✨Book Review✨

The Moonlight Blade - Tessa Barbosa

A trial-based fantasy with reincarnation and family love. This was a fast-paced story that was both plot and character driven.

Narra, a girl who has been hidden from the world since a baby die to her “cursed” birthmarks, is desperate to rescue her mother from the dungeons. Seizing the opportunity, she enters the Sundo - a trial held in the castle to determine the next Tigang leader - under her sister’s name. She spends every waking minute cowering the castle for ways to free her mother but, with the trials becoming deadly and candidates going missing, nothing is as it seems and she is very quickly making herself an enemy of the Astar - Arisa.

Honestly, the way to my heart is to give me deadly trials in a fantasy world. I loved that the different tasks were not just brushed over and were actually an integral part of the storyline.

The way this author write “flashbacks” is magical. She knows how to allude to the past without giving too much away. I thoroughly enjoyed the reincarnation, past-lives sections and like how they intertwined with present day.

Character-wise, I didn’t LOVE our main character. She was fine but, equally, if she died I wouldn’t be bothered. My favourite character was Arisa. She was so evil and emotionless that I actually loved reading about her! I found myself scanning the pages in search for her name at times. She was brilliantly evil.

What I did find, however, was that there were a lot of ‘holes’ in the writing. It was almost like we had to be inside the author’s head at times to work out what was going on. People were in the room that I didn’t know had entered; this character knew about her but I hadn’t read where they were told this and some of the settings I just was not able to picture because the lack of description. I don’t know - I guess I just wanted every bit spelled out for me. I also think this contributed to my lack of care towards the main character and the romance.

Overall, however, this was a really gripping read and the concepts were really strong.

Thank you to @netgalley and @entangled_publishing for my copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley & @hitessabarbosa for providing this EARC in exchange for an honest review!
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The MoonLight Blade; I quite enjoyed this one. It took me a little bit to understand the world (like most fantasy books) & the key leader roles which play a crucial part in this society. Once I got my head around them I was super engaged in Narra’s journey to save her mother. The characters are interesting and unique. I totally didn’t pick how this book would unfold.
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This book gave me hunger game vibes mixed with magic and history. Totally worth a read. Thank you for the opportunity to read it ❤️
It is available now!

This book is pitched like many other YA fantasy competition books. There is a girl who enters a competition and this time her motive is to save her mother from persecution. The main character is Narra Jal. She has no magic, no training in weapons or magic. Entering this competition has its dangers but her mothers life is worth whatever risk the competition can through at her. This is a Filipino fantasy book with interesting world-building and a unique magic system that requires sacrifices to wield. Its a diverse, own-voices novel featuring star-crossed lovers, dangerous gods and forgotten memories of past lives.

I will admit to being a little lost at the start of this. I felt like I was thrown into a world that I should already know and understand. But as the story progressed, and the competition began, things began sliding into place making it more enjoyable to read. I would love to read more about the author's influences and inspiration for the world itself. It seems like a fascinating history.

I picked up this book for the competition aspect. I thought that it would be a suspenseful, possibly dangerous aspect to the story and I was looking forward to that. Throw in a little bit of romance and I'm there!

Unfortunately, the competition is not the main focus of this story. Instead, the narrative shifts to uncovering Narra's past and how she truly fits into this world. Which is interesting, no doubt, and I appreciated the many layers and elements that weaved together to bring a different type of suspense to the story. But when the tagline is "Let the bloodbath begin", let's just say I expected a little more competition action.

Regardless, I really grew to enjoy this story as I read it more. It was like putting a puzzle together trying to put the pieces of Narra's life together and I enjoyed the suspense that brought, even if it wasn't what I picked up the book for.

Such a creative story that kept me on the edge of my seat. There have been so many books with similar premises but somehow Tessa Barbosa manages to keep this entirely entertaining and completely unexpected! So excited for the rest of the series.

That is such a gorgeous cover, and the sound of a Filipino-inspired fantasy? Absolutely tantalizing! And while this book didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped, it still lived up to being a promising new voice in YA fantasy.

“Inay once told me that bravery only exists when you fear. I’ve hidden my whole life, and it’s time for me to be brave.”


When Narra’s mother disappears, she does the one thing she’s sworn she’ll never do – go to the city of Bato-Ko to search for her. But her mother is a prisoner in its palace fortress and there’s only one way in: entering the Sundo, the deadly competition for their people’s next ruler. Unprepared, friendless and posing as her sister, Narra has enough to worry about without adding in strange visions and the very handsome Guardian who seems to recognize her. But it’s the secrets from her past, not the competition, that may prove the most deadly.

