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Catalina Quiroga should have been Condesa. Instead, she lost the Inkasisa throne and the loyalty of her people, and all because of the betrayal of her best friend. Now, banished to the perilous Yanu Jungle, Catalina knows her chances of survival are slim, but that won’t stop her from trying to escape; it won’t stop her from attempting to reclaim the throne.
When Manuel, the son of her former general and a man Catalina thought long dead, rescues her from a jaguar, a plan forms in her mind. Deep in the jungle lies a hidden city of gold and the fierce Illari people. If she can strike an alliance with them, she’ll surely be able to take back her city once and for all.
But the elusive Illari are trapped in a battle of thier own against a mysterious blight that continues to corrupt the jungle and lay waste to everything they hold dear. As a seer, Catalina should be able to help, but her gift is feeble. She will have to reckon with her duty and her heart if she hopes to discover her true calling and stop the corruption before it destroys the jungle completely.
While the series is marketed that each installment could be a stand-alone, I did not feel that was the case with Written in Starlight. While we follow a minor character in a completely new setting, it is clearly connected to the plot laid out in Woven in Moonlight and picks up directly after the conclusion of the first book.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t as fond of this book as the last. This was partly because I wasn’t impressed with Catalina in Woven in Moonlight: I thought she was selfish, entitled and whiny. However, the author artfully reveals Catalina’s vulnerability, her anger and her fear, transforming her from an annoying character to someone who ultimately becomes witty, strong and compassionate. However, it’s clear, even at the end of the book, that she still has room to grow. I also wasn’t fond of Manuel at first, and though I did come to enjoy their reluctant friends-to-lovers romance, the romance came across to me as far too angsty and trope-y.
As much as I loved the first book, I found Written in Starlight to be predictable and lacking the original magic. However, I did really enjoy the beautiful, atmospheric jungle setting.
Rated: Moderate. There are around 18 uses of mild language. Violence can be quite bloody in parts, with limbs ripped off and blood and bone discovered alongside disassembled parts. While it’s unclear, a heart is also cut out. Sexual content includes shapeshifters that return to naked human forms, a bathing scene between a male and female character where there is mention of breasts being seen underwater, and sometimes-intense kissing scenes.
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