Reviews with content warning for War - Woven in Moonlight

Reviews tagging 'War'

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez

10 reviews

eiramaniger's review

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The first few chapters did not quite grab my attention, but I pushed through that feeling, and I sure am glad that I did! This book is a refreshing insight and masterfully woven tale of a young woman that learns to be true to herself when it matters most, especially in the face of danger. She has to make difficult choices but she does so with grace and strength.
I couldn’t put this book down after the third chapter. Truly captivating and magnificent!
The cover art is absolutely beautiful; they say “don’t judge a book by its cover”, but this is what caught my eye and I’m so glad I read it!
Cannot wait to get my hands on Written in Starlight.

Content Warnings

leweylibrary's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Listen this book was pretty solidly good, but discussing it with a book club definitely affected my opinion on it 😅 There were definitely some things that bugged me about the system of magic, the romance aspect, and the MC, but I still enjoyed reading it and am down to read the second book!

Quotes:

We aren't all that different from the Llacsans.
We'd just won. (88)
That's unfair. I didn't (I personally( mistreat the Llacsans. It's not like I'd have been cruel to my nanny. I cared for her. I gave some of my money to the homeless Llacsans I saw in La Ciudad--and that was (I after) the revolt. After my parents died and I lost everyone and everything.
But an unbidden image assaults my mind. A memory long tucked away and witnessed by a younger version of myself. Llacsans protesting, blocking roads, and walking off their hard-labor jobs. No one could travel anywhere or buy anything because of their demonstrations around the city.
They wanted better pay.
...That picture of the protest hovers in my head, and I can't escape it. I try to imagine what it must have been like living under an Illustrian queen.
"I didn't create the system–-I was born into it," I say at last. It feels like a fair thing to say. (125)
That's when it hits me.
I'm no longer angry with (I all) of them. Just Atoc and Sarja, and for very specific reasons. Not because they're Llacsans, but because they're corrupt. My realization feels important somehow. (169)
"None of your promises have been kept--we are not safe, we are not equal, we are not free. We've exchanged one tyrant for another. (178)
"It's their souls that are trapped inside the Estrella. It's our people you want to use, Condesa. Just like your ancestors before you." (204)
My admiration for El Lobo has risen, sure and study like the sun , ever since he tried to save Ana and the Illustrians. his actions help the people of Inkasisa. He wears a mask- like I do. I can't help but respect his courage and conviction. I wish I could do more, like he's actually able to. To have the freedom to come and go throughout La Ciudad and even the castillo, working toward the betterment of everyone and Inkasisa. (232)
The Llacsans revolted because of our mistreatment. So whose fault is it really that my parents are dead? How many of (I their ( parents died as we neglected them for centuries? (248)
Inkasisa is home the thousands of indigenous people, and Illustrians came in 400 years earlier and turned everything on its head.
Before us, they'd built fortresses and roads, had armies and used the stars to navigate.
The stars. We claimed the stars for our own. (257)

Content Warnings

annamay1021's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

bee87's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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ka_ke's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Imagine a Legend of Zorro retelling, set in Bolivia, using the South American continent’s modern day political and social problems. That sums up Woven in Moonlight without fail. It is a beautifully written story about a young woman who realizes that the solution is not more violence, but unity towards a common problem.

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gemstonejasper's review

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adventurous hopeful inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Engaging story. Beautiful writing. Lovable characters. This book is the whole package. My only complaint is that the first chapter or two didn't grab me. I took a week between reading the first chapter and the second because I wasn't interested. But as soon as I read that second chapter, I was hooked.

Content Warnings

sarah_speaks's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

emliza's review

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adventurous hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

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libbylou905's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

I really liked this book!
The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because it was a little slow for a while there.

Content Warnings

gabibooksit's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I'm conflicted about this title. It was a book club read and I don't think I would have picked it up if it hadn't been simply because of problematic elements I read about beforehand. After reading it, I absolutely see where those problematic elements come into play. As a white person who has no knowledge of the nuances of South American politics, I'm sure I was not as troubled as someone who would have picked up on even more of the reflections of anti-indigenous subtleties (and not so subtle) threads in the book. On it's own as a fantasy, the story itself is enjoyable and I think there are good things that can be taken away from it as well, but those good elements I feel come at the cost of some unfortunate tropes. If you're looking for good fantasy with a Latinx setting and atmosphere, I recommend checking out Zoraida Cordova.

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