Written in Starlight by Isabel Ibañez (review)

Ibañez, Isabel Written in Starlight. Page Street, 2021 [368p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781645671329 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781645671336 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 7-10

This spinoff of Woven in Moonlight (BCCB 12/19) follows the condesa, Catalina, who has been banished to the jungle—a death sentence. She lucks out by finding Manuel, longtime crush and ally, who left to find assistance for the overthrown Illustrians; Manuel is equally determined to find the hidden city of the Illari tribe in the jungle and request their help in restoring the condesa. Catalina's sheltered upbringing prepares her poorly for the dangers of the jungle, where she and Manuel encounter bloodsucking butterflies, a temple full of puzzles, and a mysterious flower that seems to be killing the forest. As the two rekindle their old romance, Catalina discovers she may have to marry the king of the Illari to acquire an army and begins to question the plan to rebel. Ibañez once again shows off her world building skills with the rich culture and mythology of a new people, the Illari, in the jungle setting of this South American-inspired fantasy. Unfortunately, Catalina is frustrating as a protagonist, being generally incompetent and relying on Manuel to save her from the terrors of the jungle, while constantly testing Manuel's professional boundaries in the name of romance. Readers will have to go through the same awakening Ximena had in the first book—that her people, the Illustrians, were longtime oppressors—but it does not come until late in the novel, most of which has Catalina desperately clinging to her birthright. Nonetheless, readers of the first novel curious about Catalina's fate will find answers here, and those looking for an Indiana Jones-esque story without problematic tribal depictions may appreciate the adventure.