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Moonfall #1
When the Moon Hatched
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.
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.
718 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 13, 2024
About the author
Sarah A. Parker
7 books4,395 followersSarah is an international bestselling author who grew up on a farm in New Zealand, where she spent her days getting lost amongst the rolling pasture, building forts in the hedge, climbing trees, and exploring the forest pathways—making up elaborate stories that never lost their grip on her.
She now lives in Australia with her husband, dog, three children, and countless plants, and spends her days pouring her stories onto paper rather than throwing them to the wind.
Her genre of choice is epic fantasy romance, and she thrives off dreaming up real, complex characters and immersive worlds to get lost amongst.
She now lives in Australia with her husband, dog, three children, and countless plants, and spends her days pouring her stories onto paper rather than throwing them to the wind.
Her genre of choice is epic fantasy romance, and she thrives off dreaming up real, complex characters and immersive worlds to get lost amongst.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 15,709 reviews
July 25, 2024
-♾️/5⭐️🤭☺️✨
OMG GUYS IS THIS THE FANTASY OF 2024??!!😍😍
It’s got everything!! 🥰✨
-glorified Uber rides I mean DRAGONS🐉 that add pretty much nothing to the plot even though they’re so important to the world🐉
-a copycat celaena sardothien that’s somehow more annoying???! a snarky, sassy, stabby assassin 🗡️🩸that doesn’t actually do any assassinating despite the fact that apparently she is the bestest most greatest assassin in all of the rebel organization that she works for!!✨✨
-an ambiguously tan and large warrior prince king who everyone thinks is violent and evil but is secretly good a super hot🥵 and LARGE love interest that definitely loves the main character and doesn’t just want to fuck the main character with his huge dick!!🤭✨✨
-the most insta-lust filled “romance” I’ve ever seen definitely a slow burn!! Absolutely not a romance that is less interesting than watching paint dry!!🥵😍😝
- super hot fae🧚🏻♀️ who are totally not just people with pointed ears that are overly horny for no reason and don’t worry it totally never gets annoying hearing every one described as male and female over and over again🧚🏻♀️💫
-a confusing world that barely ever gets explained super in depth world building that is for sure interesting and not boring or forces you to go look at a TWENTY PAGE GLOSSARY that is given to you BEFORE YOU EVEN GET TO THE PROLOGUE🌕🌎
-literally just the four elements from avatar a really unique magic system the rarest and most unique elements ever!! There’s 🌬️wind💨 🌋fire🔥🗿earth🪨 and 🌊water💧 magic😍😍✨ I’ve never seen such creative powers before!! Have you??
- ambiguously tan warrior clans that see women as objects and as baby machines that only exist for the female protagonist to bring feminism to before she is rescued by the MMC who was raised by that tribe but obviously doesn’t think like that because he drinks respect women juice😎
- a hypersexual alcoholic bisexual side character!!🤩
- really creative mystical creatures such as the fate herder!! Who does not just exist to push the FMC to where she needs to go!🪄🐈
- and the PLOT🫣😵💫🤯 there’s so many twists!! You’ll never see any of them coming!!
(Very sarcastic spoilers ahead☺️)
Seriously!! I mean who could ever predict that our super snarky and murderous assassin with a heart of pure gold💛 who never hurts children or oppressed people or poor people or animals and only murders rapists and child abusers (nevermind those 25??!random guards that were literally just doing their jobs they’re totally evil and probably like kicked a puppy or something) was actually the lost super special princess namedAelin Elluin that everyone loves??! 👑 👸🏻💫
And I mean who possibly could have predicted the ambiguously tan warrior king that smells so good and is so hot and has such glorious shining rippling muscles and such a big dick that our FMC believes murders his people for fun and is a tyrant like his brothers is actually really good and loving and a great ruler🤯🤯✨
And also actually he has a cabin that was his mom’s that’s really nice and has a great city where all the people are super happy and a friend group consisting of more ambiguously tan men that are not-cassian and not-azriel because they don’t have wings and his hot sister who is “the most beautiful” but she’s not Mor because she has brown hair not blonde🥰✨
(I actually don’t know how to communicate to you that literally the whole second half of this 718 kindle page book is largely ripping off ACoMaF?? Like listen I don’t like SJM at all but I don’t condone blatant plagiarism either😭)
Oh but plot twist!! The tan warrior king calls the snarky cold, callous hearted assassin girlie ✨moonbeam🌕✨ because they used to be in love before she lost all her memories and he continues to be in love with her even though she’s clearly pretty much a different person!! Also she has a daughter that no one tells her about and she doesn’t even learn about in this book!! 😯😦
But hey plot isn’t everything right??! maybe the characters are like so good and really well developed!!😆
Like our main character!! Have you ever wanted to read more about the most annoying and entitled assassin in existence: Celaena Sardothien??
Well here’s herclone newest competition on the block!! 🪩Raeve🪩✨😍✨ she’s the most special special girl!!! She’s the heir to the super powerful and strong family that all got murdered while she was sleeping!! Also that family was tasked with keeping the god of aether locked away in his obsidian gem diadem thingy. 🥳
Raeve used to be named Elluin but she lost all her memories after she died after giving birth or something and was turned into a moon with her super special biggest fiercest dead moonplume dragon that may or may not occasionally posses her as an entity called “the other”!
Raeve is really scared of loving people because some two random girls that she cared about died. You will be reminded over and over and over and over and over and over again how cold and dark and calloused Raeve heart is. She loves to remind you just how broken and traumatized she is because for some reason authors think that if they continually tell you how traumatized😩 and broken😢 characters are that you’ll like them more. 🥺🥺
Also Raeve is the avatar💧🔥💨🪨 and can use literally all of the elements (but she was tortured with fire so she can’t use it right now that’s for book two)
She’s also really small😣🐁 and hot🥵 and good at singing🎤
And our male lead!! Kaan! Who has big muscles and an even bigger dick and is really good at fucking Raeve and is really big and I think I forgot to mention it but he’s really large.😜😩He used to be king of the warrior tribe before he ripped off his dad’s head and became king of the whole desert kingdom. He loves the main character even though she’s constantly threatening to kill him and she has about zero redeeming qualities as a person.
we get told their first love story through some of Elluin’s old diary entries and he did so many beautiful romantic gestures like: give her soup, sing her a song, and give her a hug!! Wow romance of the century😍
he also collected all the piece of her dead dragon-moon thing after she died because he loved her so much or something. Idk it was weird.
And omg the prose!🥹 I have to hand it to Miss Sarah!!☺️ I’ve never seen a woman string so many words together and say absolutely nothing of value with them!!! She tries so hard to be poetic with her descriptions that she forgets what she’s describing halfway through and continues to just say words that don’t make any sense!! Absolutely gorgeous 😫 I’m soooo jealous of her inability to string a coherent sentence together!!😩
I also love how we get told how to feel every time a character speaks!! I love being told that every time a character says something mildly hurtful to Raeve it “impales her just beneath the ribs” or “thrusts straight through to her heart”! Thank you Sarah!! How else would I have known with my silly stupid woman brain that the character meant those words as an insult?!!😣 You’re so thoughtful!!☺️
And I love how modern the dialogue is!!😆 I love hearing the words like kitchenette, icebox, and especially microcock in my medieval fantasy!!! Also the excessive swearing really definitely adds the emphasis you were looking for and it continues to keep working even after the 143th time you’ve used the word “fucking”!!
Seriously!! 😁 Sarah A. Parker is incredible!!😍😍 718 kindle pages of a plot that doesn’t move, useless descriptions, uninteresting and stupid characters, and a world that requires a 20 page glossary to even halfway begin to understand is really a feat!! 🤩
The only reason anyone is calling this book a slow burn despite the fact the FMC wants to fuck the MMC the second she smells him is because this book is 500 pages too long.
Also this book is multi pov but we don’t fully get other povs until we are like 65 chapters into a 89 chapter book. And by that point I’m sorry I don’t care what not-Mor is doing on her fetch quest especially when her voice sounds literally exactly the same as Raeve’s. And I know Kaan wants to fuck Raeve. Thanks for the confirmation.
To the girl that said this was the Fourth Wing of 2024 you are so right babe!! I don’t think you meant it the same way I do but I agree nonetheless!!🥰
And to the girl that said you could take away either the fantasy or the romance and the other would still stand on its own?? You are a lying liar that lies neither the fantasy nor the romance can stand on their own! They can’t even stand together😭😭
This whole book flopped and floundered more than a dying fish and it was a woeful disappointment from start to finish. 😐
OMG GUYS IS THIS THE FANTASY OF 2024??!!😍😍
It’s got everything!! 🥰✨
-
-
-
-
- super hot fae🧚🏻♀️ who are totally not just people with pointed ears that are overly horny for no reason and don’t worry it totally never gets annoying hearing every one described as male and female over and over again🧚🏻♀️💫
-
-
- ambiguously tan warrior clans that see women as objects and as baby machines that only exist for the female protagonist to bring feminism to before she is rescued by the MMC who was raised by that tribe but obviously doesn’t think like that because he drinks respect women juice😎
- a hypersexual alcoholic bisexual side character!!🤩
- really creative mystical creatures such as the fate herder!! Who does not just exist to push the FMC to where she needs to go!🪄🐈
- and the PLOT🫣😵💫🤯 there’s so many twists!! You’ll never see any of them coming!!
(Very sarcastic spoilers ahead☺️)
Seriously!! I mean who could ever predict that our super snarky and murderous assassin with a heart of pure gold💛 who never hurts children or oppressed people or poor people or animals and only murders rapists and child abusers (nevermind those 25??!random guards that were literally just doing their jobs they’re totally evil and probably like kicked a puppy or something) was actually the lost super special princess named
And I mean who possibly could have predicted the ambiguously tan warrior king that smells so good and is so hot and has such glorious shining rippling muscles and such a big dick that our FMC believes murders his people for fun and is a tyrant like his brothers is actually really good and loving and a great ruler🤯🤯✨
And also actually he has a cabin that was his mom’s that’s really nice and has a great city where all the people are super happy and a friend group consisting of more ambiguously tan men that are not-cassian and not-azriel because they don’t have wings and his hot sister who is “the most beautiful” but she’s not Mor because she has brown hair not blonde🥰✨
(I actually don’t know how to communicate to you that literally the whole second half of this 718 kindle page book is largely ripping off ACoMaF?? Like listen I don’t like SJM at all but I don’t condone blatant plagiarism either😭)
Oh but plot twist!! The tan warrior king calls the snarky cold, callous hearted assassin girlie ✨moonbeam🌕✨ because they used to be in love before she lost all her memories and he continues to be in love with her even though she’s clearly pretty much a different person!! Also she has a daughter that no one tells her about and she doesn’t even learn about in this book!! 😯😦
But hey plot isn’t everything right??! maybe the characters are like so good and really well developed!!😆
Like our main character!! Have you ever wanted to read more about the most annoying and entitled assassin in existence: Celaena Sardothien??
Well here’s her
Raeve used to be named Elluin but she lost all her memories after she died after giving birth or something and was turned into a moon with her super special biggest fiercest dead moonplume dragon that may or may not occasionally posses her as an entity called “the other”!
Raeve is really scared of loving people because some two random girls that she cared about died. You will be reminded over and over and over and over and over and over again how cold and dark and calloused Raeve heart is. She loves to remind you just how broken and traumatized she is because for some reason authors think that if they continually tell you how traumatized😩 and broken😢 characters are that you’ll like them more. 🥺🥺
Also Raeve is the avatar💧🔥💨🪨 and can use literally all of the elements (but she was tortured with fire so she can’t use it right now that’s for book two)
She’s also really small😣🐁 and hot🥵 and good at singing🎤
And our male lead!! Kaan! Who has big muscles and an even bigger dick and is really good at fucking Raeve and is really big and I think I forgot to mention it but he’s really large.😜😩He used to be king of the warrior tribe before he ripped off his dad’s head and became king of the whole desert kingdom. He loves the main character even though she’s constantly threatening to kill him and she has about zero redeeming qualities as a person.
we get told their first love story through some of Elluin’s old diary entries and he did so many beautiful romantic gestures like: give her soup, sing her a song, and give her a hug!! Wow romance of the century😍
he also collected all the piece of her dead dragon-moon thing after she died because he loved her so much or something. Idk it was weird.
And omg the prose!🥹 I have to hand it to Miss Sarah!!☺️ I’ve never seen a woman string so many words together and say absolutely nothing of value with them!!! She tries so hard to be poetic with her descriptions that she forgets what she’s describing halfway through and continues to just say words that don’t make any sense!! Absolutely gorgeous 😫 I’m soooo jealous of her inability to string a coherent sentence together!!😩
I also love how we get told how to feel every time a character speaks!! I love being told that every time a character says something mildly hurtful to Raeve it “impales her just beneath the ribs” or “thrusts straight through to her heart”! Thank you Sarah!! How else would I have known with my silly stupid woman brain that the character meant those words as an insult?!!😣 You’re so thoughtful!!☺️
And I love how modern the dialogue is!!😆 I love hearing the words like kitchenette, icebox, and especially microcock in my medieval fantasy!!! Also the excessive swearing really definitely adds the emphasis you were looking for and it continues to keep working even after the 143th time you’ve used the word “fucking”!!
