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A review by livvy_alipat
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I want to start out with- I REALLY enjoyed this book! It was fun to get through and I wanted to keep reading the whole time.
I would say that while there are common elements in When the Moon Hatched to many other fantasy/ romantasy books that we've seen come out in the last 5 years, a LOT of the plot of this one is new and different. The world building is one of my favorite parts of this story and it is really fresh to the genre. I will say it reminds me a bit of GoT in the sense that the names of the characters and the Gods and the places around their world are complicated and uncommon, not to name the twisted family tree that's not easy to get your head around at first.
This is not a 5 star book for me for these reasons;
One, I'm kind of over the, "hyper- sassy and always has the last word and slings insults all day every day because she's actually hiding being a vulnerable and hurt little girl inside" female main character. And Raeve is that through and through. She responds to everyone with a smart ass quip, and it loses its punch after awhile when it's just the way she responds to EVERYONE. ALL of the time. I know this female was abused and went through incredible tragedy, but the, "I just can't let anyone get close to me and I can't face the idea of caring for someone because it sucks to be hurt" is exhausting in this book. It's the entirety of her inner monologue outside of revenge and lusting after the MMC. She didn't have any character development from the very beginning to throughout the book. Also hate the, "rush into a situation blind with anger and assuming I'm going to win" as a plot device for the FMC to just wind up captured or hurt.
Second, all of the characters are big badass warriors that excel in sarcasm. It's like.... Really? All of you? There just isn't a whole lot of diversity. And I'm not talking about race or sexuality or gender, I just mean in their personalities. Maybe just enough to distinguish that they're different, but not enough to make the cast harmonize together. I feel like everyone tries to copy SJM with Aelin's cadre where every character is sarcastic and emotionally guarded and fantastic at battle.
Also, it was a huge info dump at first. The glossary of intricate and difficult names and creatures and roles and the world creation and the world locations are thrown at your right in the beginning and it's not easy to digest all of it and takes a minute.
I will say, the world is totally unique. The creation reminds me a little bit of Tolkien and Lewis with the gods singing it into existence, but different enough that it's new and not a copy. The monsters so far are fantastic and one of my favorite parts. I want more dragons! And to hear more about the gods and how they interfere and their role in more of the happenings of the world.
This was a fantastic first novel in the series and I can't wait for the sequel!
I would say that while there are common elements in When the Moon Hatched to many other fantasy/ romantasy books that we've seen come out in the last 5 years, a LOT of the plot of this one is new and different. The world building is one of my favorite parts of this story and it is really fresh to the genre. I will say it reminds me a bit of GoT in the sense that the names of the characters and the Gods and the places around their world are complicated and uncommon, not to name the twisted family tree that's not easy to get your head around at first.
This is not a 5 star book for me for these reasons;
One, I'm kind of over the, "hyper- sassy and always has the last word and slings insults all day every day because she's actually hiding being a vulnerable and hurt little girl inside" female main character. And Raeve is that through and through. She responds to everyone with a smart ass quip, and it loses its punch after awhile when it's just the way she responds to EVERYONE. ALL of the time. I know this female was abused and went through incredible tragedy, but the, "I just can't let anyone get close to me and I can't face the idea of caring for someone because it sucks to be hurt" is exhausting in this book. It's the entirety of her inner monologue outside of revenge and lusting after the MMC. She didn't have any character development from the very beginning to throughout the book. Also hate the, "rush into a situation blind with anger and assuming I'm going to win" as a plot device for the FMC to just wind up captured or hurt.
Second, all of the characters are big badass warriors that excel in sarcasm. It's like.... Really? All of you? There just isn't a whole lot of diversity. And I'm not talking about race or sexuality or gender, I just mean in their personalities. Maybe just enough to distinguish that they're different, but not enough to make the cast harmonize together. I feel like everyone tries to copy SJM with Aelin's cadre where every character is sarcastic and emotionally guarded and fantastic at battle.
Also, it was a huge info dump at first. The glossary of intricate and difficult names and creatures and roles and the world creation and the world locations are thrown at your right in the beginning and it's not easy to digest all of it and takes a minute.
I will say, the world is totally unique. The creation reminds me a little bit of Tolkien and Lewis with the gods singing it into existence, but different enough that it's new and not a copy. The monsters so far are fantastic and one of my favorite parts. I want more dragons! And to hear more about the gods and how they interfere and their role in more of the happenings of the world.
This was a fantastic first novel in the series and I can't wait for the sequel!