Lexi (2:51)

Hi, I'm Lexi, older sister and fantasy Lore nerd.

Nicole (2:54)

And I'm Nicole, younger sister and romantic at heart.

Lexi (2:57)

And we're here to help cure your book hangover.

Nicole (3:00)

We are obviously beyond excited today because we are preparing for our Deep Dive of When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker. This is two years in the making. Oh my God.

Lexi (3:11)

Today's episode is a fan guide as we enter the rich world of the Moonfall series today, we're also going to explain how spoilers will work for these episodes. We'll walk through our Deep Dives format, yes, including our new segment names and in general, what you can expect from these jam packed Deep Dive episodes starting next Monday, March 9th.

Nicole (3:29)

Plus we'll give a little insight as to what we're most excited for for our when the Moon Hatched deep Dive and a special announcement for this book's Deep Dive coverage.

Lexi (3:38)

As always, please listen closely to our spoiler warning. This episode right here. This when the Moon Hatched fan guide does not contain plot spoilers. When the Moon Hatched is known for its complex world with high fantasy elements. Naturally, with a lot of new world building information, it can be a little overwhelming. So look at today's fan guide as your cheat sheet for when the Moon Hatched. Whether you're about to start the book or you're mid read or prepping for a reread with our Deep Dive.

Nicole (4:04)

So with all of that said, if you do not know that the world began with five, that's okay. You're safe to listen to this podcast Next.

Lexi (4:12)

We A Fantasy fan Girls are adults who say adult things about adult books. In other words, friends, this podcast is rated rich Conveyor.

Nicole (4:22)

Do not worry, this will be spoiler free. But I am not promising it'll be feral free. So please be mindful of those little listening ears.

Lexi (4:30)

Additionally, we are so excited to see you at upcoming live events on April 8.

Nicole (4:35)

We are partnering with the Denver Nuggets and Rebecca Yarros for a fourth Wing themed basketball night at Ballerina.

Lexi (4:41)

Plus, we are so excited to do a live show at the neptune Theater on April 19th in Seattle. Tickets are on sale now for you to dive deep into how to train your dragon with us.

Nicole (4:51)

We are also so very excited to announce that we will be hosting a Ballad of Falling Dragons release party in Denver, Colorado on May 18th in partnership with Tattered Cover and Booking. Gather more details coming soon. And in case you missed it, the Fantasy Fangirls Network Be Boppin.

Lexi (5:09)

First up, Fantasy Fan Fellas has officially launched their Season two where Booktok star Steven Walker and our very own Hating Sanity Manager are diving deep into Brandon Sanderson. Mistborn the well of Ascension Season one

Nicole (5:22)

covering Book one of Mistborn is out now on the Fantasy Fanfellas feed and Season two is only available on the Fantasy Fanfellows feed. Be sure to give them a follow link is in the show notes and

Lexi (5:34)

we've got a new show coming to you in late March. Fantasy Fan Reads will be hosted by the delightful Jess of Lost Books of Jess, where this podcast will be all about celebrating the joys of reading with author interviews, cozy coffee, conversations and more. Go ahead and give Fantasy Fan Reads a follow on Instagram and slash or TikTok. We can't wait to share more details with you soon. Last thing before you jump into this when the Moon Hatched Fan Guide. If you love Fantasy Fangirls and want more events, more content, more communities, some discounts and so much more, please check out Fantasy Fan Club, which just grew to add media network offerings.

Nicole (6:08)

If you love Fantasy Fangirls, we have three membership tiers that you can join. One the Hive Mind which includes access to our Bopid Discord live Q&As from Lexi and I, a book club often featuring the authors themselves for a live Q A, community events, promo codes for live events plus 20% off and access to exclusive merch that is $6 a month. You can also join the Spice Watchers which includes everything from the Hive Mind level plus early access to ad free episodes, our full episode outlines and special voting privileges that is for $10 a month. Those outlines cannot be understated, especially as we go into this world. Holy moly. And then we have our feral fans which includes everything from the previous two tiers plus behind the scenes content, a welcome gift, giveaways, private Discord channel, and your name shouted out on the podcast. That is for $25 a month. But surprise, every single one of the Fantasy Fangirls tiers has an accompanying all network tier. So if you love Fantasy Fangirls Network, you can join one of those tiers and get access to all of the goodies.