Seriously!! 😁 Sarah A. Parker is incredible!!😍😍 718 kindle pages of a plot that doesn’t move, useless descriptions, uninteresting and stupid characters, and a world that requires a 20 page glossary to even halfway begin to understand is really a feat!! 🤩
The only reason anyone is calling this book a slow burn despite the fact the FMC wants to fuck the MMC the second she smells him is because this book is 500 pages too long.
Also this book is multi pov but we don’t fully get other povs until we are like 65 chapters into a 89 chapter book. And by that point I’m sorry I don’t care what not-Mor is doing on her fetch quest especially when her voice sounds literally exactly the same as Raeve’s. And I know Kaan wants to fuck Raeve. Thanks for the confirmation.
To the girl that said this was the Fourth Wing of 2024 you are so right babe!! I don’t think you meant it the same way I do but I agree nonetheless!!🥰
And to the girl that said you could take away either the fantasy or the romance and the other would still stand on its own?? You are a lying liar that lies neither the fantasy nor the romance can stand on their own! They can’t even stand together😭😭
This whole book flopped and floundered more than a dying fish and it was a woeful disappointment from start to finish. 😐
June 21, 2024
4.45!
“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.”
I cannot stress how much love I have for this book, reading this was a whole new experience and one that I loved so much that I will gladly reread it again and again in the following months. Now this was my first book by Sarah since 2021 and I was pleasantly surprised at how much her writing improved. It was so good and not only that I loved how she handled certain aspects of this book.
.
Giving us the whole guide at the start which was like i think 30+ pages helped a lot and it also saved Sarah from info dumping in between major scenes, she literally threw it at us and said im not explaining anything after this LMAO. I also saw how much effort and hard work she put into this work with all the art and the dairy entries. It really worked out in the end and her writing style oh my god it was so accessible and easy to read.
.
What surprised me the most was how she was able to give life not only to the main characters but also the world and the dragons, her words were nothing short of exceptional and magical. I loved her storytelling and her ability to let the readers dwell on the emotions that they face as they read the heartbreaking story of the characters and what they go through.
“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.”
Raeve, our FMC was witty, verbal and short tempered but also sly, manipulative and strong. I loved her so much. The story follows mostly her perspective and it was so fun to read because her tendency to include humor in the most unlikely situations was amazing. She's also an assassin and if you dont know how much i love Assassins please head over to my review of the assassins blade. What I liked the most about Raeve's story was her undiscovered past and the way it slowly unraveled in front of us and how much my heart ached for her, for everything she went through and lost. Parker outdid herself here.
“It most certainly will, but what she doesn’t see is that her love bolsters me. Strengthens me. When she shines that light my way, nothing can hurt me.”
Kaan, our MMC was broody, grumpy and strong but on the inside he was caring, loving and well...basically a cinnamon roll who was madly in love with Raeve. I was confused at times at how the story around him and Raeve we unfolding but it actually fit into place quite well. Kaan put up with Raeve a lot and was very patient with him. His grief was neglected at all in this book and that is another thing that i salute Sarah for, she highlighted how much his impacted him and how they still influenced his decisions and why he loved and wanted to protect Raeve. It was done really well.
“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”
The plot was handled really well and the thing that i liked the most was that its categorized as a fantasy and it is a fantasy yes there is romance but it does not overshadow the plot or even come near the plot. Even if you take out the romance the story would still be able to stand on its own. The story starts with Raeve an assassin of a rebel group whose told to listen and not question who has her own personal problems to deal with gets entangled with Kaan a king who basically stalks Raeve but there are so many twists and flashbacks and they are so well maintained that you dont have to think much and can easily enjoy the series.
“Your hands know me,” she whispers. “Yes,” I murmur against her hair. “Know you, crave you, worship you.”
The romance was probably one of the best things about this book. I am all for slow burns and this book did deliver on that, i also love the hate to love trope which was pretty prominent and no one can convince me that Raeve and Kaan are not star crossed lovers because they are. They were so god together. There was so much tension eluding off them. Every interaction with close proximity between them was so hot. Sarah aced the angst part.
“but I’d die knowing I left something bright behind in this beautiful world sketched in so many shades of ugly.
Most fantasies fail to follow a structure when it comes to their worldbuilding and Lore but that definitely was not the case here because Sarah really blew everything out of the water with how well organized everything was, how her lore fell into place weaved its way around the worldbuilding and constructed a foundation for the series. Even the dragons had their own stories here.
“Then he asked me what I wanted, and I told him my truth. One three-letter word that weighed too much, being promised to his kin. You.”
As much as I love this book and appreciate it there were one or two things that bothered me:
The pacing was very weird, it was fast paced at times and often felt very slow so that really impacted my mood as i read and the length? 715 was a little to much like 50 to 100 pages too much i felt there was a small patch where i had to drag through and the start felt so overwhelming but overall it was very good and i will definitely recommend!!
Okayyy so i got some tropes:
. Who hurt you?
. He falls first
. Forbidden love
. One dragon ;)
. Starcrossed lovers
. Angst and tension
. Dragons
. Multi-POV
. Banter
“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.”
I cannot stress how much love I have for this book, reading this was a whole new experience and one that I loved so much that I will gladly reread it again and again in the following months. Now this was my first book by Sarah since 2021 and I was pleasantly surprised at how much her writing improved. It was so good and not only that I loved how she handled certain aspects of this book.
.
Giving us the whole guide at the start which was like i think 30+ pages helped a lot and it also saved Sarah from info dumping in between major scenes, she literally threw it at us and said im not explaining anything after this LMAO. I also saw how much effort and hard work she put into this work with all the art and the dairy entries. It really worked out in the end and her writing style oh my god it was so accessible and easy to read.
.
What surprised me the most was how she was able to give life not only to the main characters but also the world and the dragons, her words were nothing short of exceptional and magical. I loved her storytelling and her ability to let the readers dwell on the emotions that they face as they read the heartbreaking story of the characters and what they go through.
“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.”
Raeve, our FMC was witty, verbal and short tempered but also sly, manipulative and strong. I loved her so much. The story follows mostly her perspective and it was so fun to read because her tendency to include humor in the most unlikely situations was amazing. She's also an assassin and if you dont know how much i love Assassins please head over to my review of the assassins blade. What I liked the most about Raeve's story was her undiscovered past and the way it slowly unraveled in front of us and how much my heart ached for her, for everything she went through and lost. Parker outdid herself here.
“It most certainly will, but what she doesn’t see is that her love bolsters me. Strengthens me. When she shines that light my way, nothing can hurt me.”
Kaan, our MMC was broody, grumpy and strong but on the inside he was caring, loving and well...basically a cinnamon roll who was madly in love with Raeve. I was confused at times at how the story around him and Raeve we unfolding but it actually fit into place quite well. Kaan put up with Raeve a lot and was very patient with him. His grief was neglected at all in this book and that is another thing that i salute Sarah for, she highlighted how much his impacted him and how they still influenced his decisions and why he loved and wanted to protect Raeve. It was done really well.
“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”
The plot was handled really well and the thing that i liked the most was that its categorized as a fantasy and it is a fantasy yes there is romance but it does not overshadow the plot or even come near the plot. Even if you take out the romance the story would still be able to stand on its own. The story starts with Raeve an assassin of a rebel group whose told to listen and not question who has her own personal problems to deal with gets entangled with Kaan a king who basically stalks Raeve but there are so many twists and flashbacks and they are so well maintained that you dont have to think much and can easily enjoy the series.
“Your hands know me,” she whispers. “Yes,” I murmur against her hair. “Know you, crave you, worship you.”
The romance was probably one of the best things about this book. I am all for slow burns and this book did deliver on that, i also love the hate to love trope which was pretty prominent and no one can convince me that Raeve and Kaan are not star crossed lovers because they are. They were so god together. There was so much tension eluding off them. Every interaction with close proximity between them was so hot. Sarah aced the angst part.
“but I’d die knowing I left something bright behind in this beautiful world sketched in so many shades of ugly.
Most fantasies fail to follow a structure when it comes to their worldbuilding and Lore but that definitely was not the case here because Sarah really blew everything out of the water with how well organized everything was, how her lore fell into place weaved its way around the worldbuilding and constructed a foundation for the series. Even the dragons had their own stories here.
“Then he asked me what I wanted, and I told him my truth. One three-letter word that weighed too much, being promised to his kin. You.”
As much as I love this book and appreciate it there were one or two things that bothered me:
The pacing was very weird, it was fast paced at times and often felt very slow so that really impacted my mood as i read and the length? 715 was a little to much like 50 to 100 pages too much i felt there was a small patch where i had to drag through and the start felt so overwhelming but overall it was very good and i will definitely recommend!!
Okayyy so i got some tropes:
. Who hurt you?
. He falls first
. Forbidden love
. One dragon ;)
. Starcrossed lovers
. Angst and tension
. Dragons
. Multi-POV
. Banter
May 19, 2024
"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."
✔️ High fantasy
✔️ Fae + dragons
✔️ Multi pov
✔️ Star crossed lovers
✔️ Forbidden romance
✔️ Angst + slow burn
✔️ Only one horse dragon
The book caught my attention when it started being compared to ACOTAR and was labelled as one of the best romantasy of the year. While this is nothing like ACOTAR and am genuinely happy about that as it brought in a new magic system and a completely mesmerizing world and characters but I would say it's similar to ToG when it comes to the vibe. That's only if I have to compare tho. It might also be in my top 5 reads of the year, potentially one of the best romantasy books I read this year 👀
From the beginning everything went right with this book for me. The world building, the pacing, the character introductions and the intrigue was exactly what I wanted yet nothing could have prepared me for how it will all turn out. I would warn people that this could be perceived as a confusing world, consider reading it when you are in the mood for high fantasy and complex world in terms of story telling. The whole concept of creators, dragons and other creatures is just so fascinating. I was truly mesmerized. I also found it to be decently paced.
"Your hands know me."
"Know you, crave you, worship you."
Raeve is such a badass fmc. I loved her from the start. She has such witty comebacks and her sassy yet self protective demeanour comes across as easy to like. Her backstory is surely traumatizing and there's a lot of depth to her character. I can't wait to see her grow into something even more, emotionally in particular. Kaan is my new book boyfriend. The man loves her so much, even I was lost in yearning. I would trust him with my life. He's charming and the man radiates protective and "would die for her," "would kill for her," "would burn for her" vibes and I ate it all up 😌😌
The romance is so angsty and the slow burn so delicious. The way it was built was also interesting and their chemistry is perfect. The banter was chef's kiss. One will find themselves rooting for them. The tension and the spice?? Oof. Simply off the charts 🥵🥵 The push and pull was killing me I swear 😩😩
Some of the plot twists were really good and I couldn't have guessed them at all. The action sequences were so brutal yet beautiful as the way it was described was so vivid I could picture it all, but that also goes for the whole book lol 😅 The ending has me wanting for more. I need answers 😩😩 I didn't want it to end 😭
Highly recommended
I believe fans of ToG in particular would like this quite a lot.
~•~•~
I hear this is being compared to ACOTAR and is apparently one of the best books and romantasy of the year.. Let's put it to test 😉
✔️ High fantasy
✔️ Fae + dragons
✔️ Multi pov
✔️ Star crossed lovers
✔️ Forbidden romance
✔️ Angst + slow burn
✔️ Only one
The book caught my attention when it started being compared to ACOTAR and was labelled as one of the best romantasy of the year. While this is nothing like ACOTAR and am genuinely happy about that as it brought in a new magic system and a completely mesmerizing world and characters but I would say it's similar to ToG when it comes to the vibe. That's only if I have to compare tho. It might also be in my top 5 reads of the year, potentially one of the best romantasy books I read this year 👀
From the beginning everything went right with this book for me. The world building, the pacing, the character introductions and the intrigue was exactly what I wanted yet nothing could have prepared me for how it will all turn out. I would warn people that this could be perceived as a confusing world, consider reading it when you are in the mood for high fantasy and complex world in terms of story telling. The whole concept of creators, dragons and other creatures is just so fascinating. I was truly mesmerized. I also found it to be decently paced.
"Your hands know me."
"Know you, crave you, worship you."
Raeve is such a badass fmc. I loved her from the start. She has such witty comebacks and her sassy yet self protective demeanour comes across as easy to like. Her backstory is surely traumatizing and there's a lot of depth to her character. I can't wait to see her grow into something even more, emotionally in particular. Kaan is my new book boyfriend. The man loves her so much, even I was lost in yearning. I would trust him with my life. He's charming and the man radiates protective and "would die for her," "would kill for her," "would burn for her" vibes and I ate it all up 😌😌
The romance is so angsty and the slow burn so delicious. The way it was built was also interesting and their chemistry is perfect. The banter was chef's kiss. One will find themselves rooting for them. The tension and the spice?? Oof. Simply off the charts 🥵🥵 The push and pull was killing me I swear 😩😩
Some of the plot twists were really good and I couldn't have guessed them at all. The action sequences were so brutal yet beautiful as the way it was described was so vivid I could picture it all, but that also goes for the whole book lol 😅 The ending has me wanting for more. I need answers 😩😩 I didn't want it to end 😭
Highly recommended
I believe fans of ToG in particular would like this quite a lot.
