When the Moon Hatched: A Novel

Name: When the Moon Hatched: A Novel
Rating: 4.4 (58500 reviews)
Author: Sarah A. Parker

by Sarah A. Parker

4.4

About this book

In a world where the heavens are littered with the petrified remains of fallen dragons, the sky is a graveyard of moons. Raeve is an elite assassin for the rebellion, a woman defined by her lethal precision and her ability to remain unseen. However, her life of shadows shatters when a botched job lands her in the clutches of the Guild of Nobles—a powerful fae ruling class that views her existence as a political pawn.

Enter Kaan Vaegor, a king forged in grief who wears a crown of melted iron and carries the weight of a lost love. Driven by a desperate, centuries-old ache, Kaan infiltrates the capital’s most impenetrable prison in search of answers, only to find Raeve. Their collision is not merely a chance encounter; it is the spark that ignites a volatile connection tethered to echoes of a forgotten past.

As Raeve fights for her life against those who wish to weaponize her, she discovers that Kaan is both her greatest threat and her only hope. Bound by a shared destiny that defies time and memory, they must navigate a landscape of poisonous truths where the line between enemy and soulmate blurs into a singular, dangerous flame.

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What readers are saying

Hope Constance

Completely Captivating, Completely Undone

"#1 Book for me! This one has touched my soul deeply, and I am forever changed. The FMC is written beautifully and you feel every emotion she has gone through. Raeve's inner dialogue is hysterical. Her thought process, feelings, and how she suppresses them are described eloquently. She has me laughing, crying, and on the edge of my seat waiting to see what she is going to do next, or discover about herself next. The MMC, Kaan, is my #1!! He is everything you want out of a MMC. He is patient, clever, strong, loving, snarky, and willing to go to any lengths for the woman he loves. His tale, without spoilers, is heart wrenching and beautiful. He is everything you could ever want, and the match up between him and the FMC is something to behold. The world building in this story is done beautifully. I can feel the cold of the Shade, the blistering sun of the Burn, and the mystery of the Fade. The description of the dragons has me itching to find my very own Moonplume. This is a story you can't put down. It digs it's hooks into you deeply leaving you dreaming and on the edge of your seat for more. This is my third re-read while I await The Ballad of Falling Dragons. Sarah A Parker is instantly at the top for me! I can't wait to see how the next story unfolds. Do yourself a favor, and start reading this one now. You won't regret it. ["

May 15, 2026 Verified Purchase

Sarah | Volumes & Vibes

This story melted my heart!

"✨ VIBE CHECK Think: Slaying the Vampire Conqueror meets The Plated Prisoner ⭐ V&V RATING Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️.5 Emotional Damage: I cried - a LOT (and I am not a crier when it comes to books!) Pacing: Perfect Writing Style: Very descriptive and detailed. There is a poetic style to the writing throughout the book, though it does not fall into the category of “purple prose”. Main Characters: FMC - Reave, MMC - Kaan Vaegor 📖 SUMMARY (NO SPOILERS) Knowing only a life of death and destruction, Raeve works as an assassin in the employ of the Fiur du Ath, a group of rebels looking to overthrow the ruling Vaegor family, in order to free the land from tyranny. When a mark goes wrong, Raeve finds herself captured by The Guild of Nobles and as she sits and awaits her fate, her memories begin to stir from a life forgotten. A mysterious hooded man from her past stumbles upon her in a dungeon, but what she doesn’t realize is that man is Kaan Vaegor, King of The Burn, brother to her sworn enemy and the only person who can explain why her heart is pulled towards someone she is supposed to hate. 💭 REVIEW THOUGHTS I loved this book, for so many reasons. First, I love reading about a badass FMC (hello Celaena Sardothian anyone?) - and Raeve fits the bill perfectly! She’s an assassin who is out taking out the bad guys, and really, who doesn’t love a black cat personality with a heart of gold? I also found her to be something other FMCs are not - funny! There is a sass level to Raeve that I fully support and applaud. It made her character feel more real. Second, the world that Sarah builds for us is beautiful and rich. Now, I’m not going to lie - when I opened the book and saw the glossary of terms, places, gods, creatures, etc. I was worried I’d be overwhelmed. Not only was I not frazzled trying to keep up with the amazingly lush, new world that was unfolding around me as I read, but kudos to Sarah for including that beautiful glossary (never used one more and loved every minute of it). Third, the MMC - Kaan Vaegor. May I just take a moment to say - MA’AM! The things this man would do for the woman he loves. Reading a book with a MMC like Kaan is just different; it simply hits your soul on a different level. The longing and yearning that comes from Kaan, as he attempts to warm the icy heart of our FMC, ended up melting my heart in the process (and earning him the number #3 spot on my most updated book boyfriend list). And Fourth, the mystery and the emotional damage. I love, love, LOVE a good mystery. When a dark romantasy can bring a bit of mystery and even chaos to my world - even better! This book brought all of that and more. I reached for the box of tissues more times than I think I ever have with any other book - it was shocking really. The way the mystery unfolds will keep you guessing and theories will abound as we await the second book in the duology. 🔮 FAVORITE ELEMENTS Favorite character(s): Kaan Vaegor (MMC) - morally grey with a delicious cinnamon roll center, willing to do ANYTHING for the woman he loves Best trope moment: The first time he drops the nickname “Moonbeam”, my heart melted Book boyfriend ranking (scale of 1-5🥵): 🥵🥵🥵🥵 This man is giving Slade Ravinger vibes…need I REALLY say more? Audiobook note (if applicable): Available, Dual Narration with Sarah Mollo-Christensen & Fajer Al-Kalsi. NOTE: I only listened to a sample, but found Fajer Al-Kalsi’s narration to be nice and may listen as my re-read before the second book comes out (and I’m picky when it comes to my audiobook selections). 🧢 COMPARABLE TITLES / FANDOM CROSSOVER If you like The Plated Prisoner series and Throne of Glass, or anything written by Carissa Broadbent - but with dragons and elemental magic and gods, then the Moonfall duology is for you. ["

