This is a phenomenal story, full of interesting lore, diverse characters, a challenge to discover the new leader, and figuring out the meaning of life.

Narra Jal has grown up as the 2nd daughter of a cloth merchant, traveling around with her family, and she's fairly content. When her mother is arrested, she only thinks of getting to Bato-ko and getting her mom out of jail. But as she finds out the Sundo is about to start and the only way into the jail means getting herself into the Sundo to discover the new ruler.

Parts of the story reminded me of The Hunger Games, Battle Royale, The Ember in the Ashes, City of Brass, and even Throne of Glass. But this is made of a richer tapestry, with beautiful imagery and emotionally involved characters. I really enjoyed Narra's character growth and the twists and turns, there were several that made me yell out loud (startling my family and cat). Trying to figure out who can be trusted and who you shouldn't trust is a life lesson that all can learn from. This will not be a book that everyone will enjoy - there is quite a bit of information dumping, but I just kinda went along with it, and realized that I was piecing everything together along with Narra.

4.5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommend, if you enjoyed City of Brass and/or An Ember in the Ashes, then you will quite probably enjoy this book. My only complaint was that in my eARC there wasn't a glossary or map.

Thank you to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this free eARC. I am leaving my honest review.

The Moonlight Blade by Tessa Barbosa, 368 pages. Entangled Teen (Entangled Publishing), 2023. $19. Lgbtqia, centering me
Language: PG (4 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
A life as traveling merchants has taken Narra (17yo) all over with her sister and mother – except for the city where she was born, Bato-Ko. Her mother told Narra never to go to Bato-Ko, and maybe she would have listened if her mother had returned from her last trip to the city. But now Narra will do whatever it takes to find her mother, even impersonate her sister to enter a competition that could cost her life.
Barbosa is Filipina-Canadian, and I loved reading the Filipino influence in the culture and language of Narra’s story. The premise was intriguing, and it’s always nice to have a determined heroine who fights against the odds, but I found myself skimming several times. There was a lot of expository-style writing that kept me from being engaged in the action of Narra’s story.
Everyone described is nonwhite. The mature content rating is for partial nudity. The violence rating is for blood, knife use, mentions of suicide, fantasy violence, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

This author can WRITE!! Tessa did so well in writing the characters and the worldbuilding! The story was so good that it had me in a tight grasp on me til the very end! The ending was pretty good but I wouldn't mind if there were to be another book coming out!

I really wanted to love this book. I'm always looking for more books by Asian / Asian-Am Authors and I was really hoping that this was book was going to hit, but there was something that was missing for me.

Narra Jal enters trials at Bato-Ko in effors to save her mother. The trials are challenging and Narra has no magic, skills or training. I love a good under dog story and this reads like a lot of fantasy books that come before it. I'm not sure if it was because the beginning felt slow for me - but I had quite a bit of difficulty being really invested in the main story line. There is a romance sub plot, and I almost wanted more for it.

The characters them selves are really well done, I loved the intertwining of past and present stories, but the writing itself took me out of it a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley, Teressa Barbosa and Entangled Publishing for an EARC of this book.

I really liked the sound of this book and the concept - and anything that mentions past lives gets bonus points - but I found it difficult to connect with the characters and writing. A lot is going on and the story immediately takes off, but I was confused by much of the world-building and magic system. But this wouldn't prevent me from reading future titles by this author.

An original world comes to life in this exciting adventure, which holds tension and tons of magic.

Narra is cursed and stays fairly isolated from society until her mother disappears. With her sister, she heads to the main city despite her mother's insistence that she never step foot there. While Narra does her best to stay hidden, she's determined to discover her mother's fate, which brings more trouble than she needs. When things unravel, she finds herself in the dangerous position and must fight in the deadly trials. But without any training or weapons, her chances to survive are slim.

This is an exotic world with magic, religious sects, governmental power, and a society full of dangers. Starting with the disappearance of Narra's mother, the story catapults head-first into the streets of the city, where every corner holds a threat. It's a wonderful setting, which gives the perfect backdrop to the bloody trials Narra will find herself in. From the very first page, I wanted to love this novel and get lost in Narra's world.

There is a lot to take in during the first chapters. Not only does Narra start in the heart of the dangerous streets, but she's immediately drawn into problems. This does make the tale grabbing, but with so many unique aspects, thanks to the rich world, it was also a little confusing. The government and society is quite complex and very different from many tales in this genre, especially since it weaves around a religious direction. It is so intriguing but, unfortunately, never built out enough to gain clarity of how it really works. The same can be said for the magic. There are original wonders about it, and yet, it's usage is also left a little foggy. Both of these deserved to unfold so much more than they did.

The characters are what makes this read. Each one is unique, has sympathetic goals, and is easy to root for or hate. A little background is missing on this end, too, but it's forgivable as they face all sorts of complications and situations. So, there is quite a bit to enjoy about this read and just wish to get lost in it even more. I received a DRC, am giving this 3.5 stars and rounding up.

