To Dance the Moon and Stars

by Tasia M.S., Barbara Perez Marquez

In a kingdom where dance is forbidden, a future high priestess must bend the rules to stop an ancient evil from destroying everything and everyone she loves, including the crown prince, in this sweeping romantasy graphic novel.

Eighteen-year-old Myra has spent her entire life training to replace her grandmother as High Priestess. But with the day of her ascension rapidly approaching, she’s not sure if she’s meant for this path. How can she become the herald of the god Alrun when he forbids the thing she loves most: dancing?

Her kingdom can’t afford her hesitation though. Not only is the emperor looking for Alrun’s wisdom ahead of a peace treaty, but forces of darkness are seeping through the barrier between worlds. The only source of light Myra has is her childhood best friend, the crown prince. Without his support and…love, she may not be able to stop what’s coming.

To save her people, Myra must delve into her kingdom’s forgotten history, even if it means defying the laws of the land. But the key to salvation may just require her to make the biggest sacrifice of all.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Young Adult, Fantasy Romance, Fiction

Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 14, 2026

Reviews

[minnie. [semi hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first thing to catch my attention was the gorgeous book cover, and unsurprisingly, the art inside the graphic novel was equally spectacularly beautiful. The world of the story was lush, interesting, vibrant, and brought to life by the art style. The dreamy artwork really conveyed the passion that Myra has for dancing, and I loved everything about the story, from the romance, to the world building, to the plot. The story was very interesting, and I loved how although Myra's religion and the expectations placed on her conflicted with her love of dancing, she persevered and found a way to prevail. Her dedication and determination to keep the two sides of her: the dancing and the priestess, added depth and connection to the story, and make her journey through the graphic novel inspiring and personal, in a way. Overall, a solid, enjoyable read, 3 stars, and would totally reccomend!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this graphic novel.

[Selene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely stunningly illustrated with an enjoyable stand alone fantasy story that’s easy to follow and heartwarming. It almost has a kpop demon hunter vibe with dancing replacing the singing . Loved it. Thanks to Netgalley the authors and the publisher for my copy

[Aila Krisse · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 / 5 stars

To Dance the Moon and Stars is a nice graphic novel set in a kingdom where dance is outlawed, about a young woman who loves nothing more than dancing. As a premise it’s kind of gauche, but it still sparked my interest enough for me to give it a try, as I’ve read and enjoyed many a graphic novel where the premise was very cliche or clunky. But alas, this was not one of them.

Let’s start with the illustrations. As you can guess from the cover, there is some gorgeous artwork in this book. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of panels that didn’t look very nice. The style is somewhat inconsistent, there’s parts that are incredibly detailed and truly breathtakingly beautiful, but usually, on the same page, sometimes even in the same panel, there will be parts that look unfinished, like a first draft of a drawing that has yet to be completed. This is obviously a stylistic choice and it’s gonna be highly subjective whether you like it or not; I personally don’t. It just doesn’t work for me, the juxtaposition of really detailed work right next to blocky, imprecise sketches constantly took me out of the story and meant I never quite felt immersed in the world.

However, I could’ve easily looked past the somewhat incongruous art style if the story had been good, but unfortunately that was also a bit of a dud. The plot is incredibly simple and formulaic, to the point where I was easily able to correctly predict pretty much every plot point long before it happened. This graphic novel is marketed as YA, but the story is so simplistic that it read more like Middle Grade. It is a sweet story, it has a cute ending and there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with it, it’s just not very interesting because it feels like I’ve already read the same story many times before.
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Thanks to Joy Revolution for the ARC

[Brittanica Bold · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and beautiful graphic novel that I could easily see turned into an animated film or series!

We follow our FMC, Myra, who is set to become the High Priestess in a society where her one true passion is disallowed: dancing. Along with her, we see the return of her childhood best friend (and growing love interest), Eyden, who is set to ascend to the throne around the same time. Both of their stories, while different, were very similar in that they had great expectations thrown upon them that were different from their personal dreams and goals. I loved how each honored their roles while still holding their passions true, and ultimately created their own paths within their society that made them happy.

I loved the mythology and all the Gods within this story’s universe, as well as the backstory on why dancing had become disallowed. I am a sucker for history, especially mythological, in romantasy stories, and this one was the perfect amount of detail without being overwhelming.

I loved the art style so much! It was very soft and passionate, which I felt was perfect for a fantasy/mythology read where the main character was chasing her dreams of dancing. The style was like a dream in oil pastels and I dug it!