Lexi (7:15)

Join the party and learn more about all of our tier offerings@fantasy fangirls.com fan club. And really and truly, thank you so much from the bott our hearts as we've turned this podcast into a network, into a dream come true. It's all because of you.

Nicole (7:30)

And now it is time for us to enter the world of when the Moon Hatched.

Lexi (7:35)

First things first, let's discuss how time works in this world because it's not in days and years. It's important to note that this planet, it does not turn. So the sun is positioned where the northern territory, the burn, gets the sun. And the southern part of the planet, the shade, does not get the sun. So knowing that day and night can exist in the same way we know of it on Earth, how does it work here? Well, there are bands of silver ribbons that are tethered to the northern and southern poles. And these bands of silver ribbons are called the aurora ribbons. These ribbons move across the sky from east to west, and that is how people know when it's day, spelled D, A, E or slumber. It's day when the aurora ribbons are in the sky and slumber when the ribbons are not in the sky. The slumber is obviously our version of night. One aurora cycle is equivalent to our 24 hour day. So at least that's the same.

Nicole (8:32)

Now let's talk years. Or in this case, phases. Because yes, years work differently in this world too. If an aurora Cycle is a 24 hour day, one phase is 1000 Aurora Cycles.

Lexi (8:47)

I'll be honest, this makes more sense than our version.

Nicole (8:51)

It kind of does. It kind of does. If you're like, what time is that on Earth? Welcome to cycle math.

Lexi (9:00)

Oh my God, it's already starting.

Nicole (9:02)

I'm so happy. A phase is just shy of 2 1/3 Earth years. But remember that people here live much, much, much longer than we do because they're Fae. So if someone is nine phases old, that's technically 9,000 Aurora cycles or 9,024 hour days. DAE so calculating to then 24.64 years in an Earth year. But in this particular instance, a nine phase old Fae would be much more similar to how a 9 year old is on this Earth, according to Sarah in our interview with her two years ago.

Lexi (9:44)

Wow.

Nicole (9:45)

A Fae is only considered elderly after thousands of phases. How does one track a phase? This is so fucking cool. They can track the scale, start and end of a phase based on how thick or thin the aurora ribbons are. Tldr, look at the sky in this world. This place is so pretty.

Lexi (10:03)

And lastly, one eon equals 100 phases. So one eon is 100,000 aurora cycles. Moving on to this world's version of the gods, AKA the creators. They are very, very important. In this world, there are five creators. And five million phases ago, they used their songs to create this world. Boulder, the God of ground, created the globe and sculpted everything from the hot sands of the burn to the black stone of the Shade Rain, the goddess of water, coated the world and filled its dips and valleys to form rivers and cloaked the shade in frost. Claude, the goddess of air, had soft words, rustling the leaves while her shrieks churned the seas into violent waves. Igneous, the God of fire, loved Claude so fiercely that he did everything to impress her, from blazing the jungles to volcanic blasts. While the world was taking shape, the fifth and final God, Kahless, the God of Aether, watched on in jealousy. But from his emptiness is where life bloomed, from people to all sorts of creatures, including the dragons. And when the dragons were ready to end their eternal lives, they would fly skyward, curling up into balls and calcifying into moons.

Nicole (11:24)

So after the world's beloved moons, AKA dead dragons, began to fall, crashing into the world. No. The other gods discovered it was Kahless to blame when the moons began falling. Legasp Kahless bad. So they trapped the Ether God in a sterling diadem known as the Ether Stone. And to this day, that crown is where Kahless, God of Ether, is trapped and remains. The story behind this diadem slowly became a myth after millions and millions of phases, until 1 Aurora rise 1 morning, where the first time, in more than 5 million phases, a moon fell again.

Lexi (12:10)

And that is where our story begins.

Nicole (12:12)

I am covered in chills right now. I love this book. Oh my God.