In Tigang, Narra wants her mother to stay home but she insists on going to the capital to confess that she kept her marked daughter alive even when the law stated she must die. Narra is the marked daughter because of the birthmarks on her neck, which people believe makes her cursed. Her mother is imprisoned and Narra enters the competition that takes place every ten years to find a new ruler. She wants to win the competition so she can rescue her mother. Narra enters the trials with no magic, no weapons and no help. It takes all of her willpower and wits to get through it all.

Likes/dislikes: The vocabulary in the world building and introduction of characters gets confusing but it makes more sense as the story goes on. The story felt disjointed because of the competition, the past lives and the magic not necessarily blending well together. I did like Narra, the main character, and her companions, Virian and Dayen, and how they worked together and helped each other.

Mature content: PG for brief kissing
Language: PG-13 for 19 swears and no f-bombs.
Violence: PG for cuts on palms of hands as a gift of blood to begin a ceremony and a nondescript beheading.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is mixed with the following: olive skin, brown skin, deep russet skin, dark Tigangi skin, and dark brown skin.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥

This book had me at Filipino fantasy.

The odds to survive the trials are against Narra Jal. With nothing in her arsenal but the motivation of saving her mother to see her through, she goes into the competition anyway. A serious underdog, she is the last bet to win the throne of Tigang.

Visions plague her mind, but these mysterious messages soon become important to her success at the trials. These visions also link her to an enigmatic Guardian named Teloh. Can Narra use her visions to survive the competition?

The world-building in this read stole the show for me. Tessa Barbosa fed us wonderfully intricate details that made the struggle of the trials too real. She also nicely contrasts that with the imagery of Narra's visions.

I also love the little Easter egg references to Filipino culture. Representation certainly matters, and it was refreshing to see my culture represented in a fantasy romance.

I knocked off a star for three reasons:

- The romance was incredibly subtle in this read; I had wished so hard that they developed it better.
- Pacing in the beginning was rather slow. I promise it does pick up at around the 30-40% mark.
- The ending was too abrupt. The world-building and storytelling were incredibly rich, so it was disappointing to have the ending and final battle not be as equally decadent.

That said, those three took little away from an enjoyable read. If you like mysterious fantasies with fantastic world-building, this standalone read is a great pick-up.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Tessa Barbosa, Entanged Publishing, and Netgalley for providing an ARC. **

This was a fun, fantasy adventure with Filipino mythology. I didn’t expect it to incorporate past lives and it was an interesting way to learn more about Narra, Teloh, and Arawan. I do wish that there was more explained about the magic system and political structure. I don’t feel like I have a good grasp on either. Despite this, the story really picked up almost halfway through and from there I couldn’t put it down. I am wondering if this will be the beginning of a series since the ending still left me with some questions. The Filipino culture was woven in so beautifully-we need more books like this! Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this arc.

En bref, j'ai trouvé le monde de l'autrice très intéressant mais elle finit par donner bien trop d'informations qui noient le lecteur sans que ça soit hyper utile. J'ai beaucoup aimé Narra Jal, notre héroïne qui ne baisse jamais les bras et va tout faire pour atteindre ses objectifs alors qu'elle est désarmée, sans pouvoir et qu'elle ne sait pas vraiment se battre... Les événements s'enchainent assez rapidement et le tout donne un roman assez bien fait dans l'ensemble, qui déstabilise parfois et qui nous fait vivre des moments intenses. Un flop moyen pour moi mais je suis sûre qu'il trouvera son public.

The Moonlight Blade was brimming with interesting world building but sadly I never felt truly connected with the characters or story.

Narra Jal made a promise to her mother to never go to Bato-Ko but when her mother goes missing, Narra must defy her wishes and journey to that very city to save her. As an outcast who is seen as unlucky, Narra has the cards stacked against her as she enters The Trails, a grueling, dangerous competition that determines the next ruler of Tigang. With no training or magic Narra must rely on her hard work and perseverance to survive what is to come. Will she be able to win the trials and save her mother? You'll have to read an find out!

There were moments in this story that truly captured my imagination. The world building had so much potential! Unfortunately I felt the first half to be exposition heavy and very confusing. I felt little connection with the characters or the overarching story and the pacing felt stilted. At the fifty percent mark I did start to gain some momentum and the conclusion felt satisfying and well paced. Sadly for my personal taste the strong ending wasn't worth the tedium that was the first half.

**I was provided with an ARC from Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for an honest review**

This was pretty good. I have no words to explain what I felt reading this book. This author has a great writing style. The ending was so adorable and cute.

3.5 Stars

The Moonlight Blade is a young adult fantasy novel that draws from Filipino traditions, customs, and mythology. In it, author Tessa Barbosa has created a complex world that is lush and expansive. She fully immerses readers from the first page on.

Narra is a layered character that only becomes more so as her story progresses. She is strong and bold and has great focus. Supporting characters are well supported and are successful to varying degrees.

The complexities within The Moonlight Blade are not without some problems. A glossary and the character descriptions — neither of which were included in the digital advanced reader copy provided to me — would be extremely beneficial. I know that I would have referred to both more than once, and my reading experience would have been better for it.

