoever touches you will become unlucky, but what everyone else does not know is you just might be the saver that the city needs to bring in change.

I have never read a Filipino Ya fantasy book before and I thought it was good. I do have a few issues but nothing too horrible and I loved a lot of things in this book so this review will be a little different for me. I will list all the issues I had and then all the things I loved about this book.

What I had a hard time with was, I found myself confused in this book a lot. I do wish that we could have had a glossary to explain what some of the terms meant. I think that would have helped me out a lot to be able to flip to that glossary and see what the word or words meant to be able to put it into the concept of the sentence. I also got confused a few times because I found that some parts of the plot were not really very explained: The magic system, why do they think she is cursed and why do they believe this(a little background more on this), the whole government/religion concept and a few other parts. However, even with those confusing parts I still loved a lot of things about this book.

I loved the characters. I thought Narra Jal was a great developed character and you can see her growth throughout the whole book, I loved that she was strong headed and determined to do the right thing even if that meant that she might die. I loved that she has a strong connection with her family and friends that she gets closer with in the trials and you can see the love/friendships written in this book. I thought the magic system of the book was great and very unique, I do wish we could have learned more about it but it was really cool. I loved the romance throughout the book, whether it was for the loved ones of Narra or with Teloh. You can really feel all the emotions that the characters are going through in the book, which helped me connect with them.

I also liked that the book was fast paced and with every chapter something new was happening. It helped me not get bored of the book but made me want to keep reading just to see what would happen next.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, character-driven plots, different cultures, and some pretty awesome characters.

I want to thank NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.

"Rich worldbuilding, complicated intrigue, and compelling characters combine in this stunning debut novel. With a swoon-worthy romance and hidden secrets spanning a truly epic scope, The Moonlight Blade is not a book to miss." -- Elisa A. Bonnin, author of Dauntless and Stolen City.

This was a story with one dimensional characters and choppy writing. I wanted to love it as I loved the premise but the execution of this one just fell flat.

The description of this book sounded so enticing, but the book was severely lacking.

I could not follow the story at all. The characters had no emotional value and all and I could not relate to any of them.

I had to force myself to finish this one. Needs some serious character and plot development.

Just can not recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinions. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5/5

"That's the thing about living, you just keep going. There are no real endings - only moments where it might be nice to pause."

This book was a breath of fresh air. It was a bit hard to get into the story at first, but I think that's because there is a cultural difference between the author and I. This may present a problem for other international readers, but after the 25% mark everything becomes more clear and the story gets a pleasant pacing and flow.

My favorite aspect of this book is definitely the characters. They're so well worked and contrasting. It was so nice to be with characters that are cool-headed and rational for once. The relationships between the characters, from family to friendships, are so intricate and the way the author plays with the concept of humanity is so interesting. Adding to that, the romance in this book is so subtle but so powerful all at once. I really liked the dialogs between Narra and Teloh.

On the other hand there are some things that need work, such as the world-building and the magic system. By the end I still didn't quite grasp the government/religion concept. I also found that the past lives weren't well explained. Do some people just remember their past lives and live with it? Is that supposed to happen at all? Referring to the magic system, the only thing I know about it is that they wrote spells on something, spat on them and it did something. Lastly, another thing that should've been better in my opinion was the final battle. It all happened too fast and too conveniently, which made it feel anticlimactic.

Overall this was an interesting book, perhaps better recommended to people who like character-driven stories.

I’m not sure if this was a “me” thing but I had a really hard time following this story. There was a lot going on and
very little explanation as to why. The writing also seemed a bit off-kilter so maybe that’s why I found myself skimming quite a bit?

So this book focuses on Narra Jal, who is associated with Filipino heritage which is awesome, and her journey as she endures multiple trials in an attempt to save her mother…or so she thinks. None of this is really explained or maybe I skimmed too much.

Look, for this type of novel, there NEEDS to be details. Straight forward, up front…or at least some hints. This book had the potential to be so good but between the disconnect with the writing and skimming, I felt disappointed. I’m still giving it three stars because I skimmed.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Look at that cover!! It's so stunning!

The premise does sound intriguing. Especially the "she’ll show everyone what the unlucky can do". It's what enthralled me from the beginning.

I really LIKED the second half. It had flare, good pacing, exciting plot twists, good descriptions, and great character development!! The world-building was so interesting, and I was intrigued by the background, the reincarnations, and the suspense of it all! The plot twists were many and quite delightful! And oh, how I LOVED the ending!!