Lexi (12:17)

Moving on to the magic system. In this world, the type of magic we learn the most about is elemental magic, which is magic gifted to individuals from the creators. But it's not just enough to be able to hear the songs of the creators in order to wield the Creator's elemental magic, it's a whole other language that needs to be learned as well. The more fluent the wielder is at speaking and understanding their creator's songs, the more powerful their magic will be if and the more effective they are at wielding this magic. Most people who hear the elemental songs can only hear one, maybe two if they are lucky. But there are very rare cases for people to hear more than two, so three, and it's pretty much unheard of to hear four. But again, if someone can hear more than one of the Creator songs, that is more languages to learn, making it exponentially harder for that person to wield those songs at a proficient level. Each creator has an associated color with their elemental magic to indicate to others that they can hear these elemental songs. These colors are worn in the form of a bead on the person. Red signifies the creator igneous, which means that they can Wield the elemental magic of Fire. Blue is for Rain and her element of water. Clear colored beads mean the person is an air wielder for the creator Claude and Brown is for Boulder, the elemental magic of the ground. Think Earthbender.

Nicole (13:42)

Then we have Rooney. So this is completely separate from elemental song wielders. Runies are someone who has learned how to wield symbols literally they wield runes. They're called Runies. It's nice. That's a nice and simple thing. Thanks Sarah. This Runic language was found in an ancient tomb that some believe Kahless, the God of Ether wrote these runes on this tomb wall in his desperation to be heard. Poor Kahless. Poor Cayless. But oh my God.

Lexi (14:10)

I'm so excited to learn more about this. That just gives me chills.

Nicole (14:13)

Same Rooneys wear a white bead and slash or white cloaks with buttons down the front that are stamped with different symbols that announce the Rooney's talents for different levels of skill. The buttons are made out of different materials. So let's say someone has a wood button that means they're more elementary level of Rooney. But if they have a diamond button that means they are the most advanced. Next we have Truth Tunes. These are people who have the unique ability to be able to tell if another is lying. They are prized by the crowns for their ability to tell if someone can hear the elemental songs or if they have none of those powers AKA they're a null.

Lexi (14:56)

There are also the very rare mind wefts who have the ability to dig into people's minds. So they're the equivalent of mind readers or flesh threads who are our version of healers and they're trained in the art of using runes to mend flesh, muscle and organs. So yes there are other types of magic and people that can wield them that is separate from the Creator's elemental magic. Then we have non magical people who like Nicole said they are called nulls. A null is someone who does not hear any of the elemental songs. In certain kingdoms their ears are clipped to show this and it reflects that they are less than citizens. A clip is a small circular notch cut into the peak of a Fae's ear. Again this is just in specific kingdoms

Nicole (15:40)

for nulls it's equated to like literally something coming up and taking a nibble out of the ear. However that's not how they make it happen. But that's just the visual that we're given.

Lexi (15:49)

Yes, and if we're talking magic we have to give Parchment Larks a shout. Out one of my favorite magical elements of all time. Parchment larks are a reliable and very common form of communication in this world. They are runed squares of parchment that have activation lines. So when folded into the shape of a lark, these notes will flutter to the one the message is intended for. Basically, parchment larks are paper birds and that is how people send messages to each other in this world. Brilliant. And so simple. I love it.

Nicole (16:18)

Now that we have our footing down for the way that time works differently, the creators, the magic, etc. It is time to go through those three main areas of the world because each are very different. We're going to start from the closest to the sun, the Burn, which is the most northern third of the world. It is the side of the world that is always very very sunny and very very hot to the point where special clothing is required to protect your skin so you don't become crispy. Some people even use a sun deterrent poultice to add extra protection to their skin. I love that. This is just like sunscreen in this world. It's so good. There are rainforests, sandy plains and large bodies of water in the Burn. It also often storms here. This is actually the only territory that gets rain.