Overall, a great story with characters I would love to visit again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's Books | Joy Revolution, Tasia M S, and Barbara Perez Marquez for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

[Lissa Hawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

The art in this graphic novel is absolutely glorious. The story is romantic and whimsical and magical, with enough danger to provide tension.

My only quibble is that the plot felt a bit rushed. It was fun to have a standalone graphic novel, but it could have been a bit longer. There were a couple of plot points that felt a little glossed over.

Definitely recommended.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

To Dance the Moon and Stars by Tasia M S Barbara Perez Marquez is a YA romantic fantasy graphic novel set in an Indian-inspired world. Myra is the future priestess of a country that has outlawed dance for centuries in order to keep the evil shadows from returning. But ever since she was a child, she's been drawn to dancing and is convinced that there is a way to not only bring it back to the land, but for it to serve a place in her role as the one who communicates with their gods. When her childhood friend and the heir apparent to the throne, Eyden, returns, the two finally confess their romantic feelings for each other. But the dark shadows are ready to return and they'll stop at nothing to bring the mortal world down.

This is some of the most beautiful art I have seen in a graphic novel in a long time. Every single frame feels very painterly and the colors really pop off the page. The characters’ feelings are displayed very well through their body language and facial expressions. And the clothes! I could go on and on about how beautiful all the clothes are and how the small details really enhance them. Loved every last image.

The romance between Myra and Eyden is built on their previous friendship and it moves into the romantic side quite quickly as the two have had feelings for each other for a while. I thought it was handled well, especially since the story opens with us seeing them as young children who clearly are close and can share things with each other, giving that foundation. They remain fairly chaste and there’s nothing explicit shown on page beyond kissing.

The world is built largely through the visuals and through religion along with some references to other cultures within the world. It is very strongly Indian-coded though I’m not sure which culture within India as there are many and I am not familiar enough with the nuances. There’s a lot of greenery and diversity in skin tones and body types which help make it feel fuller and realer while the art style lends to the fairy tale aspects.

I would recommend this to fans of YA romantic fantasy looking for a graphic novel and readers of graphic novels looking to dip their toes into romantasy

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

This graphic novel is absolutely drop dead gorgeous! The art inside is just stunning, and it helps to drive the story with the beautiful flowing lines evoking dance wonderfully!
The story itself was reminiscent of a fairytale or legend, and it was enjoyable. The emotions of the characters and story felt extremely simplistic and quickly resolved, which at times felt a little off to me, I think the story would’ve benefited from a little more meat to the characters. Overall though the story was fun and the art was so beautiful I didn’t mind looking past some shortcomings in the plot and characters.

[Grayson Burns · Rating 1 out of 5]

This graphic novel just did not work for me overall. The story felt very rushed, like there were too many ideas packed into too few pages, and there was very little worldbuilding or meaningful dialogue to ground everything that was happening. The writing felt juvenile at times, and some important plot points were skimmed over before they could really land. I was also distracted by the backgrounds, which often looked like obvious 3D assets and did not match the artist’s style, pulling me out of the story.

[Ayra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful story. The illustrations really brought the characters to life and were so well done. I loved the struggle the main characters faced with figuring out what was best for them and their responsibilities.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for a copy of this arc.

[Bin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone’s hair looks sooo good but Eyden was literally made to be loved by a fandom

[K.C. Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

That cover is so stunning, I was suspicious that the insides wouldn't be as lovely. Good news: this graphic novel is BEAUTIFUL. It's lush and opulent and full of texture and motion, and there's more going on in the world than gets covered in the text. I want to crawl into these paintings and go exploring.

Unfortunately, I had some issues with other elements of the story and design. I don't think I've ever been do distracted by the design of text bubbles, which sounds like I'm being picky, but it was genuinely weird. They look slapped on and haphazard in a way that's totally at odds with the beautiful sequential art. At times I wished that I could view the art without the text, not only because it was visually jarring, but because the storytelling left a lot to be desired. These people live in a beautiful, fantastic world, but use contemporary American slang in a way that kept pushing me out of the story.

Most of all, while the art implies a larger world, the story itself just skips over vast chunks of worldbuilding. The main character wants to dance, but dance is outlawed. Why? Nobody ever explains this, and when we do get a later note on WHO banned dancing, it makes even less sense. This is such an important part of the story, and it's just left blank. There also seem to be zero consequences FOR dancing, even though people seem concerned that there could be? No stakes are ever established in this regard, and indeed throughout much of the story, people keep going, "We can't do _____!" (dance, be together, make out in public, sleep in the same bed...) and then proceed to do exactly that with no repercussions whatsoever. This is especially true for the end.

