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Moonfall #2
La balada de los dragones
Llega la esperada secuela de
Hasta que caiga la luna
, el
romantasy
de dragones que revoluciona las redes y las listas de más vendidos internacionales.
La sed de venganza de Raeve aumenta, pero también lo hace su amor por Kaan Vaegor, una marca indeleble de un pasado del que ella sigue huyendo. Y, cuando la joven se entera de que el mundo está a punto de enfrentarse a la caída lunar más devastadora de la historia, se ve obligada a escoger entre perseguir la muerte o la vida mientras Kaan, desesperado por salvar a su reino de la desgracia, envía mensajes de ayuda a amigos y familia.
Pero el tiempo se le está agotando. Conforme afloran tanto alianzas como enemigos con sangrientos propósitos, los secretos bullen hasta quemar, pero ninguno es tan poderoso como el que Raeve esconde en los gélidos recovecos de su mente. Allí hay algo... Otra cosa... que oculta una verdad que podría cambiarlo todo.
Please This audiobook is in Spanish.
La sed de venganza de Raeve aumenta, pero también lo hace su amor por Kaan Vaegor, una marca indeleble de un pasado del que ella sigue huyendo. Y, cuando la joven se entera de que el mundo está a punto de enfrentarse a la caída lunar más devastadora de la historia, se ve obligada a escoger entre perseguir la muerte o la vida mientras Kaan, desesperado por salvar a su reino de la desgracia, envía mensajes de ayuda a amigos y familia.
Pero el tiempo se le está agotando. Conforme afloran tanto alianzas como enemigos con sangrientos propósitos, los secretos bullen hasta quemar, pero ninguno es tan poderoso como el que Raeve esconde en los gélidos recovecos de su mente. Allí hay algo... Otra cosa... que oculta una verdad que podría cambiarlo todo.
Please This audiobook is in Spanish.
Audible Audio
First published May 19, 2026
About the author
Sarah A. Parker
7 books10.5k followersSarah is an international bestselling author who grew up on a farm in New Zealand, where she spent her days getting lost amongst the rolling pasture, building forts in the hedge, climbing trees, and exploring the forest pathways—making up elaborate stories that never lost their grip on her.
She now lives in Australia with her husband, dog, three children, and countless plants, and spends her days pouring her stories onto paper rather than throwing them to the wind.
Her genre of choice is epic fantasy romance, and she thrives off dreaming up real, complex characters and immersive worlds to get lost amongst.
She now lives in Australia with her husband, dog, three children, and countless plants, and spends her days pouring her stories onto paper rather than throwing them to the wind.
Her genre of choice is epic fantasy romance, and she thrives off dreaming up real, complex characters and immersive worlds to get lost amongst.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,271 reviews
May 27, 2026
6 stars. I truly have no words. I haven’t stopped crying. No review will ever do this book justice and I simply don’t even know where I would begin so I’m simply not even gonna try. One of the best books I’ve read all year. I need book 3 now, I’m mentally DESTROYED.
May 24, 2026
4.5 stars ✨
"True love doesn't expire, Raeve. It clings to you like a weight, even when you're drowning."
That was a whole experience. I genuinely cannot sum up how much I adored this book. It made me feel love, pain, rage, sorrow, desire, and the need for revenge. It truly made me feel and that's how a book truly wins me.
I won't lie, this isn't a perfect book. I do think that some bits could have been well edited and Raeve's character for about 60% of the book had me slightly frustrated. I wanted her to communicate and found her annoyingly stubborn in some places. But there was some relief in the last 40% in that area. It's the only reason why it's not a perfect five stars.
But the plot was written so masterfully, I was utterly captivated. Like my mind was genuinely blown away with how it was unfolding. Love the world building and expansion of the characters emotional and political arc. The lyrical prose, the action, and the twists are chef's kiss.
Kaan as always remains perfect book husband material. There's nothing I would change about this man. He's perfect the way he is. The way he loves and devotes himself to Raeve unconditionally had me swooning.
Idk if it's just me but I'm truly impressed by how well the Scavenger King. Like bro it's been a long time since I read a villain in fantasy I truly despised. The last being Lionel from Zodiac Academy that matches the vibe a little but even he got simmered down. Maybe Hybern from Acotar matches that vibe a little. A little. But the Scavenger king is so damn cruel, it made me actually cry. He gave me emotional cruelty without the narrative softening him up. And I gotta hand it to the author for that brilliance. I had to actively remind myself that this isn't real and it's just fiction 😭
I'm pretty sure I read the last 150 pages through tears. Like bro... Why you gotta make me suffer through so much. I can't wait to read the next one. But it's definitely not the sort of book you binge in a go. You take your time and savor the emotions. I wanna reread it already now.
~•~•~
KAAN!! I'm running, stumbling, tripping on my way to you 😩😩
So damn excited for this one. I hear this one is breaking hearts. Time to put my own heart to test.
"True love doesn't expire, Raeve. It clings to you like a weight, even when you're drowning."
That was a whole experience. I genuinely cannot sum up how much I adored this book. It made me feel love, pain, rage, sorrow, desire, and the need for revenge. It truly made me feel and that's how a book truly wins me.
I won't lie, this isn't a perfect book. I do think that some bits could have been well edited and Raeve's character for about 60% of the book had me slightly frustrated. I wanted her to communicate and found her annoyingly stubborn in some places. But there was some relief in the last 40% in that area. It's the only reason why it's not a perfect five stars.
But the plot was written so masterfully, I was utterly captivated. Like my mind was genuinely blown away with how it was unfolding. Love the world building and expansion of the characters emotional and political arc. The lyrical prose, the action, and the twists are chef's kiss.
Kaan as always remains perfect book husband material. There's nothing I would change about this man. He's perfect the way he is. The way he loves and devotes himself to Raeve unconditionally had me swooning.
Idk if it's just me but I'm truly impressed by how well the Scavenger King. Like bro it's been a long time since I read a villain in fantasy I truly despised. The last being Lionel from Zodiac Academy that matches the vibe a little but even he got simmered down. Maybe Hybern from Acotar matches that vibe a little. A little. But the Scavenger king is so damn cruel, it made me actually cry. He gave me emotional cruelty without the narrative softening him up. And I gotta hand it to the author for that brilliance. I had to actively remind myself that this isn't real and it's just fiction 😭
I'm pretty sure I read the last 150 pages through tears. Like bro... Why you gotta make me suffer through so much. I can't wait to read the next one. But it's definitely not the sort of book you binge in a go. You take your time and savor the emotions. I wanna reread it already now.
~•~•~
KAAN!! I'm running, stumbling, tripping on my way to you 😩😩
So damn excited for this one. I hear this one is breaking hearts. Time to put my own heart to test.
Currently Reading
May 7, 2026My review aged like milk but it's okay cuz I GOT THE ARCCCCCCCCC. Immediately starting this!!! My most anticipated read of the year 😭
__
BRO- OCT'25 😭😭 THAT SOOOO LONGGG 😔 I NEED IT RN!!
__
BRO- OCT'25 😭😭 THAT SOOOO LONGGG 😔 I NEED IT RN!!
May 29, 2026
Goodreads needs more stars.
May 24, 2026
6 FREAKING STARS!!!!
This confirmed that this series is god tier for me. RTC because i need to process oh my god
This confirmed that this series is god tier for me. RTC because i need to process oh my god
May 31, 2026
Six stars. God tier. I have no words. This series has my whole heart. I adore these characters and this world, one of my favourite series EVER and we are only two books in 😭🥹❤️🩹
May 26, 2026
INFINITY STARS!!!!!! 🌟
one of the best things i’ve EVER read. god tier from page one. nothing will top it. i can’t even put into words how phenomenal, beautiful, breathtaking, heartbreaking and utterly soul destroying this book is. kaan veagor, you will never be dethroned as #1 book husband. ever. i feel his devotion deep in my bones 😭😭😭 their love is so unmatched it makes my soul ache.
“ever hopeful. until my final breath”
i need to process - i have so much to say but i don’t know how to do it justice right now & i need to think how to convey my thoughts without giving anything away 😭 edit - had some time to reflect so i have fleshed out the rest of my review from here. still spoiler free.
raeve my GIRL. ill die on a hill defending her against anything. her journey and her growth torn me to pieces. 'my soul shatters like a fallen moon, my heartstrings fraying' 😭
to me she is an fmc who i feel so deeply because my heart just aches for everything she has endured and is dealing with - the way she grew from the woman she was at the end of book 1, i felt a deep sense of pride, but i am still hurting for her. i cannot even imagine the deep and endless pain she carries and now i carry with her too. there are some parts of her that i can really relate too, which definitely - for me, solidifies my love for her.
the romance to me is PEAK because i feel everything about it in every fiber of my being. the way kaan is with raeve makes me want to sedate myself. THE YEARNING. like i am sorry to be dramatic but their love story truly makes me feel sick to my stomach, i wish that i wasn't being deadly serious, but i genuinely feel unwell thinking about them. i fear no amount of books for these two will be enough for me. i want to go on about kaan again but i could write you a whole ass book on how i feel about him. I NEED NEW WORDS TO BE INVENTED. i am so not sorry but if you know, you knowwwwwwww. no one is going to come close to level of soul shattering love. the way he will accept any fate, any outcome, just anything - as long as he gets to see his love and know she will be okay. i need to stop but i fear i cannot. perfect isn’t strong enough a word to describe him. talking about him genuinely makes me chest ache, i wish i could be normal about it but im sure others relate to this 🙂↕️ no because now i am texting my husband again to check he yearns for me.
i adored the new pov's and how the puzzle pieces slowly slotted together again, as with book 1. i know some criticisms for these books can be around the 'plot twists' and i am not saying it is wrong to think that way of course, just that i don't agree. i personally feel like these books are a journey and you slowly unravel information as you go, which i personally adore! i really feel like i am on this epic journey alongside everyone. not to say there weren't some moments when i was absolutely shook and wasn't expecting certain plot points!
kyzari has my heart in a vice. please i could just cry all over again 😭
then everything else. everyone else. just WOW. fucking WOW!!!! the way so many things came to together and unraveled. i am at a loss for words. like i’m so deeply unwell. sarah’s writing just does something to me, it’s so unbelievably beautiful, it makes everything hit so much deeper. like im blown away. she wasn’t kidding when she said the dragons were so integral either. i genuinely feel so so deeply for them, like i need them to be protected at all costs. i will start crying again.
but anyway, that was utterly IMMACULATE. killed me, but immaculate.
sarah thank you for this complete MASTERPIECE but i want to know who hurt you cause i spent this whole book crying and wanting to throw up 😭
the ending just took me out. this book made me feel emotions i didn’t know existed.
i could read this book on repeat for the rest of my life and die a happy (albeit it broken) person. i’m sorry but it is that deep to me, this is my everything. they are everything to me. i am spent from the tears. kaan and raeve are my world forever more.
i am not ashamed to say i cried through 95% of this book. that is why it is god tier for me, because these are words on paper and my nervous system is acting like the world is about to implode. i’m really sorry my review makes me sound unstable, i kind of am and i know my book besties get it, when books make us feel this much 🥹
They are mine, I am theirs, and they will see the sky again. Or Creators hear me, the world will rupture beneath my fingertips.