Lexi (17:07)

Important locations for us to know in the Burn are its capital, Dom. The city is made up of rounded clay buildings with plants, trees and vines climbing over the city. This is also the location of the imperial stronghold where the king and his family live. Then we have the Botanic Plains which are a large stretch of land in the Burn that are home to the Jacquil clan. The Jaco clan is known for its strong warriors. Lets talk about politics in the Burn. This kingdom was previously ruled by King Osteron Vhagor and now it is ruled by King Kong Vhagar, the late king's youngest son. The Burn uses the currency of gold which is different than the other two kingdoms currency which is dragon blood. Because the Burn does not support the mining of fossilized dragon blood. What's it like for people with magic in the Burn? Allow me to explain. Elemental beads here are worn in hair, beard or on clothing. Young elementals attend Drok Academy to train while gnolls here are given the option to discover if they have an affinity for runes and if not, they have the option to choose to study something or to take an apprenticeship.

Nicole (18:11)

Each region has their own type of dragon as well. In the Burn we have saber scythes. They are large boxy dragons with scales, spikes and heavily tusked faces. Like I hear that and I Think like wooly mammoth, but that is not what they're like.

Lexi (18:27)

They come back this morning. My son, he has his play animals, right? And on his elephant has tusks. And so he was spearing his blueberries with the tusks and pretending that the elephants were eating them before he popped them into his own mouth.

Nicole (18:40)

That's the cutest thing. I love that. Oh, my God. The saber scythes come in different colors, like rust, bronze, red, brown, black and gold. If I remember correctly, Sarah also mentioned that saber size are the closest to what we think of when we think of dragons and how they look like. If we've read like the most like

Lexi (19:00)

reptilian of all of them.

Nicole (19:01)

Yes, yes, yes. The saber scythes love the heat and don't do well in the cold of the shade. The southernmost region. Like they cannot go to the shade without risking their own deaths.

Lexi (19:13)

This would be unicole.

Nicole (19:15)

This would absolutely be. I would live in the burn, hands down. Oh my God. No question. I would never see you. I wouldn't live in the burn. I'm just gonna go to like the hot springs that like rejuvenate you like you're in fucking Zelda. I swear to God. That sounds amazing. These saber scythes can be quite aggressive and very hard to charm, which makes stealing a saber scythe egg incredibly difficult. Yes. In order to bond a dragon in this world, in most cases, you have to steal a dragon's egg from its mother's hatch. The Saberside's egg nest is within the volcanoes of Ghondra, which is basically an uninhabitable location beneath the sun with lots and lots of volcanoes and rivers of lava. Hot. When someone is trying to hatch a saber scythe egg, they have to stay in a hatching hut, which is just a hut that's generally on the outskirts of the dragon nesting grounds of Gondora. This is usually where someone has stolen an egg. They will make camp where they can successfully hatch the baby dragon in their own natural habitat, ensuring a safe and healthy hatching while still being close to the hatching dragon so they can bond with it right away. You gotta have that skin to skin contact, because for a saber scythe egg to hatch, it has to either be surrounded in lava or doused in dragon flame. Not convenient. But honestly, I would rather that I'd bathe in lava for a dragon.

Lexi (20:44)

Darth Vader. Stuck.

Nicole (20:48)

I have the high ground, Anakin.

Lexi (20:55)

Next we have the fade, where we start the book. The fade is the middle third of the world. Unlike the Hot, hot, hot burn. It is much cooler here as snows or sleets. But remember, it never rains. The clouds are in a constant state of golden hour color. But it's not all beautiful. This territory is encircled by a massive stone wall for safety of course. And most of the population lives within it.

Nicole (21:19)

Listen, if I could have the heat of the Burn and the sky of the Fade, I would be the happiest clam you'll like ever meet. I would be so jazzed.

Lexi (21:30)

Main locations in the Fade include its capital called Gor. The Kingdom of the Fade used to be a Creator's blessed place to live. The colorful sky inspired an era of music and arts. But when the current king was sworn in, everything changed due to him only caring for his military might. Then we have the Undercity. It's a large divide in the ground directly below Gor, the capital beneath the wall of the Fade. And it's in an abandoned Dragon Bloodstone mine. The Undercity has become the slums of Gorr and is known as a dangerous place to live or visit. This is due to some of those mineshafts collapsing and creatures from either side of the walls sneak in to find shelter. And it's just where the dangerous folk are.

