Woven in Moonlight

Isabel Ibañez

Jan 2020 · Sold by Page Street YA

About this ebook

One of Time magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time!

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.

Ratings and reviews

First of all, the cover of the book is gorgeous and one of the best designed covers I've seen. Everything included is an important part of the story and it was a joy to look at and find the story pieces as I read along this lyrical and richly told tale. The author immediately pulled me into this world and I could see, hear, smell, taste, and feel what the characters experienced. The stakes were always high and the choices were never easy for her characters, which made this book not only fun to read, but difficult to put down. The world building was well done and the magic never made me a disbeliever. The suspense and mystery, as well as the slow-burn romance and budding friendships, made this book one of my favorite fantasies. I even learned much about another culture and some Spanish. I turned to the glossary/backmatter often and appreciated this being included to make my reading experience even better.

*won in a BookishFirst giveaway* So I LOVE the cover of this book! Before I read anything about it, I could tell it would at the very least be an interesting book with such an amazingly beautiful cover! Especially after you read the book the cover is not just beautiful but significant in so many ways. The first part of the book did feel a bit slow for how much (or little) history it went into, but I suppose that's better than the boring info overload lol. I enjoyed that Spanish was thrown in the vocab and dialog regularly, if my grandfather was still alive I think hed really love a book this this! I'm honestly sooo happy I own this book! I'll probably reread it eventually but will be keeping my eye out for the audiobook version as well! im sure itd be magical lol

About the author

Isabel Ibañez was born in Boca Raton, Florida and is the proud daughter of two Bolivian immigrants. A true word nerd, she received her degree in creative writing and has been a Pitch Wars mentor for three years. Isabel is an avid movie goer and loves hosting family and friends around the dinner table. She currently lives in Winter Park, Florida with her husband, their adorable dog, and a serious collection of books. Say hi on social media at @IsabelWriter09.