Isabel Ibañez

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-08-30

Isabel Ibañez is a Bolivian American author and illustrator currently residing in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband and dog. She works as both a novelist and illustrator, and is a New York Times-bestselling author who notably illustrated the cover of her own debut novel. Her debut, Woven in Moonlight, is a young adult historical fantasy that incorporates Bolivian weaving traditions into its magical system, set in a Bolivian-inspired world and addressing themes related to contemporary Bolivian political history and resource conflict. The novel was listed by TIME magazine among the 100 best fantasy novels of all time and was a finalist for the William C. Morris Award, which recognizes a debut work in young adult literature. Ibañez has cited Juliet Marillier as her favorite author and Naomi Novik's Uprooted as her favorite book, influences reflected in her own richly textured, folklore-infused fantasy worldbuilding. Her work is notable within young adult fantasy for centering Latin American, and specifically Bolivian, culture, history, and political struggle in a genre that has historically underrepresented South American settings and perspectives, and she has continued to build a body of work exploring Latin American-inspired fantasy worlds for young readers.

Universe(s)

Books

• What the River Knows (2023) · Secrets of the Nile Core Canon
• Where the Library Hides (2024) · Secrets of the Nile Core Canon

Aggregate across all universes

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 2 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 0 (None recorded)

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