Nicole (22:13)

Let's talk about the politics of the Fade. This middle region of the world is ruled by King Khaduk Vhagor. Khaduk is the twin to Tyrath Vhagor, who is the King in the Shade. So they are Khan's older brother Kaudik. The King of the Fade is married to Dothea Vhagor, who is originally from the Fade. But then we have the rebellious group called the Fyr Duath. Which means from the ashes. The Fyr Duath are working to counteract the tyranny spreading across all three kingdoms. With focusing on the Fade, the group is run by someone named the Elding, a mysterious unknown person. This is the group that our FMC Rave works for as an Elding Blade. Basically, she's an assassin for the Fyrdu ath. Her boss is named Serene, who is a high ranking member of the group the Fjorduath.

Lexi (23:02)

The currency here in the Fade is Dragon Bloodstone. Bloodstone is mined from where dragon blood has been spilled. If ground up, it can also be used for medicinal properties. Gnolls in the Fade are viewed as lesser than those who can hear the Creator songs. Like we mentioned earlier, younglings confirmed as a null are held down and clipped forcefully. The clip becomes a marker for those who want to take advantage of them. Most likely to force them into the Undercity. There are very few options for a Gnoll to make a living in the capital, Gore, besides risking it in the mines, including but not limited to again, obviously working in the mines. They can be servers and brothels, entertainers also, more than likely in a brothel or in the Undercity battle pits. Gnolls do what they can to get by, even if it means walking a fine line between safety and death.

Nicole (23:49)

Remember how the Burn had Saberside the dragons? Well, the Fade has molten Maw dragons. Molten maws are covered in feathers with sharp beaked faces. They are a vibrant mix of unique colors and no two molten moths bear the same color palette because they can comfortably travel anywhere. Molten moths are often used as charter dragons that people can basically rent a dragon and go to the Burn or the Shade. They are also the easiest dragons to charm and steal an egg from. Their nesting grounds are in Boggath, which is a huge stretch of boggy wasteland. The Molten moths nest can be found there instead of all molten maw eggs need in order to hatch is a flame from another molten maw.

Lexi (24:34)

Last but not least, we have the Shade as the southernmost third of the world. The Shade is forever cast in darkness, with the only light being from the aurora ribbons and the moon plume moons. It is very cold and always covered in snow here in the Shade. I love it. The Shade's capital is Erythia. And something to point out about the Shade is that one specific family from here is tied to the Ether Stone. Remember this Ether Stone that we were talking earlier, that Kahless has been put into it is passed down and guarded by this bloodline. More recently, on the maternal side, the Aether Stone makes it difficult for those who wear it to conceive. So when a child is born into this lineage, it is celebrated by the Erythians.

Nicole (25:17)

The Shade used to be ruled by King Adric and Queen Adora Navan, and now it's ruled under King Tirath Vhagor's reign, who rules alone because his wife has died. Remember, he is a twin to Catoc Vhagar who rules the Fade. And Tyroth is older brother to Khan Vhagor, who's the Burns. King Tyrath has a daughter named Kazari Vhagor.

Lexi (25:37)

Here in the Shade, Elemental beads are worn in hair, beard or on clothing. But like the Gnolls in the Fade, gnolls in the Shade are clipped. But it's not clear if this is a more recent change with their treatment or not. Like if it changed when the twin Brothers began ruling the Fade and the Shade. I don't know that for sure. It's just my speculation. We don't get any other information about how Gnolls are treated in the Shade, but given the clips, I do think it's safe to assume that it's more similar to their treatment in the Fade than in the burn.

Nicole (26:07)

For the final breed of dragons, we have moonplumes.

Lexi (26:10)

My favorite.

Nicole (26:11)

