When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker book cover
Romantasy / dragon fantasy (adult, explicit)

When the Moon Hatched

by Sarah A. Parker

An assassin who passes as a null hunts the man who killed her friend, and is rescued from a dragon's jaws by a king who says she is someone he lost.

★★★★☆ 4 / 5

A big, bloody, romantic first book with a strong hook: a hidden identity, dragons that die into moons and a diary that rewrites a royal family. It is explicit and violent, and the memory-loss mystery is only half solved by the last page. Four out of five (draft opinion).

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When the Moon Hatched: recap

Every guide comes as a video and a full written article. Pick the one you need: the review is spoiler-free, the ending explained is not.

What is When the Moon Hatched about?

When the Moon Hatched is the first book of The Moonfall Series by Sarah A. Parker (copyright 2023). Raeve, an assassin who passes as a null in a world where dead dragons become moons, hunts the bounty hunter who killed her friend, and is rescued from execution by Kaan Vaegor, King of the Burn.

Below you’ll find a full recap of the book for readers starting The Ballad of Falling Dragons (full spoilers), with a short spice and content note counted by chapter.

Read it if
  • You like dragon fantasy with an enemies-to-lovers slow burn
  • You enjoy a mystery about a lost past and a hidden identity
  • Open-door scenes, strong language and torture on the page don't bother you
  • You want to read the sequel and need the full story first
Skip it if
  • Graphic violence, torture and cruelty to a creature are a hard line
  • You want a standalone: the main mystery carries into book two
  • You dislike heavy swearing in narration
  • You want spare, quiet prose

When the Moon Hatched review scorecard

Pace
4
Romance
4.5
Worldbuilding
4
Characters
4
Prose
3.5
Average4.0 / 5

When the Moon Hatched: questions people ask

Is When the Moon Hatched worth reading?

A big, bloody, romantic first book with a strong hook: a hidden identity, dragons that die into moons and a diary that rewrites a royal family. It is explicit and violent, and the memory-loss mystery is only half solved by the last page. Four out of five (draft opinion). Read it if: you like dragon fantasy with an enemies-to-lovers slow burn; you enjoy a mystery about a lost past and a hidden identity; open-door scenes, strong language and torture on the page don't bother you; you want to read the sequel and need the full story first. Skip it if: graphic violence, torture and cruelty to a creature are a hard line; you want a standalone: the main mystery carries into book two; you dislike heavy swearing in narration; you want spare, quiet prose.

What happens in When the Moon Hatched?

Raeve, an assassin for the rebel Fiur du Ath who passes as a null, hunts the bounty hunter Rekk Zharos after he kills her young friend Essi. She is captured, sentenced to dragons by one vote, and carried off by Kaan Vaegor, King of the Burn, who says she is the lost princess Elluin. The book ends on Elluin's diary and the secret of her daughter Kyzari.

How spicy is When the Moon Hatched?

Open door. I count six chapters with sex or self touch on the page: 35, 59, 69, 78, 80 and 87. Only chapter 78 goes all the way. Chapter 35 is hands only, 59 is a short memory, 69 is a dream cut off by a dragon's roar, 80 is Raeve alone while Kaan watches, and 87 is the villain being crude before an ambush. The book's own warning page also lists blood and gore, torture, explicit language and an implied threat of sexual assault. The rating of four out of five chilies is an opinion.

Who is Kyzari in When the Moon Hatched?

Princess Kyzari is Elluin's daughter. Elluin's last diary entries say she pretended the baby was Tyroth Vaegor's, and that Kaan was the father. In the epilogue the Scavenger King, Arkyn, holds Kyzari in a cell.

Books mentioned in these videos

The Ballad of Falling Dragons
Sarah A. Parker
The Ballad of Falling Dragons book · The Ballad of Falling Dragons audiobook

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