When the Moon Hatched
By: Sarah A. Parker
Format: Kindle
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
**My review below may contain minor spoilers.**
Good Reads Summary
The Creators did not expect their beloved dragons to sail skyward upon their end. To curl into balls just beyond gravity’s grip, littering the sky with tombstones. With moons.
They certainly did not expect them to fall.
As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free.
Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands.
The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time.
However.
There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths …
They’re too poisonous to swallow.
When the Moon Hatched is a fast-paced fantasy romance for fans of witty banter and strong, sassy protagonists. Beneath the cover is an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages.
Positives:
Negatives:
- Badass Female Main Character: Our main character is Raeve. She’s an assassin, performer, thief extraordinaire. She holds her own throughout the entire book without the need of rescuing. Her character has depth, with a well-developed backstory while still leaving a good amount of mystery and room for plot twists.
- Dragons, Dragons, Dragons!!!: Being a review of books and wingspans, I was THRILLED that there were dragons in this book!! They’re not as front and center as in Fourth Wing, but they’re still an important part of the story. There’s different kinds with different strengths, and they’re described beautifully.
- All the Tropes: The main romance of this story is wonderfully full of tropes. There’s mild enemies to lovers, he falls first, forced proximity, doomed/forbidden love, amnesia, and the perfect amount of spice. I LOVED the romance aspect of this book.
- Multiple Perspectives: This book is written in first person but different chapters are from the perspective of different characters. There are also letters from the past woven in. The combination really gives a great view of everything happening in the story. I know that perspective changes isn’t for everyone, but I think it was done very well in this book.
- Overly Fantasy: I had a hard time with some of the vocabulary in this book. There’s tons of new animals, objects, games etc. It leads to great world building, but it was very hard to follow. If I was reading it in a hard copy book I could flip back to the very extensive glossary, but on a Kindle that is inconvenient. I started just visualizing whatever I wanted for words I didn’t know.
- Plot: The plot was somewhat unclear at times. There wasn’t a clear goal or direction for much of the story. I also felt that there were some questions or plot holes that went unanswered. This is going to be a series though, so I’m sure a lot of the loose ends will be addressed in future books.
Review Synopsis
I really enjoyed this book. I was torn between giving it 4 or 5 stars. I knocked it down a star because of some of the plot holes and the overly fantasy vocabulary and new concepts that made the story hard to visualize at times. I loved the dragons and I thought the romance was excellently done. There were great plot twists and reveals that I didn’t see coming. I can’t wait for the next book to come out and I will happily reread this one when that time comes!
Below is an affiliate link to Amazon if you are interested in reading When the Moon Hatched, leave a comment to let me know what you think if you give it a try!
Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/4aPCMoz