They're so beautiful. Moonplumes are leathery and luminous and come in gray, pearl, iridescent and white. Their large eyes are black and glittery. Their faces are rounded with long necks and their tails are long, silken and brush like. Now, moon plumes, they cannot go in to the sunlight for long periods of time or else their skin will burn. If they make it all the way up to the burn, their skin will blister and burst. And since their eyes aren't designed to handle so much light, they will go blind and turn milky and eventually they'll die in the environment. That's horrible. I could never have a moon plume. But I will say if someone conjures a cloud, a moonplume can't be protected from the sun enough to travel. But it's not a foolproof solution. So you just need to be a Elemental wielder for rain. And then you'd be able to wield a cloud and then the moon plume could come up. But my saber side would not be able to come into the shade. Moon blooms have icy flames. They are very intelligent and they are the hardest to charm and steal eggs from. How do you get an egg? I'm so happy you asked. In the Shade, the most southern part of the world, there is a part called Netheren. This is in literally the bottom tip, the South Pole. This is where you can find the moonplume hatching grounds. But it's not just the other dragons that make this a very difficult task. This is so cold. It is basically inhospitable. This is my nightmare. I love it. But if you manage to steal an egg, in order to hatch it, you must pack ice and snow on top of it or have another moonplume blow icy flames on it. I will admit that' a little easier than lava.

Lexi (27:55)

Yes.

Nicole (27:55)

So you get that? You just make an igloo for your egg. Yes.

Lexi (28:00)

Last thing for us to highlight in this fan guide section of the episode is the Tri Council. This is a council of ancient people comprised of tri beaded Elementals. So these are Fae who can hear at least three Elemental songs, which is extra special. And rare and they are also very knowledgeable Rooneys. They hold some sway over the these kingdoms because of the Council's sheer power and sometimes they do intervene in political matters. The Tri Council resides in Botham, a neutral city between the Fade and the Burn that does not fall under the rule of any King or Queen.

Nicole (28:34)

All right, that was our cheat sheet for Episode one. All right, now that we have finished the fan Guide section of the episode AKA our lovely cheat sheet going into episode one, we told you there is a lot to this world, we must discuss how this Deep Dive will work. So first off, if this is your first time joining FFG on a Deep dive, welcome, welcome, welcome. We're so happy you're part of this journey, especially as we cover one of our favorite books, when the Moon Hatched. Secondly, let's address how spoilers will work for our Deep Dive because it is very, very, very important for you to know before you listen to episode one.

Lexi (29:09)

While each Deep Dive episode will focus on the specific when the Moon Hatched chapters we're covering, every episode will include spoilers for this entire first book in the Moonfall series, as well as any inter or information from Sarah A. Parker to make this Deep Dive the best it possibly can be. From the get go. We openly discuss themes, lore, foreshadowing and other insights across all released book content. Yes, that includes the end of this book. So please only listen to our when the Moon Hatched episodes if you have finished when the Moon Hatched. This is extra important for this book in particular because those plot twists we get in the second half make foreshadowing extra delicious in the beginning. Our coverage will lead up to the Release of Book 2 in the Moonfall series, Ballad of Falling Dragons, and we will go straight into Deep Diving the sequel after it comes out.

Nicole (29:58)

On the other hand, even though we have covered Throne of Glass, the Fae and Alchemy series, Kindred's Curse Saga, Empyrean and Acotar on fantasy fangirls, these when the Moon Hatch Deep Dives will be safe from any other book series plot spoilers. We might occasionally reference a character trait or an inside joke from our previous deep dives. We have a lot of them, but we will be mindful about no story spoilers in case you have not read those series.

Lexi (30:24)

But hey, if you have read these other book series but have not listened to our other Deep Dives, you have literally hundreds, possibly even thousands not to overwhelm you, but there's a lot of fantasy fangirls content to listen to as we all wait for Ballad to come out.

Nicole (30:39)

This book podcast is not your typical book podcast. When we say deep dive, we mean deep dive. These episodes may be long, but we promise there is plenty of structure and flow to them so you can easily follow along.

Lexi (30:53)

First up, in every episode, Nicole will kick us off by parchment Lark Delivery. This is when she'll give a summary of what happens in this episode's chapters. But friends, she does chapter summaries like you've never heard before.

Nicole (31:05)

Then we will listen to the elemental songs to discuss key insights, themes, character analysis, and definitely a theory or two. This is the meat of every single episode. While we're in the meat of the episode, we will also hop into our mini segment called Diary Entries where surprise, surprise, we will be going through the diary entries from that stretch of chapters.

Lexi (31:28)

Then we'll tap into our Dragon Sight and turn our full attention to important foreshadowing moments for the rest of the book as well as additional speculations for Ballad of Falling Dragons.

