This is THE Romantasy book of 2024. With stunning writing that had my jaw on the ground, loveable main characters, and steaming hot romance, if you’re a romantasy reader, this book is for you.
This review is spoiler-free.
The Creators did not expect their beloved dragons to sail skyward upon their end. To curl into balls just beyond gravity’s grip, littering the sky with tombstones. With moons.
They certainly did not expect them to fall.
As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free.
Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands.
The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time.
However.
There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths …
They’re too poisonous to swallow.
When the Moon Hatched is a fast-paced fantasy romance for fans of witty banter and strong, sassy protagonists. Beneath the cover is an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages.
THE ROMANCE!
“Cut me if you want me to stop,” he rasps, his thumb sliding across my cheekbone. “I’ll gladly bleed beneath you, so don’t be shy.”
Especially coming straight from the disappointment of The Hurricane Wars, boy was this romance on FIRE. Not only is the male love interest incredibly hot, and given ample opportunities to show it–not even is he besties with a dragon–not ONLY is he a super powerful scarred warrior with a painful history–not ONLY is he a good, virtuous KING–but he actually has a personality!
“You love me. You’re just too busy feasting on my heart to notice.”
He’s down incredibly bad for our MC Raeve, but the way he wrestles with that, and the way he clearly has his own whole, complete internal struggles is so compelling and, quite honestly, dreamy. It’s hard being in love with the most badass bitch ever. Though we all see why she’d fall for him–he’s not just broody, but he’s also funny, and sweet, and imperfect, but also sculpted by the gods, obviously.
Part of the reason this romance is so excellent is it expertly avoids tropey pitfalls so many romantasy romances do. It’s not insta-love, because there seems to be some kind of history between these two characters. It’s not some half-hearted tragic memory-loss plotline, either. It’s a thoughtful love story that makes sense–that we root for the whole book through. Also, did I mention that this man in the sack…whew. Yep.
He unpins his cloak, pulling it from his shoulders, giving me an up close view of the powerful way his broad, muscular body moves, My cheeks burn as he swaths me in the airy material, secures the pin beneath my chin, then ticks me on the nose. “Adorable.”
“I’m going to cut out your tongue with that blade in your boot.”
He whips the hood up over my head, shrouding me in shade. “I’d prefer you use your teeth, but beggars can’t be choosers.”
THE STUNNING WORLD…AND HOW ITS WRITTEN
While often fantasy worldbuilding is intimidating, this book eases you in not just gently, but beautifully. Ignore the intimidating glossary at the beginning, and the strange time system–all you need to know is that these are fae, and that they live a super long time. The magic system is straightforward enough, but what I love about how this world is presented to us is the emotion that’s attached to it.
Fae are able to control the elements–air, fire, water, and earth–by hearing the songs of each god and speaking their language. In this way, we get characters for each of the elements (plus a really sweet little myth at the beginning of the book). Giving each element a personality goes a long way in my lizard brain of quickly investing me in the world and helping me understand the magic more quickly.
And then there’s the dragons, which are so well done–fearsome but intelligent creatures, they’re written to prey on our innate love for intelligent animals that choose to be companions to people. Cruelty to them will break your heart, and the characters’ connections to them are sweet and poignant.
When dragons die, they curl up and fossilize, becoming floating moons in the sky to avoid their carcasses being raided by those on land. Not only is this a beautiful idea, but Raeve really cares about them, and has a connection to them.
BUT IT’S NOT PERFECT…
The pacing is definitely off–there’s a massive lull in the third quarter of the book before a veritable barrage of reveals, each of which should have its moment to make me sob, but which come so swiftly I could only highlight and comment ‘THE SHOCK! THE REVEAL!’ with my clenching heart before being whisked off to the next one.
It didn’t bother me much since the romance sort of just dragged me through it, but it’s definitely worth pointing out that this hasn’t been edited by a publisher, and it shows.
Should you read it?
PLEASE read this book. It’s so empathetic, so well built on a strong emotional foundation, that any plot and pacing issues were little more than an annoyance. And truly, it’s got some of the most beautiful writing I’ve ever read in a romantasy.
Survival’s funny. Some wear it like a whisper, others like a scream. Mine’s a scorched skeleton of flame-forged rage that keeps me upright. Keeps me moving forward.
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ejstories 
nice book
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