It's truly like Sarah A. Parker wrote this romance for me specifically. A scrappy, angry heroine in need of a hug and a hero who's a broody prince masking his pain? Yes please! When the Moon Hatched couches the love story in a richly and lovingly crafted fantasy world that is a must for lovers of the romantasy genre.

What to expect in When the Moon Hatched:
-second chance
-forbidden romance
-fated mates
-dragons
-he's a cinnamon roll
-she's badass
-slooooow burn
-🌶🌶


I'm going to preface this review by letting you know that it took me a really long time to finish this book. I started in the beginning of April and didn't finish until almost June. There's an extensive amount of word building and I'm not gonna lie - I almost dnf multiple times because the story was so slow moving. BUT! Once I got to about the 30% mark I could not stop reading. But even as I'm finished with this book I have SO MANY questions. And I think the author purposely left it like this because the series isn't complete yet.

Raeve is working for a rebellion group and she acts as an assassin. She doesn't hesitate to unalive when she's given orders. Kaan Vaegor is on the hunt for a specific moonshard. Ever since he lost the love of his life, he's been in mourning and scavenging to find the missing pieces of a moonshard that he things may bring him peace. This is where Kaan and Raeve first meet. They have an undeniable spark between them. Kaan finds a way to get Raeve out of a tricky situation and soon they are spending most of their time together. They have an undeniable attraction that they can't deny. Raeve needs to get away from Kaan and back to her own agenda, but every time she tries to leave him she finds that she just...can't. Why does she feel so close to him? What is it about him that calls to her?

Gah! The amount of highlights I have because of Kaan and Raeve. I loved these two so much. Raeve was headstrong and so independent, but Kaan was always there for her - anticipating all her needs. He was such a cinnamon roll and I loved how much he loves Raeve. I can't really say too much more without giving it away. But When the Moon Hatched was definitely a favorite romantasy of the year for me - even though it started of suuuuper slow. I can't wait until the next one!

When the Moon Hatched is a novel that is ripe with world-building, outstanding characters and a story that will truly move you. With shocking twists and turns, Parker's writing is phenomenal. Can't wait for book 2!

I have mixed opinions because the writing is so, so lovely because I don't think the Big Reveal (for lack of a better word) was properly set up or explored. It could be that this addressed better in the sequel. I was having a really great time until that happened, so I am bummed. But the worldbuilding is so dark and lush and mysterious.

When the Moon Hatched is an interesting story of a rogue who ends up in prison and the king who saves her. Parker has created a wonderful elemental magic system with dragons that become moons (and fall) and much more. I had a difficult time reading this book, not because the story isn't interesting or because the worldbuilding is lacking. No, the reason I had difficulty was the language barrier. Because this world is so unlike ours, Parker had to do a lot of worldbuilding which ended up making the first few chapters cumbersome to get through. If you can stick it out through that though, I do recommend this to anyone interested in Romantasy or those interested in deep worldbuilding.

This book has been getting so much hype lately that I was nervous that it wouldn’t live up. Not only does it live up but it exceeded my expectations. Simply put, this book was phenomenal. This was my first read by Parker, and it certainly won’t be the last. Her writing was lush, descriptive, and moving. Reave’s character development arc was incredible. She faces so much in the book as her forgetting past and present clash. I also loved how imaginative yet thorough the world building is. The plot itself had me hooked from the very first chapter. There’s a little of something for everyone: political machinations, secrets to be unraveled, threats of a looming war, and twists to keep you guessing until the last pages. If you enjoy fae, magic, dragons, revenge plots, and star crossed lovers this is a Romantasy you do not want to miss.

i was not able to put this book down! i read nonstop for 2 days THIS BOOK IS 800 PAGES and i couldnt put it down! Sarah A Parker has a magical way of just pulling you int the story and making you not want to leave. This is such a unique book unlike anything I've ever read.

full review on tiktok

“I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist."
•

a swoonworthy romantasy that will have you salivating for more, When the Moon Hatched is the epic adventure I didn’t know I was missing in my life! with such a heavy storyline and richly dense content, I was delightfully surprised at the softness and beauty woven throughout this tale. yes, there’s blood, gore, and violence; but there’s also passion, devotion, love, and visceral longing.

Raeve is an assassin set on revenge, but she’s also marked for execution.

Kaan is the incognito king that won’t stop following her around, but why?

the answer is more layered and heart-wrenching than you’re expecting, but you’ll love every moment of unraveling the truth.