Nicole (31:38)

Afterward, Lexi will walk us through a world building topic to help us better understand the lore. Good God, the lore and how it fits into the story. We are calling this segment Infiltrating the Tri Council. A A few of these topics will include the Burn Dragons, Tuca Trials, the Fade, the Shade, and more.

Lexi (31:59)

Finally, we'll wrap up every episode with Shopping at the Curly Quill. Here. We will finish the episode out with favorite quotes, heartfelt moments, and other tidbits that make our hearts happy. From this stretch of chapters, let's move

Nicole (32:10)

into our schedule for the upcoming episodes. When the Moon hatched we'll have seven seven total episodes starting with episode one covering the prologue through chapter 15. I think that's our longest chapter stretch, but it's not our longest page stretch we've ever done. And episode one will release on Monday, March 9th. That's seven days from now. Then episode two, covering chapters 16 through 28 will release the following Monday, March 16th. The full chapter by chapter breakdown is pinned to our social media accounts and available on our website calendar.

Lexi (32:45)

Ballad of Falling dragons releases on May 19, so a few weeks before we will also drop a When the Moon Hatched recap with everything you'll need to know before starting the sequel. And then like we mentioned, we'll start deep Diving Ballad soon after it comes out.

Nicole (32:59)

And if you want to celebrate with us, we will have a ballad release party here in Denver, Colorado. Before we wrap up this episode, let's close it out with a question we always ask as part of our intro episode.

Lexi (33:11)

Why did we like this book. And specifically, what are we most excited for with this when the Moon Hatched coverage, which also includes a special surprise. Nicole, I feel like it's only right for you to do the honors first.

Nicole (33:22)

When the Moon Hatched is one of my favorite books of all time. Like, it is in my top three. I love this book. The world is unlike anything I've ever read. The writing feels like poetry to me, and I just love how beautiful and different it is. But what I love most about this writing is how Rave, our main character, she's gritty, she's sassy, and so it's almost like intercepted with this flowy, poetic language. And it just feels so right because this world feels so flowy and Aurora ribbony and da da, da da. And then Rave is just a stark contrast to it. Rave is one of my favorite FMCs. Don't worry, she's going to get some L's. Calm down, people. But because I feel like her compartmentalization and her goal driven nature, it just speaks to me at a level that I just. I feel very connected to. And then of course, we have Khan, who is book husband material like mad. This man you mentioned to me in a text, Lexi, like, the eternal patience this man has is impressive, but he also doesn't let her walk all over him. He really, he puts up that boundary and instead he feels like this very natural, rich mmc.

Lexi (34:35)

I forgot how much I love Khan. It has been almost two years since I read when the Moon Hatch. And when I did my reread last week, I was like, oh, hello, Khan. He is about to get so many gold stars. Patience is sexy. I know I said Kingfisher was number two book boyfriend for me after Brimstone, but Khan very well might, most likely will probably take that spot from him, especially after that fan art of him under the wall waterfall. It's pinned to Sarah A. Parker's Instagram feed. You'll know exactly which one I'm talking about. It lives rent free in my head. Just not gonna lie.

Nicole (35:11)

Absolutely 100%. One of the other things I love about this book, and I'm really excited for with our deep dive, is this book is so much bigger than just our two main characters.

Lexi (35:20)

Yes.

Nicole (35:21)

It is an ensemble cast where everyone is three dimensional. And I feel like there's even some characters that we just get barely snippets of that we know are going to be big players in book two. Yes. It really just feels like the more you carve yourself into it, it just, it is a world And I love that.

Lexi (35:39)

Well, let's go back to that world just for a moment. I mean, we talked about it for the first half of this episode, but the care that has gone into it is so beautiful. And there is so much opportunity to explore the nooks and crannies of it. And I can't wait for it to expand and for us to connect the dots of more things with the sequel. The way the three different regions, they're so different with the dragons that reflect their environments and then how they become moons and now they're falling and how the creators come into the mix. Okay, now I'm just going to be starting to scream with excitement into the microphone, but this is my dream of world building. And yes, it is very different, but I'll be honest, it's not overly complex once when you do get those basics. And I love that it's rich and unique. I can so, so vividly imagine this very different world. And I've never read anything like it before.