"Thank you.. for loving her as much as I do." 😭
i’ll be back with a proper review soon (ok it turned into a hotter mess, whatever lol). might start my reread now. also might die.
i have around 500 highlights so won't add more quotes, just read it yourself!! my hope is for everyone to read these books and feel the same way i do cause there is truly no better feeling 🥹🤍
_______
IT’S HERE! no i’m already crying 😭 the sequel to one of my favourite books to ever exist!!!!!!!! I AM SO UNWELL ALREADY. kaan my husband, i am gunna be sick. praise be my kindle still thinks im in new zealand rn!! i am freaking out, yes its that serious to me 😭 (if u think i’m insane, i am)
one of the best things i’ve EVER read. god tier from page one. nothing will top it. i can’t even put into words how phenomenal, beautiful, breathtaking, heartbreaking and utterly soul destroying this book is. kaan veagor, you will never be dethroned as #1 book husband. ever. i feel his devotion deep in my bones 😭😭😭 their love is so unmatched it makes my soul ache.
“ever hopeful. until my final breath”
i need to process - i have so much to say but i don’t know how to do it justice right now & i need to think how to convey my thoughts without giving anything away 😭 edit - had some time to reflect so i have fleshed out the rest of my review from here. still spoiler free.
raeve my GIRL. ill die on a hill defending her against anything. her journey and her growth torn me to pieces. 'my soul shatters like a fallen moon, my heartstrings fraying' 😭
to me she is an fmc who i feel so deeply because my heart just aches for everything she has endured and is dealing with - the way she grew from the woman she was at the end of book 1, i felt a deep sense of pride, but i am still hurting for her. i cannot even imagine the deep and endless pain she carries and now i carry with her too. there are some parts of her that i can really relate too, which definitely - for me, solidifies my love for her.
the romance to me is PEAK because i feel everything about it in every fiber of my being. the way kaan is with raeve makes me want to sedate myself. THE YEARNING. like i am sorry to be dramatic but their love story truly makes me feel sick to my stomach, i wish that i wasn't being deadly serious, but i genuinely feel unwell thinking about them. i fear no amount of books for these two will be enough for me. i want to go on about kaan again but i could write you a whole ass book on how i feel about him. I NEED NEW WORDS TO BE INVENTED. i am so not sorry but if you know, you knowwwwwwww. no one is going to come close to level of soul shattering love. the way he will accept any fate, any outcome, just anything - as long as he gets to see his love and know she will be okay. i need to stop but i fear i cannot. perfect isn’t strong enough a word to describe him. talking about him genuinely makes me chest ache, i wish i could be normal about it but im sure others relate to this 🙂↕️ no because now i am texting my husband again to check he yearns for me.
i adored the new pov's and how the puzzle pieces slowly slotted together again, as with book 1. i know some criticisms for these books can be around the 'plot twists' and i am not saying it is wrong to think that way of course, just that i don't agree. i personally feel like these books are a journey and you slowly unravel information as you go, which i personally adore! i really feel like i am on this epic journey alongside everyone. not to say there weren't some moments when i was absolutely shook and wasn't expecting certain plot points!
kyzari has my heart in a vice. please i could just cry all over again 😭
then everything else. everyone else. just WOW. fucking WOW!!!! the way so many things came to together and unraveled. i am at a loss for words. like i’m so deeply unwell. sarah’s writing just does something to me, it’s so unbelievably beautiful, it makes everything hit so much deeper. like im blown away. she wasn’t kidding when she said the dragons were so integral either. i genuinely feel so so deeply for them, like i need them to be protected at all costs. i will start crying again.
but anyway, that was utterly IMMACULATE. killed me, but immaculate.
sarah thank you for this complete MASTERPIECE but i want to know who hurt you cause i spent this whole book crying and wanting to throw up 😭
the ending just took me out. this book made me feel emotions i didn’t know existed.
i could read this book on repeat for the rest of my life and die a happy (albeit it broken) person. i’m sorry but it is that deep to me, this is my everything. they are everything to me. i am spent from the tears. kaan and raeve are my world forever more.
i am not ashamed to say i cried through 95% of this book. that is why it is god tier for me, because these are words on paper and my nervous system is acting like the world is about to implode. i’m really sorry my review makes me sound unstable, i kind of am and i know my book besties get it, when books make us feel this much 🥹
They are mine, I am theirs, and they will see the sky again. Or Creators hear me, the world will rupture beneath my fingertips.
"Thank you.. for loving her as much as I do." 😭
i’ll be back with a proper review soon (ok it turned into a hotter mess, whatever lol). might start my reread now. also might die.
i have around 500 highlights so won't add more quotes, just read it yourself!! my hope is for everyone to read these books and feel the same way i do cause there is truly no better feeling 🥹🤍
_______
IT’S HERE! no i’m already crying 😭 the sequel to one of my favourite books to ever exist!!!!!!!! I AM SO UNWELL ALREADY. kaan my husband, i am gunna be sick. praise be my kindle still thinks im in new zealand rn!! i am freaking out, yes its that serious to me 😭 (if u think i’m insane, i am)
May 27, 2026
4.75⭐ This book emotionally tortured me and I ate up every second of it.
This book wasn't flawless and exactly perfect, But it just dug its way into my heart and made me emotionally weak and obsessed I can't help it.
𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘂𝗽, and Raeve dealing with what happened previously.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳??!! 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. Everything came together perfectly, the plot twists, characters development, the romance, and the tension.
𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝟮𝟱%??? 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀. 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱. The story kept escalating until it was impossible to put down and every chapter introduced new reveals and unanswered questions. I genuinely felt stressed for everyone.
We got 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗢𝗩𝘀 that worked really well, each one expanding the world and adding depth to the emotional weight of the story. I mean, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 is genuinely one of the most hateful villains I’ve read about in a while 🫠. He feels evil to the core.
𝗥𝗮𝗲𝘃𝗲 & 𝗞𝗮𝗮𝗻 completely took over the emotional core of the book, Their connection is full of yearning and pain and so much longing that it physically hurts. They need to be protected at all costs.
I gotta admit, 𝗥𝗮𝗲𝘃𝗲 annoyed me in the first half of the book, she needed to communicate more and stop being stubborn sometimes. Also, the way the author made me 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 the emotional damage of her trauma and past IN MY BONES??! I was unwell.
“I told you, Moonbeam. Revenge is the loneliest deity of them all.”
“Though some dragons lust for vengeance in the same way as a bloodlusting fae, others simply yearn to be loved.”
“True love doesn’t expire, Raeve. It clings to you like a weight, even when you’re drowning.”
|𝐏𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 .˚༶𓅯 ݁˖⭑.
IT'S TIME.
I've seen many readers crying over this... I'm scared.
This book wasn't flawless and exactly perfect, But it just dug its way into my heart and made me emotionally weak and obsessed I can't help it.
𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘂𝗽, and Raeve dealing with what happened previously.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳??!! 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. Everything came together perfectly, the plot twists, characters development, the romance, and the tension.
𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝟮𝟱%??? 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀. 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱. The story kept escalating until it was impossible to put down and every chapter introduced new reveals and unanswered questions. I genuinely felt stressed for everyone.
We got 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗢𝗩𝘀 that worked really well, each one expanding the world and adding depth to the emotional weight of the story. I mean, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 is genuinely one of the most hateful villains I’ve read about in a while 🫠. He feels evil to the core.
𝗥𝗮𝗲𝘃𝗲 & 𝗞𝗮𝗮𝗻 completely took over the emotional core of the book, Their connection is full of yearning and pain and so much longing that it physically hurts. They need to be protected at all costs.
I gotta admit, 𝗥𝗮𝗲𝘃𝗲 annoyed me in the first half of the book, she needed to communicate more and stop being stubborn sometimes. Also, the way the author made me 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 the emotional damage of her trauma and past IN MY BONES??! I was unwell.
“I told you, Moonbeam. Revenge is the loneliest deity of them all.”
“Though some dragons lust for vengeance in the same way as a bloodlusting fae, others simply yearn to be loved.”
“True love doesn’t expire, Raeve. It clings to you like a weight, even when you’re drowning.”
|𝐏𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 .˚༶𓅯 ݁˖⭑.
IT'S TIME.
I've seen many readers crying over this... I'm scared.
Read
May 26, 2026The Ballad of Falling Dragons in theory should possibly objectively get all the stars because I can see what a solid sequel it was.
First things first, Kaan. He’s a ten but… nah he’s a ten fullstop. Green flag MMC who is emotionally available, communicative, secure, loving and I guess that can be slightly disorienting when you’ve grown so used to a certain type of archetype in fantasy romance. I love that for him and for Raeve and for us. Speaking of Raeve, I love her mental and emotional growth in this. It built on and surpassed the first book for me.
⚠️SPOILERS AHEAD.⚠️
Okay I’m done, I’m off to go touch some grass or something. I can’t bring myself to give this a rating because I truly don't know how to rate it. I believe it's an objectively well-written and epic sequel with amazing storytelling but I don't really think I am 100% the right audience for it.
﹏﹏﹏﹏
I'm confused emotionally about how i feel about this. rtc soon I guess?
﹏﹏﹏﹏
Happy Ballad of Falling Dragons day to all that celebrate!
(Stayed up for midnight release like tomorrow isn’t a weekday, anyway, thoughts and prayers to future me.)
