Review – Woven in Midnight by Isabel Ibañez

This post is LOOOOONG overdue! Especially considering this lush book came out early on in the year, you know… before it went to shit. I devoured it within a week, and had this post in my drafts for far too long but as the year panned out it was getting harder and harder to come back to the blog and write about all the wonderful things we as book readers and writers love.

I am officially back and ready to dive into all the bookish bits, reviews, and writing inspo/updates! That being said, I absolutely adored this book! ADORED it! I received it in a FairyLoot box for the month of January, a review of that box is right here: https://booksbeautyandwriting.com/2020/02/12/january-moon-stars-fairyloot-unboxing/

This is a non-spoilery review, however it should be noted that this book while glorious and so intriguing, was dark. I mean a lot darker than I expected when looking at the cover. It had a political plot weaved between the magic and rich-culture, that kept me at the edge of my seat, demanding to see justice and the people rise up against their opressor.

The main character, called Ximena is a badass. Through her spying capabilities, magical abilities, and just overall being a women who fights and supports women. Her magical ability was also something I found so unique and kept reading to find out more about what she can do and how she does it – although the magic system in this world wasn’t fully disclosed or explained, it still captivated me to wanting to know more. Nothing like I’ve read before and more elaborate as we went on in the story. It was so empowering to see such a diverse boss lady in a YA novel, that captures world-building in a way that makes you taste, feel, and fear the place you are reading about. At time, I had to step back and breathe… that’s how intense it got. OH AND THERE IS A MAGIC SLOTH… WHAT? 😍😍

And the romance…. dear God, the romance. It wasn’t in your face, instead a complete slow-burn that made you want to rip out your heart… it was exciting and tense, and so freaking worth it in the end. While there wasn’t that much of it, whatever was there was enough to have me giddy.

Overall, it was beautifully written. I mostly enjoyed the description of the amazing foods, my mouth watered that I had a snack almost every time I was reading it. I think the plot was great for a stand alone, keeping a great balance between characters and the world’s progression during such a crazy time.