~•~•~
I hear this is being compared to ACOTAR and is apparently one of the best books and romantasy of the year.. Let's put it to test 😉
June 5, 2024
this book brought something primal out of me. this is what i mean when i say i want the perfect blend of fantasy and romance. the fantasy stands on its own. the romance stands on its own. this one gave me 50 lashings yall im not even joking 😭🧍🏻♀️
long story short: notorious assassin gets imprisoned. king (with the help of his dragon) breaks her out. there’s a invisible sting pull between them. someone’s holding information back.🤨 (actually they both are.) you find out why they are so important to each other. there’s some huffs and puffs and heated exchanges. you find out even more information about the two and now you’re smacking the book against your head continuously so aggressively that you should probably be admitted into the psych ward. all of that being wrapped up in a whopping 700 pages 😃
Kaan Vaegor, the man you are. sitting on his lap would fix me. he is the definition of “for however long it takes, even if it kills me.” cuz this man was aching and riddled with love let me tell you!!! “I’d spend eternity looking up at her if she’d only fucking let me” Kaan, tattoo your name across my heart will you? not only does this man protect and support his vicious and powerful girlfriend every second but he describes her as his salvation, more beautiful than the moon. he said he would mulch her enemies with his bare hands for her or pave a bloody path for her to slaughter them herself. like ok sir whatever you say gorgeous 😝
“your hands know me”
“yes, know you, crave you, worship you.”
it’s so tiring that this mf isn’t mine and isn’t real.
Raeve, female rage incarnate, angry, sad, strong, and always threatening to kill her man, oh how i love you! she makes me wanna bow down at her feet. she gets in the way of herself in this book and that’s so real tbh. she deserves all the love Kaan openly gives. the edging scene made me believe all that was happening to me and i guess that says something idk. 🤷♀️ i hope Raeve kills a lot of people in the next book and Kaan is just proudly looking at her on the side. this man knows her wholeheartedly without words🥹
“I’m going to cut out your tongue with that blade in your boot.”
“I prefer you use your teeth, but beggars can’t be choosers” you can tell that they are really in love here 🫠🫠🫠
“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.” this man would commit terrorism for you babes.
tbh this book could’ve been a hundred pages less. i feel like a lot was said yet nothing at all. the plot moves as a snail’s pace but the poetic aspect of this story makes up for it. im deadly itching for the sequel. crimes will be committed.
long story short: notorious assassin gets imprisoned. king (with the help of his dragon) breaks her out. there’s a invisible sting pull between them. someone’s holding information back.🤨 (actually they both are.) you find out why they are so important to each other. there’s some huffs and puffs and heated exchanges. you find out even more information about the two and now you’re smacking the book against your head continuously so aggressively that you should probably be admitted into the psych ward. all of that being wrapped up in a whopping 700 pages 😃
Kaan Vaegor, the man you are. sitting on his lap would fix me. he is the definition of “for however long it takes, even if it kills me.” cuz this man was aching and riddled with love let me tell you!!! “I’d spend eternity looking up at her if she’d only fucking let me” Kaan, tattoo your name across my heart will you? not only does this man protect and support his vicious and powerful girlfriend every second but he describes her as his salvation, more beautiful than the moon. he said he would mulch her enemies with his bare hands for her or pave a bloody path for her to slaughter them herself. like ok sir whatever you say gorgeous 😝
“your hands know me”
“yes, know you, crave you, worship you.”
it’s so tiring that this mf isn’t mine and isn’t real.
Raeve, female rage incarnate, angry, sad, strong, and always threatening to kill her man, oh how i love you! she makes me wanna bow down at her feet. she gets in the way of herself in this book and that’s so real tbh. she deserves all the love Kaan openly gives. the edging scene made me believe all that was happening to me and i guess that says something idk. 🤷♀️ i hope Raeve kills a lot of people in the next book and Kaan is just proudly looking at her on the side. this man knows her wholeheartedly without words🥹
“I’m going to cut out your tongue with that blade in your boot.”
“I prefer you use your teeth, but beggars can’t be choosers” you can tell that they are really in love here 🫠🫠🫠
“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.” this man would commit terrorism for you babes.
tbh this book could’ve been a hundred pages less. i feel like a lot was said yet nothing at all. the plot moves as a snail’s pace but the poetic aspect of this story makes up for it. im deadly itching for the sequel. crimes will be committed.
January 21, 2024
I am so sorry…this book was really really bad. It was a dnf and skim for me. :( I don’t have many nice things to say and I know this is the viral romantasy of the moment so if you’re loving this book I would look away now.
When the Moon Hatched was completely insufferable to me. The writing was insufferable the FMC was insufferable the romance was insufferable.
The writing:
I should have known the prose wasn’t going to work for me when I read this line from our FMC (she gets a whiff of someone mysterious who is obviously her love interest):
“So close I’m struck with a smoky musk pinched with the smell of freshly split stone, softened with notes of something buttery.”
What does that even mean? What does stone smell like? Why is it buttery?
The writing would also use fantasy wording like “discreet swell of her babe-laden abdomen” and then next paragraph go “I see you, asshole”. I didn’t think I was a snob about modern lingo but some level of consistency would have been nice.
In general there was just constant insertion of nonsensical similes and metaphors: “her eyes hardening like molten ore dropped in a bed of snow.” ???
The FMC:
Raeve is a copy paste snarky badass angry assassin who just wants to stab things and emotionally repress her feelings. I can not emphasize enough how much I disliked being in her head. She was not funny or interesting to me. I gagged constantly at her “clever quips”. The only insult in Raeve’s entire arsenal was telling people they had a micropenis. She is oh so mysterious and miserable and rage filled and no one understands her and blah blah blah. Such a tired song for Romantasy heroines and yet we keep doing it without adding any nuance?
“Companionship is something I work hard to avoid. And mostly succeed. The harder you care, the more fragile everything seems.
Easier to just…
Not.”
….I think I rolled my eyes so hard they flew out of my sockets. And this kind of incessant “woe is me I don’t want to connect with people!!” does. not. stop. Again I typically LIKE a troubled FMC with emotional baggage, but this one was just not it.
“Survival’s funny. Some wear it like a whisper, others like a scream. Mine’s a scorched skeleton of flame-forged rage that keeps me upright. Keeps me moving forward.” -_-
The romance:
Cridngy, trite, melodramatic, not a single freshly executed concept. Even the banter was bad. At least he was a consent king though.
The world building:
There was a ton of world building in this book and it was clear the author put a lot of thought into it, but it was really awkwardly done in my opinion. Some clunky info dumps especially considering there’s like a 20 page glossary at the beginning of the book. I’d include some quotes but I’m tired of being mean.
Actually, I leave you with one last quote: “You can reshape a turd an infinite number of times, but it’s still a turd. It still stinks.”
That’s a real line and it honestly perfectly captures my overall sentiment towards this book: A stinky turd that could not be reshaped into anything I wanted to read.
When the Moon Hatched was completely insufferable to me. The writing was insufferable the FMC was insufferable the romance was insufferable.
The writing:
I should have known the prose wasn’t going to work for me when I read this line from our FMC (she gets a whiff of someone mysterious who is obviously her love interest):
“So close I’m struck with a smoky musk pinched with the smell of freshly split stone, softened with notes of something buttery.”
What does that even mean? What does stone smell like? Why is it buttery?
The writing would also use fantasy wording like “discreet swell of her babe-laden abdomen” and then next paragraph go “I see you, asshole”. I didn’t think I was a snob about modern lingo but some level of consistency would have been nice.
In general there was just constant insertion of nonsensical similes and metaphors: “her eyes hardening like molten ore dropped in a bed of snow.” ???
The FMC:
Raeve is a copy paste snarky badass angry assassin who just wants to stab things and emotionally repress her feelings. I can not emphasize enough how much I disliked being in her head. She was not funny or interesting to me. I gagged constantly at her “clever quips”. The only insult in Raeve’s entire arsenal was telling people they had a micropenis. She is oh so mysterious and miserable and rage filled and no one understands her and blah blah blah. Such a tired song for Romantasy heroines and yet we keep doing it without adding any nuance?
“Companionship is something I work hard to avoid. And mostly succeed. The harder you care, the more fragile everything seems.
Easier to just…
Not.”
….I think I rolled my eyes so hard they flew out of my sockets. And this kind of incessant “woe is me I don’t want to connect with people!!” does. not. stop. Again I typically LIKE a troubled FMC with emotional baggage, but this one was just not it.
“Survival’s funny. Some wear it like a whisper, others like a scream. Mine’s a scorched skeleton of flame-forged rage that keeps me upright. Keeps me moving forward.” -_-
The romance:
Cridngy, trite, melodramatic, not a single freshly executed concept. Even the banter was bad. At least he was a consent king though.
The world building:
There was a ton of world building in this book and it was clear the author put a lot of thought into it, but it was really awkwardly done in my opinion. Some clunky info dumps especially considering there’s like a 20 page glossary at the beginning of the book. I’d include some quotes but I’m tired of being mean.
Actually, I leave you with one last quote: “You can reshape a turd an infinite number of times, but it’s still a turd. It still stinks.”
That’s a real line and it honestly perfectly captures my overall sentiment towards this book: A stinky turd that could not be reshaped into anything I wanted to read.
January 24, 2024
The girlies declared this was the next BIG romantasy book, so my curious ass went and downloaded it. First of all, holy shit, no one mentioned it was 730 pages. It reads quickly though, because each paragraph is like 1-3 sentences with multiple one-liners following in succession for the MC to show off her snark and sass. This book has a lot of cool things going for it: dragons, moons falling from the sky, a badass female main character hell-bent on getting revenge, and a gigantic penis disguised as a man who immediately falls in love with her.
Except that for a romantasy, this author sure knows how to kill a sex scene. The characters are about to have sex, and the main character thinks, “Can’t he see my heartstrings are stubby and frayed?”
…stubby?
STUBBY?
STUBBY.
I could NOT get past the prose. I see a lot of people praising the writing for its lyricism, but to me, it was clunky and distracting. For example, the main character is crying in the rain. Instead of describing this like a normal person, we get:
“I cast my stare upward and another wailing bead plunges toward me. I flinch as it collides with my cheek in an agonized splat, my hand lifting to sweep its weeping corpse from my skin…
What’s happening?
I study the wetness smeared across my fingers like the anomaly it is, the rain drop’s forlorn whimper cleaving a crack through my chest. Like she broke apart on impact, achingly aware she’ll never be whole again.
Not as she was.
More heavy droplets wail as they plunge, singing foreign words I don’t understand, splashing upon the pavement by my feet. Howling form the shock of their savage deconstruction, like they’re begging the stone to absorb them.
To pull them back together.” (pg 464)
This continues in the same overwritten and overwrought manner for a few more pages, all to describe the way she’s crying in the rain. This is why the book is 730 pages.
Stylistically, this didn’t work for me. It was a lot of alliteration and fluff in order to paint a scene. The author felt the need to use the maximum amount of words at any given time. For example, instead of saying “heart,” she would say, “the organ in my chest” (pgs. 234, 276, 435, 543, 544, 610). She used the world “masticate” twice, both times causing me stop reading because it is such a clunky, awkward word:
- “…and I’m holding on to that promise of hope until I’m masticated by a dragon’s maw or sliced from throat to navel.” (pg. 193)
- “Fear finally masticates me into oblivion.” (pg. 246)
Further, she very heavily relied on a thesaurus, much to her detriment. It became painfully obvious that she didn’t know the meaning of some of the words and phrases she was using. Here are two of my favorite examples:
- “ I can’t smell the infection he boasts carnal knowledge of.”
- “My gut and chest continue to convulse in staggered synchrony…”
‘Carnal knowledge’ means to know something sexually, which…lol in that sentence. And ‘staggered synchrony’ is an oxymoron.
This book suffers from very, very poor word choice and editing. It was brain-meltingly painful wading through the extraneous words in order to get glimpses of plot here and there. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I DNF’ed this at 69% (lol).
Except that for a romantasy, this author sure knows how to kill a sex scene. The characters are about to have sex, and the main character thinks, “Can’t he see my heartstrings are stubby and frayed?”
…stubby?
STUBBY?
STUBBY.
I could NOT get past the prose. I see a lot of people praising the writing for its lyricism, but to me, it was clunky and distracting. For example, the main character is crying in the rain. Instead of describing this like a normal person, we get:
“I cast my stare upward and another wailing bead plunges toward me. I flinch as it collides with my cheek in an agonized splat, my hand lifting to sweep its weeping corpse from my skin…
What’s happening?
I study the wetness smeared across my fingers like the anomaly it is, the rain drop’s forlorn whimper cleaving a crack through my chest. Like she broke apart on impact, achingly aware she’ll never be whole again.
Not as she was.
More heavy droplets wail as they plunge, singing foreign words I don’t understand, splashing upon the pavement by my feet. Howling form the shock of their savage deconstruction, like they’re begging the stone to absorb them.
To pull them back together.” (pg 464)
This continues in the same overwritten and overwrought manner for a few more pages, all to describe the way she’s crying in the rain. This is why the book is 730 pages.