First things first, Kaan. He’s a ten but… nah he’s a ten fullstop. Green flag MMC who is emotionally available, communicative, secure, loving and I guess that can be slightly disorienting when you’ve grown so used to a certain type of archetype in fantasy romance. I love that for him and for Raeve and for us. Speaking of Raeve, I love her mental and emotional growth in this. It built on and surpassed the first book for me.
⚠️SPOILERS AHEAD.⚠️
Okay I’m done, I’m off to go touch some grass or something. I can’t bring myself to give this a rating because I truly don't know how to rate it. I believe it's an objectively well-written and epic sequel with amazing storytelling but I don't really think I am 100% the right audience for it.
﹏﹏﹏﹏
I'm confused emotionally about how i feel about this. rtc soon I guess?
﹏﹏﹏﹏
Happy Ballad of Falling Dragons day to all that celebrate!
(Stayed up for midnight release like tomorrow isn’t a weekday, anyway, thoughts and prayers to future me.)
Want to Read
June 18, 2025 Omg I love this title 😭💙 October 25, 2025- ooof. Let the countdown begin. I can't wait to see what the final cover looks like 😍
May 24, 2026
3.5⭐️
OMG pls don’t come for me, I REALLY TRIED 🫶😭 I wanted to love this book SO BAD because after book one?? My expectations were in the stratosphere 🚀
And listen… the last 25%?? CINEMA. Absolute. Epic. Stress. Tears. 5⭐️ behavior. Even though I’m usually a certified member of the “dead people should stay dead” club, I have to admit… the plot twists ate.
But the rest of the book? I was just… there.
Why did we suddenly get all these new POVs?? Not complaining because some were actually fun 👀 but if they were THAT important then okay I guess???
Now… my biggest problem 💀
I LOVE Kaan. I would defend that man in court. But Reave girl… I tried 😭 I really patched things up with her in book one because I understood the trauma, the attitude. But this book?? My patience expired. Why are we hiding ANOTHER secret?? Why are we acting like this?? Why do I feel like everyone else had more personality???
And can we talk about how literally every other woman in this book felt more interesting to me?? INCLUDING SIHARNA WHO WAS BUSY GIVING BIRTH 😭👏
No because genuinely… I do not understand Kaan’s level of obsession (And NO this is not jealousy talking… or is it 🤷♀️😂)
The writing though? Still beautiful. It just sadly wasn’t giving my soul what book one gave.
And I shell just hope that Laura forgives me 🫶😉.
OMG pls don’t come for me, I REALLY TRIED 🫶😭 I wanted to love this book SO BAD because after book one?? My expectations were in the stratosphere 🚀
And listen… the last 25%?? CINEMA. Absolute. Epic. Stress. Tears. 5⭐️ behavior. Even though I’m usually a certified member of the “dead people should stay dead” club, I have to admit… the plot twists ate.
But the rest of the book? I was just… there.
Why did we suddenly get all these new POVs?? Not complaining because some were actually fun 👀 but if they were THAT important then okay I guess???
Now… my biggest problem 💀
I LOVE Kaan. I would defend that man in court. But Reave girl… I tried 😭 I really patched things up with her in book one because I understood the trauma, the attitude. But this book?? My patience expired. Why are we hiding ANOTHER secret?? Why are we acting like this?? Why do I feel like everyone else had more personality???
And can we talk about how literally every other woman in this book felt more interesting to me?? INCLUDING SIHARNA WHO WAS BUSY GIVING BIRTH 😭👏
No because genuinely… I do not understand Kaan’s level of obsession (And NO this is not jealousy talking… or is it 🤷♀️😂)
The writing though? Still beautiful. It just sadly wasn’t giving my soul what book one gave.
And I shell just hope that Laura forgives me 🫶😉.
May 30, 2026
4.5
I am actually obsessed with this world Sarah A Parker has created. It's so atmospheric, and I love the attention to detail. I do recognize this style of super descriptive and flowery writing may not be for everyone, but I LOVE IT - it feels so magically whimsical but in a dark, atmospheric way.
It did take me a little bit to settle back into the world and writing style, because I did not do a re-read of WTMH before diving in. So there definitely was LOTS of flipping back and forth to the glossary for the first 50 or so pages to remember secondary character names... but once I settled in, ooh it was so good. I think while this world might FEEL intimidating to get into, it's actually not too complex. We just have different terms for all the little things (day = dae, night = slumber), but the fantasy terms feel very intuitive - so for me, it feels natural and easy to catch on.
I love dragons, I love the creative twist on them in this world. I love that we have this depiction of Raeve's inner mind/soul that actually manifests as an almost physical environment in itself. Loved the dives into lost memories (of course). I also love how the multi-POV was done in this book, where as the reader we are SO hyper aware of what a character does or doesn't know. It makes all their actions and decisions that much more impactful.
I will say, the first half of the book moved just a bit slowly. But oh my goodness the second half was incredible. Not the perfect book for me, because I'm also not the biggest fan of how the spice is written - but apart from that, WOW this is romantasy done right.
Can't wait for the third!
I am actually obsessed with this world Sarah A Parker has created. It's so atmospheric, and I love the attention to detail. I do recognize this style of super descriptive and flowery writing may not be for everyone, but I LOVE IT - it feels so magically whimsical but in a dark, atmospheric way.
It did take me a little bit to settle back into the world and writing style, because I did not do a re-read of WTMH before diving in. So there definitely was LOTS of flipping back and forth to the glossary for the first 50 or so pages to remember secondary character names... but once I settled in, ooh it was so good. I think while this world might FEEL intimidating to get into, it's actually not too complex. We just have different terms for all the little things (day = dae, night = slumber), but the fantasy terms feel very intuitive - so for me, it feels natural and easy to catch on.
I love dragons, I love the creative twist on them in this world. I love that we have this depiction of Raeve's inner mind/soul that actually manifests as an almost physical environment in itself. Loved the dives into lost memories (of course). I also love how the multi-POV was done in this book, where as the reader we are SO hyper aware of what a character does or doesn't know. It makes all their actions and decisions that much more impactful.
I will say, the first half of the book moved just a bit slowly. But oh my goodness the second half was incredible. Not the perfect book for me, because I'm also not the biggest fan of how the spice is written - but apart from that, WOW this is romantasy done right.
Can't wait for the third!
May 25, 2026
4.5 stars!
When I tell you the last 20% had me STRESSEDDDDD😵💫 IMO this book was much better than the first book. It did address a lot of the questions I had in the first book and there was MORE KAAANNNNNN 👹👹👹 What a MALE y'all🥵 consent king, loyal, down bad simpness GIMMMEEEEEEE😩
THIS REVIEW WILL HAVE MINOR SPOILERS AND MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!!
Let's get the negatives out of the way first😅
🚩 I want to start off by addressing quite possibly the major thing stopping this from being a 5 star or even a 6 star read for me and that is the fmc Raeve.. if you love Raeve, I love that for you so much and I wish I felt the same😭 I don't hate her actually.. I just don't like her.. I almost I feel nothing towards her 😶🌫️ To me she was a very generic fmc, there was nothing special about her or nothing that made her stand out from other romantacy fmcs for me. Her snarkiness was not that funny for me, and her stubbornness about sharing information about herself got old in this book.. I could understand it and excuse it in book 1, but here it was just tired😒 I know this makes it seem like I hated her lol but I really did not.. to be honest my feelings towards her went from tepid to warm-ish but only on that last flashback chapter😅
🚩As much as I loved Kaan, the romance between him and Raeve felt lacking for me 🌚
To be clear, this very well may be a me issue because when it comes to angsty romance, I want my characters to suffer tremendously before they finally get together 😅 The payoff is always so much better and more rewarding. I realize this makes me sound like a sadistic person😅 oh well🌚
MAJOR BOOK 1 SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! Anyways, in book one we learn Raeve is Elluin and they were in love but she had to go and marry his brother while pregnant with Kaan's kid...that sounds so angsty right?? Except it was told to us with very minimal diary entries... I never got to experience them properly falling in love in the past, I never felt connected to their past romance enough for me to feel their pain in the present😭 It was sad don't get me wrong.. it just didn't punch me in the gut you know? I truly believe I would have enjoyed their romance more if I had gotten to experience them falling madly in love and then GETTING RIPPED APART🤣
TIME FOR THE POSITIVES!!!
❤ KAAAANNNNNNNN😩😩😩😩 listen even though I didn't completely connect to their romance, Kaan's unwavering loyalty and down badness was SO GOOD😩 1000/10!!! I'm so happy we had way more chapters in his pov!
❤ Pyrok!!! He was soooo funny and charming HELLO?? Ending his pov like that was DIABOLICALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!I love how the side characters in this book got more time to shine because they brought so much life into the book, especially VEYA!! Don't hate me but I love her more than Raeve😶🌫️ I needed more Grihm povs though!!!
❤ The plot continues to be fun and entertaining. There were some twists that were very predictable and theories I had from book 1 turned out to be true in this one, but she did manage to shock me with 2 twists I did not see coming! I enjoyed the pacing in this book much more. I didn't feel like there was any lull in the narrative and the plot kept going.
❤ THE DRAGON FIGHTS STRESSED ME OUTTTTTTT😩 I love how loyal and bonded these dragons are to their owners; it just feels so organic and beautiful🥹
❤ The Scavenger king was SUCH A GOOD VILLAIN! I felt like we didn't have this big bad villain in book 1, but boy did he outdo himself here! HE WAS DESPICABLEEEEE!!!! Truly irredeemable and horrendous and his ending was so poetic if you ask me😅
❤ The ending has me asking even MORE questions!!! how and why and what is the one strange pov we got randomly in the middle of the book?? What is that? I have a theory though so I guess book 3 should answer all these questions!
Final thoughts
Although I had some issues with some aspects of the book, to me this was a step up from book one on many fronts. Can't wait for the final book in 874832 years😵
________________________________________________________
pre-read:
It is timeeeeee!!! I hope I get some answers and MORE KAANNNNN
When I tell you the last 20% had me STRESSEDDDDD😵💫 IMO this book was much better than the first book. It did address a lot of the questions I had in the first book and there was MORE KAAANNNNNN 👹👹👹 What a MALE y'all🥵 consent king, loyal, down bad simpness GIMMMEEEEEEE😩
THIS REVIEW WILL HAVE MINOR SPOILERS AND MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!!