filled with adventure, mystery, fierce females, star-crossed love, and DRAGONS, you don’t want to miss out on When the Moon Hatched! just beware of the cliffhanger!
•

this and that:
♡ a bad-ass female mc that’s a bit stabby
♡ assassin sentenced to execution
♡ card games
♡ chosen family
♡ cliffhangers
♡ diary entries
♡ dragons…I’ll say it again: D R A G O N S!
♡ drunken truths
♡ eyelid kisses
♡ fae
♡ family rifts
♡ flashbacks
♡ game of thrones vibes
♡ gods / deities
♡ he cooks for her
♡ he’s obsessed
♡ high fantasy
♡ if you love them, let them go
♡ kings in disguise
♡ longing for someone so deeply, you feel it in your bones
♡ lost royal
♡ masked festivals
♡ memory loss
♡ moons and celestial vibes
♡ multiple povs
♡ one dragon
♡ open door spice
♡ prison breaks
♡ remembering
♡ romantasy
♡ rumblings of war
♡ starcrossed lovers
♡ vengeance
♡ when he has a nickname for her
♡ “Who hurt you?”
•

triggers:
☞ adult abduction (implied, off page)
☞ blood & gore
☞ childbirth complications / death (off page)
☞ child abuse
☞ creature abuse
☞ death
☞ indentured servitude
☞ rape, threat of sexual assault
☞ sexual abuse / trafficking of minors (implied, off page)
☞ sexually explicit content
☞ torture
☞ violence
•

notable quotes:
・The harder you care, the more fragile everything seems.

・Sadness is like stones that stack inside you, making it harder to move. Ignorance is my self-preservation tonic, and I’ll swear by it until I die.

・broken things make the sharpest weapons

・“Revenge is the loneliest deity of them all, Moonbeam. Take it from someone who knows.”

・I’m still an assassin marked for execution come aurora rise, and he’s still a tyrant king.

・“Say it again . . .”
“What?”
“My name, Moonbeam. Say it again.”

・“There’s a difference between being cared for and being commanded. Know it.”

・Expectations really pinch when they stab you in the back.”

・He’s watching me with a haunting intensity that threatens to peel off one of the many calluses crusting my heart. A look that presses against my chest. My soul.
The sort of look that buckles spines, heartstrings, and knees in the same swift strike.

・I catch him looking at me with the intensity of a chapped wasteland desperate for even a drop of rain. The sort of look that consumes. That clutches heartstrings and braids them together for eternity . . . forever bonded.

・“She’s a dream come true, but she’s not just my dream.”

・“She’s so much more than a power play. So much more than the love of my existence. There’s someone out there who needs her more than any of us do”

・“Break him again and I’ll break you.”

・"Regret is the heaviest burden to bear.”

・“You know my song,” I whisper.

・“Don’t lie to me, Moonbeam. Lie to the world, but please don’t lie to me.”

・“I’m not yours, and I never will be.”

・“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”

・I’m done living the life I’ve been told to live and not the one I want for myself.

・He’s fire and brimstone. I’m shattered ice. Our collision is steam and destruction, destined to dissipate, but I’ll gladly burn beneath him until the world comes crumbling down.

・“you could flay me down the middle and I’d still fucking love you.”

・“If I’m losing you again, I need to know why”

・The only beam of light I’ll ever need or want in this world, my love for her sitting like a moon in my chest. Only this moon will never fall, no matter how hard she tugs on it.

・my soft heart in her fucking hands, dripping blood all over the floor.

・History is repeating itself all over again, and it makes me want to rip the fucking world in two. Crack it open in hopes of finding the answers to the heartbreaking riddle of . . . Her.

・ She’s probably picturing me on my knees, and perhaps that should bother me. It doesn’t. I’d spend eternity looking up at her if she’d only fucking let me.

・“I’ve finally learned what it means to live, and I’ll never forget that”

・I finally jump off the cliff she sang me to the edge of.

・“I’m fucking obsessed”

・My pulse scatters at the way he’s looking at me. Like a male who’s been living on air, on the verge of starvation, and is now seated before a feast for kings and queens.

・“I’m not your secret. I’m your truth.”

・“I know you’re a feral creature that likes to swipe at everything that moves into your atmosphere, but there are only so many hits I can take before I start swiping back.”

・“You love me. You’re just too busy feasting on my heart to notice.”

・ All I see is molten adoration. A fierce, untamable love so heavy it stomps me breathless.

・“You found us, Moonbeam.”

・“This truth is going to hurt, and you’re going to hate me for it. But there’s someone out there who needs you, and you’re going to change their life even more than you changed mine.”

・“Any lost opportunity to worship you is a tragedy.”

・“There are no more white flags with me, My King.” I sway toward him, stepping into his smoldering atmosphere. “They’re all used up.”
I reach him, planting my hand on his chest, his tense muscles twitching beneath my touch as I sully him with my scent.
“Good to know,” he grinds out, every bit a shadow-bathed beast in his prime. “I’ll burn mine, shall I?”

“Come back to me, Raeve. To us.”

・Kaan may never know he’s everything to me. That I’d fall just to watch him fly.

・These pages are going to rip the world to shreds.
—

thank you Avon for the gifted copy!

I think I have my latest obsession in this book. I absolutely adored the rich world Parker has created. This is where having a print version really comes in handy: the glossary and character list at the beginning of the novel makes it that much easier to understand the complex world she is building in this novel.

If you like the Throne of Glass series, give this book a chance. It has similar vibes while being different enough to stand on its own.

Oh, and did I mention there’s dragons?!

I’m eternally grateful to Netgalkey and the publisher for an arc and print copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are entirely my own.