Stylistically, this didn’t work for me. It was a lot of alliteration and fluff in order to paint a scene. The author felt the need to use the maximum amount of words at any given time. For example, instead of saying “heart,” she would say, “the organ in my chest” (pgs. 234, 276, 435, 543, 544, 610). She used the world “masticate” twice, both times causing me stop reading because it is such a clunky, awkward word:
- “…and I’m holding on to that promise of hope until I’m masticated by a dragon’s maw or sliced from throat to navel.” (pg. 193)
- “Fear finally masticates me into oblivion.” (pg. 246)
Further, she very heavily relied on a thesaurus, much to her detriment. It became painfully obvious that she didn’t know the meaning of some of the words and phrases she was using. Here are two of my favorite examples:
- “ I can’t smell the infection he boasts carnal knowledge of.”
- “My gut and chest continue to convulse in staggered synchrony…”
‘Carnal knowledge’ means to know something sexually, which…lol in that sentence. And ‘staggered synchrony’ is an oxymoron.
This book suffers from very, very poor word choice and editing. It was brain-meltingly painful wading through the extraneous words in order to get glimpses of plot here and there. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I DNF’ed this at 69% (lol).
Read
July 7, 2024i love myself and loving yourself means not reading bad books
March 18, 2024
- 1.5 stars
god this was the book with the most pretentious writing that i've read in a very long time. how come the author has no problem describing how the sunbeam reflects off a ceiling or the lake or whatever across several chapters by adding fancy adjectives and adverbs only merriam-webster knows. here is an example:
or
??? like what? thank you for saying nothing with so many words, that's a talent for sure. but then words like "Faunycaw", "Fate Herder", "Moltenmaws", "Moonplumes" and "Sabersythes" are thrown into the room without any further explanation what that thing even is or what is does, because i was suppose to read the 503950 page glossary at the beginning where each of these creatures and their mommy (all of the mentioned creatures are dragons btw) are explained.
then we have our dear beloved "badass" heroine Raeve or Elluin whatever she goes by who talks about getting revenge on this guy who killed her friend this whole book and doesn't even do shit, because she is busy getting in unfortunate situation where she has to be rescued by the hero. assassin .. lmao can you hear my laughter. and to the people who said this series was the new Throne of Glass and Raeve is like Aelin .. I'M OFFENDED ON BEHALF OF THE WHOLE TOG FANDOM because Raeve wishes she had an ounce of talent, brain and beauty that Aelin has and i'm saying this even though i'm not the biggest TOG or Aelin fan myself, but jesus that comparison is not it.
god this was the book with the most pretentious writing that i've read in a very long time. how come the author has no problem describing how the sunbeam reflects off a ceiling or the lake or whatever across several chapters by adding fancy adjectives and adverbs only merriam-webster knows. here is an example:
It oscillates between an argent haze of barely-there shape and strong, sturdy feline with a tufted tail and flowing mane that tangles with the win. Like the tendrils are dancing with Clode.
or
Something bumps against my cheek, ripping me from the fiery clutches of a dream that was melting flesh from my bones in slow, sizzling sweeps.
??? like what? thank you for saying nothing with so many words, that's a talent for sure. but then words like "Faunycaw", "Fate Herder", "Moltenmaws", "Moonplumes" and "Sabersythes" are thrown into the room without any further explanation what that thing even is or what is does, because i was suppose to read the 503950 page glossary at the beginning where each of these creatures and their mommy (all of the mentioned creatures are dragons btw) are explained.
then we have our dear beloved "badass" heroine Raeve or Elluin whatever she goes by who talks about getting revenge on this guy who killed her friend this whole book and doesn't even do shit, because she is busy getting in unfortunate situation where she has to be rescued by the hero. assassin .. lmao can you hear my laughter. and to the people who said this series was the new Throne of Glass and Raeve is like Aelin .. I'M OFFENDED ON BEHALF OF THE WHOLE TOG FANDOM because Raeve wishes she had an ounce of talent, brain and beauty that Aelin has and i'm saying this even though i'm not the biggest TOG or Aelin fan myself, but jesus that comparison is not it.
September 27, 2024
I... I'm damn near speechless...
4 Stars!
'For those who feel small and quiet, spread those wings and roar.'
First, this is told in not just alternating POV's but also from a character in the past, told in 'diary excerpts' and we don't know who the character in the past is until the end. I will admit that I got a little confused going through the story and not knowing for sure who the character was even though I had my suspicions. About 70ish% of the story is told from the FMC POV - Raeve, though.
So for that, I would recommend tagging those chapters so that you can go back after finishing and have a whole ass ah ha moment when it's revealed who the character is. I actually plan on doing it myself on a reread.
╰┈➤ ✨ The worldbuilding is spectacular and intricate. ✨
Apart from that, we have a beautiful and unique magic system, kingdoms on the brick of war, a "trial battle" (love tournaments, competitions, trials, tests and such) a slow-burn romance AND dragons.
╰┈➤ Raeve is a moody, loner FMC who has clearly been traumatized. She is using her bloodlust and need for justice as an assassin for the rebel group Fíur du Ath. While she appears quite aggressive, cold and harsh, she would protect any child, women or person in need. To say I love her, is a major understatement. She is life.
╰┈➤ Kaan, on one hand, is teased as a horrible ruler who only brings death. Ultimately we learn that he is fierce, loyal, protective and would do anything for Raeve.
The romance is refreshing and authentic - not the typical 'touch her and die' 'fated mates' etc. This is not your typical run of the mill, cookie cutter romantasy. The slow burn is sizzling and the banter is top-notch.
There is so much that I can't say because I don't want to put a spoiler tag on the whole review but I will say that this is well worth taking a chance on and I'm one picky mf.
Some say pretentious writing, some say beautiful flowery prose -either way, it's my jam.
I love the pretentious, the overly descriptive, the purple, all the flowery-ness. 💜
╰┈➤ 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓒𝓪𝓷 𝓔𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 ✰⋆⁺
✨ Slow Burn
✨ Found Family
✨ Violence, Brutality, Blood
✨ Stabby, Fiesty, Sassy FMC
✨Protective and Loyal MMC
✨ Revenge
╰┈➤ 𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼 ✰⋆⁺
'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.'
“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”
4 Stars!
'For those who feel small and quiet, spread those wings and roar.'
First, this is told in not just alternating POV's but also from a character in the past, told in 'diary excerpts' and we don't know who the character in the past is until the end. I will admit that I got a little confused going through the story and not knowing for sure who the character was even though I had my suspicions. About 70ish% of the story is told from the FMC POV - Raeve, though.
So for that, I would recommend tagging those chapters so that you can go back after finishing and have a whole ass ah ha moment when it's revealed who the character is. I actually plan on doing it myself on a reread.
╰┈➤ ✨ The worldbuilding is spectacular and intricate. ✨
Apart from that, we have a beautiful and unique magic system, kingdoms on the brick of war, a "trial battle" (love tournaments, competitions, trials, tests and such) a slow-burn romance AND dragons.
╰┈➤ Raeve is a moody, loner FMC who has clearly been traumatized. She is using her bloodlust and need for justice as an assassin for the rebel group Fíur du Ath. While she appears quite aggressive, cold and harsh, she would protect any child, women or person in need. To say I love her, is a major understatement. She is life.
╰┈➤ Kaan, on one hand, is teased as a horrible ruler who only brings death. Ultimately we learn that he is fierce, loyal, protective and would do anything for Raeve.
The romance is refreshing and authentic - not the typical 'touch her and die' 'fated mates' etc. This is not your typical run of the mill, cookie cutter romantasy. The slow burn is sizzling and the banter is top-notch.
There is so much that I can't say because I don't want to put a spoiler tag on the whole review but I will say that this is well worth taking a chance on and I'm one picky mf.
Some say pretentious writing, some say beautiful flowery prose -either way, it's my jam.
I love the pretentious, the overly descriptive, the purple, all the flowery-ness. 💜
╰┈➤ 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓒𝓪𝓷 𝓔𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 ✰⋆⁺
✨ Slow Burn
✨ Found Family
✨ Violence, Brutality, Blood
✨ Stabby, Fiesty, Sassy FMC
✨Protective and Loyal MMC
✨ Revenge
╰┈➤ 𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼 ✰⋆⁺
'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.'
“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”
March 21, 2024
« For those who feel small and quiet. Spread those wings and soar »
♾️ 🌟
I feel like I was transported into another world and just got back 🦋 I’m in emotional turmoil because I’ll never read this for the first time again. I didn’t want this to end 😭
« Survival’s funny. Some wear it like a whisper, others like a scream. Mine’s a scorched skeleton of flame-forges rage that keeps me upright. Keeps me moving forward »
🔅 He falls first & loves her so much it hurts
🔅 Dragons
🔅 Forbidden romance
🔅 She doesn’t know who she is
🔅 He waited decades for her
« 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 »
🔅 Unpredictable ending/plot
« Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist »
«… but what she doesn’t see is that her love bolsters me. Strengthens me. When she shines that light my way, nothing can hurt me »
« The pain… it never goes away. No matter how hard you pretend »
———•
Pre read ;I’ll be slowly reading this as I have another busy week ahead! Hope everyone has an amazing week ❤️
I bought this physical book but decided to read it on my kindle as the spine looks fragile (any reason is good to read on my kindle😂)
♾️ 🌟
I feel like I was transported into another world and just got back 🦋 I’m in emotional turmoil because I’ll never read this for the first time again. I didn’t want this to end 😭
« Survival’s funny. Some wear it like a whisper, others like a scream. Mine’s a scorched skeleton of flame-forges rage that keeps me upright. Keeps me moving forward »
🔅 He falls first & loves her so much it hurts
🔅 Dragons
🔅 Forbidden romance
🔅 She doesn’t know who she is
🔅 He waited decades for her
« 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 »
🔅 Unpredictable ending/plot
« Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist »
«… but what she doesn’t see is that her love bolsters me. Strengthens me. When she shines that light my way, nothing can hurt me »
« The pain… it never goes away. No matter how hard you pretend »
———•
Pre read ;I’ll be slowly reading this as I have another busy week ahead! Hope everyone has an amazing week ❤️
I bought this physical book but decided to read it on my kindle as the spine looks fragile (any reason is good to read on my kindle😂)
January 26, 2024
This one is difficult to rate. I liked the story but not the book.
It was longer than it needed to be. The prose is awkward but trying ever so hard to be lyrical. The word choices are weird and often times uncomfortable. Like, put the thesaurus down because that word doesn’t mean what you think it means in context with the sentence. Italics and ellipses are overused to the degree it took me out of the story every single time. Which was a lot and why it took me so so long to finish it.
It’s unfortunate because underneath all that, the story was good. I’m not sure I’ll come back to finish this series because of the writing style.
It was longer than it needed to be. The prose is awkward but trying ever so hard to be lyrical. The word choices are weird and often times uncomfortable. Like, put the thesaurus down because that word doesn’t mean what you think it means in context with the sentence. Italics and ellipses are overused to the degree it took me out of the story every single time. Which was a lot and why it took me so so long to finish it.
It’s unfortunate because underneath all that, the story was good. I’m not sure I’ll come back to finish this series because of the writing style.
July 12, 2024
welp... this was my most disappointing read of 2024.
from the cover i was expecting a dreamy, whimsical ghibli-esque fantasy a la the girl who fell beneath the sea.
what i got was a butchered amalgamation of the ACOTAR/FBAA/fourth wing romantasy trend with bad writing, minimal worldbuilding, forgettable characters, and way too many italics.
there was no reason for this book to be more than 350 pages.
i don't think i would've come down this hard if this book hadn't been so hyped and i'd only been seeing positive reviews. i'm just shocked bc i can overlook using all the romantasy tropes, but i don't even feel like it fully commits to those on top of the writing and story not delivering.
two things: WHY were there so many italics, and WHY did the author choose for the mmc to smell like HOT ROCK and CREAM?????
i would have dnf'd, but i needed to see this one through to speak on it. i will not be continuing the series.
from the cover i was expecting a dreamy, whimsical ghibli-esque fantasy a la the girl who fell beneath the sea.
what i got was a butchered amalgamation of the ACOTAR/FBAA/fourth wing romantasy trend with bad writing, minimal worldbuilding, forgettable characters, and way too many italics.
there was no reason for this book to be more than 350 pages.
i don't think i would've come down this hard if this book hadn't been so hyped and i'd only been seeing positive reviews. i'm just shocked bc i can overlook using all the romantasy tropes, but i don't even feel like it fully commits to those on top of the writing and story not delivering.
two things: WHY were there so many italics, and WHY did the author choose for the mmc to smell like HOT ROCK and CREAM?????
i would have dnf'd, but i needed to see this one through to speak on it. i will not be continuing the series.
May 25, 2024
I have been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run amok, and flat out deceived.
This was so far from anything even resembling good I am awestruck that there was a period of time where it felt like I could not escape this book. By that there was a group of people I knew that were doing a buddy read and somehow I was the last to join and the only one to finish? Tell me how that makes sense? I'm stubborn that's how.
We live in an age where any book that sneezes too close to a plot found in another is called out for copying, and I don't want to do that. But this is flat out Throne of Glass fanfiction. Now I will give Ms. Sarah some credit, she has some ideas of her own she threw in the pot. In the spirit of good fanfiction being transformed into original work there's a lot of new ideas thrown out there, attempted to incorporate. She didn't copy Sister Sarah's homework exactly. Though I do fear in order to do that Ms Sarah would have actually needed to write a book instead of whatever this was.