Let's get the negatives out of the way first😅
🚩 I want to start off by addressing quite possibly the major thing stopping this from being a 5 star or even a 6 star read for me and that is the fmc Raeve.. if you love Raeve, I love that for you so much and I wish I felt the same😭 I don't hate her actually.. I just don't like her.. I almost I feel nothing towards her 😶🌫️ To me she was a very generic fmc, there was nothing special about her or nothing that made her stand out from other romantacy fmcs for me. Her snarkiness was not that funny for me, and her stubbornness about sharing information about herself got old in this book.. I could understand it and excuse it in book 1, but here it was just tired😒 I know this makes it seem like I hated her lol but I really did not.. to be honest my feelings towards her went from tepid to warm-ish but only on that last flashback chapter😅
🚩As much as I loved Kaan, the romance between him and Raeve felt lacking for me 🌚
To be clear, this very well may be a me issue because when it comes to angsty romance, I want my characters to suffer tremendously before they finally get together 😅 The payoff is always so much better and more rewarding. I realize this makes me sound like a sadistic person😅 oh well🌚
MAJOR BOOK 1 SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! Anyways, in book one we learn Raeve is Elluin and they were in love but she had to go and marry his brother while pregnant with Kaan's kid...that sounds so angsty right?? Except it was told to us with very minimal diary entries... I never got to experience them properly falling in love in the past, I never felt connected to their past romance enough for me to feel their pain in the present😭 It was sad don't get me wrong.. it just didn't punch me in the gut you know? I truly believe I would have enjoyed their romance more if I had gotten to experience them falling madly in love and then GETTING RIPPED APART🤣
TIME FOR THE POSITIVES!!!
❤ KAAAANNNNNNNN😩😩😩😩 listen even though I didn't completely connect to their romance, Kaan's unwavering loyalty and down badness was SO GOOD😩 1000/10!!! I'm so happy we had way more chapters in his pov!
❤ Pyrok!!! He was soooo funny and charming HELLO?? Ending his pov like that was DIABOLICALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!I love how the side characters in this book got more time to shine because they brought so much life into the book, especially VEYA!! Don't hate me but I love her more than Raeve😶🌫️ I needed more Grihm povs though!!!
❤ The plot continues to be fun and entertaining. There were some twists that were very predictable and theories I had from book 1 turned out to be true in this one, but she did manage to shock me with 2 twists I did not see coming! I enjoyed the pacing in this book much more. I didn't feel like there was any lull in the narrative and the plot kept going.
❤ THE DRAGON FIGHTS STRESSED ME OUTTTTTTT😩 I love how loyal and bonded these dragons are to their owners; it just feels so organic and beautiful🥹
❤ The Scavenger king was SUCH A GOOD VILLAIN! I felt like we didn't have this big bad villain in book 1, but boy did he outdo himself here! HE WAS DESPICABLEEEEE!!!! Truly irredeemable and horrendous and his ending was so poetic if you ask me😅
❤ The ending has me asking even MORE questions!!! how and why and what is the one strange pov we got randomly in the middle of the book?? What is that? I have a theory though so I guess book 3 should answer all these questions!
Final thoughts
Although I had some issues with some aspects of the book, to me this was a step up from book one on many fronts. Can't wait for the final book in 874832 years😵
________________________________________________________
pre-read:
It is timeeeeee!!! I hope I get some answers and MORE KAANNNNN
May 8, 2026
5 Stunning Stars - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Ballad of Falling Dragons unraveled itself as a melancholic ballad steeped in dark truths, lingering grief, and undying love.
Death and dragons intertwine within a ruinous ballad, and theirs becomes the most breathtaking and devastating ballad of all.
Echoes of its haunting melodies lingered long after I turned that last page of that epilogue.
This installment made my chest ache with unbearable sorrow and dread—all while I felt a catastrophe, like a great shadow, looming around the corners of the story up to the climax.
It was inevitable that this story would ruin me.
The agony was not that it ruined me—it was the fact that I craved the ruin and the hurt and devoured every page with an insatiable hunger for more.
Mind you, traces of my tears are still wet and gleaming on my cheeks. A marker of a story that touched me deeply and devastated my soul.
That is the Sarah A. Parker experience. And I must have some sadistic streak in me that I know I would not survive a story written by that woman and her poetic stunning prose unscathed.
She is a master storyteller who crafts such complex and layered dark tales while effortlessly lacing every word with emotion. I can feel the love and the grief she poured into this.
The truths I had long awaited to unravel wounded me far more deeply than I have anticipated... or prepared myself for. Such precious bonds and memories I thought were long-forgotten in the past emerged so beautifully and heartbreakingly.
Raeve and Kaan's love is so achingly tender that has my heart both hurt and flutter. The feral passion between them is an inferno that is impossible to extinguish and would consume all those who would stand between them and their love.
As shattered remnants of their past were pieced together to reveal devastating truths that had me in tears, Raeve and Kaan's love endures with the same unrelenting devotion it did beyond grief and death.
If Raeve and Kaan are the beating heart of the story, then Kyzari is the quiet soul that softly flutters within it. She is an element of surprise awaiting to be unfolded.
The veil that shrouded their merciless world is lifted, I'm struck with the realization of how far darker the story is.
Even as I'm filled with dread, I am impressed by the effortless way the story has expanded through additional perspectives which elevated it spectacularly.
It is littered with clues and threads for starved lore hunters and theorists such as myself to gorge on.
This book is worthy of a song or a poem as an ode to its poetic author, yet I can't help but acknowledge my humble review has not done it justice and could never fully capture how raw and emotionally devastating it truly felt.
Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for gifting me with an eARC, it's an incredible honor.
The Ballad of Falling Dragons unraveled itself as a melancholic ballad steeped in dark truths, lingering grief, and undying love.
Death and dragons intertwine within a ruinous ballad, and theirs becomes the most breathtaking and devastating ballad of all.
Echoes of its haunting melodies lingered long after I turned that last page of that epilogue.
This installment made my chest ache with unbearable sorrow and dread—all while I felt a catastrophe, like a great shadow, looming around the corners of the story up to the climax.
It was inevitable that this story would ruin me.
The agony was not that it ruined me—it was the fact that I craved the ruin and the hurt and devoured every page with an insatiable hunger for more.
Mind you, traces of my tears are still wet and gleaming on my cheeks. A marker of a story that touched me deeply and devastated my soul.
That is the Sarah A. Parker experience. And I must have some sadistic streak in me that I know I would not survive a story written by that woman and her poetic stunning prose unscathed.
She is a master storyteller who crafts such complex and layered dark tales while effortlessly lacing every word with emotion. I can feel the love and the grief she poured into this.
The truths I had long awaited to unravel wounded me far more deeply than I have anticipated... or prepared myself for. Such precious bonds and memories I thought were long-forgotten in the past emerged so beautifully and heartbreakingly.
Raeve and Kaan's love is so achingly tender that has my heart both hurt and flutter. The feral passion between them is an inferno that is impossible to extinguish and would consume all those who would stand between them and their love.
As shattered remnants of their past were pieced together to reveal devastating truths that had me in tears, Raeve and Kaan's love endures with the same unrelenting devotion it did beyond grief and death.
If Raeve and Kaan are the beating heart of the story, then Kyzari is the quiet soul that softly flutters within it. She is an element of surprise awaiting to be unfolded.
The veil that shrouded their merciless world is lifted, I'm struck with the realization of how far darker the story is.
Even as I'm filled with dread, I am impressed by the effortless way the story has expanded through additional perspectives which elevated it spectacularly.
It is littered with clues and threads for starved lore hunters and theorists such as myself to gorge on.
This book is worthy of a song or a poem as an ode to its poetic author, yet I can't help but acknowledge my humble review has not done it justice and could never fully capture how raw and emotionally devastating it truly felt.
Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for gifting me with an eARC, it's an incredible honor.
May 26, 2026
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ✦ . ⁺ . 3.7 - 3.9 ☆ . ⁺ . ✦
ㅤ ㅤ ˋ°•*⁀➷ㅤmight contain spoilers ❗
ㅤ Ok, sooooo....please keep in mind that this entire review is written by someone who did not love the first book and never fully managed to get attached to or relate to these characters, which very obviously still affects the way I view them now.
ㅤ Which basically means I also wasn’t completely blown away by this book either. Especially when you give me something this slow and somehow even repetitive, a book that keeps making me question every few chapters whether I’m actually enjoying myself or not, only to suddenly remember it has a plot somewhere in the last 20%.
ㅤ And trust me, I really wanted to love this book. I swear I did. But...yeah.
ㅤ ㅤ “You could blind me right now and I’d die happy …”
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ honest thoughts
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Probably everybody already knows that I am a HUGE fan of Sarah A. Parker’s writing and that I fell in love with it the moment I first read To Bleed a Crystal Bloom. Thankfully, that gorgeous lyrical style did not disappoint here either. BUT (yes, unfortunately, there is a but), I did find some repetitions becoming slightly irritating after a while, and certain dialogues disrupted the otherwise beautiful, atmospheric flow of the prose.
ㅤ And honestly, that annoyed me even more because the world itself is so gorgeously complex and immersive. Sure, said world also had me running to the glossary every five minutes sometimes because I kept going “the fuck even is this???”, but HEY, WE ALSO GOT ✨A GLOSSARY✨. DEFINITELY A WIN.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ This felt like it was supposed to be perfect, but never really got there. There were so many moments where I caught myself thinking “ohhh, this is it, THIS is the moment I get fully addicted” only for that excitement to immediately be followed by three chapters of absolutely nothing and scenes that genuinely felt like they existed purely to increase the page count.
ㅤ The pacing was just so strange. At one point, things also started dragging far more than they should have. So many things were also painfully predictable. I kept waiting for the book to truly shock me, to hit me with something unexpected, because it constantly felt like it was building toward something massive, but it never quite delivered that real punch; that true shock factor was just missing for me.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I really loved the additional POVs. They added so much to the story and genuinely made the book feel fuller and more complete overall. However, I did repeatedly find myself stopping to think, “wait, who is this again???” because the POVs weren’t always distinctive enough. At times, the characters’ inner voices blended together a little too much for my liking.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ The FMC, sadly, still frustrates me to no end. I might have been inclined to like her a bit more towards the end of the book, but her constantly hiding things AGAIN and having to be convinced to do something AGAIN for more than half of the book really started to feel tiring.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Do I absolutely adore a man who is hopelessly down bad and willing to sacrifice everything for the woman he loves? But did that automatically make me fall in love with the romance in this book? Sadly, no.