July 29, 2025 Verified Purchase

Amazon_Junkie

5 Stars

"***5/14/26 Reread - OMG I love this book so much more after my reread! I understand what is going on now. The emotional rollercoaster I went through this time around. OMG! I love Kaan. He's so awesome. Hands down one of my favorite MMCs. If you need a the definition of yearning Kaan Vaegor is the standard. I'm obsessed. Everyone is in such a precarious spot at the end of this book. And book 2 is coming in 5 days! I cannot wait! 5 stars! What I was thinking before I have no idea. But I am locked in! Even though I didn't know what was going on half the time I actually enjoyed this book. It was a different world. Different types of characters. Very high fantasy with a lot of romance and yearning. Even though it was one sided half the time. I'm very interested to see what happens with these characters. It's also interesting how everyone is connected. I fear that this series is set up to cause emotional damage. I do want the physical book and I'm annoyed that the pretty hard covers are out of stock. Also the audible version is very good. It's hard to get a good audible experience these days so this is one I will recommend. I hope Raeve and Kaan find each other. ["

March 25, 2026 Verified Purchase

marissa gomez

I really wanted to like this book

"Spoilers! Unfortunately, it fell short for me for several reasons. My top reason being how much unnecessary information we are constantly given. The first 200 pages absolutely dragged and Veya’s pov chapters are completely pointless to me. Personally, I think a short summary of her travels could be written in a note and read through Kaan’s pov. When we finally do get one good chapter in (ch. 35) I was already 41% into the book and almost DNF. I decided to power through despite the lack of chemistry between the FMC/MMC and confusing timeline. There is a Glossary located at the end of the of book. It somewhat helped me to understand the timeline/phases a little better however, it’s still extremely confusing while reading (wish I knew/read this before finishing the book) Furthermore, I was highly disappointed with the pacing of the book. The synopsis states that this is a “fast-paced fantasy romance with a love that blazes through the ages.” I however, felt the complete opposite. The FMC and MMC lacked chemistry for the first 85% of the book. I was shocked when they finally did couple. The FMC is also unbearably stubborn to the point where I’m not sure why anyone would like her. I do think the synopsis should have mentioned that the action is fast-paced rather than the romance. I probably would have enjoyed the book more had the romance been speed up, and the banter between the MCs created more sexual tension. I did not care for their bickering. It had a ton of potential however, was poorly executed. Overall, this book is beautifully written. At the end of it all, this is what kept me powering through. Sarah A. Parker did a magnificent job with wording and world-building. I could grasp a clear imagine in my mind and fully immerse myself in Raeve and Kaan’s world. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon. I absolutely love how we are introduced to three different species of dragons (Moltenmaw, Moonplume, Sabersythe) each unique and beautifully depicted. Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5 ["

October 23, 2024 Verified Purchase