As we are all recovering from the rollercoaster that was Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, we are back at it, with another dragon-oriented romantasy series. Sarah A. Parker’s Moonfall series has divided bookworms all over the community, so on today’s chopping block is the detailed plot summary and analysis of When the Moon Hatched.
If this complex slow-burn has already found its place in your collection or Kindle library, then we urge you to keep reading for a recap of the story. If you are still undecided, then check out our best fanart collection and relatively spoiler-free character analysis of When the Moon Hatched.
We will not tease you further, knowing you are probably suffering from a terrible book hangover—one of the most common bookworm problems, just like us!
If you want to go back to how things were before it all went awry, read our Fourth Wing review, character breakdown, theories, and to alleviate the pain of your broken heart, our meme collection. And of course, if you don’t know what to do with yourself after being devastated by Onyx Storm, here is a list of books to read after Fourth Wing. Stay tuned for more Onyx Storm content.
Before you go on to enter this fantasy world, we have to discuss the magic system of this fantasy romance as it is quite complicated! The world-building is quite unique, and we predict it is what will set this series apart as a high fantasy work of fiction.
The world began with five; Cealis the God of Aether came first, then followed Bulder God of Ground and Rayne, Goddess of Water. Clode Goddess of Air came next, and Ignos, God of Fire was last. Thus, the five creators created Ayrithian, the dragons and everything else. People started hearing the elemental magic and celebrating the creators and the power of the dragons. All they had to do was steal an egg and charm their hatchling.
Ayrithia was divided into the Burn, the Shade and the Fade, each territory a natural habitat for a specific kind of dragon.
The Moltenmaws are feathered and beaked beasts, and their hatching ground is in the Fade. They come in various unique color patterns and are the most versatile as they can live anywhere in the world and are the easiest to charm.
The Moonplumes, unique to the Shade with its cold climate, have leathery luminous skin in shades of pearl, gray, iridescent and white. With long tails, biddy eyes, rounded faces and long necks, they are the most elegant, cunning and smart. They are the hardest to charm, but alas they cannot stand the sun as their skin burns, and they are blinded.
Lastly, the Sabersythes are the Burn’s warriors. Large, scaled, with spikes, they come in different shades of red, brown and black. Used to the burn’s heat, they cannot survive in the cold, and they can be very aggressive when one tries to steal an egg.
Those who hear the elemental songs are obliged to signify their affinity by wearing unique elemental beads. Red for Igno’s fire, Blue for Water and Rayne, Clear for Clode’s Air, and Brown for the Ground and Bulder.
Those who do not hear any elemental songs are called nulls and are symbolized with a cut on their ear. It is important to know that an iron pin can prevent one from hearing elemental songs and dull their powers.
When a dragon dies, they petrify around themselves and solidify into a moon in the sky. Years after the creation, however, moons started falling. It did not take long for the creators to discover that Cealis’ jealousy because he could not be seen or heard in order to be worshipped was the cause. So the creators created the Aether Stone and trapped Cealis inside, placing the duty of guarding it to the Neván family. Cealis’ incessant singing drives most Neván females tasked to guard him mad.
When Slátra, Elluin’s Moonplume, died, she petrified around the grieving Elluin. But when the moon fell, Elluin was no longer inside—therefore it is like the moon hatched!
Time is separated into AS (After Stone) and BS (Before Stone) symbolizing the time the Aether Stone was gifted to the Neváns. Days are counted in aurora cycles and divided into Dae and Slumber. A phase is equivalent to a thousand aurora cycles, and everyone’s age is counted by phases (1 phase of life= 1, 000 aurora cycles).
Shoutout to the author for including a glossary for all the terms, characters, and creatures in the book!
We know it’s a lot to take in, but bear with us for just a tad more!
The story begins with Raeve on the hunt for a man trading slaves named Tarik. Dressed as a bard, Raeve goes to perform in Tarik’s lair to lure him out. There she encounters an intriguing stranger. As she finishes her performance, Raeve, knowing Tarik is following her, lures him to a dark alley. Once she has him where she wants, she uses her affinity with Clode, the Goddess of the Air, to suffocate him. The mysterious hooded-stranger from before gets once more in her way and tries to learn of her identity, but let’s say she’s reluctant to share and fights him.
After successfully completing her mission as an assassin of a rebel group that works predominantly in the Fade, called Fíur Du Ath, she returns home to find Essi, her only friend and the creator of the contraptions she uses in her missions, waiting for her. Reave goes out in search of Essi’s ingredients and meets with Sereme, a higher up in the organization. There we learn that Raeve is not exactly willing to serve, but Sereme has a vial of Raeve’s blood and controls her, taking advantage of her desire to protect those she cares about.
Sereme reveals that the bounty hunter Rekk Zharos has been tasked with apprehending her by the Crown and more specifically by Vaegor, the King of the Fade. There we learn that Ayrithia is divided into three sections; a different Vaegor King rules the Burn, the Shade, and the Fade. There is a diary entry from many phases ago of a girl named Elluin, who wants a dragon while her mother suffers from carrying a diadem. We get a diary entry after every chapter, sometimes with many parallels to Raeve's current situation as the story progresses—we promise it will make sense later.
In the meantime, Kaan—aka our mysterious hooded guy—meets with Kyzari, his niece and princess of the Fade. Just like every female offspring of the Neván family, she is tasked with wearing the Aether stone diadem that holds the God Cealis. Kyzari reveals that she can hear the god, and she is in love with him. Despite Kaan’s protest, Kyzari is determined to find a way to release the god and rid herself of the burden that is the diadem.