While the second half was very good, I'm afraid that the first half didn't really live up to the premise. I think that if they had released the ARC after another edit, it would have been so much better. I don't believe that it was the author's writing skills because the second half of the book shone bright like a diamond. The bones of an exciting premise and good characterization were there; they just weren't polished. For example, I got irked by how fast and suddenly we went from fearing for being discovered and captured to enrolling to a deadly competition without any knowledge on magic or the proceedings and without even a knife to defend herself.

Alas, I really liked Narra, Teloh, and their relationship. They felt like an old married couple who bickered a lot. They're so endearing! Both Narra and Teloh had great character development, which is hard to do. It's not like they changed radically but they evolved.

This is my humble opinion, and despite my thoughts on the first half, I do urge you to pick it up. It was a nice story that I enjoyed a lot!

A Filipino YA fantasy!? I've been so excited to read this ever since I heard about it, and it delivered and then some on my hopes for a truly Filipino-inspired world. However there were a few key things about the writing that was disappointing.

But first it has to be said - I've never seen my culture used as the very foundation for a story. Barbosa delivers on that, with characters in traditional clothing, differentiating between different groups in the Philippines (hehe the babaylans and Igorot-inspired tattoos made me so happy), weapons like the iconic Kris sword, and incorporating a magic system that's inspired by orasyon (a whispered prayer used as healing in rural Philippines). Every food description or reference made in this world is based on a lifestyle that would be experienced in the Philippines and I loved that. It makes me so happy a fantasy book like this exists for future readers.

The biggest issue for me (and one I worry will deter most readers) is the consistent lack of explanation given to the reader. Unless there is a glossary of some sort in the final edition, most readers unfamiliar with Filipino culture will be lost and not understand a lot of terms used casually in the book. Not only that, but just simple details behind foundational plot points seems to go forgotten. For example, curse marks are a big thing in this book. Narra is shunned for hers, and I'm still not entirely sure what those look like other than they're somewhere around her neck. Are they moles? Fingerprint shaped? Around her collarbones or higher? I couldn't tell you with any certainty. There's also the sudden announcement that in this world, everyone believes in reincarnation and we start getting flashbacks to past lives. Like I'm all for this addition to the plot, but the way it was introduced was so jarring.

The other main issue I found was pacing. This book takes off at BREAKNECK SPEED and doesn't slow down at any point. From one chapter to the next, something is always happening and both characters and reader can never catch a breath. Because of this, no sort of believable relationships are allowed to grow or deepen between any of the characters.

However...by the time I hit 50% of the book, I was ADDICTED. I couldn't put it down. Once I just started accepting the jarring plot points and fast pace, I'll admit I found the story very compelling. I think for a YA debut it fits its niche perfectly while also expanding the diversity of the genre. My only worry is most people won't give it a chance because of the previously mentioned issues. I have high hopes for this author as I believe she can only improve, and I would love to see a return to this world.

Thank you to Entangled Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for review!

So I ended up not really enjoying this book. The plot seems like something right up my alley. However the writing was very confusing and choppy, which made me have to go back and reread parts of the book,

Every book has it's reader, and I REALLY wanted to like this one, but it just fell flat for me. I found the writing choppy and hard to follow. Throughout the whole book I kept getting the feeling that I missed something and would have to go back and figure out what was happening. I also didn't feel connected to the characters, and needed more depth from them.
The book was very fast paced and plot focused, but I felt like the characters suffered because of that. The description sounded fantastic and I wanted to like this one, but it just didn't hit the mark. There are readers who will enjoy this though, so I think it is a good addition to have for libraries that serve YA audiences.

I had a difficult time with this, I found myself often confused with the writing and worldbuilding which led to me not really understanding what everything meant towards the plot and how different characters fit it (such as what were their roles in this society). Also I found the writing style a bit choppy and hard to get into however at the same time I enjoyed the writing style during the challenges and thought that maybe with a bit more development I would have enjoyed this book a lot more. The characters and premise were incredibly interesting and unique and I think that this can make a good read.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Teen for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Moonlight Blade is an okay read. I neither liked or disliked the story. The summary sounded intriguing and Narra is an interesting character to follow but the writing left much to be desired. The execution of the plot needs a little more editing: the pacing is slightly off and the way it's written made me have to go back and forth to make sure I understood what was going on. I wanted to like this one more but The Moonlight Blade had me feeling "meh" by the end.

