The fantasy phenomenon of 2024, When The Moon Hatched, is well worth the buzz it created. Sarah A. Parker dives into her second book series with vigour, having fully settled into her style as a fantasy romance author and embraced her characters and fantastical worlds to bring the first of The Moonfall Series to tantalizing life.
From the blurb;
'As an assassin for the rebellion, Raeve's job is to complete orders and never get caught. When a rival bounty hunter shatters her world, Raeve finds herself captured by the Guild of Nobles - a group of powerful fae.
'Crushed by the loss of his great love, dragon rider Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to quell the never-ebbing ache in his chest, a clue lures him into the capital's high-security prison where he stumbles upon the imprisoned Raeve...
'Together, they seek truths that threaten to unravel everything they knew about their world - and each other.'
Readers be aware that When The Moon Hatched is packed with high-detail action sequences, entailing a lot of gore and death, as we all explicit sex scenes, those these are fewer in number than the blood thirsty fights.
Parker throws us into the meat of her fast paced, blood soaked, fantasy world, encouraging readers to keep up as she races through the initial chapters, laying out the complex fantasy realm in which gods are within reach, magic thrums and dragons are ever present.
While what many may consider to be the main twist of the story is relatively obvious, thanks to a scattered series of heavy laden bread-crumbs throughout the book, it is the smaller twists which will catch readers off guard, and that set up this fierce cast for an exciting second instalment.
Raeve is a hard to love character with a blood dripping present and a mysterious past, her connection to Kaan being one that we must both figure out and enjoy the build of in equal measure. Despite her rough edges and bull-headed desire to fight everything that comes near, Raeve swiftly grows on us. Her longing to protect those she considers dear, and to save the foul world in which she lives from those who plunder it, gives her a mission we cannot disagree with and a passionate drive that sets her course throughout the novel.
While Raeve is a lonely and secluded figure of her own making Kaan in the bold opposite. The bulky, caring warrior King is lonely in his heart despite being surrounded by a caring cast of characters and an almighty Dragon. As we tread further into Kaan's world it becomes impossible not to fall in love with him and his cast of friends.
Parker shows us that while her fantasy imaginings are filled with depth, intrigue and a new form of magic system unlike those seen before, she can also weave intricate and believable characters. Her cast brings this fantasy and romance to blistering life, while her world building brings the intrigue and excitement that keeps readers hooked through every page.
While the romance of this novel is one to be swept away by, it is the mysteries, the puzzle of the past, that builds the most curiosity, keeping us guessing throughout the novel and leaving us filled with trepidation and delight by the conclusion as we set our sights on book two and all the answers it may contain.
Furthering her world building talents Parker does not leave us with a world of Fae, Gods and Dragons, but builds lore around each of these sects, and douses the world in a brilliant bevy of mystical and fantastical creatures, each as well considered and of import to the story as the mighty dragons. This inclusion of a whole fantasy zoology makes Parker's world even more believable and ten times more enticing. For Fantasy lovers When The Moon Hatched will scratch every creative itch.
We give When The Moon Hatched Five Stars
ISBN - 928-0-00-871022
Hardback Cover Price - £20
First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2024
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