*NOTE* This blog contains a spoiler-free overview of the book for those who have not read it yet but want to decide if it’s right for them. At a clearly marked point, we will shift into a review section that does contain spoilers. Proceed as you see fit. 

This book has been on my TBR for some time and let me tell you, I think it was completely worth the hype. “When the Moon Hatched” by Sarah A. Parker is the start of a rich fantasy romance series that will simultaneously blow your mind and break your heart.  

You’ll like “When the Moon Hatched” if you’re into: 

• DRAGONS 

• Morally grey main characters 

• Lost / hidden identities 

• Getting your heart ripped out of your chest within the first 50 pages 

• In-depth worldbuilding 

• Dramatic irony / mysteries that you start to solve before the main characters do 

• Well-developed magic systems and a pantheon of elemental deities 

• “Will they kill each other or make sweet, sweet love?” energy 

• Incredibly stubborn (yet still endearing) main characters 

• Tragic backstories 

• Political intrigue 

• Familial infighting and drama 

• Complex, layered relationships 

I’m so excited to discuss the details of this great story with you all! But first, here’s an overview of the book for those who haven’t read it yet and want to see if it’s up their alley. (Don’t worry! We’ll give you a spoiler warning before we give anything away.) 

Spoiler-Free Overview 

So, right off the bat, this book is hefty. She is 700 pages of vibrant worldbuilding that requires a glossary of terms, places, people, and creatures (and a pronunciation guide) at the front. This can seem intimidating, but this book is much more accessible that you may think upon first glance. Parker does a great job of easing you into this well-crafted, robust fantasy world with a lot of great descriptions and context for the truly important details. 

“When the Moon Hatched” has multiple POVs, but we mostly follow Raeve — a prickly fae female who has built absolutely massive walls around herself. When we meet her, she’s working as an assassin for the Fíur de Auth, a rebellious group with a dynamic that seems less than healthy. But Raeve isn’t there to make friends, as she believes that anyone she lets in will get hurt. (Trauma is a heavy weight to carry.) 

She meets Kaan Vaegor, a very attractive fae male who has his own issues and secrets. It’s immediately obvious that there is some odd connection and history here that Kaan remembers, but Raeve does not. This all creates an incredible mystery, and also a whole lot of sexual tension. So that’s fun!  

As said above, the world is incredibly rich. It has three different kinds of dragons, which I personally loved. Dragons in this world commonly fly up into the sky, solidifying as moons. They may do this because they’ve reached the natural end of their life, or out of grief. Reasons vary, but this common practice means that there are many moons in the sky and when they fall, they can cause some major problems. This is just one of the many fascinating elements that make this book so incredibly fun to dive into. 

The prose is accessible and enjoyable to read, but it’s also definitely not a book you can skim. Be ready to take your time with it and digest all of those little details. And speaking of details, let’s get into them! 

SPOILER WARNING! My Thoughts on “When the Moon Hatched” 

I think you can tell that I really enjoyed this one. Even though there were certain things that frustrated me, I feel like they were by design and were therefore effective. 

For example, I hated Rekk Zharos with a burning passion. I wanted to see him die a very painful death at Raeve’s hand. (That ending was so satisfying!) But at the same time, I was also screaming at her to let it go and let Kaan in! And I’m sure that’s what Parker was going for. Raeve is clearly so hurt and traumatized by her past that she has built pretty impenetrable walls around herself. (Which makes sense, especially knowing what we know by the end of the book.) So naturally, she’ll go chase the thing fueled by anger that doesn’t require her to be vulnerable. Because accepting Kaan (and happiness) is too risky in her mind, revenge is the safer choice. And I believe that so hard even though I know she’d be much better off if she just allowed herself some actual, guilt-free joy. She’s not ready for that, though, and it makes sense. 

I don’t only want that joy for Raeve (and Kann, of course) but I also want it for the whisper of Elluin that I believe is still in there. We know Raeve is getting bits and pieces of memories from her previous life, and I think that’ll only increase in frequency in the next book.  

Those diary entries were so telling, and I loved that it gave readers some of the information we needed to figure out that Elluin and Raeve were the same person. (Or at least, the same being in a different life.) It added a great layer to the story, and I enjoyed the way it filled in some gaps for us (and Veya!), but not all the gaps. I think there’s a LOT left for Parker to explore in the next installment and I’m so excited about that. But what we got was a series of truly great reveals. 

Of course, we need to talk about Raeve and Kaan. What an absolutely devastating love story. I do think there’s significant potential for a happy ending here, but my goodness these two have been through so much. I truly believe that Kaan would burn the world for this woman (or whatever variants of her will ever exist) and that he would willingly lose her over and over again if it meant one additional day with her. He’s also just a good dude! And I love that about him.  

Their love story basically addresses the question, “Would you actually find and love your partner in every lifetime, in every reality?” To me, that’s really beautiful. 

The book also seems to address the “nature versus nurture” conversation. Are Raeve and Elluin the same? If the same being is dropped back into the world and then has a completely different set of experiences than they did the first time around, how much of their original self would remain? And how is anyone meant to cope with those complexities in their own identity? These are heavy questions to ponder and I think Parker is navigating them with amazing finesse. 

Here are some more of my random thoughts about the book: 

• I love Veya so much, and I want more of her relationship with Raeve. That dynamic has so many great layers to it.  

• I adored all of the dragons. I will protect them at all costs. 

• There’s not a ton of spice in this book, but damn do those few scenes go hard.  

• I feel like the next book is going to be very action-packed. A war is going to kick off and it’s gonna be wild in the best way. 

• I knew Nee was going to be important later on and that payoff was awesome. 

• I noted the detail that Raeve was super against having a child, and that made so much sense after we found out about her daughter with Kaan. Of course, you can simply not want to be a parent. That’s normal and okay! But in this context, I feel like it was a subconscious trauma response to everything that happened to her with Tyroth, the birth of Kyzari, and likely a bunch of stuff that happened after that we don’t know about yet.  

• This book (and series) is probably so good upon reread. I feel like there’s so much in here that is clearer on a second pass. 

Overall, “When the Moon Hatched” is a great kickoff to a rich fantasy series! It set up so much, and I cannot wait to see the payoff Parker has in store for us. 

 So, what did you think?! Let’s discuss in the comments.