I went in expecting the standard “teen must enter fantasy competition in order to….” (in this case rescue her mother from imprisonment) setup and there is that. Narra literally shows up to the competition with nothing. She’s spent her life as a nomadic cloth merchant, has very little knowledge of magic or combat or basically, well, anything that would be useful in the competition, oh, and she hates parties and sucks at making friends. That’s an amazing setup for an underdog and some crafty competitions! But rather than seeing Narra overcome the challenges through ingenuity or will or sheer spite, instead they’re mostly focused on her having visions of her past lives.

“How can our past lives matter if we are not supposed to remember them? It’s just a comfort to know that you will meet the people you love again.”


And that’s my big issue with this book. I’m not a big fan of past lives story lines and that plays a big part in this story. Things feel strangely familiar to Narra and people – especially Teloh, the cute guard – recognize her, but she has no idea why. It was especially annoying at the beginning because people – it’s Teloh, pretty much entirely Teloh – had all these expectations and baggage about Narra’s past lives, despite her repeatedly telling him that she didn’t remember him or anything else. It’s all wrapped up in an interested fate versus free will discussion, but at the end of the day, even that (and the cute doomed romance) couldn’t save it for me.

“You are a swift-moving current that alters everything around you. You are interesting, Narra Jal.”


That’s not to say there’s not a lot of good things about the book. The book draws from Filipino culture, from food to cultural mores to clothing. Elders are to be respected and family is everything. The magic system is also intriguing. Magic is performed through orasyons, written or painted magic spells, and it requires sacrifice, usually your life force. Narra also has a birthmark on her neck and shoulders that lead many people to (superstitiously) believe she’s cursed. While her mother has always tried to protect her, in the times she hasn’t been there Narra’s been subjected to violence and hatred since she was a child. And that’s part of her motivation for going after her mother – she wants to prove that she’s not worthless, that she can save the life of the person who’s saved her life so many times.

Overall, while there’s many good aspects, I just wasn’t a fan of a good chunk of the storyline. Despite that, I will be definitely be keeping an eye on this author and looking for what she writes next.

I received an advance review copy of this book from Neon Rainbow. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I wanted to love this book more. I truly did. I was excited when I first got it. But at the end of the day the book was simply okay. Nothing to write home about but certainly not trash. Personally I would have liked more focus on the competition and the MC's growth. As a person and as she found out more about herself. But the bulk of the focus kept going back to her past lives. That kept pulling me out of the book. I can't say that I much cared for any character in the book really. I don't need connect to all the characters to love a book but I should at least care about them and in this case I just didn't.

The Moonlight Blade starts off full of action. Tessa Barbossa did her thing with the world building. I really felt like I was in the fortress with them. While I didnt get lost with the world building, I would have appreciated having some sort of glossary for the various terms like Datu and Diwata. As the story unfolds I kinda figured that out. The magic used in this book was impressive. Besides the magic I enjoyed the romantic aspect of the book. Narra and Teloh are so in love despite their troubles past lives. I would definitely read another book by Tessa Barbosa.

Favorite Quote:

"He [Ressa] often told me he cared, but the words always felt lacking. The Demon told me nothing, and yet there was more meaning in one of its glances."
4.75/5 ✨️

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for this honest review.

Unfortunately, I could not get into this and there’s quite a simple reason for that: the narration. I personally find it difficult to enjoy stories written in first person present tense and thus quickly found myself disinterested whilst reading this and wanting to do something else.

I might grab a physical copy and give it a chance in that format, as this book was highly anticipated.

I was drawn in by the cover and synopsis, sadly though the writing style of the book just wasn’t for me, I struggled through but I could not adjust to it and it affected my enjoyment. I also struggled with the quality of the world building

Sadly not for me although I’m it might be for others

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy of the moonlight blade by Tessa Barbosa. I was obsessed. This was such a good book and already a great seller.

I want to start this review by thanking NetGalley, Tessa Barbosa, and Entangled Teen Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of this book!

All thoughts are my own!!

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I really really wanted to love this book, and I tried SO HARD. I thought the idea behind everything was super interesting, and I’m always a sucker for a pretty cover. I had a hard time understanding the magic system and world building that are the baseline of this novel.

I found myself skipping most of the long endless paragraphs for the dialogue, only to entirely not understand the dialogue so I had to go back and read the paragraphs anyways haha. I understand that things are out of my control and this book was definitely out of my usual little fantasy zone - but the plot of this confused me to the point I felt like I was drowning.

