My rating is actually 4.5 stars.
Woven in Moonlight follows Ximena, the decoy for the last remaining royal of the Illustrians as she is forced to journey to the palace and enter a marriage with the usurper King Atoc. While she's there, she begins to question the hatred she has been taught to feel for the Llacsans, the people who stole the control of the city from the Illustrians, that she was conditioned to feel her whole life. She uncovers many secrets while in the palace, learning truths about herself, her people, and her enemies.
Woven in Moonlight was a pleasure to read. It was an incredibly well-written novel with a female protagonist that was actually confident in her abilities and was willing to change for the greater good. Ximena responds to some very harsh criticisms, but doesn't shy away from them. Rather, she takes the time to question herself and figure out what's true and what isn't. I found this really refreshing, as most of the female YA protagonists I read have to gain that confidence from somewhere else. I think this sends a much better message.
I also love that the worship element of the moon is just a force Ximena uses to strengthen the capabilities she already possesses, rather than a huge focal point (as I just saw in Night Spinner and Beyond the Shadowed Earth) in which the female protagonists lack confidence and are constantly turning to the gods to find strength and help them believe in themselves.
The characters and world-building are rich and deep, and the slow burn romance was delightful to read. However, I did feel the character of the priest needed some more development and purpose in the story. He didn't play as much of a role as I felt like he should have. Also, I felt like the magical creatures should have played a much larger role than they did, and much earlier on in the book. I think that would have added something even more to the plot.
Overall, the novel was fast-paced, dark, and easy to read. It was also, refreshingly, a standalone! I would definitely recommend it to others.
Woven in Moonlight follows Ximena, the decoy for the last remaining royal of the Illustrians as she is forced to journey to the palace and enter a marriage with the usurper King Atoc. While she's there, she begins to question the hatred she has been taught to feel for the Llacsans, the people who stole the control of the city from the Illustrians, that she was conditioned to feel her whole life. She uncovers many secrets while in the palace, learning truths about herself, her people, and her enemies.
Woven in Moonlight was a pleasure to read. It was an incredibly well-written novel with a female protagonist that was actually confident in her abilities and was willing to change for the greater good. Ximena responds to some very harsh criticisms, but doesn't shy away from them. Rather, she takes the time to question herself and figure out what's true and what isn't. I found this really refreshing, as most of the female YA protagonists I read have to gain that confidence from somewhere else. I think this sends a much better message.
I also love that the worship element of the moon is just a force Ximena uses to strengthen the capabilities she already possesses, rather than a huge focal point (as I just saw in Night Spinner and Beyond the Shadowed Earth) in which the female protagonists lack confidence and are constantly turning to the gods to find strength and help them believe in themselves.
The characters and world-building are rich and deep, and the slow burn romance was delightful to read. However, I did feel the character of the priest needed some more development and purpose in the story. He didn't play as much of a role as I felt like he should have. Also, I felt like the magical creatures should have played a much larger role than they did, and much earlier on in the book. I think that would have added something even more to the plot.
Overall, the novel was fast-paced, dark, and easy to read. It was also, refreshingly, a standalone! I would definitely recommend it to others.