In a surprising twist, Raeve discovers that Essi has been stabbed and is dying. She can do nothing but hold her friends as she dies in her hands. Raeve swears to get vengeance and avenge Essi’s death. We see Raeve venture to the Undercity to face Rekk Zharos. For the first time, we see that Raeve has another persona trapped inside her; the Other takes over her body, increasing her lethal magic and changing the color of her eyes. The Other finds Zharos and their clash ends with her defeating several hordes of soldiers and biting Zharos’ finger off. But being outnumbered, the Other succumbs and Raeve is captured.
Injured and imprisoned, Raeve is questioned by Zharos about the organization. However, Raeve reveals nothing. A memory of her long ago being in a cell surfaces to torment her while she rots in her cell. Enter our mysterious hooded guy as Raeve’s visitor. Upon discussing with her, he reveals himself to be Kaan Vaegor the King of the Burn.
Before Raeve can be executed in the coliseum, Kaan makes sure she is completely healed and Rygun, Kaan’s Sabersythe, intervenes in the execution. He seemingly devours Raeve on the spot, but rest assured she is simply taken to Kaan. Kaan takes Raeve to his mother’s home and admits he is the one who killed his father because he caused harm to Elluin, the girl he loved. Raeve tries to stab him while he sleeps, but Kaan sees right through her. Their chemistry is off the charts, and they almost have sex, but Kaan is not looking for a rebound. Pissed and sexually frustrated, Raeve escapes in the night and is found by the Fate Herder, who leads her to the Jokhull Clan.
The Johkull Clan believe Raeve to be the Kohlu the one whose offspring will tether the moons to the sky permanently. To cut a long story short, the greatest warrior tries to mate with her, but Kaan shows up and fights for her. He wins and is the one who gets to mate with her according to the Kohlu traditions. Kaan takes Raeve to his Palace in the Burn. The moment his court sees her, they are all unnerved, especially his younger sister, Veya. While in the Burn, Raeve is very surprised to see that it is quite peaceful, its citizens happy and its ruler just instead of cold and ruthless, a complete contradiction to popular opinion.
At some point, Raeve cannot tune out Rayne’s song, and cries. Kaan tells her he used to know a woman who cried when it rained, and her name was Elluin—have you caught on yet? At the same time, we follow Elluin’s diary entries, and we see her meeting Kaan as she mourns the death of her Moonplume and is being prepared to get married to Tyroth Vaegor, Kaan’s brother. Kaan even shows Raeve the shards of the moon of Elluin’s Moonplume, trying to convince her of her identity, but Raeve is in total denial. Kaan, not willing to risk her again, allows her to leave and to no one’s surprise, Raeve ends up discovering the house Kaan and Elluin shared decades ago. Seeing Raeve leave, Veya decides to help her brother and the only way to do that is by infiltrating the Fade, their brother Tyroth’s territory, and finding Elluin’s journals.
Kaan invites Raeve to the Great Flurrt, a rare astral phenomenon that will result in dragons mating. There they make a deal; they will play a game and if Kaan wins she will answer three questions, but if Raeve wins they will stay together at the house, but then she will get her memory wiped. Spoiler alert, Raeve wins, and they spend time with each other, rediscovering their insatiable desire for one another. More and more memories from her past surface, especially about her previous imprisonment by the Scavenger King. When news of Rekk Zharos’ arrival at the burn reaches her, she is determined to kill him, but Kaan stops her.
Instead, he confiscates his dragon Lirri, which Zharos seems to abuse. Raeve feels an immediate connection with the dragon, as it reminds her of her—Elluin’s— Moonplume, who died long ago in that same place. Rekk leaves the Palace looking for Princess Kyzari and Kaan allows Raeve to follow him and finally take him out.
For the climax of the story, we have Veya infiltrating Tyroth’s palace and discovering Elluin’s journal. From the final diary entry, we discover that Elluin’s child (Kyzari) is Kaan’s and not Tyroth’s. The book ends with the Scavenger King being revealed as a bast Vaegor child and Princess Kyzari’s captor, leaving us with countless questions.
We know that When the Moon Hatched is quite a heavy first book for a fantasy series, but we believe it could become one of the most epic love stories in the fantastical. Ideal for Sarah J. Maas or Carissa Broadbent fans, this book will challenge you in every possible way. We think it is time to log in on Amazon, Goodreads or any other alternative and give this romantasy book a chance!
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When the Moon Hatched is the story of the assassin Raeve and Kaan Vaegor. After being captured and sentenced to be executed, Raeve will be saved by the mysterious Kaan only to discover that they are somehow connected. In a war between her current self and her real identity, Raeve finds herself at a crossroads. Her decisions will shape not only her fate, but that of her realm.
Identity and redemption, loyalty and betrayal, power and control are some of the themes explored in When the Moon Hatched. Raeve’s journey and real identity clash with not only her loyalty, but with the control over her life as well. Kaan’s unwavering loyalty will be the foundation of Raeve’s redemption and the fight again oppression.
Always living in her own enchanted little world, Christina discovered the magic that can be hidden within the pages of a book when one dares to take a closer look from a tender age. An avid reader, she is constantly inspired to delve into the secrets woven between the lines and challenges herself to find her own voice amidst the chaos. She is a dedicated fan of the classics, but the supernatural creatures that have tormented readers for years are her kryptonite. The mastery it takes to infuse the author's essence, molded by the era they grew up in to their innermost desires fascinates her. Undoubtedly, putting her passion and knowledge on paper has a mesmerizing allure on her, and following the steps of so many other dreamers before her she wishes to leave her mark in the literary world. Guided by T.S Eliot’s haunting words: “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” she intends to wreak havoc in the minds of her future readers.