There were things that I either had too much information for as well as no information at all. I was lost and confused but I know that this book was easy and loved by others - so I’ll let it be that way.

I will say the way that Tessa writes scenery and flashback scenes is amazing, those were the parts of the novel that I really enjoyed and think back on when I think about the book. Tessa is a good writer but this story just didn’t feel fully fleshed out.

First half was a bit boring, but it does pick up in the secong half. I really like the characters and the world building, and the competition was very interesting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

This is a YA fantasy with ties to Filipino mythology.

Synopsis:
Narra is a cursed girl who returns to her birth city and illegally enters a competition to become the next ruler. She has no experience with magic, but finds a strange connection with one of the guards that turns into something no one expected.

I really enjoyed this one! A book about a dangerous competition with magic involved hooks me every time. I enjoyed the mythology references and action scenes. It was fast paced and kept me reading. It goes back in time at some parts and I found the different names of the same people to be a little confusing, but you can get the gist of it. Sometimes there would not be page breaks to let you know that a scene was changing or it would end abruptly and I had to go back and reread a few times to make sure that I didn’t miss anything if I was reading fast.

Overall, this is a great debut YA fantasy and I would love to read her sophomore novel.

Thank you to Entangled Teen for the gifted copy! 🖤

Once I got into the second half of the book, I was totally hooked. The story was fast-paced and kept me up all night wondering what was going to happen next. The theme of family, both blood and found, was really touching and Narra, the main character, was a total badass. The romance between her and Teloh was perfectly angsty and kept me invested until the end. However, there were some issues that really bugged me. The first half of the book was confusing. The writing was sometimes repetitive and skipped around without giving me enough context to really understand the world and the magic system. Overall, I enjoyed The Midnight Blade but I do think it had its flaws.

This book was just ok with me. I found it confusing at times and hard to connect with. I’m sure fans of fantasy and YA will enjoy it but for me I struggled with it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm heartbroken this story fell short for me. On paper (pun intended), it had lots of traits that usually fall into my preferred checklist: an eastern vibe, a contest, a motley crew of characters that become a team or group of friends, as well as a misfit who becomes crucial.

But honestly, while the details were beautiful, the characters outside of Narra seemed distant and just out of reach, the plot tries to twist on itself, and key moments seem downplayed. Honestly, I knew too much about the inconsequential things, and not enough about those critical moments that shape a story. Key mysteries aren't solved, and the ending seemed to resolve quickly after some long and difficult chapters.

Overall, a long and difficult read.

Narra Jal is the kind of character I relate to on a personal level, one who has had life decided for her by things that are out of her control. Life isn't always sunshine and roses and Narra knows it.

When put into a no-win situation she chooses to fight, to fight not only for herself but for her mother and for her ability to survive not only the trials but life in general.

While she walks into the trials blind she finds.... well you'll just have to read it to find out.

I'll be honest, I don't know much about Phillipino lore so I went into this book somewhat blind but truly enjoyed it, the magic system was unique, and characters you find yourself caring about. The Moonlight Blade is a great book if you're looking for someone to root for.

I actually like the plot where the FMC is trying to figure out the mystery of her past, a complicated one but also interesting to know. A few things keep surprising me until the end which is one of the reason I keep on reading until the end.

The writing style is easy to read and the world building is also fascinating, although I wish there’s more explanation and exploration about the magic system in this world.
The plot is a bit confusing to understand at first but it’ll start to make sense as the story progress.

While the premise sounds interesting, there are some things that left me feeling slightly disappointed with it.
I could never turn down books with deadly trials or competition with badass main character and this book sounds like one, unfortunately the competition is not the main focus of the book. There are a few action scenes but most part of the story is spend with the MC trying to figure out the ‘ghosts’ of her past.

Overall, this is an interesting book although there are a few things that I wish was more developed.
You can give this one a try if you like a character driven YA fantasy about reincarnation and Filipino culture.

I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to the author and publisher!

Review: DNF
I’ve never done this before, but I can’t finish this. This was a DNF. I normally wouldn’t review a book that I DNF, but it was an ARC through NetGalley so I have to review it.
🗡
I only made it 15% into the book but couldn’t get myself to go any farther.

I have no clue what’s going on. The world building, the religion/mythology, the magic system, her curse…none of it made any sense yet and it didn’t keep my interest enough.

The premise of the story sounded interesting, but the writing style just wasn’t for me.