ㅤ The romance is still the one aspect I’m not fully captivated by. Still, I felt like there was such a strange shift in the dynamic after the ending of book one. Suddenly it became all “touch him/her and you die” intense devotion and overwhelming love, but at the same time, it somehow also remained stuck in this hesitant, awkward situationship energy????? And that’s what confuses me. Because objectively, it is a beautiful love story. There’s loyalty and tenderness, but there just seems to be no real depth; like they are trying to convince ME they are in love instead of just being in love. There’s just something holding me back from loving it as much as I feel like I should.
ㅤ Also, I’ve discovered that pregnancy plots and children in books are simply not for me, even when they are fully-grown adults....sooooo perhaps part of the issue is personal. Apparently, I have the maternal attachment of a rock and so none of those very beautiful, very emotional scenes did anything for me.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ If I had to read "ripe", "swollen" or "plump" one more time, I was genuinely about to lose my goddamn mind.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Awful as this may sound, the villain actually ended up contributing a lot to my overall enjoyment of this book. Apart from the additional world-building we got, that psychotic cunt that needed 10 different sorts of therapy somehow managed to make me feel something consistent throughout the story. And in a strange way, that mattered. Because even if it was pure rage most of the time, at least it finally made me feel something.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Now, hold on...because that ending shocked me so badly. And no, not because it was a huge revelation or plot twist, but because I actually predicted that specific character making an appearance; what's worse?? I was actually only joking when I thought that. 😭😭 But yeah, definitely sets the stage for something really interesting....
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ characters
ㅤ ⊹ Raeve — Look, one of my favourite characters ever is Aelin, so you can probably tell I have a strong soft spot for stubborn, self-sacrificial women. But I swear I really tried with Raeve. I wanted to love her, to fully understand her, to feel that deep connection to her story. And don’t get me wrong, I did feel compassion for her. The sheer amount of trauma she carries is no joke. But at the same time, a lot of the book just didn’t land emotionally for me. At times, being in her POV felt more like I was being held inside something I didn’t fully want to be in. I felt like she was stubborn just for the sake of it and not for a real reason. Part of the issue might be that she reflects certain ways of dealing with trauma that feel a bit too familiar to me. And honestly? I’m not exactly my own biggest fan, so that probably didn’t help.
ㅤ ⊹ Kaan — Yeah… just keep doing whatever it is you’re doing. You’re doing great, darling. A bit too much roaring and growling for my taste, and all that hair isn’t exactly my thing, but give me half a shot and suddenly it’s all I want, all I need. Because this man is basically a personified version of loyalty and yearning, and my god, he does it beautifully. Do I fully understand his taste? Honestly… not really. But who am I to judge? He is such a huge softie that just managed to make my heart melt again and again.
ㅤ ⊹ Pyrok — Oh, king...if only you could have gotten half of this book written in your POV. This would have probably been a 5-star read for me.
ㅤ ⊹ Veya — I love her to the moon and back but istg her POVs put me into a deep depression 🥲🥲 Please can we just give her a break ffs??? Let her be happy a moment, will you???? She deserves it more than anyone else; my heart was breaking for her again and again and I was really wondering how much more pain can she take....
ㅤ ⊹ Grihm — Now why his POVs were literally the ones I loved the most??? 😭😭😭 I WAS ROOTING SO MUCH FOR HIM AND THAT DRAGON!!! I even cried while reading some of his chapters. Sarah, if you touch either him or Pyrok in the next book, I will be at your door.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ should you read this?
ㅤ Objectively speaking, this series is absolutely gorgeous and magical in a deeply painful, emotional way. It might not be entirely my cup of tea, but I would still recommend it if you’re in the mood for something lyrical, atmospheric, and quietly devastating. It can be slow at times, and occasionally overwhelming, but there’s no denying that it’s beautiful in its own way.
ㅤ And as for me, I will be reading the final book as well, mostly out of sheer curiosity to see where all of this is ultimately heading.
ㅤ Now, let's get back to also finishing the Crystal Bloom series because no one gets that series like I do, ok??? and ISTG I CANNOT WITH THIS WAITING ANYMORE, IT'S BEEN MORE THAN 3 YEARS SARAH, COME ON!!!
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍendㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ📖‧ ˚ ₊⊹ Moonfall series reviews:
⋆˚࿔ When the Moon Hatched (3.6 - 3.8⭐)
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ✿ㆍㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ᯓ ✿ pre-reading ⪼ ㅤ started ┆20-May-2026┆
ㅤ ㅤ ⤿ going into this with the correct expectations this time and just hoping i will not be drowning in my tears
ㅤ ㅤ ˋ°•*⁀➷ㅤmight contain spoilers ❗
ㅤ Ok, sooooo....please keep in mind that this entire review is written by someone who did not love the first book and never fully managed to get attached to or relate to these characters, which very obviously still affects the way I view them now.
ㅤ Which basically means I also wasn’t completely blown away by this book either. Especially when you give me something this slow and somehow even repetitive, a book that keeps making me question every few chapters whether I’m actually enjoying myself or not, only to suddenly remember it has a plot somewhere in the last 20%.
ㅤ And trust me, I really wanted to love this book. I swear I did. But...yeah.
ㅤ ㅤ “You could blind me right now and I’d die happy …”
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ honest thoughts
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Probably everybody already knows that I am a HUGE fan of Sarah A. Parker’s writing and that I fell in love with it the moment I first read To Bleed a Crystal Bloom. Thankfully, that gorgeous lyrical style did not disappoint here either. BUT (yes, unfortunately, there is a but), I did find some repetitions becoming slightly irritating after a while, and certain dialogues disrupted the otherwise beautiful, atmospheric flow of the prose.
ㅤ And honestly, that annoyed me even more because the world itself is so gorgeously complex and immersive. Sure, said world also had me running to the glossary every five minutes sometimes because I kept going “the fuck even is this???”, but HEY, WE ALSO GOT ✨A GLOSSARY✨. DEFINITELY A WIN.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ This felt like it was supposed to be perfect, but never really got there. There were so many moments where I caught myself thinking “ohhh, this is it, THIS is the moment I get fully addicted” only for that excitement to immediately be followed by three chapters of absolutely nothing and scenes that genuinely felt like they existed purely to increase the page count.
ㅤ The pacing was just so strange. At one point, things also started dragging far more than they should have. So many things were also painfully predictable. I kept waiting for the book to truly shock me, to hit me with something unexpected, because it constantly felt like it was building toward something massive, but it never quite delivered that real punch; that true shock factor was just missing for me.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I really loved the additional POVs. They added so much to the story and genuinely made the book feel fuller and more complete overall. However, I did repeatedly find myself stopping to think, “wait, who is this again???” because the POVs weren’t always distinctive enough. At times, the characters’ inner voices blended together a little too much for my liking.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ The FMC, sadly, still frustrates me to no end. I might have been inclined to like her a bit more towards the end of the book, but her constantly hiding things AGAIN and having to be convinced to do something AGAIN for more than half of the book really started to feel tiring.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Do I absolutely adore a man who is hopelessly down bad and willing to sacrifice everything for the woman he loves? But did that automatically make me fall in love with the romance in this book? Sadly, no.
ㅤ The romance is still the one aspect I’m not fully captivated by. Still, I felt like there was such a strange shift in the dynamic after the ending of book one. Suddenly it became all “touch him/her and you die” intense devotion and overwhelming love, but at the same time, it somehow also remained stuck in this hesitant, awkward situationship energy????? And that’s what confuses me. Because objectively, it is a beautiful love story. There’s loyalty and tenderness, but there just seems to be no real depth; like they are trying to convince ME they are in love instead of just being in love. There’s just something holding me back from loving it as much as I feel like I should.
ㅤ Also, I’ve discovered that pregnancy plots and children in books are simply not for me, even when they are fully-grown adults....sooooo perhaps part of the issue is personal. Apparently, I have the maternal attachment of a rock and so none of those very beautiful, very emotional scenes did anything for me.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ If I had to read "ripe", "swollen" or "plump" one more time, I was genuinely about to lose my goddamn mind.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Awful as this may sound, the villain actually ended up contributing a lot to my overall enjoyment of this book. Apart from the additional world-building we got, that psychotic cunt that needed 10 different sorts of therapy somehow managed to make me feel something consistent throughout the story. And in a strange way, that mattered. Because even if it was pure rage most of the time, at least it finally made me feel something.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Now, hold on...because that ending shocked me so badly. And no, not because it was a huge revelation or plot twist, but because I actually predicted that specific character making an appearance; what's worse?? I was actually only joking when I thought that. 😭😭 But yeah, definitely sets the stage for something really interesting....
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ characters
ㅤ ⊹ Raeve — Look, one of my favourite characters ever is Aelin, so you can probably tell I have a strong soft spot for stubborn, self-sacrificial women. But I swear I really tried with Raeve. I wanted to love her, to fully understand her, to feel that deep connection to her story. And don’t get me wrong, I did feel compassion for her. The sheer amount of trauma she carries is no joke. But at the same time, a lot of the book just didn’t land emotionally for me. At times, being in her POV felt more like I was being held inside something I didn’t fully want to be in. I felt like she was stubborn just for the sake of it and not for a real reason. Part of the issue might be that she reflects certain ways of dealing with trauma that feel a bit too familiar to me. And honestly? I’m not exactly my own biggest fan, so that probably didn’t help.
ㅤ ⊹ Kaan — Yeah… just keep doing whatever it is you’re doing. You’re doing great, darling. A bit too much roaring and growling for my taste, and all that hair isn’t exactly my thing, but give me half a shot and suddenly it’s all I want, all I need. Because this man is basically a personified version of loyalty and yearning, and my god, he does it beautifully. Do I fully understand his taste? Honestly… not really. But who am I to judge? He is such a huge softie that just managed to make my heart melt again and again.