It's my understanding this was indie published first and in the great arms race that is publishing in the Fantasy Romance space it was snatched up by a traditional publisher. Which is a shame because this book was very clearly written and edited with the idea they were getting paid by the page. And poorly so at that. It wasn't edited with the intention that every page would grip the reader, but the idea that if they just packed as many words as possible into every sentence then the reader would hope and pray that if they read enough of them all of their suffering would eventually be worth it. That those words would add up to something that was worth their time and effort required to get through all of them, and if they couldn't then maybe they'll still have read at least half the book. In the case of my buddy read most of them did get nearly three hundred or so pages in before they ultimately called it quits.
The first third of this book establishes a sense of place. We have our main character we see them do an assassination, they're almost caught out and then they are asked to lie low for a bit. While they're lying low their best friend is murdered in a bid to draw them out and even though we'd had a couple hundred pages telling us how big and bad a bitch Raeve is she is immediately overpowered. There's some torture because there's some vague talk about an underground resistance movement before she's eventually put on trial for all the killings she done. I say trial, but that's a formality before she's sentenced to death by dragon. Bad way to go out if you ask me. After this point in the book Parker really was just typing to see herself type.
Obviously our main character doesn't die but through a series of contrivances finds herself in the middle of even further contrivances and plot twists that would be comical if they weren't so mind-numbingly dull to read about. The second half of the book is home to more chapters from different characters perspectives than the first, but all are told from the first person and are incredibly hard to tell apart from one another.
As this was sold to me as a fantasy romance I did expect the romance to be something. Maybe swoon worthy, maybe a focus, maybe even something to balance out whatever was happening in the main focus of the book. Instead I got none of those things. For as wordy as the book was, the dialogue was just downright bad. These characters had no chemistry because nothing that was meant to bring them together happened on the page.
A lot of the story started to meander around the sixty percent mark and didn't really get back on track until close to eighty-five percent. Suddenly the book remembered that Raeve was seeking vegeance for getting her ass kicked earlier in the book and was trying to get back to that and away from all the superfluous perspectives we'd been stuck in. Even that though didn't really provide any real sense of closure or accomplishment. If anything it just read like Parker remembering that there was something she could do to give the book purpose because otherwise we'll have really spent all these pages not doing a damn thing.
Where this series could go or what these characters mean to each other is really anyone's guess. I really wasn't engage with the narrative for most of the run time of the book and if I weren't so stubborn and had known that everyone I was reading this with had already dnf'd I probably would have joined then. At no point did I find enjoyment within these pages and find it really hard to believe that anyone could when it's as long as it is, goes for hundred of pages with nothing at all happening at a character level or a plot level. Life is short and no one should spend any amount of their time suffering with this book.
This was so far from anything even resembling good I am awestruck that there was a period of time where it felt like I could not escape this book. By that there was a group of people I knew that were doing a buddy read and somehow I was the last to join and the only one to finish? Tell me how that makes sense? I'm stubborn that's how.
We live in an age where any book that sneezes too close to a plot found in another is called out for copying, and I don't want to do that. But this is flat out Throne of Glass fanfiction. Now I will give Ms. Sarah some credit, she has some ideas of her own she threw in the pot. In the spirit of good fanfiction being transformed into original work there's a lot of new ideas thrown out there, attempted to incorporate. She didn't copy Sister Sarah's homework exactly. Though I do fear in order to do that Ms Sarah would have actually needed to write a book instead of whatever this was.
It's my understanding this was indie published first and in the great arms race that is publishing in the Fantasy Romance space it was snatched up by a traditional publisher. Which is a shame because this book was very clearly written and edited with the idea they were getting paid by the page. And poorly so at that. It wasn't edited with the intention that every page would grip the reader, but the idea that if they just packed as many words as possible into every sentence then the reader would hope and pray that if they read enough of them all of their suffering would eventually be worth it. That those words would add up to something that was worth their time and effort required to get through all of them, and if they couldn't then maybe they'll still have read at least half the book. In the case of my buddy read most of them did get nearly three hundred or so pages in before they ultimately called it quits.
The first third of this book establishes a sense of place. We have our main character we see them do an assassination, they're almost caught out and then they are asked to lie low for a bit. While they're lying low their best friend is murdered in a bid to draw them out and even though we'd had a couple hundred pages telling us how big and bad a bitch Raeve is she is immediately overpowered. There's some torture because there's some vague talk about an underground resistance movement before she's eventually put on trial for all the killings she done. I say trial, but that's a formality before she's sentenced to death by dragon. Bad way to go out if you ask me. After this point in the book Parker really was just typing to see herself type.
Obviously our main character doesn't die but through a series of contrivances finds herself in the middle of even further contrivances and plot twists that would be comical if they weren't so mind-numbingly dull to read about. The second half of the book is home to more chapters from different characters perspectives than the first, but all are told from the first person and are incredibly hard to tell apart from one another.
As this was sold to me as a fantasy romance I did expect the romance to be something. Maybe swoon worthy, maybe a focus, maybe even something to balance out whatever was happening in the main focus of the book. Instead I got none of those things. For as wordy as the book was, the dialogue was just downright bad. These characters had no chemistry because nothing that was meant to bring them together happened on the page.
A lot of the story started to meander around the sixty percent mark and didn't really get back on track until close to eighty-five percent. Suddenly the book remembered that Raeve was seeking vegeance for getting her ass kicked earlier in the book and was trying to get back to that and away from all the superfluous perspectives we'd been stuck in. Even that though didn't really provide any real sense of closure or accomplishment. If anything it just read like Parker remembering that there was something she could do to give the book purpose because otherwise we'll have really spent all these pages not doing a damn thing.
Where this series could go or what these characters mean to each other is really anyone's guess. I really wasn't engage with the narrative for most of the run time of the book and if I weren't so stubborn and had known that everyone I was reading this with had already dnf'd I probably would have joined then. At no point did I find enjoyment within these pages and find it really hard to believe that anyone could when it's as long as it is, goes for hundred of pages with nothing at all happening at a character level or a plot level. Life is short and no one should spend any amount of their time suffering with this book.
August 7, 2024
✩ 2 stars ✩
“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.” - And the award for trying too hard goes to…. how can people claim this as “beautiful writing” 🤢🤢🤢
What to Expect:
➼ Slow Burn
➼ Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Amnesia
➼ Stabby FMC
➼ Overly Complex/Poorly Explained World Building
➼ A Glossary Long Enough To Give You A Migraine
➼ A Sprinkle of Dragons
➼ Alternating Timelines
➼ Unnecessarily Flowery Word Choices
➼ Multiple POV
Welp, it seems I am in the minority again… Hanging out over here on misfit island trying to understand how this has received so many five star reviews. 🤔 I’m very glad to be reading “The Serpent & The Wings Of Night” in tandem with this so I can say definitively that it’s THIS book I don’t like, not all popular books in general. (Even if it sometimes seems that way 🙃).
Let’s start with the heavy hitting issues… Moonbeam is a terrible nickname. Honestly, I’m struggling to think of a nickname I’ve hated more. I did just read a book where he kept calling the FMC “buddy”… that was pretty bad… “pet?” Anyways… please stahpp.
Secondly, Raeve is the worst kind of FMC. She is bullheaded and selfish and the type of person to stab first and ask questions later. Why are we glorifying people like this so often in books? She was also too cowardly to learn about her past or get close to anyone because she’s scared to lose them, which is just kind of silly and does nothing but hurt everyone involved (including herself). I’ve seen a lot of people comparing this book to an SJM book and I do see a lot of parallels between her and Aelin, but not in a good way. She has all her worst traits without the growth. I am firmly in the ACOTAR camp and Aelin honestly wasn’t my favorite character either(sorry), but at least she was always working hard to protect people and was open to learning about her true identity rather than trying to hide under a rock and pretend nothing had changed.
I also felt like this author made a lot of awkward/uncomfortable word choices that bogged down the reading experience. Instead of saying someone was living a nightmare, she would say they were “living a slumber terror,”etc. Just why? What is she trying to prove? We get it, you know lots of words. 🙄 Decoding the characters bizarre way of speaking often distracted from the plot and those unnecessary deviations added nothing to the story.
Maybe most importantly, this is High Fantasy but it’s not explained clearly at all. This was especially hard to digest while listening to the audio. The description given for the book was about the only explanation the author gave for anything. Readers are left to their own devices and must scrounge up and hoard tiny snippets of information as they read.
Upon finishing, I am left with so many questions. Who are the creators? Gods? If so then why do they not factor into the story? Is that just an origin story that was created over time to explain the dragons entombing themselves in the sky? How long is a phase? How long is a cycle? They say “folk,” (an aggressive amount) do they mean “fae?” Are the dragons similar to any other animal? Or are they more sentient? They played almost no role despite the importance placed on them. Why? The world building was so messy and incomplete which was even more upsetting to me since the book was so long.
I also think the voice actors for the audio were poorly chosen. Her voice sounded too modern and his accent was one that I could not even place, making the finished product feel very disjointed. If anything, he should have sounded more modern since she’s been entombed for so long. Her voice would be perfect for a contemporary romance, but it did not quite work for this book.
The revelations at the end mainly just annoyed me. I felt like we should have known them all along and was bothered again by her lack of bravery in uncovering the truths of her past. I should not have had to wait that long for that information and then feel like it was poorly explained enough to relisten to the final chapter.
Reading this was an absolute drag and I’m feeling pretty salty about the whole experience. I’m honestly so disappointed despite my premonition that this wasn’t for me. Sighh*
��� ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: I have a bad feeling about this one. Not sure why, but I think I’m gonna hate it. 😅 I’d love to be wrong! Fingers crossed for 5 stars! 🤞🏻
“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.” - And the award for trying too hard goes to…. how can people claim this as “beautiful writing” 🤢🤢🤢
What to Expect:
➼ Slow Burn
➼ Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Amnesia
➼ Stabby FMC
➼ Overly Complex/Poorly Explained World Building
➼ A Glossary Long Enough To Give You A Migraine
➼ A Sprinkle of Dragons
➼ Alternating Timelines
➼ Unnecessarily Flowery Word Choices
➼ Multiple POV
Welp, it seems I am in the minority again… Hanging out over here on misfit island trying to understand how this has received so many five star reviews. 🤔 I’m very glad to be reading “The Serpent & The Wings Of Night” in tandem with this so I can say definitively that it’s THIS book I don’t like, not all popular books in general. (Even if it sometimes seems that way 🙃).
Let’s start with the heavy hitting issues… Moonbeam is a terrible nickname. Honestly, I’m struggling to think of a nickname I’ve hated more. I did just read a book where he kept calling the FMC “buddy”… that was pretty bad… “pet?” Anyways… please stahpp.
Secondly, Raeve is the worst kind of FMC. She is bullheaded and selfish and the type of person to stab first and ask questions later. Why are we glorifying people like this so often in books? She was also too cowardly to learn about her past or get close to anyone because she’s scared to lose them, which is just kind of silly and does nothing but hurt everyone involved (including herself). I’ve seen a lot of people comparing this book to an SJM book and I do see a lot of parallels between her and Aelin, but not in a good way. She has all her worst traits without the growth. I am firmly in the ACOTAR camp and Aelin honestly wasn’t my favorite character either(sorry), but at least she was always working hard to protect people and was open to learning about her true identity rather than trying to hide under a rock and pretend nothing had changed.
I also felt like this author made a lot of awkward/uncomfortable word choices that bogged down the reading experience. Instead of saying someone was living a nightmare, she would say they were “living a slumber terror,”etc. Just why? What is she trying to prove? We get it, you know lots of words. 🙄 Decoding the characters bizarre way of speaking often distracted from the plot and those unnecessary deviations added nothing to the story.
Maybe most importantly, this is High Fantasy but it’s not explained clearly at all. This was especially hard to digest while listening to the audio. The description given for the book was about the only explanation the author gave for anything. Readers are left to their own devices and must scrounge up and hoard tiny snippets of information as they read.
Upon finishing, I am left with so many questions. Who are the creators? Gods? If so then why do they not factor into the story? Is that just an origin story that was created over time to explain the dragons entombing themselves in the sky? How long is a phase? How long is a cycle? They say “folk,” (an aggressive amount) do they mean “fae?” Are the dragons similar to any other animal? Or are they more sentient? They played almost no role despite the importance placed on them. Why? The world building was so messy and incomplete which was even more upsetting to me since the book was so long.
I also think the voice actors for the audio were poorly chosen. Her voice sounded too modern and his accent was one that I could not even place, making the finished product feel very disjointed. If anything, he should have sounded more modern since she’s been entombed for so long. Her voice would be perfect for a contemporary romance, but it did not quite work for this book.
The revelations at the end mainly just annoyed me. I felt like we should have known them all along and was bothered again by her lack of bravery in uncovering the truths of her past. I should not have had to wait that long for that information and then feel like it was poorly explained enough to relisten to the final chapter.
