Woven in Moonlight
A lush tapestry of magic, romance, and revolución, drawing inspiration from Bolivian politics and history.
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 princess, 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.
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Isabel Ibañez
Isabel Ibañez writes fantasy that feels rooted in memory, where magic grows out of history and emotion rather than spectacle alone. Her stories often begin with a sense of place, sun-bleached cities, ancient rivers, lost empires, and then slowly reveal the human cost of power, love, and ambition. Readers are drawn to her work for its immersive settings and its insistence that fantasy can question who controls history and whose voices survive it.
Raised in South Florida by Bolivian immigrant parents, Ibañez grew up navigating multiple cultures, languages, and traditions. That lived experience shapes the heart of her novels. Latin American influences, archaeology, folklore, and political tension appear not as decoration, but as integral forces that shape her characters’ choices. Before turning fully to writing, she worked as a graphic designer and illustrator, even founding a letterpress studio. That visual sensibility still lingers in her prose, which tends to be textured and atmospheric, attentive to color, ritual, and detail.
Woven in Moonlight
Woven in Moonlight consists of two books and considered as a complete series. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