As a result, this was middle-of-the-road for me, in that I adored some elements and found others lacking. The art really carries this project, and even to some degree answered one of the big questions that the plot does not address. Reading the author/illustrator notes helped me understand what this story wanted to do, but I think it needed to be more developed. The art was a cut above, and I felt that it needed stronger storytelling and clearer logic for the story to match the visuals. Still really beautiful! The architectural elements are consistently stunning, and the cultural rep, modified because this *is* a fantasy setting, was gorgeous.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

{Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!}

To Dance the Moon and Stars is a fantasy graphic novel where a young priestess must balance her love for dance and the expectations of her role to be able to save her kingdom from the encroaching shadows.

Starting with the illustrations. I’ve followed Tasia’s Instagram for years and her art is so stunning, and she is the sole reason why I requested this ARC. There are so many panels that I can picture being posted on her socials with applause quickly following suit in the form of likes, but others are very clumsy looking. I find when she’s trying to emulate the way manga artists express emotion to be the best example. The angry marks or dark gloom on their foreheads does not fit well with her style. Further, whenever the characters smile with teeth, they look more uncanny than expressive. It breaks the immersion for me. There are several panels that feel incongruent with the rest.

I saw a post not too long ago of a convention artist giving advice to artists looking to sell their work at conventions wherein they asked the artists to consider what physical form would suit their art the best, be those prints, keychains, stickers, etc. I think this may be a case of Tasia’s art being perfect for prints, or even museums, but not for a graphic novel. She is capable of quite a bit, but this looks far less professional than you could see on her socials. It’s a bit disappointing.

The story itself is fine. There’s nothing super interesting or subversive about the plot. If you read the premise and you make a few bets on how this will end, most of your predictions would be correct. Dancing is forbidden, but it comes across as only our main character’s grandmother caring as opposed to anyone else. There aren’t any true consequences to dancing either. We don't see people dancing and some sort of magical terrible thing happening, so I don’t really believe that an entire Kingdom just believes this. Myra and the prince are very two dimensional as well. Myra likes dance and struggles with expectations. Prince likes plants and struggles with expectations. Romance ensues as expected. I don't remember the prince's name. I don't know if I need to.

Again, it's fine. It’s not offensive or even frustrating, but I find that feeling nothing about reading this is a worse fate than being angry at it.

2.5/5. I think there are better YA graphic novels to read.

[Kristina Butke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful work that holds special meaning for me as I used to be a ballerina, but middle age and lifestyle and health changes have ended that for me. But I miss dancing –it was such an important part of my life–so I completely understand Myra’s love for it, and how it pulls her in to doing it whenever she has a spare moment of solitude. Dance is a unique and incredible way to express yourself, but it can also bring people together, and that’s what I love about the message in this story–dance unites us.

Dance brought Myra and Prince Eyden together, ever since they were little children and reunite later in their lives. It brought the people together before the God Alrun forbade it due to his wife’s demise holding back the monstrous villain Burdat and his shadows from the world. Myra dances for herself, but her visions tell her that dance is very much for the people of her country, and that it will reunite the gods and bring back good things to the people.

I don’t want to go too much more into the plot, but other things I loved about this graphic novel are the sweet romance between Myra and Eyden; the multitude of unique characters; the incredible set and costume designs; the gorgeous art; and of course, the worldbuilding and mythic fairytale aspects to the story.

The publishers are marketing this graphic novel as a romantasy, which is a romance-driven fantasy. I think this might be the only thing I have contention with: the fantasy is what drives this plot, and while there is romance, it seems secondary to everything else going on with the story. Not that I’m complaining. I wanted Myra and Eyden to get together, and they do…although it’s off to an awkward but special start. The two don’t even realize they were each other’s childhood friends until later, because both of them have grown older and changed over the years!

They are well-suited to each other, though. I mean–Eyden is a musician and singer, and Myra is a dancer. What a perfect complement to each other!

Anyway, I adored this book and I plan to seek out its creators for more of their work, and I especially plan to add this to my permanent collection. I get such a nostalgic feeling from reading this–my own memories of dancing, plus the fantasy and romance–and it brought me great pleasure. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for the digital ARC.

[luisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Joy Revolution for this ARC!
2.5 ⭐

I love Tasia's work and have been following her and her career for a few years now, so when I saw she was having her graphic novel debut I was very excited to pick it up! To Dance the Moon and Stars is a story embedded in legend and whimsy. When Myra is faced with the impeding task of carrying her bloodline's role as High Priestess, she is reluctant to let go of her passion for dance. Myra can't understand how something so beautiful could be forbidden and struggles to let go of it. During celebrations, she sees herself stuck between her duties and her love – not only for dance, but for her long lost crush and childhood friend, prince Eyden.

Standalone graphic novels always feels fast-paced, kind of rushed and a bit all over the place for me; but it's something expected and doesn't really bother me. The story is a little rushed, yes, and Eyden and Myra's friendship is skimmed over. We don't really see their friendship and then suddenly it's been ten years and they're in love. Not to say it isn't sweet! Because it is very sweet, they understand each other and are lovely together. However, the focus is more on Myra and her love for dance than her romance with Eyden.

The world-building is simple, there's not much focus on it but its mechanics are easy to understand.

The coloring is very pretty and the apparent brush strokes are very dreamy. But this is a style that's hard to maintain in a graphic novel – the characters's expressions could benefit from being more cartoonish and silly instead of realistic and serious, which causes some expressions to feel a bit weird and not well depicted. The digital file wasn't very high quality, but maybe in print it looks different and overall better (sometimes this happens with digital graphic novels). After page 100 especially, the art would fluctuate from beautiful brush strokes to this 3D look that reminded me of The Sims.

Overall, it was a nice, pretty story with an interesting world that feels familiar somehow, with beautiful stills and scenery. It's easy to follow and reads as a cozy YA fantasy.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork is gorgeous and the color choices are absolutely perfect. The blues, purples, and golds are magical!

This story follows Myra, who is soon to continue in her grandmother’s footsteps in becoming High Priestess. Her love of dance is causing strife on her journey to that end-goal. Dance is forbidden and leads to darkness (according to lore). Myra seems to feel the temptation to dance daily. There is also a handsome prince, Eyden, who Myra was close with in childhood and has returned to add some spice to the tale. He is definitely dreamy in appearance. The prince is tall, dark, and equally ready to break rules.

As for my experience reading; I found myself mostly gazing at the background art and Myra’s beautiful clothing. The story itself is a little one dimensional. It’s a cute story, but there isn’t enough world building to truly feel connected to the place or the people. Occasionally Myra would say something like “whatever”, which seemed so modern that it gave me pause.

Overall I appreciated the artwork the most. The diversity of characters was also noted. The plot was the weakest point, so it will not be a very memorable read for me, but it didn’t have any plot points that annoyed me. A solid three stars.

Questions I might have would be:
Why did these two characters love each other? We can make assumptions, but it would have been nice to have them say something interesting and meaningful to one another other than “I love you”.

What’s Eyden’s sister’s story?
She was one of the more intriguing characters.

Why is Eyden not more upset at his father’s death?
I get that the story needed to be wrapped up, but he seemed ready to have their festival and party. He’s got the love buzz going, but I feel like being possessed and being forced to kill your own father would be pretty sad.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Abbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have some mixed feelings on this graphic novel, so I’m going to split my review between the art & the story.

First of all, this is a gorgeous book. The artwork is absolutely beautiful; between the colors and the way the artist rendered the characters, it reminded me of classic Disney princess films. This is a very female-centered book in the art style, coloring, etc,, and I really enjoyed that since it’s relatively rare in graphic novels. I would give the art a full 5 stars.

Unfortunately, the story didn’t quite stand up to the illustrations for me. While it wasn’t a bad story, it felt one-dimensional, and I would have enjoyed more characterization and world-building; the storyline read more YA than I expected from a book described as a graphic novel Romantasy. While the artwork drew me in and kept me turning the pages, the story never fully captured my attention. However, I do think in the current trend of high-stakes, high-plot Romantasy books, it can be nice to take a step back and read a story that is more calm and sweet; and I would say that To Dance the Moon and Stars does succeed in being a very sweet story.

Overall, I did enjoy this graphic novel (and loved the art!), and I would read more from the creators; but if they publish more romantasy graphic novels moving forward, I would also like to see more world-building as well as more complex characters.