3 stars

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

The synopsis of this book reminded me of ‘The Hunger Games’, and I would definitely place this book next to that one. The story is thrilling and compelling and I found myself rooting for the main character. The main character, Narra, is a likeable character that had won me over very quickly.

The story takes place in a place inspired by the Philippines and while I was reading, I regularly noticed how limited my knowledge of the culture is. This made it a bit harder at times to understand everything, but it was really interesting to learn more about it.

The only thing I ‘disliked’ about this book is the amount of information that you received. There was a lot of information about the world in the story, about the ‘society’ in Bato-Ko, about religious aspects, about the previous life of the main character… This made it a bit too descriptive sometimes and honestly, it wasn’t always easy to follow the story because of this. Sometimes, I had to decide for myself to ‘skip’ this information (meaning: don’t try to understand and remember everything) and focus on the story itself.

All in all, I really liked this book. I think it is a very strong story and I kept thinking about it, even when I wasn’t reading. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who lis a fan of books like ‘The Hunger Games’.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me a chance to read an advanced copy of this book.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book tells an interesting story of a girl who goes on a journey to rescue her mother. I enjoyed the overall story. But at times found it repetitive, reading similar if not the exact same part multiple times. It's such a fast-paced read that I found myself confused at times as it jumps around a lot. With all that said, I still think this is a good book and recommended it to anyone who feels drawn to the description and beautiful cover as I did. I'd be interested in reading more about Narra in the future.

I automatically read the synopsis and needed to read this book. The story follows Narra Jal as a cursed outcast but when her mother disappears she decides to find her (and some answers) she'll be a contestant in the trials to win not only her mother back but her honor and a place in her homeland. The setting had a rich premise and could've been fantastic but the MC fell so short to me. I didn't feel anything for her plight at all, I skimmed pages and rolled my eyes during speeches on how strong and brave she is. The stakes weren't high during the "deadly" trials and none of the side characters added much to it. I did enjoy the touch of Filipino folklore we got and the lush setting of the trials. I will say Narra loves her family and everything she does is for them but it's more told to us than shown to us. I liked to authors prose of the world she set the trials in but the writing structure was a little off to me and I just couldn't connect !

Narra Jal is a cursed girl and is constantly worried about ruining everything around her. Her mom forbids her from ever going to the capital city of Bato-Ko, but when her mom is arrested and news gets back to her that she’s being held in the city, she decides to take matters into her own hands. The city is hosting a competition to pick their new ruler and Narra enters for the opportunity to free her mother. Nothing is as it seems in this city full of magic however.

I thought this was a very fun story but I almost felt like I needed a dictionary. It also felt a little disjointed at times. Still wondering what happened to Narra’s aunt. It seems like enough material was provided and enough loose ends for there to be a sequel and I do hope that those can be reconciled in a second book. The magic system could have been described more in how it works instead of us figuring it out as we go and the love story aspect of it was cute but I think we just needed more information.

Compelling storytelling and fairly unique worldbuilding make this one a difficult book to rate and review. Most of my gripes with this work come down to the writing style and how I simply did not connect with it, or think it was particularly well-written prose. However, I acknowledge this is an ARC. There are things--odd sentence structure, choppy writing, dialogue that just...felt strange--which may be fixed for the published version. Hence, I find this hard to review and rate in an honest but acknowledging manner. The characters and story felt mostly well-rounded and engaging, so it was easy to read until the end.

While THE MOONLIGHT BLADE did not leave me feeling awed, I didn't overly dislike it. Most of my issues lie with the writing--which may (or may NOT) be polished further for the final version. I've chosen to rate this one with three stars because of that: I enjoyed it, but at the end of the day, unmemorable.

I really tried, but something about this book fell flat for me. I thought the concept was cool, but the writing and the way that the story was built out just didn't stick to me.
I enjoyed the main character and her story and background.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this Arc in exchange for my honest review.
Summary:
Narra Jal must enter this dangerous competition in order to save her mother's life. While in it, she comes face-to-face with her enemy who is tasked with destroying her.
Thoughts:
I felt like the book was rushed and the world building all over the place. The problem is I got about 50% through the book and still did not feel attached to the characters.
I'm sure there's an audience out there who will love this book but between that and the writing style, it just left me feeling underwhelmed.