Title: When the Moon Hatched
Author: Sarah A. Parker
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: January 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780063415805
Synopsis:
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 an assassin, Raeve’s job is to complete orders and never get caught. When a rival bounty hunter turns her world upside down, blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself imprisoned by the Guild of Nobles—a group of powerful fae who turn her into a political statement.
Crushed by the loss of his great love, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to quell the never-ebbing ache in his chest, a clue lures him into the capitol’s high-security prison where he stumbles upon the imprisoned Raeve … Echoes of the past race between them. There’s more to their story than meets the eye, but some truths are too poisonous to swallow.
Another book added to my romatasy Read list and what a wild ride this one was. Totally unique in both its writing style and its approach to fantasy, When the Moon Hatched is entirely unlike anything I’ve read before. And I LOVED it.
Let’s start with Parker’s prose. She has a way of describing the simplest things in her world with the utmost beautiful, making the words come alive on the page and evoking the most visceral reactions. This is not a book for the feint of heart. Parker challenges the reader with intricate world-building and thoughtful descriptions. She’s not simply creating context, but engaging the reader emotionally with every word on the page. I found myself in awe at her choice of adjectives and her comparisons that take this fantasy novel to the next level. It’s not your everyday romantasy, that’s for sure. With Parker’s elegant writing, she’s insisting that this book is so much more.
This book has everything: assassins, brewing war, fae, romance, dragons, killer female protagonist (quite literally), and an entirely unique magic system. In this world there are those who can speak the words of the Creators; for some it’s one language, for the very rare few it’s four languages–allowing them to control the elements owned by each of the four unique Creators. Then there are nulls, those born without powers and therefore lowest in the societal order. Reading this story is like solving a puzzle as Parker only hints at our female protagonist’s true abilities throughout the story. As Reve discovers herself, so too do we, the readers, discover who she is.
Though Raeve is a highly abrasive character. She is crass, blunt, and incredibly selfish. But she grows drastically as the story progresses and she’s forced to begin confronting her icy and protective centre. What I love most about her is how truly unreliable she is. We learn that we cannot trust her memories or motivations at the same time she discovers the very same thing about herself. There are a number of plot twists that are hard to see coming and difficult to predict. Even if you think you know what’s coming, Parker surprises you with a twist on what you thought, keeping her story complex and hidden until the truth is meant to be revealed.
For those who love the Throne of Glass series, this is an excellent next read. There are a lot of parallels between Raeve and Celaena as FMCs.
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 