I would recommend this graphic novel to readers who love Disney-style art and stories, as well as readers who enjoy more cozy, sweet romantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you netgalley for an eARC of this in exchange for an honest review

To Dance The Moon and Stars is a standalone graphic novel set in an Indian inspired fantasy world which follows a young priestess in training as she struggles through finding what that role means for her. It was extremely reminiscent of Disney princess movies with the focus on following your own path and self acceptance, with a dash of romance to tie it all together. Taking the story with that inspiration in mind, the fast pace of the story and almost intsa-love between the prince and priestess seemed par for the course instead of awkward.

The flow and pacing of the panels were wonderfully done. It was apparent that a lot of care went into story boarding and layout, which helped keep the story at a consistent pace that worked well with the plot. The art started gorgeous and lush, but seemed to fall apart around halfway through the story when the expressions of the characters seemed at odds with their anime/cartoon style placed on top of what often looked like 3D models that had been painted over. The backgrounds as well started wonderfully, but quickly dissolved into what looked like more 3D renders or stock art that had been slightly blurred. There is obvious skill there as some of the illustrations were stunning, especially the cover art, but the end result seemed entirely too rushed.

Overall I would love to see the story done as a full animation, and I do think that it would appeal to people wanting to relive the joy of a Disney princess movie, but I would temper expectations on the art quality compared to the cover art.

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never be able to express how absolutely beautiful the art in this book is. The vibrant backdrop and gorgeous characters come to life from the lush coloring that will forever stain the back of my eyelids. I want to melt into the pages so that I can follow the steps of Indayla’s dance and fight back the darkness with light. (This would be such an incredible animated feature. I wish I could have grown up watching it over and over again.)

Myra is a high priestess in training, born to succeed her grandmother in the role. She’ll seek wisdom from Alrun (their deity) and follow his guidance. But thousands of years ago, in his time as ruler, he outlawed dance. He said that it would bring great darkness upon them.

Before she passed, her mother researched dance and passed down steps to Myra that she has studied and pranced and swirled and swayed to, not understanding how anything so beautiful could bring evil. Every night, she practices instead of praying, keeping her secrets from her grandmother. This is what brings her toe to toe with Eyden, the crown prince and her childhood best friend.

This was a fairy tale wrapped in magic and myths. It gave me the same feelings I got while watching The Little Mermaid as a child. “I don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad.” Somehow that, Arcane, and something else I can’t quite put my finger on yet were all mixed together to create this masterpiece!!! I can’t wait to be able to hold it in my hands!!!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love seeing representation and culture highlighted in books, especially graphic novels, so I was excited to see this come available. The premise of this book is fascinating and I think the world building is decent for such a short story. The rest of it, however, fell flat. There were frequent times when I had to flip back and forth to try to figure out what I missed. It was like there were parts missing from the story. There should have been more of an explanation of the ban on dancing at the beginning or an establishment of the two main characters as friends. Also the introduction of some of the characters, the sister in particular, seemed out of left field and added to the feeling of missing something important. I think if this was just a bit longer it would have been a good story, but it came across as very disconnected. I wanted to like the characters, but they felt extremely juvenile. They seemed to be older teens who were being prodded the last few steps into the careers their parents wanted, but their attitudes/behaviors about it came across as very middle school. The art style is beautiful and is the main selling point for the book. I think for the most part it carried even the confusing parts, but some of the facial expressions did not accurately portray what emotions the characters were experiencing.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

"To Dance the Moon and Stars" is a beautifully illustrated romantasy. In a kingdom that forbids dance, one woman must break the rules to fight the darkness.

The thing I loved the most about this graphic novel was the gorgeous artwork. Everything from the color palette to each panel was exquisite. The colors blend into one another as opposed to having sharp, distinct lines, making this feel really fantastical.

The story follows the priestess Myra as she strives to gain a vision from her god that will help her fight the darkness. When her visions show her that the power of dance may be what the kingdom needs most, even though dance is outlawed, Myra must decide what she needs to do, all while balancing the love of a prince, her unexpectedly ill grandmother, and the encroaching darkness.