There’s a lot to keep track of in The Moonlight Blade, and I found that some of it, I just had to skip past rather than go back looking. Tighter editing or slower pacing in places could have made for a stronger read. That said, I did enjoy The Moonlight Blade, and always looked forward to coming back to the book when the chance arose. And I look forward to reading more from Barbosa.

I was so excited to read this one. I really was. The concept and the execution however just were not up to par. The emotions and desperation were well written out but sometimes the writing felt really repetitive in parts. Would probably be more enjoyable for someone younger than I as well. I would recommend this to someone just getting into fantasy books as a starter point but for me it was just ok. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc for review. Wish I had liked it more.

DNF


I was pretty damn excited to be approved for this, let's be real. A Filipino-based fantasy? Heck yeah! Then (there's always a then) I was caught in a gargantuan-sized reading slump. I still tried my hardest to read this, though, I can assure yall that.

Sadly I couldn't get through this. The sheer amount of name-dropping that happens the moment the prologue starts and right up until where I decided to stop for good felt, in my humble opinion, endless. And I am so confused, man. I want to get the story but I don't. I barely understand what I'm reading let alone remember all the names. Still, I have hopes that this book will find its intended audience and they will shower it with as much love as it deserves. As much as it breaks my heart to admit it, I am just not right for it :')

Thank you to Netgalley, Ms. Tessa Barbosa and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows Narra, whose mother leaves for their home of their birth, Bato-Ko and never returns. One day, Narra receives a notice that her mother has been arrested. Even after promising her mother never to go back to Bato-Ko, she convinces her family to leave and go to Bato-Ko. Narra is determined to rescue her mother, and to do this, she enters a competition called the Sundo which allows her access into the palace to rescue her mother.

I will start by mentioning what I liked about this book: I liked basically the last 1/3 of this book the most. It became much more action-packed and there were some twists that even I didn't see coming that made me reread the page to make sure I read it right. I loved the biggest twist in the book, at least to me the biggest one, and that twist made the book for me to be honest. That twist saved the book from me giving a lower rating, which I will explain below. The other thing I really liked about this book was the romance. The romance at first confused me, but once you finish the book, my gosh it makes so much more sense and I really liked it in the end!

This is more of a 3.5 star read mainly because I really did not understand what was going until about halfway through this book. The story was kind of all over the place, and scenes would change without me realizing, or we would suddenly be in a different area and I didn't understand how that happened. I wish the history of this world was explained better. I actually have no idea how to explain the magic system as well. I never really connected with any of the characters, but I would say Narra and others grew a lot by the end of the book, which again, you would really need to read the entire book to understand. I also did not enjoy the romance until I finished the book. Then I actually really liked the romance! One other thing that confused me was I don't understand why Narra felt like she had to join this random competition in order to rescue her mother. I guess it was so that she had a way to be inside the palace, but I guess I just did not understand the point of the competition aside from adding some extra action and suspense.

Kudos to the author, though, for ending the book the way it did. It explained a lot, and I ended up giving this book a higher rating than I originally was planning! I received a free digital copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was attracted by the blurb and the gorgeous cover. There's a lot of potential but the story didn't keep my attention and fell flat.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I received an e-arcs from the publisher via netgalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Rating: 2.5/5
This one falls under the 'great premise, not-so-great execution ' category. I really wanted to like this book. A world steeped in Filipino mythology and culture was something right up my alley. Unfortunately, it got quite confusing at times. I couldn't connect to any of the characters and did not care for any of them. My main complaint is the trials. First of all, i didn't understand why Narra joined the trials to rescue her mother. Secondly, the trials lacked the excitement and high stakes i wanted.. None of the trials were intense and exciting and just fell flat. None of the trials were something I'd call life-threatening. Finally, I wasn't a huge fan of the climax. It, too, in my opinion, lacked excitement. Overall, this book was a huge letdown. I pushed through it for 20 days.....

Thank you to Hear Our Voices tour and Entangled Teen for early access to The Moonlight Blade.

Tessa Barbosa weaved a story so captivating that I couldn't put it down. Narra's humanity throughout the story kept me enthralled and wanting to know more while also fearful of the ending. There was not only family, friendships, love, betrayal, but so much more. Yes, some of the twists were predictable, the way they were written still made it surprising. There were quite a bit of characters I wanted to punch and characters I just wanted to hug.

I think that's what made me truly enjoy this book is the humanity both good and bad that was shown.

Thank you to Hear Our Voices Tours and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC and finished copy in exchange for an honest review!

This fantasy adventure follows Narra Jal, a cursed girl who must enter high-stakes competition to save her mother. There’s magic, plot twists, and world building, with a steady cast of characters who complement each other with their contrasts. The romance is subtle, as to not overpower the story, but still definitely there! If you’re looking for something fast paced, this one is for you. There’s always something going on, right from the very first page. Although I’m not typically a fantasy reader, I was so excited to see a YA book rooted in Filipino culture…and I was not disappointed. The Moonlight Blade is unapologetically Filipino; it’s been so long since I’ve seen Filipino food so casually mentioned in the pages of a book so this was refreshing to see!