Review: Woven in Moonlight

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bolivian-American artist and author Isabel Ibañez has served up an excellent debut novel, first in what appears to be a duology (the second novel, Written in Starlight should release next year), though the world and magic system are such that she could continue for a longer series. Woven in Moonlight tells the story of Ximena, a young woman whose sole purpose is to serve as a double for Catalina, La Condesa (the Contessa), leader of a community of refugees on the losing side of a war between the aristocracy and an indigenous group. Based in La Ciudad Blanca (The White City), the story takes place in a land called Inkasisa inspired by Ibañez's parents' home country of Bolivia. In Quechua, Inkasisa means "royal flower," and La Ciudad Blanca is modeled after the Bolivian city of Sucre, the city in which Bolivia's Declaration of Independence was signed. In Latinx tradition, this is a novel of magical realism. In addition to being trained as a fighter to protect Catalina, Ximena is also a weaver and her magic allows her to weave moonlight into her weavings. She also has the power of using moondust to make someone sleep.

As the novel opens, the Condesa, who in public, even with her own people, uses Ximena as her decoy, is not dealing very wisely with the fact that her people are on the verge of starvation. Instead of rationing, she wants them all to believe everything will be fine as she waits for one of her generals to return with supplies. Only she doesn't return and Ximena and Catalina grow increasingly worried. Things take a turn for the worse when a messenger arrives from the usurper king Atoc demanding the Condesa's hand in marriage and saying it's the only way to save her captured general. Catalina sends Ximena in her stead, of course, but only after Ximena makes the mistake of killing the messenger in a fit of fury. Everything in Ximena's life plunges off a cliff at that point. She is to marry a brutal man she despises, and one who is angry that she (the Condesa) killed his messenger, who was a cousin of his. He wants to subjugate the remnant aristocracy and plans to marry the Condesa during the annual Carnaval celebration that is only weeks away. Held under close watch and often locked up, Ximena is searching as much as she's able for a magical relic that is giving Atoc his power. She is watched by his cousin Rumi, who is also a healer, and Juan Carlos, who is one of the heads of the palace guard. Over the course of several weeks, Ximena begins to question what she knows about the war between the Llacsan people of Atoc and the Condesa's family. She's been raised, possibly even indoctrinated, hearing only half of the story. While Atoc seems to be a brutal person, his rise to power seems to have been because of the abuse of a Llacsan working class that may no longer give Atoc their support. A masked vigilante, El Lobo (the Wolf), has been actively working against Atoc. But is he on the side of the Condesa's people? Ximena is isolated in La Ciudad but feels increasingly drawn to some of the Llacsans she's been told to revile. When her weavings begin to come to life, whose cause will they fight for? The Condesa's? The Llacsans's? The mysterious Princesa Tamaya, who is Atoc's very popular but likely doomed sister? Or is Ximena just on the side of all the people of Inkasisa? Perhaps the best cause is the cause of peace.

While I wasn't always thrilled with the pacing and some aspects of the plot, Ibañez's world is rich and creative. She's put so much creativity into the physical book itself, too. Also an artist by day, Ibañez designed the cover of the book, as well as the interior page designs. It is such a labor of her love. And the message of this book, that of questioning ideas you've been raised with, is an incredibly important one for young readers.

I am looking forward to Written in Starlight as I'm intrigued to see if she can make me like Catalina.


I received a Digital Review Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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