Reading this was an absolute drag and I’m feeling pretty salty about the whole experience. I’m honestly so disappointed despite my premonition that this wasn’t for me. Sighh*
��� ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: I have a bad feeling about this one. Not sure why, but I think I’m gonna hate it. 😅 I’d love to be wrong! Fingers crossed for 5 stars! 🤞🏻
September 9, 2024
A young, smart-mouthed woman smirks her way to success as an assassin. Everyone she loves dies so she guards her heart fiercely and refuses to become attached to anybody. Her name is Celaena Sardothien and… wait, sorry, wrong book. Her name is Raeve and she totally isn’t Celaena, she’s someone else. Violet Sorrengail — shit, sorry again! I mean Raeve — meets a nice vampire named Raihn guy named Kaan, the owner of a pet dragon who was named after the Australian Olympian breakdancer. What is this book about? Who knows. Stuff undeniably happens, but that doesn’t mean I cared about it. Will Raeve get her revenge? Will Kaan ever stop looking at her like this 🥺? Will this book finally reveal itself as The King of Battle and Blood fanfiction? Hard to say. But if you enjoy people rumbling, growling, and referencing animal feces constantly, you might enjoy yourself.
Editor’s note: no other author may employ italics ever again, as Sarah A. Parker used all of them and now there are no more.
Editor’s note: no other author may employ italics ever again, as Sarah A. Parker used all of them and now there are no more.
December 24, 2023
4.5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you to the lovely Sarah A. Parker for gifting me with an eARC of the first installment in her Moonfall series.
Disclaimer: receiving advanced reader's copies do not influence my rating of a book, I prioritize reading ARCs I know I will enjoy.
Parker won me over as a loyal reader through her Crystal Bloom series, so I was thrilled when she announced that she wove a new story and knew it would be nothing short of spectacular.
It comes at no surprise to say that Parker penned another incredible fantasy romance and When the Moon Hatched sets up an original fantastical world with a doomed romance that felt reminiscent to the tale of Tristan and Isolde.
“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”
While at the beginning I was a tad overwhelmed by the world-building, but it is so intricate I was very impressed and Sarah bless her heart included a detailed guide at the beginning of the book. It took a while to digest but once I got the gist of it I really devoured the story.
This book is a vibrant mosaic of the most beloved fantasy and romance elements but it still manages to set itself apart even from Parker's beloved Crystal Bloom series.
The lore and the magic is cleverly constructed and especially when it comes to the Dragons, they are not just creatures of warfare but they have their own lore and tales as well and it is beautifully tragic.
The story is narrated by multiple POVs and only one POV is told from the past but it's very crucial to the plot. The book consists of 70% of Raeve's chapters but you'll gradually get new POVs as the story progresses.
Raeve is a wildcat with a sharp tongue and a sharper wit. She's an assassin known as the Elding blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath. Raeve's job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught.
She also carries a heart full of sorrow and grapples with a dark past and the brutal loss of loved ones. The bloody road she's on eventually brings her to Kaan Vaegor, a male who lurks around her like a shadow and unravels her like no other.
But even as Kaan grapples with his own tragic past and a grieving heart, would Raeve find a kindred spirit in a this broken male? or a sworn enemy of he who wears a bloodtstained crown of the King he killed.
You can expect Parker's signature angst generously garnished all over the book, character-driven plots, and a slowburn romance that is more than what it seems.
This is a very solid beginning of the series and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book!
Tropes:
— Star-crossed/doomed love
— Forbidden Romance
— Fae
— He Falls First
— Heavy on the Banter
— Strong and Sharp FMC
— Forced Proximity
— Dragons
— Gods and Goddesses
— Unique Lore and Magic
— Spice (2.5/5)
Content warnings are listed at the beginning of the book and keep in mind there are graphic and mature scenes
Thank you to the lovely Sarah A. Parker for gifting me with an eARC of the first installment in her Moonfall series.
Disclaimer: receiving advanced reader's copies do not influence my rating of a book, I prioritize reading ARCs I know I will enjoy.
Parker won me over as a loyal reader through her Crystal Bloom series, so I was thrilled when she announced that she wove a new story and knew it would be nothing short of spectacular.
It comes at no surprise to say that Parker penned another incredible fantasy romance and When the Moon Hatched sets up an original fantastical world with a doomed romance that felt reminiscent to the tale of Tristan and Isolde.
“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”
While at the beginning I was a tad overwhelmed by the world-building, but it is so intricate I was very impressed and Sarah bless her heart included a detailed guide at the beginning of the book. It took a while to digest but once I got the gist of it I really devoured the story.
This book is a vibrant mosaic of the most beloved fantasy and romance elements but it still manages to set itself apart even from Parker's beloved Crystal Bloom series.
The lore and the magic is cleverly constructed and especially when it comes to the Dragons, they are not just creatures of warfare but they have their own lore and tales as well and it is beautifully tragic.
The story is narrated by multiple POVs and only one POV is told from the past but it's very crucial to the plot. The book consists of 70% of Raeve's chapters but you'll gradually get new POVs as the story progresses.
Raeve is a wildcat with a sharp tongue and a sharper wit. She's an assassin known as the Elding blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath. Raeve's job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught.
She also carries a heart full of sorrow and grapples with a dark past and the brutal loss of loved ones. The bloody road she's on eventually brings her to Kaan Vaegor, a male who lurks around her like a shadow and unravels her like no other.
But even as Kaan grapples with his own tragic past and a grieving heart, would Raeve find a kindred spirit in a this broken male? or a sworn enemy of he who wears a bloodtstained crown of the King he killed.
You can expect Parker's signature angst generously garnished all over the book, character-driven plots, and a slowburn romance that is more than what it seems.
This is a very solid beginning of the series and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book!
Tropes:
— Star-crossed/doomed love
— Forbidden Romance
— Fae
— He Falls First
— Heavy on the Banter
— Strong and Sharp FMC
— Forced Proximity
— Dragons
— Gods and Goddesses
— Unique Lore and Magic
— Spice (2.5/5)
Content warnings are listed at the beginning of the book and keep in mind there are graphic and mature scenes
June 14, 2024
"For those who feel small and quiet. Spread those wings and roar."
“Any lost opportunity to worship you is a tragedy.”
Unique, Magical, Beautifully Written
I put this book off for awhile because I was a little intimitated by how long it was. I finally picked this book up after seeing so many 5⭐ and ∞ 🌟 ratings AND yes "SK" made me do it. I was not dissapointed at all. If anything I loved it more than any review could of prepared me for. I went in with really high expectations and somehow this book still exceeded them. The whole time I was reading this I was in a different world because the story was so beautifully written that it was easy to get completely lost in it. I will not be okay until I have the next one in my hands. How can Sarah A. Parker leave me like this, I have so many questions that need answered.
👑High Fantasy
👑Romance elements
👑Fae & Dragon
👑Rich World Building
👑Multiple POV's
👑Slow burn romance
👑Unique Magic System
👑Bad-ass Assassin FMC
I will say the first 25% of this book I was slightly worried because it was moving a little slow and I did not see where this was going or how it was going to be different. However, from that point on I fell in love with Raeve, the bad-ass FMC. Her personality, her sassiness, her humor, and the tension she built with Kaan, the MMC, made this book so hard to put down at times. I could sit on this review all day going into the plot but it is honestly better to just pick it up and dive right in.
BUDDY READING WITH NOI WAS AMAZING!!💖
“I’m incredibly bored with this conversation. Can we get to the point where you condemn me to execution for taking out the trash? That’s the part I’m most excited about.”
“I’m just so sick of looking at your ugly face that death is starting to sound rather cushy.”
“You’re very stubborn,” he says, moving around to crouch by the stool. “So nice of you to say. I sharpen that weapon daily.”
"I’ve actually decided his death might be one of the greatest losses this world could suffer. Not that I’m going to tell him that, of course."
"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."
"Either way, there’s no one else I’d willingly serve my heart on a platter to—over and over and over again—like a hopeless, lovesick stray begging for a treat."
"I’d mulch her enemies with my bare hands to see those dimples. Or at the very least, pave a bloody path for her to slaughter them herself.
“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”
Pre-Read:Buddy Reading with Noi!!!💖
Ok! Let's Go! Been on my TBR for awhile now. Can't wait to dive into this one especially after reading certain people's (SK, Clace, and Maeghan) review.It's also one of my book club's reads for the month. Ready for this magical ride!💖
July 4, 2024
this book is so polarizing, but i honestly thought it was perfect *for me*. full thoughts in my next reading vlog ♡ ౨ৎ
Want to read
June 23, 2024it better be worth the hype or I'm coming after y'all 😌👊🏾👊🏾
January 29, 2024
DNF at 61% and 1.75 stars rounded down because my dislike for this book became personal triggers.
I first came upon this book heavily praised on a r/fantasy romance thread. People made it sound like it was the real deal so I figured I’d give it a try.
My thinking now is that if you’re relatively new to fantasy romance and this is the third book you’re picking up after Fourth Wing or the ACOTAR/ToG series, maybe this will wow you. I, on the other hand, have been doing myself a disservice by reading almost exclusively fantasy books in the young adult, new adult, or adult genre since 2015. This means that I have read all of the tropes, read all of the popular and medium popular fantasy books, and I am very numb to the grabby, marketing tropes that a lot of books are so popular for these days. In short, I really have no business still reading young adult or new adult fantasy but instead need to be either getting into the adult fantasy classics or branching out into a different genre. Or picking up a new hobby for a couple months.
Having said that, I can still appreciate a good fantasy book with good writing, good execution, good entertainment, or fresh ideas. This book is none of those things. This book had maybe the potential at best of reaching for a complex plot.
THE BAD
1) I don’t think I have ever studied a map of a fantasy book before I have begun reading. I will sometimes reference it during the book, but it’s rarely been essential to understanding the story. This darling book, however, opens up with a multi page glossy, key terms of places in time, pronunciation, and cast of characters. The author leaves a note to say you don’t necessarily need to read this before beginning the book but I would argue that it is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, for instance, you won’t understand until maybe 30% through that the main male character is named Kaan and that he’s the King of the Burn. The names of the side characters are dropped, but not fully explained through context; some of them you can understand that they are the shopkeepers, or the current leader of the assassins Guild, but other creatures and other names are just dropped like we should already have known them from a previous book… Or from a previous glossary of terms. And that’s malarkey. You shouldn’t need a cheat sheet of lazy background storytelling to make sense of the rest of the book. The fact that you need one means that we have lazy exposition and storytelling that doesn’t have the patience to set up its world building or characters.
2) I’ve read a lot of five star reviews praising the author for her prose and poetic way of writing. I will admit that I could tell right away that this wasn’t a dumb-dumb book, so I made sure to take my time to read every single word as well as picture what was happening as I read it. Do I think that the author has an ability for writing, a beautiful lyrical description? Perhaps. The problem was it became too much. Every single page and every single thought from Raeve is overly bloated with complex inner monologues and lofty statements about life or the cosmos. In short, it became pretentious. Sometimes, I just want to read a fast-paced action scenes with words three syllables or less. Sometimes, I just want to read dialogue for the pace of keeping the momentum going and understanding the characters through their speech. I don’t want to read a line of dialogue followed by two pages of smarmy, self-righteous reflections from Raeve before the next character responds to the original dialogue.
3) Raeve is yet another victim to the current trend of female characters being “badass and tough” through their cold demeanors, superior stealth and fighting abilities, and overall immunity to fear or doubt or weakness or kindness or respect. Our main female character is hard to relate to because there is nothing relatable about her. She doesn’t show us anything deeper than the outward caricature of a confident action star, and yet we are to believe in the complexity of her tragic past and the loss that she experiences with people close to her. Not buying it.
4) I’m almost 3/4 of the way through the book and I’ve still to state a clear plot. What are those people even doing? We’re so bogged down by this purple prose and inner monologue that we don’t have a clear direction of what our characters are trying to accomplish and what internal hurdles they have to overcome to get what they need.
5) It’s ironic that for all the glossary and cast of characters listed in the front of the book, the world building here is still extremely vague and confusing. We have nods to different species and abilities and political machinations, but we don’t actually explore any of these things enough to give them meaning. Why are the dragons so essential to the people? What are the differences and tensions between the Burn, Fade, and Shade? How does the caste system of elemental powers affect people and both the upper class and lower class? What did the Crown do that is so abhorrent that the assassin guild needs to rebel against?
FINAL THOUGHTS
This isn’t a terrible book – it’s rather a very ambitious book with a lot of pretentious window dressing that distracts from the fact that it’s sorely in need of a third-party editor. And I hated it.
I first came upon this book heavily praised on a r/fantasy romance thread. People made it sound like it was the real deal so I figured I’d give it a try.
My thinking now is that if you’re relatively new to fantasy romance and this is the third book you’re picking up after Fourth Wing or the ACOTAR/ToG series, maybe this will wow you. I, on the other hand, have been doing myself a disservice by reading almost exclusively fantasy books in the young adult, new adult, or adult genre since 2015. This means that I have read all of the tropes, read all of the popular and medium popular fantasy books, and I am very numb to the grabby, marketing tropes that a lot of books are so popular for these days. In short, I really have no business still reading young adult or new adult fantasy but instead need to be either getting into the adult fantasy classics or branching out into a different genre. Or picking up a new hobby for a couple months.
Having said that, I can still appreciate a good fantasy book with good writing, good execution, good entertainment, or fresh ideas. This book is none of those things. This book had maybe the potential at best of reaching for a complex plot.