The story was fun, and romantasy lovers will enjoy it. I did find it moved way too fast. Myra and the prince were in insta-love, and the story wrapped up WAY too conveniently. There wasn't enough time at the end to really fret for the main character before she was give her HEA. This would be great for the teen audience and up. Overall, the read was quite enjoyable and I highly recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
This story was short but sweet and pretty well paced. This story involves a society that has banned dance because it "invokes evil". Except, the priestess in training to become head priestess loves to dance and does it in secret. The prince, who has returned after 10 years away, doesn't want to be heir and would rather practice botany. They come together in a romance and have to try to save their country from darkness along the way. The story was straightforward but enjoyable. It would translate very well into an animated movie. The art style was pretty; it's in a painted style, and it looks pretty good. I had a few minor nitpicks, where it's obvious something was a 3D asset and was hastily drawn over or had a filter slapped on. Usually, it was for small props, but sometimes, certain arms and hands you could tell had a 3D model underneath the linework. There was also a single panel where she goes en pointe but in flimsy slippers, which threw me. (For those confused, you can't go en pointe unless you are wearing a pointe shoe, because of the toe box and shank in a pointe shoe. If you try to go en pointe in something like a flimsy slipper, your foot and toes would crumple because there's no support.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Sarah (bookofsari) · Rating 3 out of 5]

To Dance the Moon and Stars is undeniably gorgeous. The illustrations are lush, painterly, and full of movement—every spread feels rich with color, emotion, and atmosphere. The visual storytelling is easily the strongest part of this graphic novel and often does the heavy lifting where the narrative falls short.

Unfortunately, the story and characters needed a lot more development to match the beauty of the art. The premise is compelling—a future high priestess in a kingdom where dance is forbidden—but key elements of the worldbuilding and stakes are underexplained. Character motivations and relationships often feel rushed or underdeveloped, making it harder to fully invest emotionally. Dialogue and pacing occasionally pulled me out of the story rather than drawing me deeper in.

The ending, in particular, felt rushed, resolving major conflicts too quickly after so much buildup. While I appreciated the themes of sacrifice, duty, and forbidden passion, I wanted clearer logic and more breathing room for the story to land.

Overall, this is a visually stunning romantasy graphic novel with a lot of potential, but it needed stronger storytelling to truly shine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kathleen Carbone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a gorgeous book—both in regard to story and visuals. The blend of sometimes serious, sometimes playful romance and a really intriguing fantastical mythology makes this a great choice for young readers interested in romantasy. Honestly, the religion/myth aspects of To Dance the Moon and Stars was one of my favorite aspects; the book is written with young readers in mind so it’s quick. Therefore, the religious/mythology is not super in-depth, but it’s enough to really be charming.

The art in this graphic narrative is simply stunning—detailed and vibrant and whimsical. The depiction of characters and their clothing is so spot on the writing and plot. I love when a graphic narrative’s story and its art hold hands so well that they actually enhance each other. Myra’s depiction was especially giving everything, Plus a diverse cast of characters? Love!!

Ultimately I think a major takeaway underlying this graphic novel is not just following your own path, being your own person, but also there is, in my opinion, something to be said about the spirit of art (such as dancing) and expressionism.

Thank you to Tasia M S, Barbara Perez Marquez, Random House Children’s Books/Joy Revolution, and NetGalley for the eARC.

[Tiffany Seward · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐ Fantasy | Graphic Novel | Romance

Thank you to Random House Children's Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

To Dance the Moon and Stars is a visually stunning graphic novel, every panel looks like a painting, and the characters are absolutely gorgeous. The story follows a high priestess with a forbidden love for dance. When she meets a prince, their connection is instant, but duty, desire, and destiny quickly intertwine as various conflicts arise.

The narrative raises thoughtful questions about sacrifice, responsibility, and the risks of following your heart. I was genuinely surprised halfway through the book, and the story concludes on a satisfying and heartfelt note.

My only critique is that, although the artwork is breathtaking, the large number of speech bubbles on many pages becomes overwhelming. A bit more variation in the text layout or dialogue placement would have helped the art shine even more and improved readability. A few speech bubbles per page works well, but several layered together distract from the visuals.

Overall, it’s a beautifully illustrated and romantic fantasy tale with an emotional core and memorable characters.

[Allyssa VanLoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
Netgalley advanced reader copy

To Dance the Moon and Stars is a visually stunning graphic novel with gorgeous, immersive illustrations that immediately pull you into its world. The artwork does so much of the storytelling, creating a dreamy atmosphere that pairs beautifully with the mythology and rich cultural vibes woven throughout the story.

I especially appreciated the diverse cast of characters and the overall concept—there’s a lot of heart here, and the romance is sweet and charming, with an easy chemistry that makes it enjoyable to follow.

