Romantsy and something amiss

When the Moon Hatched

Sarah A. Parker

560 pages, Paperback First published 13 January 2024

Raeve is an assassin for the rebellion against the current regime, she undertakes and completes her orders without getting caught. In carrying out on of her order Raeve becomes entangled with a man who seems to know her but she is able to escape his clutches. Being a successful assassin she is a target and to bring her out of hiding, a bounty hunter Rekk kills her companion Essi. Enraged by grief, Raeve seeks to destroy Rekk and take her revenge.

Parker has created a realistic world, has developed complex governance and religious structures. The characters are well crafted and have unique personalities and ambitions. Each chapter is told through a different characters point of view and always in the first person, There will be spoilers and I hate doing that, but it is the only way to really discuss the story.

Raeve as the main character, is a woman who has a strong sense of right and wrong, she is loyal to those she loves and is skilled as an assassin. When we first meet Raeve, she is undertaking a commission, and we learn that Raeve is inhabited by ‘the Other’. The Other is an entity that is able to take over Raeve’s body and mind, has a desire to kill through the most violent means possible. Reave never addresses the relationship, but she seems to accept and even welcome the Other taking over body and mind to commit acts of violence. Raeve home situation is shared with a woman named Essi, there is a history between the two of them, the status of the relationship is alluded to but never fully developed. The same with the rebellion and Raeve’s involvement, the characters, her participation is alluded to, but you never fully have that explored. Raeve comes to us, fully developed and aware of who and what she is, as the story develops you learn that Raeve has had another life. That is how love interest Kaan comes into the story.

Kaan is a big hunk of a man with rippling abs, black hair, the patience of a saint, considered a tyrant as King but really is a nice guy, oh and great in the sack. The focus of the novel is the relationship between Kaan and Raeve and I actually think this a detriment to the story. As their relationship develops it brings forth the need for more information. For example, Kaan meets a woman he believes to be dead, does he question how she is alive, does he try to find out if it is really her or some doppelganger? No, he just blindly accepts that she is his beloved who he once thought dead is now alive and just wants to rekindle the romance. Raeve is confronted with knowledge she may have been someone else, does she wonder how that happened, why she has a memory loss, what her previous personae was, who might have wanted to harm her? No, she is just keen to get in the sack with Kaan and avenge her friend Essi. It is that background I would like to have seen teased out more as the love component of the story overshadows the political intrigue around Raeve’s powers and importance to past and possible future events.

There are characters that make an appearance, are alluded to as being central, Sereme and The Fate Herder come to mind, who then just disappear. As we come to the end of the book, new information is included that the main characters are not going to know about until the next book. Plus, Kaan and Raeve are met to have this serious conversation, I mean he does force to her yield sexually so they can have it, that we are told will upset Raeve, and have a huge impact on someone else. That talk does not happen, and the two characters do not seem to care.

I can not tell you who is the antagonist to Raeve’s progress for there is no one, she has two ambitions being avenge Essi and have a romp with Kaan. There is the potential for some real skullduggery, but it is not teased out. One other small gripe, the glossary at the back, that was useful. What was not useful was the family tree that provided a spoiler being the birth of a child.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Parker has done an amazing job with creating a world and characters that are believable. For me, I just did not think the balance between the romance and the potential political intrigue is there.

The Darkside of Midnight

Johnna Dee

Kindle Edition, Expected publication 3 February 2025

Seline is trying to make a new life after escaping an abusive ex-partner. Things are looking up, she has a job, a place of her own, the chance to make new friends but it does not last. Her ex-partner, Cole finds her, commences to extract his punishment for her leaving him. Seline is prepared to die. When she wakes in a hospital room for the briefest of moments Seline has hope, she has survived, she can move and then the realisation dawns on her. This is a not a hospital and she has a new captor to contend with.

The Darkside of Midnight is the first in a series and is only about 60 pages in length. However, Dee has managed to pack quite a bit in, that allows you to understand Seline's past and how it shapes her current behaviour. This creates instant empathy to be established with Seline, who really is having a crap life.

The internal battles Seline faces are handled deftly as she rages through an array of emotions from submission to her fate, trying to manipulate her captor and looking for any means of escape. The writing keeps you engaged and makes for a real page turner as you want to learn of Seline's fate.

By the way the trigger warnings should be heeded as the story has many a dark aspect.

The author touts this book as like Gone Girl or Girl on a Train, I would have thought Room would be closer.