ㅤ ⊹ Pyrok — Oh, king...if only you could have gotten half of this book written in your POV. This would have probably been a 5-star read for me.
ㅤ ⊹ Veya — I love her to the moon and back but istg her POVs put me into a deep depression 🥲🥲 Please can we just give her a break ffs??? Let her be happy a moment, will you???? She deserves it more than anyone else; my heart was breaking for her again and again and I was really wondering how much more pain can she take....
ㅤ ⊹ Grihm — Now why his POVs were literally the ones I loved the most??? 😭😭😭 I WAS ROOTING SO MUCH FOR HIM AND THAT DRAGON!!! I even cried while reading some of his chapters. Sarah, if you touch either him or Pyrok in the next book, I will be at your door.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ should you read this?
ㅤ Objectively speaking, this series is absolutely gorgeous and magical in a deeply painful, emotional way. It might not be entirely my cup of tea, but I would still recommend it if you’re in the mood for something lyrical, atmospheric, and quietly devastating. It can be slow at times, and occasionally overwhelming, but there’s no denying that it’s beautiful in its own way.
ㅤ And as for me, I will be reading the final book as well, mostly out of sheer curiosity to see where all of this is ultimately heading.
ㅤ Now, let's get back to also finishing the Crystal Bloom series because no one gets that series like I do, ok??? and ISTG I CANNOT WITH THIS WAITING ANYMORE, IT'S BEEN MORE THAN 3 YEARS SARAH, COME ON!!!
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍendㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ📖‧ ˚ ₊⊹ Moonfall series reviews:
⋆˚࿔ When the Moon Hatched (3.6 - 3.8⭐)
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ✿ㆍㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ᯓ ✿ pre-reading ⪼ ㅤ started ┆20-May-2026┆
ㅤ ㅤ ⤿ going into this with the correct expectations this time and just hoping i will not be drowning in my tears
May 29, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ SIX STARS!!!
I AM UNWELL!! I literally have no words, which is fine because I can barely type through the tears right now. I've sobbed so hard reading this I've given myself a migraine. I've never cried over a book this much in my entire life 😭 I need a minute to myself
🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙
pre-read:
Book 4 in my book buying ban series ❌📚✨
Courtesy of the tbr prompt:
'A book set in a different world' 🐉🌙📔❄️✨
It doesn't count if someone buys me a book right? 😅 I think I must've yapped too much about WTMH this past week because my Mum ordered me the signed copy of this from Waterstones and I wanted to cry because 1) she's the cutest 🥹 and 2) I was pre-emptively imagining my emotional torment that is inevitably to come from reading this after seeing the updates/reviews from the gorgeous SK & Laura Jane ♡ 🥲 thanks for the warning girls 🥹
Book besties I'm going to need your emotional support for this one 🥹🫶🏼 wish me luck!
I AM UNWELL!! I literally have no words, which is fine because I can barely type through the tears right now. I've sobbed so hard reading this I've given myself a migraine. I've never cried over a book this much in my entire life 😭 I need a minute to myself
🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙
pre-read:
Book 4 in my book buying ban series ❌📚✨
Courtesy of the tbr prompt:
'A book set in a different world' 🐉🌙📔❄️✨
It doesn't count if someone buys me a book right? 😅 I think I must've yapped too much about WTMH this past week because my Mum ordered me the signed copy of this from Waterstones and I wanted to cry because 1) she's the cutest 🥹 and 2) I was pre-emptively imagining my emotional torment that is inevitably to come from reading this after seeing the updates/reviews from the gorgeous SK & Laura Jane ♡ 🥲 thanks for the warning girls 🥹
Book besties I'm going to need your emotional support for this one 🥹🫶🏼 wish me luck!
May 26, 2026
this book could sense that i was about to rate it 3.5, until that last quarter happened. mama wrote that part like she had $3 in the bank, landlord said one year’s rent is due at the stroke of midnight, the walls were crumbling down around her, roof was caving in and the directive was clear: DELIVER. that last sequence of events was action-packed and transcendent!!! otherwise, the rest of the read was not without its pros and cons — much like the first one. they gon’ get the same rating as a result.
this review won’t be one around too many specific details about this book, to avoid overt spoilers. i’m simply going to reflect on things i noted in my review of the first book. in ways, this sequel improved on its predecessor, but in others, certain aspects deteriorated for me.
😀 where we stepped UP:
— plotting
it was SO much more dynamic in this one, where it was just ok and very sleepy in the second half for me in the first book. here, we had a lot more action, a lot more big moments and it was a lot more consistent at sustaining my interest, outside of worldbuilding and kaan/romance beats. there was a time in the middle of the first half where my energy was dwindling a bit, but the book clawed its momentum back and stayed solid for the longest time, before really soaring in that last quarter. big flex. i also take back what i said about homegirl (the author) not being able to hide critical information well, because this book had legitimate surprises. some “twists” were predicable or early theories that ultimately panned out, but other reveals were things concealed well enough that i genuinely didn’t see them coming. there was also great content setting up intrigue for the last book. i was pleased 😌.
— compelling side character presence
book clocked my review of WTMH, and said aight…bet. not only did we get several more povs in this book (something i actually enjoyed — besides boring grihm chapters, maybe), but the cast felt a lot more cohesive. my standout side character was pyrok. he brought such a fun vibe and tons of humour to the read. ahvi was such a great addition as well, veya held strong and several other minor supporting characters really made the read engaging. even borg the waif was doing it for me 🤣. a nice found family started brewing, which i could certainly appreciate. the bonds and interactions with the dragons, and even with the creators, were adding flavour to the book too.
now, the scavenger king / arkyn…oh, he was absolutely diabolical. a menace!!! this is what i neeeeeeded from the first book so bad — a magnetic and formidable villain. he made things interesting, and of course i loved to hate him and his machinations!
☹️ where we tanked:
— the heroine (as she will now be known, henceforth)
i tried. alas, i ran out of rope with her just shy of the 40% mark. that ain’t my girl. all imma say on her is she was present. passed roll call. came through in a pinch on some occasions in the second half, and i got some much needed information about her in the last breath of the book, but i’d already washed my hands of her by then. it was too little too late. because she’s a pervasive aspect of the story, she’s directly responsible for me not being fully emotionally invested in this thing.
— the romance
*adjusts glasses* look, we had a good run. however, this became a very “accept the situation” romance, rather than a developed one. while i enjoyed it in the first book, the novelty wore off when i started looking under the bed for the rest of story? i noted in my review of WTMH that the past timeline was skeletal because of the medium in which it’s delivered to reader. this sequel could have benefited from using flashbacks to show me more scenes of the heroine and kaan falling in love, for me to really understand this supposed love connection between them and how it came about. i was almost expecting that, so i was sad when those scenes never materialized.
i also started feeling like the romance was asymmetrical, which is something i really don’t like. one person is pouring everything into it, whereas there’s an overly stubborn person on the receiving end not giving nearly enough back. i typically dock points off ratings for this. this was especially frustrating for me in the first half of the book. even side characters were telling the heroine to communicate with kaan, and he was giving her every reason to. however, she wasn’t, i didn’t believe in the reasons why anymore, we’re well over 800 pages into the story at this point = ya girl was tired.
it started crystallizing for me that this romance was a variation of an amnesia plot from day one too, and i typically have a hard time with those unless executed very specifically. once that thought set in, it was a wrap.
kaan remained perfect though, and was solely responsible for what i could enjoy about the love story. mans had me about ready to act up and add him to my life insurance policy. carrying this whole damn romance on that big back, those wide shoulders, that muscled torso mmmm…wait, where was i going with this again? oh, his big heart 🥹. all his yearn-y lines and devotion were nothing short of poetry in motion. i also loved that he was very much in touch with his emotions, and willing to still keep offering himself up and trying to build a partnership, despite having experienced tragedy TOO and having to wrangle a heroine who just wanted to mount. his emotional intelligence was in the stratosphere…something i cannot say the same of for the heroine.
you know something is up when you’re feeling more butterflies from a lil romance brewing between two side characters, rather than the main one anymore. sorry y’all.
lastly, this book didn’t really do for me emotionally what i thought it would do. that’s not to say there weren’t enough of the right moments or that the writing wasn’t emotive, because there were and it was…i just didn’t feel it. everyone was crying but i wasn’t 😔. i thought my disconnect was because my well ran dry after pouring my heart into my last read, but i don’t think that’s really all it was. it just be like that sometimes (and, well…the heroine 😬). i thought my tear ducts were broken, but after holding court with my girls youssra and lola throughout the read, i realized i wasn’t alone in this feeling. three’s company, i guess 😋. thank you so much ladies for all the discussion and fun chats that made the experience — i love y’all 💋
that’s it! on a separate note, where can i get my hands on a miskunn? they are so cute 🥹
this review won’t be one around too many specific details about this book, to avoid overt spoilers. i’m simply going to reflect on things i noted in my review of the first book. in ways, this sequel improved on its predecessor, but in others, certain aspects deteriorated for me.
😀 where we stepped UP:
— plotting
it was SO much more dynamic in this one, where it was just ok and very sleepy in the second half for me in the first book. here, we had a lot more action, a lot more big moments and it was a lot more consistent at sustaining my interest, outside of worldbuilding and kaan/romance beats. there was a time in the middle of the first half where my energy was dwindling a bit, but the book clawed its momentum back and stayed solid for the longest time, before really soaring in that last quarter. big flex. i also take back what i said about homegirl (the author) not being able to hide critical information well, because this book had legitimate surprises. some “twists” were predicable or early theories that ultimately panned out, but other reveals were things concealed well enough that i genuinely didn’t see them coming. there was also great content setting up intrigue for the last book. i was pleased 😌.
— compelling side character presence
book clocked my review of WTMH, and said aight…bet. not only did we get several more povs in this book (something i actually enjoyed — besides boring grihm chapters, maybe), but the cast felt a lot more cohesive. my standout side character was pyrok. he brought such a fun vibe and tons of humour to the read. ahvi was such a great addition as well, veya held strong and several other minor supporting characters really made the read engaging. even borg the waif was doing it for me 🤣. a nice found family started brewing, which i could certainly appreciate. the bonds and interactions with the dragons, and even with the creators, were adding flavour to the book too.
now, the scavenger king / arkyn…oh, he was absolutely diabolical. a menace!!! this is what i neeeeeeded from the first book so bad — a magnetic and formidable villain. he made things interesting, and of course i loved to hate him and his machinations!
