The Moonlight Blade by Tessa Barbosa was my most highly anticipated read for March and I'm pretty disappointed because it didn’t live up to the hype at all. It was also the first arc I ever received and so I am so sad that I just had a terrible time reading this. Thank you NetGalley, Tessa Barbosa, and Entangled Teen Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

Let me start off with the good. I very much enjoyed reading another book by a Filipino author. I loved seeing Filipino words and Filipino culture reflected in the pages of a book. I also think the premise sounded interesting- I love stories that involve strong FMCs proving themselves as well as competition-trope stories.

That was it. I'm not trying to completely bring the book down- because if anything I would love for everyone to read more books by Filipino authors that are rich in my culture. But I do have to be true and honest with regards to my own thoughts and experiences.

The biggest issue I think the novel has is the lack of outline in terms of world building. I feel like the author wanted to do everything without realizing that readers aren't 1) Filipino and 2) don't live inside her head and therefore cannot understand the context of words, and names, in the same way that the author does.

Formulating an outline on how the world should unfold, as well as defining terms in the way that relates to the story would've helped clear up the majority of the confusion that even I, as someone who knows much about Filipino culture, ended up feeling. I do believe that a book, especially a YA book needs to stand on its own as a cohesive entity without a glossary and map and this book did not.

In addition to this I felt very detached from all the characters and the lack of emotional connection made for my first arc experience seem like work. There were so many characters, so many new names and terms that didn’t seem to be linked together that in the end I was just skimming and not really absorbing much of anything. I read a lot of Adult SciFi and Fantasy so I do not think this lack of understanding is my own fault as a reader.

Finally, the syntax and structure of the writing left a lot to be desired. It felt extremely unrefined and I felt that the author tried very hard to make sure all her ideas were coming across that instead, it came across as unpolished. I feel like words were repeated far too often in close proximity, there were just far too many conjunctions that made sentences confusing, and there were so many word choices that that made sentence structure feel very clunky.

I am no author and will never be one. But one of my favorite authors has said that beyond artistic integrity, a writer needs to be able to edit and narrow down their work, rewriting over and over again even if that means barely 20% of it matches what it was originally.

If you do want to read a book with a lot of Filipino culture in it, please pick this one up. I think Tessa Barbosa does have a lot of potential but overall I feel like this book would've worked so much better with an intense outline and a very a firm editorial hand.

I will always love an unskilled hero who is motivated by family. And The Moonlight Blade features Narra who enters a deadly competition just to try to save her mother. One element I appreciated were the secrets of Narra and her mother's relationship. How there's things she doesn't know about her mother, and it's not just an idealistic relationship. There are some real pieces of mystery and tension. At the same time, if you love a book with deadly competitions, then you'll have to add The Moonlight Blade to your TBR. While I found the first half to be a bit confusing, in terms of where the plot arc was leading, at around halfway through, the plot mystery begins to pick up and the pieces begin to click.

Unfortunately this one was a miss for me and I had to DNF. I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and the intriguing premise but the writing style of the book did not click with me. It just felt like something was off from page one. I struggled through a bit of the story to try and see if I would get used to it but I could not. The writing felt choppy at times with weird lines and I could never get into the story. I also felt quite overwhelmed at the worldbuilding and felt as if terms were constantly thrown out with no context to what they meant.

Given the summary of the book, I'd still recommend this to someone who could enjoy the writing style.

I recently finished reading "Moonlight Blade" by Tess Barbosa, and while I enjoyed the characters and the fast-paced action, I ultimately found myself underwhelmed by the plot.
On the positive side, the characters were well-developed and each had their own unique personality and motivations. I also appreciated the inclusion of Filipino culture and mythology throughout the book, which made for an interesting and refreshing read.
The action scenes were gripping and kept me on the edge of my seat, but I found that the plot lacked depth and complexity. The story felt rushed at times, and the ending, in particular, felt unsatisfying and abrupt.
Overall, I would recommend this book to readers looking for an entertaining read with strong characters and action-packed scenes, but don't expect a particularly deep or intricate plot. Three stars.

3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) Narra has been considered cursed her entire life. When her mother’s life is on the line, she puts aside the danger and enters a competition for the next ruler of Tigang, purely to save her mother.

The competition is the reason I picked up this book. It felt like it would have a Hunger Games feel with teens competing for a leadership position. However, this was not the case. The book focused mostly on Narra’s past lives. Reincarnation and past lives is not a subject I come across often and I can’t say that it interests me. If past lives are going to have a large part of the story, I need that previous story and not just pieces of it.

The romance felt forced (past lives coming in again) and I never quite understood their relationship. I would have enjoyed more details into the politics and how that played into the competition. I assumed that was what I was getting; a book about politics, a competition revolving around these politics and a romance on the side. However, I found myself confused multiple times with what I’ll call “scene holes.” These are not necessarily plot holes, but scenes that jumped from one end of the room to the other without explanation, or people were present then all of a sudden not present in multiple scenes.

While the story has potential, the need for better flow and detailed explanations left me wanting more. “Big” moments needed more time and fanfare, and less side characters would have held my attention more.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

The book releases March 21, 2023.

I was really excited to start reading this book. I love the cover and the story sounded so amazing. Sadly I didn't like the writing style. I would definetly recommend this to someone who is new in the fantasy genre.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc for review. Wish I had liked it more.

The heroine is determined to get her mother free from imprisonment. To do that, the heroine plans to compete in a competition in the city where she was born. With no training in weapons and magic, the heroine only has her grit to support her. Not even the mysterious link with the hero will help her in this competition. On her own, the heroine will face adversity in the city competition.

This is my first Tessa Barbosa book. I liked the Filipino link to the story, but it would have been nice if there was a glossary for the words that readers may not know the meaning of. I also liked the fantasy realm, but it would have been nice to have more details to explain the whole world to readers in a clear and concise way. I liked the familial bond, but it would have been nice to get more emotional interaction within the story to give the characters a distinct side to them. I can commiserate with the female main character with the birthmark, but it would have been nice to have a balance between the present and past lives in the story. I liked the mystery of the hero, but it would have been nice to have a better image of him in the story. Overall, the concept is intriguing, but the story needs some more development in making the book flow better.


** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

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.