That said, the plot felt rushed. Some moments and conflicts seemed to resolve too quickly, and a bit more explanation could have helped smooth out a few minor plot holes. Similarly, while the characters were likable, I would have loved deeper characterization to fully connect with their emotional journeys.

Overall, this is a beautiful and engaging read that shines brightest in its visuals and atmosphere. Readers who enjoy YA fantasy graphic novels, mythology-inspired worlds, and soft romance will likely have a great time, just be prepared for a story that leans more on mood and art than narrative depth.

[Ariela Strombeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all I wanted to thank the folks at NetGalley for this ARC!

A solid 4 stars.
From the very first page To Dance the Moon and Stars is absolutely gorgeous. I cannot express enough how eager I am to get my hands on a physical copy of this when it is published just so I can go back and look at the stunning artwork. The story is very classically ya romantasy in a way that feels so nostalgic. The plot moves at a quick pace and I liked how the kingdom was inspired by Indian tradition and folklore. Maybe it’s because I have such a hard time envisioning places and fashion when it’s described in text but actually *seeing* the architecture, clothing and food was delightful! My only critique is that I wish we got a bit more refined dialogue for some of the more intense scenes, especially in the final fight scene of the book. It wasn’t bad, just a bit cliche at times. If you are looking for a quick palate cleanser that is fun and reads like a Disney movie, then I definitely give this a go!

[Elisha Reads For U · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me this arc!!!

Let me just start off saying that the art was so beautiful that it almost carried this whole story. I just loved looking at every page!

What is this story about: The fmc loves dancing but dance is forbidden in there world because that's the way it is. She meets the prince again after a long time and they navigate the rejection of their wants vs. What they're born into.

Positives: Once again the art was just wonderful. I think the theme and moral of the story is really thought out too.

Negatives: The story and characters weren't fleshed out enough for me. Everything was predictable and completely rushed including the love story itself. By the end they're saying I love you even though they barely know each other that well besides the fact that one loves to dance and the other doesn't want to do his required duties. I wish for more depth that's all and the text bubbles were something.

I recommend this for teens you might like this one. Overall cool read ☺️

[Hannah Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars! A beautiful graphic novel full of heart. The art style is very reminiscent of The Prince of Egypt movie, but somehow still original in its own way. It was truly like looking at an oil painting. The beautiful art matches the equally beautiful story. I seriously felt like I was watching a movie while reading this. The novel could easily be a storyboard for an animated film. The main character reminded me very much of Meg from Hercules. Naturally, I loved her. I loved her relationship with Eyden. It was very heartwarming. Her struggle between her duty and her heart really gave life to this story. I found the religious aspect interesting and compelling. I loved how there was magic in Myra’s dancing. The world has a very ethereal feeling to it, which is conveyed well in the art and the writing. Owning this book is like owning a work of art. I highly recommend picking up the physical copy when it is released. I would love to read more from this world but everything wrapped up nicely!

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!*

[Cyn P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful story and incredible artwork. I've followed Tasia M S for some time, and when I saw they were coming out with a graphic novel, I was immediately on board. Barbara Perez Marquez collaborates perfectly with a beautiful story about dance and how it is both forbidden and just might be the thing to save the realm.

We follow our FMC, who is a priestess in training and is secretly passionate about dancing, even though it is not allowed and has been deemed demonic, potentially can bring demons back to the realm. Our MMC believes in her and has always done so since they were younger, and if anything, encourages her to continue dancing and see how their Gods can maybe speak to her through dance.

I thought this was a sweet story about believing in yourself, trusting your instincts, and showing others that there are alternative ways to achieve the same outcome. A nice, quick graphic novel with wonderful illustrations, I enjoyed it and would like to have a physical copy in the future to look through again.

[Tess Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

With stunning illustrations, To Dance the Moon and Stars carries the same floating feelings of a fairytale. I loved the quick movement of the story that interweaved gods, dance, and fable-esque storytelling.

My main critiques of this graphic novel are that some frames felt more unfinished when compared with others and, at times, I felt like I was missing information.

As I mentioned above, the illustrations are stunning. Because of this, the few that were less so felt unfinished in comparison. I would love slightly more consistency between the drawings in the finished novelization.

The introduction of the dance ban was quick and clear, but I wanted more of the stakes involved in the reasoning for the ban. It felt strange that dance was forbidden without the added context of the folklore around it. I would also have loved more consequence around dancing if discovered, but I worry that this would darken the story some if it were included.

Overall, beautiful story that I know I'll be revisiting.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.