☹️ where we tanked:
— the heroine (as she will now be known, henceforth)
i tried. alas, i ran out of rope with her just shy of the 40% mark. that ain’t my girl. all imma say on her is she was present. passed roll call. came through in a pinch on some occasions in the second half, and i got some much needed information about her in the last breath of the book, but i’d already washed my hands of her by then. it was too little too late. because she’s a pervasive aspect of the story, she’s directly responsible for me not being fully emotionally invested in this thing.
— the romance
*adjusts glasses* look, we had a good run. however, this became a very “accept the situation” romance, rather than a developed one. while i enjoyed it in the first book, the novelty wore off when i started looking under the bed for the rest of story? i noted in my review of WTMH that the past timeline was skeletal because of the medium in which it’s delivered to reader. this sequel could have benefited from using flashbacks to show me more scenes of the heroine and kaan falling in love, for me to really understand this supposed love connection between them and how it came about. i was almost expecting that, so i was sad when those scenes never materialized.
i also started feeling like the romance was asymmetrical, which is something i really don’t like. one person is pouring everything into it, whereas there’s an overly stubborn person on the receiving end not giving nearly enough back. i typically dock points off ratings for this. this was especially frustrating for me in the first half of the book. even side characters were telling the heroine to communicate with kaan, and he was giving her every reason to. however, she wasn’t, i didn’t believe in the reasons why anymore, we’re well over 800 pages into the story at this point = ya girl was tired.
it started crystallizing for me that this romance was a variation of an amnesia plot from day one too, and i typically have a hard time with those unless executed very specifically. once that thought set in, it was a wrap.
kaan remained perfect though, and was solely responsible for what i could enjoy about the love story. mans had me about ready to act up and add him to my life insurance policy. carrying this whole damn romance on that big back, those wide shoulders, that muscled torso mmmm…wait, where was i going with this again? oh, his big heart 🥹. all his yearn-y lines and devotion were nothing short of poetry in motion. i also loved that he was very much in touch with his emotions, and willing to still keep offering himself up and trying to build a partnership, despite having experienced tragedy TOO and having to wrangle a heroine who just wanted to mount. his emotional intelligence was in the stratosphere…something i cannot say the same of for the heroine.
you know something is up when you’re feeling more butterflies from a lil romance brewing between two side characters, rather than the main one anymore. sorry y’all.
lastly, this book didn’t really do for me emotionally what i thought it would do. that’s not to say there weren’t enough of the right moments or that the writing wasn’t emotive, because there were and it was…i just didn’t feel it. everyone was crying but i wasn’t 😔. i thought my disconnect was because my well ran dry after pouring my heart into my last read, but i don’t think that’s really all it was. it just be like that sometimes (and, well…the heroine 😬). i thought my tear ducts were broken, but after holding court with my girls youssra and lola throughout the read, i realized i wasn’t alone in this feeling. three’s company, i guess 😋. thank you so much ladies for all the discussion and fun chats that made the experience — i love y’all 💋
that’s it! on a separate note, where can i get my hands on a miskunn? they are so cute 🥹
May 21, 2026
I HAVE NOTHING COHERENT TO SAY AT THIS TIME JUST 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Pre-read:
I'm yearning for some yearning 🥲
Pre-read:
I'm yearning for some yearning 🥲
Want to Read
April 11, 2025Just found out the release for this has been pushed back to the 24th of Feb 2026. There goes my October plans 😭
Read
May 29, 2026RTC ❤️
———————
So I may have ordered the Kindle, audio, and physical book for this. And even if it delivers complete emotional destruction I’ll be asking for more 🥹
———————
So I may have ordered the Kindle, audio, and physical book for this. And even if it delivers complete emotional destruction I’ll be asking for more 🥹
May 28, 2026
Sarah A. Parker must love emotionally torturing her audience because what in the heart-breaking hell was that?? The number of times I had to put this down from being in pieces, audibly sobbing to the point I literally couldn’t see, was not okay. The developments surrounding Kyzari, Líri and The Other absolutely DESTROYED me. This book affected me so much it was actually making me mad. I’m not even going to talk about the ending either because I don’t have the capacity to comprehend what’s going to come from that right now.
I could go on and on and on about what makes Kaan arguably one of the best current fantasy MMCs, but I don’t want to spoil the experience. Just know that the fact that he’s a fictional man written by a woman who could realistically never exist in our world is one of the most upsetting parts of this book.
“Once again, he gave me everything and left nothing for himself. I’ll never be good enough for this male, but I’ll try. Creators, I’ll fucking try.”
Raeve is fucking fearless and really went through it again; facing the agonising truths she was avoiding and proving that despite the trauma she’s suffered she just KEEPS PICKING HERSELF BACK UP. She is everything I love in a fantasy FMC; fierce, flawed, a total badass and emotionally complex. My heart broke and soared over and over for her. Her tenacity, growth and irrevocable love for her family were incredible to experience.
“They are mine, I am theirs, and they will see the sky again. Or Creators hear me, the world will rupture beneath my fingertips.”
The world is so rich and fleshed out, and the storytelling is so vivid, I was transported to an otherworldly, magical landscape that completely came alive in my head. The magic, lore and creatures just keep getting better, and the new characters are excellent additions. Arkyn is a terrifying villain. I made a note 40 pages in saying “is he about to become one of the WORST villains ever??” and by the halfway mark he 100% proved me right. HOWEVER, when it comes to Tyroth, it makes me sick just thinking about what’s to come with him.
The storyline is so impressively woven together, there were a few points where I was totally in awe, I just sat there for a minute appreciating it, thinking, “Sarah... you fucking mastermind.” And the writing is just... ahh, it speaks to my freaking soul, I swear. It gets under my skin and claws its way deep down into my core—it's so visceral.
The action scenes took my literal breath away, and every time a dragon was present, holy hell. Just chills. They are truly magnificent. The bonds they have with their riders, their power and uniqueness blow me away. I feel like we’ve only gotten a taste of the carnage to come in later books, and I’ll never be ready.
I procrastinated SOOO badly with this because I was petrified of what could happen and didn’t want it to end. And ngl it was just a lot... the storytelling is very much centred around the character’s emotional suffering, and I’m so attached to them, I had to really brace myself for a lot of it. But I’m glad I got to savour and sit with it, and it was still everything I wanted and more. One thousand percent worth the wait. I’m already preparing myself to be emotionally annihilated yet again in the next book.
“Her and her Precious Little One … they were always meant to be.” *cue sobbing*
-
Finallyyyy, omg.. I’ve been waiting so long for this. I’m so nervous.
I could go on and on and on about what makes Kaan arguably one of the best current fantasy MMCs, but I don’t want to spoil the experience. Just know that the fact that he’s a fictional man written by a woman who could realistically never exist in our world is one of the most upsetting parts of this book.
“Once again, he gave me everything and left nothing for himself. I’ll never be good enough for this male, but I’ll try. Creators, I’ll fucking try.”
Raeve is fucking fearless and really went through it again; facing the agonising truths she was avoiding and proving that despite the trauma she’s suffered she just KEEPS PICKING HERSELF BACK UP. She is everything I love in a fantasy FMC; fierce, flawed, a total badass and emotionally complex. My heart broke and soared over and over for her. Her tenacity, growth and irrevocable love for her family were incredible to experience.
“They are mine, I am theirs, and they will see the sky again. Or Creators hear me, the world will rupture beneath my fingertips.”
The world is so rich and fleshed out, and the storytelling is so vivid, I was transported to an otherworldly, magical landscape that completely came alive in my head. The magic, lore and creatures just keep getting better, and the new characters are excellent additions. Arkyn is a terrifying villain. I made a note 40 pages in saying “is he about to become one of the WORST villains ever??” and by the halfway mark he 100% proved me right. HOWEVER, when it comes to Tyroth, it makes me sick just thinking about what’s to come with him.
The storyline is so impressively woven together, there were a few points where I was totally in awe, I just sat there for a minute appreciating it, thinking, “Sarah... you fucking mastermind.” And the writing is just... ahh, it speaks to my freaking soul, I swear. It gets under my skin and claws its way deep down into my core—it's so visceral.
The action scenes took my literal breath away, and every time a dragon was present, holy hell. Just chills. They are truly magnificent. The bonds they have with their riders, their power and uniqueness blow me away. I feel like we’ve only gotten a taste of the carnage to come in later books, and I’ll never be ready.
I procrastinated SOOO badly with this because I was petrified of what could happen and didn’t want it to end. And ngl it was just a lot... the storytelling is very much centred around the character’s emotional suffering, and I’m so attached to them, I had to really brace myself for a lot of it. But I’m glad I got to savour and sit with it, and it was still everything I wanted and more. One thousand percent worth the wait. I’m already preparing myself to be emotionally annihilated yet again in the next book.
“Her and her Precious Little One … they were always meant to be.” *cue sobbing*
-
Finallyyyy, omg.. I’ve been waiting so long for this. I’m so nervous.
Did Not Finish
May 28, 2026I tried so hard to get through it…but I cannot🤦🏾♀️
I should’ve figured as such, because I didn’t particularly enjoy book 1….lol FOMO got the best of me
I should’ve figured as such, because I didn’t particularly enjoy book 1….lol FOMO got the best of me
May 30, 2026
5 MILLION STARS, BUT AT WHAT COST! The Ballad of Falling TEARS. TEARS. That's how i'll refer to this book from now on. 😭 I've sat with this for a few days now and i'm still not sure any review I write will do justice to this world, characters and story I adore so much. Or really convey just how much I love it. So this may be rambling and chaotic. Bear with me. This was easily one of the best books i've read. Certainly one of my god-tier, all-time, favourites. High fantasy, with a romance that is one of the most romantic relationships i've ever read. The most vivid, totally immersive world, creatures, lore, magic. High stakes. TOTAL REPEATED EMOTIONAL DEVASTATION. It gave us the best dragons ever, character growth, plot development, One of the most monstrous, viscerally evil villains i've read in the longest time, ANSWERS, and of course, a healthy sprinkle of those mysterious breadcrumbs Sarah's a master at weaving through her books which means I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS.