THE BAD
1) I don’t think I have ever studied a map of a fantasy book before I have begun reading. I will sometimes reference it during the book, but it’s rarely been essential to understanding the story. This darling book, however, opens up with a multi page glossy, key terms of places in time, pronunciation, and cast of characters. The author leaves a note to say you don’t necessarily need to read this before beginning the book but I would argue that it is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, for instance, you won’t understand until maybe 30% through that the main male character is named Kaan and that he’s the King of the Burn. The names of the side characters are dropped, but not fully explained through context; some of them you can understand that they are the shopkeepers, or the current leader of the assassins Guild, but other creatures and other names are just dropped like we should already have known them from a previous book… Or from a previous glossary of terms. And that’s malarkey. You shouldn’t need a cheat sheet of lazy background storytelling to make sense of the rest of the book. The fact that you need one means that we have lazy exposition and storytelling that doesn’t have the patience to set up its world building or characters.
2) I’ve read a lot of five star reviews praising the author for her prose and poetic way of writing. I will admit that I could tell right away that this wasn’t a dumb-dumb book, so I made sure to take my time to read every single word as well as picture what was happening as I read it. Do I think that the author has an ability for writing, a beautiful lyrical description? Perhaps. The problem was it became too much. Every single page and every single thought from Raeve is overly bloated with complex inner monologues and lofty statements about life or the cosmos. In short, it became pretentious. Sometimes, I just want to read a fast-paced action scenes with words three syllables or less. Sometimes, I just want to read dialogue for the pace of keeping the momentum going and understanding the characters through their speech. I don’t want to read a line of dialogue followed by two pages of smarmy, self-righteous reflections from Raeve before the next character responds to the original dialogue.
3) Raeve is yet another victim to the current trend of female characters being “badass and tough” through their cold demeanors, superior stealth and fighting abilities, and overall immunity to fear or doubt or weakness or kindness or respect. Our main female character is hard to relate to because there is nothing relatable about her. She doesn’t show us anything deeper than the outward caricature of a confident action star, and yet we are to believe in the complexity of her tragic past and the loss that she experiences with people close to her. Not buying it.
4) I’m almost 3/4 of the way through the book and I’ve still to state a clear plot. What are those people even doing? We’re so bogged down by this purple prose and inner monologue that we don’t have a clear direction of what our characters are trying to accomplish and what internal hurdles they have to overcome to get what they need.
5) It’s ironic that for all the glossary and cast of characters listed in the front of the book, the world building here is still extremely vague and confusing. We have nods to different species and abilities and political machinations, but we don’t actually explore any of these things enough to give them meaning. Why are the dragons so essential to the people? What are the differences and tensions between the Burn, Fade, and Shade? How does the caste system of elemental powers affect people and both the upper class and lower class? What did the Crown do that is so abhorrent that the assassin guild needs to rebel against?
FINAL THOUGHTS
This isn’t a terrible book – it’s rather a very ambitious book with a lot of pretentious window dressing that distracts from the fact that it’s sorely in need of a third-party editor. And I hated it.
August 16, 2024
this book was so disappointing for me🥲 i feel like a lot was happening at the same time as absolutely nothing happening. the romance did not give. the world was so confusing with not much explanation. i was just boggled and was kinda praying for the end🥴 i think if i had to be specific it was a 2.75 stars - i can definitely see some of the positives but overall just not enjoyable sadly
June 1, 2024
A Hot Mess in 700 Pages
This book has been on my TBR list for a while, and I finally finished it. Oh man, where do I even start with this hot mess?
First of all, the praise for its “wonderful world-building” initially intrigued me. But upon diving in, I found it to be mediocre and lacking creativity. The author's use of terms like “DAE” for daytime and “SLUMBER” for nighttime was just the beginning of my cringe with it.
The best parts of this book were the magic system and the dragons, but even they didn’t get much page time. This book did not need to be over 700 pages long. It could have easily been condensed to 400 pages and still achieved the same result.
The writing style was inconsistent, with prose that was all over the place. The jarring mix of modern terms with a fantasy setting made for a disjointed reading experience. The characters felt like they were trying too hard to fit into trope categories. The female lead was a cliché cool assassin with a cardboard cutout personality, and the male lead was the typical brooding misunderstood type seen in every romantasy book. Nothing about them set them apart from characters I've read a hundred times before.
As for the romance, consider me blind because I could not, for the life of me, see how these two characters could possibly love one another. His feelings were pure lust, and she had the personality of watching paint dry.
The plot was a convoluted mess. After slogging through 700 plus pages, I honestly cannot pinpoint what the plot was supposed to be. It was all over the place with many things happening, then nothing much in the middle, and suddenly new things happening at the end. You would think that with over 700 pages, at least some threads would tie up or make sense. But nope, that didn’t happen.
Oh, and before I forget, that 30-something pages of glossary at the beginning? FUCK THAT! Don’t tell your readers about the world-building, show them. Overall, my dislike for this book is astronomical to the point that I would burn it for warmth.
This book has been on my TBR list for a while, and I finally finished it. Oh man, where do I even start with this hot mess?
First of all, the praise for its “wonderful world-building” initially intrigued me. But upon diving in, I found it to be mediocre and lacking creativity. The author's use of terms like “DAE” for daytime and “SLUMBER” for nighttime was just the beginning of my cringe with it.
The best parts of this book were the magic system and the dragons, but even they didn’t get much page time. This book did not need to be over 700 pages long. It could have easily been condensed to 400 pages and still achieved the same result.
The writing style was inconsistent, with prose that was all over the place. The jarring mix of modern terms with a fantasy setting made for a disjointed reading experience. The characters felt like they were trying too hard to fit into trope categories. The female lead was a cliché cool assassin with a cardboard cutout personality, and the male lead was the typical brooding misunderstood type seen in every romantasy book. Nothing about them set them apart from characters I've read a hundred times before.
As for the romance, consider me blind because I could not, for the life of me, see how these two characters could possibly love one another. His feelings were pure lust, and she had the personality of watching paint dry.
The plot was a convoluted mess. After slogging through 700 plus pages, I honestly cannot pinpoint what the plot was supposed to be. It was all over the place with many things happening, then nothing much in the middle, and suddenly new things happening at the end. You would think that with over 700 pages, at least some threads would tie up or make sense. But nope, that didn’t happen.
Oh, and before I forget, that 30-something pages of glossary at the beginning? FUCK THAT! Don’t tell your readers about the world-building, show them. Overall, my dislike for this book is astronomical to the point that I would burn it for warmth.
June 8, 2024
↳ 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.
⤷ 4.5 stars
For a moment I thought my fantasy self was fading away, but thankfully this book managed to revive it. It's been a while since I've been this invested in a fantasy book, but this one took my breath away.
It took me a little while to get into the story, mainly because there was a lot of information at the beginning, as is usual with fantasy books. It got confusing trying to remember the different characters, world and beings that exist in this universe, but as the story progressed it got easier to understand. But I have to admit that I still have no idea what the different dragons look like because there are many and they have different names and although there is a glossary at the beginning of the book explaining everything, I skimmed through it and forgot everything lol
「 Survival’s funny. Some wear it like a whisper, others like a scream. Mine’s a scorched skeleton of flame-forged rage that keeps me upright. Keeps me moving forward. 」
The plot is very interesting, there's something unique and refreshing about it. I won't go into detail because I think it's best to go into this book blind. There is one big twist that I guessed before it was revealed
The main characters are amazing, I'm in love with them. The book is mainly told from Raeve's POV, but we also have some chapters from Kaan's POV (they were perfect). There are also a few other povs here and there and it left me with a lot of questions that I hope book two will answer.
ˏˋ꒰ Raeve ꒱ˎˊ
Raeve is my new favourite FMC, she's such a badass. I loved her from the start, her personality is so good and I love how sassy she is. She's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, she's so strong and resilient, she doesn't let anyone walk all over her... she's my hero. But Raeve has secrets and carries a lot of pain, pain that she tries to hide as best she can. Her story broke my heart, I feel so much for her and I want to kill everyone who's ever hurt her. She likes to pretend she's cold, but Raeve is actually a sensitive soul who feels deeply.
「 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. 」
ˏˋ꒰ Kaan Vaegor ꒱ˎˊ
Kaan is perfect. And I'm not just saying that, I mean it with all my heart. This man deserves the sun, the moon and the stars. He's a fearsome warrior and a great leader, but most of all, he has a heart of gold. This is the man every woman dreams of! He's kind, caring, respectful and understanding. I'm in love.
「 You don’t simply scratch an itch with Kaan Vaegor, then throw him away and move onto another. You peel back your skin and open your ribs to the male. You tuck him somewhere deep and safe, fight others off with weapons forged from secrets sharp enough to slice, then perish with those secrets clutched close to your chest 」
ˏˋ꒰ Raeve & Kaan ꒱ˎˊ
As for the romance, I ate every single crumb. It's very hard to talk about the romance without spoilers, so I'll just say it's definitely a slow burn, there's a lot of angst and it's as beautiful as it is painful. I hope the second book gives us more romantic moments, I need them. Especially because Kaan is so romantic, the love he has for Raeve is incredibly strong, he would do anything for her.
「 Either way, there’s no one else I’d willingly serve my heart on a platter to—over and over and over again—like a hopeless, lovesick stray begging for a treat. 」
「 “I don’t understand how you still look at me like you want me.” Silence prevails, tension thickens, his eyes burning embers when he finally says, “Raeve, you could flay me down the middle and I’d still fucking love you.” 」
「 Yet here I am again, standing stationary while Raeve dances around me with my soft heart in her fucking hands, dripping blood all over the floor. Here I am again, looking at her like she crafted the world with a few whispered words, every sweep of her eyes twisting that jagged weapon lodged in my chest. 」
The secondary characters added depth to the story and I loved the inclusion of some chapters in Veya's POV. We have some villains that I already loathe, even though I don't know them that well yet. I hope they burn in hell!
As you can see, I loved this book and I highly recommend it, especially if you love fantasy. Now I'm going to cry myself to sleep while I wait for the next book 😭.
「 There’s something poetic about looking up and seeing that which has passed. A soft launch into grief for those who linger below. 」
May 22, 2024
I so desperately wanted a 5 star read, so I picked this book up after reading all the rave reviews it was getting. I was hoping I would like it, I wasn't expecting the absolute chasm it has left in my chest after reading it. This is my first SIX ⭐️ read of 2024!! This book has everything I love:
♥️ High stakes
♥️ Simp MMC
♥️ bamf FMC
♥️ Spice
♥️ Twists on twists
♥️ incredible world building
I loved that you had to work for information, everything was laid out so beautifully for you to figure out on your own that it truly did feel like I was on the same journey as Raeve. The world building was so so so good, I was hooked on it from the first chapter that felt like watching the beginning of the lord of the rings extended editions. The magic system, lore and characters all felt fresh and fleshed out.
You could take the romance out of this book and it would be a great fantasy novel. You could take the fantasy out and the romance would stand on its own.
I loved this sm 😭 😭 😭
♥️ High stakes
♥️ Simp MMC
♥️ bamf FMC
♥️ Spice
♥️ Twists on twists
♥️ incredible world building
I loved that you had to work for information, everything was laid out so beautifully for you to figure out on your own that it truly did feel like I was on the same journey as Raeve. The world building was so so so good, I was hooked on it from the first chapter that felt like watching the beginning of the lord of the rings extended editions. The magic system, lore and characters all felt fresh and fleshed out.
You could take the romance out of this book and it would be a great fantasy novel. You could take the fantasy out and the romance would stand on its own.
I loved this sm 😭 😭 😭
January 14, 2024
THIS IS FANTASY ROMANCE. full stop.
⭐️ ♾️
🌶️ yesss
It starts with a 20 page glossary in the beginning and it’s meant to be USED. the author dumps us in the middle of a dense, lush fantasy world and said “you can figure it out, I’m not hand holding you through this.” And 🙌🏻 I love it. I LOVED IT.
This book starts in the middle of the characters story, with the beginning swathed in shadows and we get flashes of light… slowly giving us glimpse of the past for us to try and piece together slowly.
Nothing is as it seems and EVERYTHING needs to be questioned.
- Stabby FMC x “I’ll bleed for you” MMC
- Forgotten memory trope
- Dragons
- Gods
- UNIQUE magic system
- A love story that HURTS. OH IT HURTS
- So MUCH BANTER 🤌🏻
this book is also just STUNNING. Like utterly gorgeous. I’m not one to say you should get a physical copy… but wow- I highly recommend.
⭐️ ♾️
🌶️ yesss
It starts with a 20 page glossary in the beginning and it’s meant to be USED. the author dumps us in the middle of a dense, lush fantasy world and said “you can figure it out, I’m not hand holding you through this.” And 🙌🏻 I love it. I LOVED IT.
This book starts in the middle of the characters story, with the beginning swathed in shadows and we get flashes of light… slowly giving us glimpse of the past for us to try and piece together slowly.
Nothing is as it seems and EVERYTHING needs to be questioned.
