Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

133 reviews

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Love this! It's twisty and turns, but epic fantasy with dragons who aren't Danerys' but more like McCaffrey. The characters are complex and well thought out, and the story moves along incredibly well. 
However, check the content warnings before reading as the author does not hold back. 

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I’ve fallen in love with yet another fictional world. This book is so beautifully written and the descriptive details are magical! Kaan and Raeve are definitely two of my new favorite characters. The emotions that I felt while reading this were intense! The love that Kaan has for Raeve is completely unmatched and the heartbreak of watching her push her feelings down because she thought herself so unworthy of love just hit my soul so deeply. I wish I had read it sooner and I can’t wait for the next book release!

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

When the Moon Hatched is a wild, immersive romantic fantasy that really throws you into a whole new world. Sarah A. Parker built something massive and magical here—dragons, elemental powers, celestial lore, and a totally reimagined take on familiar fantasy tropes. The idea of dragons becoming moons after death? Absolutely beautiful and haunting. The world feels ancient and alive, and there's clearly a ton of thought behind the magic and mythology.

I really enjoyed Raeve as a main character—she’s strong, layered, and her slow-burn relationship with Kaan is full of emotion and tension. The romance isn’t rushed, which makes it feel more authentic and satisfying. Though I wish I had more backstory between the two love interests. I also liked the use of multiple POVs; it gave the story more depth and helped flesh out the world from different angles.

Now, I’ll be honest: I had a tough time with the writing style. There were definitely moments where the lyrical prose was beautiful, but a lot of the time it felt like it was trying too hard. I found myself pulled out of the moment by the language, having to reread scenes just to figure out what was actually happening. I know some readers love that kind of poetic style, but it didn’t always work for me—it felt like it was getting in the way of the story instead of enhancing it.

The book is also really long, and that made the pacing feel uneven. Some parts dragged, especially when paired with the dense writing. And while the world-building is super creative—like changing how time is told—I had a hard time wrapping my head around the timeline and political dynamics between the kingdoms. Even with the glossary, I still felt a bit lost sometimes.

That said, I highly recommend the audiobook. It has multiple narrators for the different POVs, and that made a huge difference for me. Hearing the characters helped bring clarity to scenes where I struggled with the writing, and it kept me more engaged overall.

It’s not a light read, but it’s full of imagination, emotion, and potential—and I’m definitely planning to pick up book two.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was okay. I enjoyed some parts, but I do agree that the author could’ve shortened the story. The author’s writing is very lyrical, so if you’re not used to it, you may have a hard or difficult time enjoying the book.

The part I enjoyed the most was when
Raeve meets the Johkull Clan. Everything involving those scenes had me glued to the pages. And when Kaan had to fight for Raeve, ugh. I love me a good fight scene where a big, strong man has to come save the woman of his dreams.


I just wished there were more
spicy scenes with Raeve and Kaan. For a book with that many chapters, I expected more spice.
 

If you’re looking for a book that is more focused on slow world-building, this book would be perfect for you. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous hopeful sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A truly complex and intoxicating first book of the series. What I thought was going to be a straightforward adventure romantasy had a depth I wasn't expecting and hit me harder than I would have liked. 

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is one of the greatest books I’ve read. It is so fast paced even through a longer novel, but every detail is captivating and necessary to fall in love with the characters and feel their love, pain, anguish, and desire. 

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adventurous dark sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This has been on of my faves in a long while. I genuinely enjoyed the main character so much. She was so much fun to follow 

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