It gave us Kaan Vaegor. King Kaan. Sire. Daddy Kaan. The answer to every fantasy book husband dream i've ever had. Number one book husband. THIS IS HOW YOU DO A MMC POV THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME WANT TO THROW MY BOOK ACROSS THE ROOM (*side-eye* Furybound *side-eye*). A fully-fleshed out character who adores the FMC and embodies all those traits we love in our fictional men (frankly I feel like he's the romantic blueprint at this point), but whose every thought isn't just wanting to fuck the FMC. A male lead character who's absolute love for the fmc feels genuine and true. An MMC with actual depth, personality and purpose, with his own story arc that is just as important, just as gripping, just as devastating as the FMCs. I gobbled up every line of his pov chapters and wanted more. Honestly I could write essays about how much I love him.
And I know Raeve's not everyone's favourite FMC, (she's one of mine. I'm a Raeve apologist, always. I don't always like her decisions but I do understand them) but this book gave us growth for her that was so satisfying and hard-earned. I can't wait to see who she becomes in the final book.
I cannot talk about the end or I will cry rivers (again), but it tore my heart out and left me devastated and desperate for the next book.
Basically, it gave me everything. Everything I wanted from it or hoped it would be.
It gave us Kaan Vaegor. King Kaan. Sire. Daddy Kaan. The answer to every fantasy book husband dream i've ever had. Number one book husband. THIS IS HOW YOU DO A MMC POV THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME WANT TO THROW MY BOOK ACROSS THE ROOM (*side-eye* Furybound *side-eye*). A fully-fleshed out character who adores the FMC and embodies all those traits we love in our fictional men (frankly I feel like he's the romantic blueprint at this point), but whose every thought isn't just wanting to fuck the FMC. A male lead character who's absolute love for the fmc feels genuine and true. An MMC with actual depth, personality and purpose, with his own story arc that is just as important, just as gripping, just as devastating as the FMCs. I gobbled up every line of his pov chapters and wanted more. Honestly I could write essays about how much I love him.
And I know Raeve's not everyone's favourite FMC, (she's one of mine. I'm a Raeve apologist, always. I don't always like her decisions but I do understand them) but this book gave us growth for her that was so satisfying and hard-earned. I can't wait to see who she becomes in the final book.
I cannot talk about the end or I will cry rivers (again), but it tore my heart out and left me devastated and desperate for the next book.
Basically, it gave me everything. Everything I wanted from it or hoped it would be.
May 20, 2026
INFINITY STARS. SARAH YOU MAGNIFICENT WIZARD.
I WILL COME BACK TO UPDATE THIS ONCE IVE REGAINED THE ABILITY TO FORM COHERENT THOUGHTS.
I WILL COME BACK TO UPDATE THIS ONCE IVE REGAINED THE ABILITY TO FORM COHERENT THOUGHTS.
June 2, 2026
6🌟 + emotional damage + therapy bills
This book absolutely kicked my ass. I lost my mind. WHAT WAS THAT.
It managed to make me cry over a piece of paper. I cried so much that my tears could probably solve a drought somewhere.
This book gave me everything I wanted: plot, characters, emotions… damn GOD TIER🔥
“You and me, Moonbeam.”
“Until the end.”
Any words that could be said about Kaan would still fall short. New words need to be invented for him. And Raeve… the sarcasm she used to hide all her pain somehow made me laugh despite everything. They were everything.
Ah, Kyzari and Raeve… my heart was ripped right out of my chest.
“I wish I got here sooner.”
GOODBYE.
I would make a deal with the devil to read book 3 right now. When they burn the world down for the life that was stolen from them, I’ll be here. I’ll probably be crying.🥲
“With my greatest respect, you’d have better luck getting the world to spin than convincing me to put my life before yours.”
“To what do I owe the honor?”
“My eternal adoration.”
“If they lay a single finger on Kaan Vaegor, I will personally blow their precious Citadel to rubble. Their prized arches may protect them from the moonfalls, but they will crumble beneath my wrath. Just like every bone in their bodies.”
This book absolutely kicked my ass. I lost my mind. WHAT WAS THAT.
It managed to make me cry over a piece of paper. I cried so much that my tears could probably solve a drought somewhere.
This book gave me everything I wanted: plot, characters, emotions… damn GOD TIER🔥
“You and me, Moonbeam.”
“Until the end.”
Any words that could be said about Kaan would still fall short. New words need to be invented for him. And Raeve… the sarcasm she used to hide all her pain somehow made me laugh despite everything. They were everything.
Ah, Kyzari and Raeve… my heart was ripped right out of my chest.
“I wish I got here sooner.”
GOODBYE.
I would make a deal with the devil to read book 3 right now. When they burn the world down for the life that was stolen from them, I’ll be here. I’ll probably be crying.🥲
“With my greatest respect, you’d have better luck getting the world to spin than convincing me to put my life before yours.”
“To what do I owe the honor?”
“My eternal adoration.”
“If they lay a single finger on Kaan Vaegor, I will personally blow their precious Citadel to rubble. Their prized arches may protect them from the moonfalls, but they will crumble beneath my wrath. Just like every bone in their bodies.”
May 21, 2026
SPOILER FREE 👇🏼
I finished this about 10 seconds ago. For now, I’m going with 4.25⭐️
Far from perfect, Ballad lulls significantly in the second act and had me sending frustrated voice notes to one of my best friends. The contents of which will become my full review (with spoilers) at a later date. I want to give people time to get through it, first!
I’m pretty sure there are plot holes. ‘Pretty sure’ because I need to go back over my annotations to see if full context offers more clarity.
That said.
The final act of the novel, beginning around chapter 60, is absolutely doused in jet fuel. I was riveted, stressed, and completely engrossed.
And that cliffhanger? Sarah, you evil woman, you knew exactly what you were doing.
I can almost guarantee that a first draft doesn’t even existyet, but I cannot get my grubby little hands on book 3 soon enough.
Stay tuned for a full review, which I’ll pop down below with a spoiler warning. I cannot wait to discuss theories with all of you!!!
I finished this about 10 seconds ago. For now, I’m going with 4.25⭐️
Far from perfect, Ballad lulls significantly in the second act and had me sending frustrated voice notes to one of my best friends. The contents of which will become my full review (with spoilers) at a later date. I want to give people time to get through it, first!
I’m pretty sure there are plot holes. ‘Pretty sure’ because I need to go back over my annotations to see if full context offers more clarity.
That said.
The final act of the novel, beginning around chapter 60, is absolutely doused in jet fuel. I was riveted, stressed, and completely engrossed.
And that cliffhanger? Sarah, you evil woman, you knew exactly what you were doing.
I can almost guarantee that a first draft doesn’t even existyet, but I cannot get my grubby little hands on book 3 soon enough.
Stay tuned for a full review, which I’ll pop down below with a spoiler warning. I cannot wait to discuss theories with all of you!!!
May 25, 2026
Romantasy is BACK! I enjoyed this so much more than book one. The plot in this was actually PLOTTING, y’all 😭
I personally loved the multiple POVs. It made everything feel so much more epic, which is one of my favorite fantasy subgenres 🤩 Parker’s worldbuilding continues to be expansive, and the political intrigue had my brain working overtime.
I also finally got a villain I LOVE to hate. Arykn… when I catch you, it’s on sight 😭 My heart was hurting for Kyzari through all of this. Please let my girl live!
And Veya and Pyrok??? I was HERE for them and absolutely need more of them in book three.
The only thing keeping this from being a full 5 stars for me was the romance. Listen… Kaan continues to be THAT MAN. There is truly nobody like Kaan Vaegor — the girls are absolutely right about him. My only issue is that he keeps telling us why he loves her, and I just wanted to see it more. I wanted more moments that really showed how they fell in love instead of just hearing the love confessions. Raeve *sigh* let me leave that girl alone cause she’s been through enough…
But honestly, that’s more of a personal preference because I can absolutely understand why people are obsessed with their love story. They really are written like star-crossed lovers, just not for me 🥲
Now THAT ending?? DIABOLICAL 😭 Free my people, Sarah! And Caelis… I need answers TODAY.
I personally loved the multiple POVs. It made everything feel so much more epic, which is one of my favorite fantasy subgenres 🤩 Parker’s worldbuilding continues to be expansive, and the political intrigue had my brain working overtime.
I also finally got a villain I LOVE to hate. Arykn… when I catch you, it’s on sight 😭 My heart was hurting for Kyzari through all of this. Please let my girl live!
And Veya and Pyrok??? I was HERE for them and absolutely need more of them in book three.
The only thing keeping this from being a full 5 stars for me was the romance. Listen… Kaan continues to be THAT MAN. There is truly nobody like Kaan Vaegor — the girls are absolutely right about him. My only issue is that he keeps telling us why he loves her, and I just wanted to see it more. I wanted more moments that really showed how they fell in love instead of just hearing the love confessions. Raeve *sigh* let me leave that girl alone cause she’s been through enough…
But honestly, that’s more of a personal preference because I can absolutely understand why people are obsessed with their love story. They really are written like star-crossed lovers, just not for me 🥲
Now THAT ending?? DIABOLICAL 😭 Free my people, Sarah! And Caelis… I need answers TODAY.
June 2, 2026
WOOWWWW absolutely outstanding 5⭐️ !!!!
BOOK 1 SPOILERS BELOW
From the characters, plot, the little details & writing…everything was just incredible. I’ve never read a romantasy that they’re parents, but it was touching and beautiful in ways I’ve never experienced.
we missed it all 😭 I actually am going to be sick!!! It was so emotional, complex, and beautifully done. I am truly so excited for book 3 and need the end of this story like I need air!!!
BOOK 1 SPOILERS BELOW
From the characters, plot, the little details & writing…everything was just incredible. I’ve never read a romantasy that they’re parents, but it was touching and beautiful in ways I’ve never experienced.
we missed it all 😭 I actually am going to be sick!!! It was so emotional, complex, and beautifully done. I am truly so excited for book 3 and need the end of this story like I need air!!!
Want to Read
July 26, 2024I know what I am doing October 7th 2025 🥲 (probably crying due to this book)
Want to Read
May 30, 2026Need a Recap before book 2: Read When the Moon Hatched Book Recap HERE
😭I want this so bad it hurts.
😭I want this so bad it hurts.
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