- Stabby FMC x “I’ll bleed for you” MMC
- Forgotten memory trope
- Dragons
- Gods
- UNIQUE magic system
- A love story that HURTS. OH IT HURTS
- So MUCH BANTER 🤌🏻
this book is also just STUNNING. Like utterly gorgeous. I’m not one to say you should get a physical copy… but wow- I highly recommend.
September 1, 2024
Well… I have no idea how I feel about that?
After the first 130+ pages I wrapped my head around the world building and the info dumping thrown at you. It went from epic fantasy vibes to pure romantasy after that? Disappointed we didn’t get more of the world building and politics as it was SO heavy at the start.
Secondly, what happened to the plot? It started to go downhill for me after those weird second ‘trials’. I am yet to understand the purpose of those. I saw every big plot twist coming really early on so felt underwhelmed with the ending but the biggest thing for me was I struggled to believe in the romance. For how heavily romance oriented the book ended up being it was not believable how they went from 0-100 with little to no actual communication on what happened. Raeve went from suppressing everything to accepting who she was but still avoiding it? And ‘that conversation’ they mentioned over multiple chapters that was so important to have? Never happened.
I feel like the plot kept getting off track. I definitely will read the next book when it comes out as I need some answers and closure but this read was a little bit too all over the place for me.
After the first 130+ pages I wrapped my head around the world building and the info dumping thrown at you. It went from epic fantasy vibes to pure romantasy after that? Disappointed we didn’t get more of the world building and politics as it was SO heavy at the start.
Secondly, what happened to the plot? It started to go downhill for me after those weird second ‘trials’. I am yet to understand the purpose of those. I saw every big plot twist coming really early on so felt underwhelmed with the ending but the biggest thing for me was I struggled to believe in the romance. For how heavily romance oriented the book ended up being it was not believable how they went from 0-100 with little to no actual communication on what happened. Raeve went from suppressing everything to accepting who she was but still avoiding it? And ‘that conversation’ they mentioned over multiple chapters that was so important to have? Never happened.
I feel like the plot kept getting off track. I definitely will read the next book when it comes out as I need some answers and closure but this read was a little bit too all over the place for me.
June 3, 2024
3.75🌟 maybe 4🌟
🎶All of Me by John Legend🎶
"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."
Wow, I want to start off by saying this book is so freaking original, I don’t think I’ve ever read anything remotely similar to this. Raeve was so fun, In a way she’s very relatable and feels very raw. Kaan don’t get me started he’s hands down the best part of the book hands down. The side characters are really great, I can see an amazing found family dynamic coming into play in future books.
“Your hands know me,” she whispers. “Yes,” I murmur against her hair. “Know you, crave you, worship you.”
Raeve our fmc is an assassin for a rebel group trying to mainly stop the monarchy from continuing their unjust rule. But after someone close to her is murdered she goes to exact revenge, only to end up imprisoned waiting for trial. Kaan is one of the kings of the realm, haunted from the death of his love he’s been craving closure for a century. When he’s drawn to the prison where Raeve is being held something cosmic draws him to her, something almost familiar. With death looming over Raeve’s head she accepts her fate, that’s until during her execution she is taken by Kaan. Only now she starts to see that the cruel, heartless king maybe isn’t what she always believed….
“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”
What to Expect:
⚔️Who hurt you?
⚔️He falls first
⚔️Only onehorse dragon
⚔️Star Crossed lovers
⚔️Multi-POV
⚔️Banter
⚔️High fantasy
⚔️Fae + dragons
⚔️Star crossed lovers
⚔️Forbidden romance
⚔️Slow burn
"Raeve, you could flay me down the middle and I'd still fucking love you."
The romance in the book was so refreshing, it wasn’t your typical fantasy romance that you would expect. I think the thing stopping this book from being 5 stars was that I guessed the plot twists fairly easily. If that puts you off I wouldn’t worry about it. I overanalyze things so it happens often. For those who have read this I figured out the letters and 75% of what happened with Kyzari within 200 ish pages. The book DOES NOT end in a cliffhanger, but the open ending leaves you with a lot of questions.
“Kaan may never know he’s everything to me. That I’d fall just to watch him fly.”
Overall I enjoyed it and found it very entertaining. I’m definitely going to read the next book. I'm definitely a little sad that I have to wait till fall of next year but I’m looking forward to it. I hope if you decide to read this you end up enjoying it.
“She’s very lucky this didn’t kill her.” I would’ve split the world if it did. Then split my fucking self.”
--
WAIT I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS RTC
I will say I did guess the whole diary/Elluin thing almost immediately
--
I've seen really good things about this recently *cough* SK *cough*, hopefully it doesn't disappoint 🤭🤞
🎶All of Me by John Legend🎶
"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."
Wow, I want to start off by saying this book is so freaking original, I don’t think I’ve ever read anything remotely similar to this. Raeve was so fun, In a way she’s very relatable and feels very raw. Kaan don’t get me started he’s hands down the best part of the book hands down. The side characters are really great, I can see an amazing found family dynamic coming into play in future books.
“Your hands know me,” she whispers. “Yes,” I murmur against her hair. “Know you, crave you, worship you.”
Raeve our fmc is an assassin for a rebel group trying to mainly stop the monarchy from continuing their unjust rule. But after someone close to her is murdered she goes to exact revenge, only to end up imprisoned waiting for trial. Kaan is one of the kings of the realm, haunted from the death of his love he’s been craving closure for a century. When he’s drawn to the prison where Raeve is being held something cosmic draws him to her, something almost familiar. With death looming over Raeve’s head she accepts her fate, that’s until during her execution she is taken by Kaan. Only now she starts to see that the cruel, heartless king maybe isn’t what she always believed….
“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”
What to Expect:
⚔️Who hurt you?
⚔️He falls first
⚔️Only one
⚔️Star Crossed lovers
⚔️Multi-POV
⚔️Banter
⚔️High fantasy
⚔️Fae + dragons
⚔️Star crossed lovers
⚔️Forbidden romance
⚔️Slow burn
"Raeve, you could flay me down the middle and I'd still fucking love you."
The romance in the book was so refreshing, it wasn’t your typical fantasy romance that you would expect. I think the thing stopping this book from being 5 stars was that I guessed the plot twists fairly easily. If that puts you off I wouldn’t worry about it. I overanalyze things so it happens often. For those who have read this I figured out the letters and 75% of what happened with Kyzari within 200 ish pages. The book DOES NOT end in a cliffhanger, but the open ending leaves you with a lot of questions.
“Kaan may never know he’s everything to me. That I’d fall just to watch him fly.”
Overall I enjoyed it and found it very entertaining. I’m definitely going to read the next book. I'm definitely a little sad that I have to wait till fall of next year but I’m looking forward to it. I hope if you decide to read this you end up enjoying it.
“She’s very lucky this didn’t kill her.” I would’ve split the world if it did. Then split my fucking self.”
--
WAIT I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS RTC
I will say I did guess the whole diary/Elluin thing almost immediately
--
I've seen really good things about this recently *cough* SK *cough*, hopefully it doesn't disappoint 🤭🤞
September 26, 2024
3.75⭐️
Really liked the plot/story.. it was interesting, but felt a little too long. I was so invested the first half, and then my interest slowly dwindled until the last 5%. There were times when I felt like pointless things (for example the card game) were explained in such detail I had to force myself not to skim. But then there were other world building parts I was still confused about after finishing the book?
This one was extremely heavy on the romance, which I don’t typically mind, but I think I needed more fantasy throughout the middle. The world/magic system is so intriguing, but I felt like the world building was done in a confusing way with random info dumps that still left me confused. However, I love that she included a glossary! The purpose of the dragons didn’t feel extremely flushed out, but I’m sure in figure books in this series they’ll have a greater purpose.
As far as the characters go, I loved Rayne but also didn’t like her at the same time?? Kaan is a cinnamon roll. I marked so many quotes from his pov cause they were too good lol - but I had a big problem with one of his scenes that felt so out of character for him.
I was left with SO MANY questions at the end, which is great for future books, but also I was left a little bit annoyed with how many questions I had for how long this book is.
SPOILERS BELOW
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HOW IS RAYNE ALIVE????
WHO IS THE SCAVENGER KINGS MOM??
I’m assuming The Other is Elluin’s dragon??
Really liked the plot/story.. it was interesting, but felt a little too long. I was so invested the first half, and then my interest slowly dwindled until the last 5%. There were times when I felt like pointless things (for example the card game) were explained in such detail I had to force myself not to skim. But then there were other world building parts I was still confused about after finishing the book?
This one was extremely heavy on the romance, which I don’t typically mind, but I think I needed more fantasy throughout the middle. The world/magic system is so intriguing, but I felt like the world building was done in a confusing way with random info dumps that still left me confused. However, I love that she included a glossary! The purpose of the dragons didn’t feel extremely flushed out, but I’m sure in figure books in this series they’ll have a greater purpose.
As far as the characters go, I loved Rayne but also didn’t like her at the same time?? Kaan is a cinnamon roll. I marked so many quotes from his pov cause they were too good lol - but I had a big problem with one of his scenes that felt so out of character for him.
I was left with SO MANY questions at the end, which is great for future books, but also I was left a little bit annoyed with how many questions I had for how long this book is.
SPOILERS BELOW
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
HOW IS RAYNE ALIVE????
WHO IS THE SCAVENGER KINGS MOM??
I’m assuming The Other is Elluin’s dragon??
January 22, 2024
I'd like to request to be buried with this book, please, and thank you. 🥲
January 29, 2024
A book that’s been lovingly, carefully crafted for you to sink your teeth into and I absolutely devoured it.
There’s something about Sarah A Parker’s storytelling that just speaks to me. Her writing is lyrical, emotional and immersive. She throws you into the thick of this high-fantasy world with a trail of breadcrumbs and trusts you to piece everything together and find your way out the other side.
There’s twists and turns, kingdoms on the brink of war, mysterious gods, elemental powers, dragons and other mythical creatures. There’s a devastating and achingly beautiful romance, expansive world-building that is seamlessly woven into the narrative, and a magic system that was so unique I was mesmerised from the first line.
“Who hurt you?”
“I do not hurt, King Burn. I harden."
Raeve, our FMC, is ruthless, with a sharp blade and an even sharper tongue. She is filled with grief and rage and driven by revenge because of a tragic backstory, which makes her motivations completely understandable. She can be unrelenting, single-minded, even (outwardly) cruel, and I just loved her in all her wounded, complex, imperfect glory.
Kaan. King Burn. Self-confessed-obsessed male. Fierce, strong, tender, loyal. He managed his own pain and grief so differently to Raeve but the way he saw her, championed her, didn’t try to stifle her…he was perfection.
“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”
Sarah A Parker’s Crystal Bloom series is one of my all-time favourites. Possibly my all-time favourite. This new Moonfall series now shares the spotlight with that and I can’t wait for book two, to see how this world, these characters and their story grow. I’m certain it’s going to be special.
’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.’
*********************************************
♾️♾️♾️ It's the 14th of January, and i'm almost certain i've already read my favourite book of the year.
Did I just read this 700+ page masterpiece in two days? Yes. I inhaled it. Will I re-read this shortly at a much less un-hinged pace to truly soak in the richness of this world, these characters and Sarah A Parker's devastatingly beautiful writing? Obviously. This story will be one I revisit over and over and over again.
~~~
Tropes - star-crossed, fae, he falls first, who hurt you, banter, strong and sharp FMC, forbidden love, forced proximity, one dragon
There’s something about Sarah A Parker’s storytelling that just speaks to me. Her writing is lyrical, emotional and immersive. She throws you into the thick of this high-fantasy world with a trail of breadcrumbs and trusts you to piece everything together and find your way out the other side.
There’s twists and turns, kingdoms on the brink of war, mysterious gods, elemental powers, dragons and other mythical creatures. There’s a devastating and achingly beautiful romance, expansive world-building that is seamlessly woven into the narrative, and a magic system that was so unique I was mesmerised from the first line.
“Who hurt you?”
“I do not hurt, King Burn. I harden."
Raeve, our FMC, is ruthless, with a sharp blade and an even sharper tongue. She is filled with grief and rage and driven by revenge because of a tragic backstory, which makes her motivations completely understandable. She can be unrelenting, single-minded, even (outwardly) cruel, and I just loved her in all her wounded, complex, imperfect glory.
Kaan. King Burn. Self-confessed-obsessed male. Fierce, strong, tender, loyal. He managed his own pain and grief so differently to Raeve but the way he saw her, championed her, didn’t try to stifle her…he was perfection.
“Chase death, Moonbeam. And I pray your bloodlust brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist.”
Sarah A Parker’s Crystal Bloom series is one of my all-time favourites. Possibly my all-time favourite. This new Moonfall series now shares the spotlight with that and I can’t wait for book two, to see how this world, these characters and their story grow. I’m certain it’s going to be special.
’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.’
*********************************************
♾️♾️♾️ It's the 14th of January, and i'm almost certain i've already read my favourite book of the year.
Did I just read this 700+ page masterpiece in two days? Yes. I inhaled it. Will I re-read this shortly at a much less un-hinged pace to truly soak in the richness of this world, these characters and Sarah A Parker's devastatingly beautiful writing? Obviously. This story will be one I revisit over and over and over again.
~~~
Tropes - star-crossed, fae, he falls first, who hurt you, banter, strong and sharp FMC, forbidden love, forced proximity, one dragon
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