Woven in Moonlight ~ Isabel Ibañez

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez was my choice for my book set in South America. And whilst not strictly set in a real South American country, Woven in Moonlight is inspired by Bolivian politics and history.

Woven in Moonlight is the story of Ximena, the decoy for the Condesa, the last remaining Illustrian royal (think Kiera Knightley and Natalie Portman in The Phantom Menace). The Illustrians lost everything when the revolt happened and the usurper, Atoc, put himself on the throne by using an ancient magical relic. They are surviving and plotting to get back what they lost when Atoc demands the Condesa’s hand in marriage. As her decoy, Ximena goes in her place, determined to steal the relic and give her people a victory. Only things aren’t quite what she thought them to be and Ximena finds her view of the world being challenged, by a Princesa, a healer and masked vigilante.

This very much sounded like something I would love from just the blurb alone, but I didn’t know how much. I started this book Monday morning and I finished it Tuesday night, I just couldn’t put it down. Isabel Ibañez wove so many elements of fiction I adore into one story. I’ll admit that the politics and historical fiction bits originally made me a little unsure, but when paired with magic and royalty and revolt and vigilantes it just worked. 

Ximena is a strong female protagonist. She is stubborn and determined but also willing to learn. She has flaws that are explored through her journey. I also liked that whilst she was a fighter and swordsman, she was also given the hobby of weaving, which showed the duality of being human and it’s something I feel is missing in a lot of YA novels with strong female characters. And to make things even better, there was no love triangle!

I’m a bit of a superhero fan and so the inclusion of a masked vigilante was amazing. I thought the reveal of the identity was a little predictable but I so wanted it to be that character that I just didn’t care. I liked how El Lobo was first described as a general nuisance who refused to join forces with the Illustrians but was acting against Atoc. As we got to know more, everything about El Lobo makes more sense.

I thought this story was going to be about rising up against your oppressors, but it’s so much more than that. It’s about finding out there are two sides to history, and that sometimes, neither one is the just one. It’s about making your own, informed, decisions and that sometimes, that means moving away from everything you thought you knew. 

Isabel Ibañez wrote a beautiful story with Woven in Moonlight and I found it hard to put down. I give it five stars.

C🌙