Nicole (36:31)

Well, and then when the Moon Hatch, the plot twists from a story development standpoint are just masterful. Cassera A. Parker, she does not wait until the end to dish them all out one after another. She sprinkles them throughout the book to keep you consistently on your toes. And that's masterful storytelling.

Lexi (36:51)

I love that you mentioned that, because it definitely has me just love leaning in and literally theorizing from page one and then on a reread with all of the foreshadowing. Oh, my gosh. All the foreshadowing.

Nicole (37:03)

As we know from Sarah A. Parker from our interview with her, she is a plotter, like our kind of plotter.

Lexi (37:11)

I love it.

Nicole (37:12)

The fact that when the Moon Hatched and Ballad were actually supposed to be one book, but because she plotted for days, she figured out that when the Moon Hatched in Ballad obviously had to be separated. There was literally no way to print that book if she tried. But there's a lot in when the Moon Hatched that hints at major and minor storylines in Ballad of Falling Dragons, and I would assume also of book three whenever that comes out, which makes our job so fucking fun. She's hinted at so many Easter eggs in when the Moon Hatched that I am just like, I'm itching. I'm itching to dive in. Let's do it. Challenge accepting. Which brings us to our very, very exciting announcement. We cannot wait to have Sarah A. Parker join this fantasy fangirls deep dive with a segment called Signal a Sarah. Whenever we have questions on the world or backstories or I have already five for episode one and I'm not even done with my reading for it yet.

Lexi (38:10)

I have my first one too.

Nicole (38:11)

Yes, we are going to reach out to the wonderful and generous Sarah A. Parker and she has agreed to give us some answers, at least as much as she can. But if you cannot wait and you're just itching to dive into this world with ffg, we actually have an interview with Sarah A. Parker from June 2024 aka 5 million phases ago that you can catch up with. In the meantime, it is split into a spoiler free section and very very very spoiler section so you can tune in in at least some format wherever you're at in your reading journey of when the Moon Has Hatched. Link to our Sarah A. Parker interview is in the show notes and there we have it.

Lexi (38:48)

Friends, thank you so much for listening to this when the Moon Hatched fan guide. We cannot wait to dive into this world with you.

Nicole (38:54)

In case you couldn't tell, next Monday, March 9th we are diving right into episode one covering the prologue through chapter 15. Remember, it'll include whole book spoilers like from the prologue from the prologue spoilers.

Lexi (39:10)

We would love to give the biggest warm welcome welcome welcome to our newest feral fans and deep divers in the family Fantasy Fan Club. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts so much for being here.

Nicole (39:20)

Welcome, welcome, welcome. Luke lpj, Brie, B, Sarah B, Denise P, Ashley, Jordan H, Caitlin K, Christina, Tabby, Devin, Heather, Lynn, Emma, Leah, Michelle, Bethany, Vonna, Mona, Mackenzie, R, Pascal, Natasha, Caitlin M, Amy T and Jacqueline. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

Lexi (39:45)

You're all amazing and if you're like hey, I want my name shouted out on the podcast and we shout with all this love too. Join our fan club@Fantasy Fangirls.com Fan Club Link is also in the show notes.

Nicole (39:55)

Thank you as always to our mind left AKA Content researcher Brooke and of course our Executive producer AKA our Sanity manager AKA co host of Fantasy Fanfellas podcast Hayden.

Lexi (40:09)

We are very active on social media with weekly trivia, book guides and so much more. So please be sure to follow us on Instagram and slash our TikTok at Fantasy Fangirls pod. And if you're watching this on YouTube or want to watch on YouTube, pretty please hit that subscribe button to keep following along.

Nicole (40:26)

While you're hitting buttons, don't forget to hit that five star button on whatever podcasting platform you are listening on. It takes three seconds and it is one of the best things you can do not just for this podcast but for any podcast you listen to. And last but not least, friends share this episode with your fellow Moonfall peeps. If you all were in the group text and you're like, oh my God, this book is so good but I have no idea what's going on, this is the perfect episode to send to them. And if the other friend was like, I'm so intimidated and scared. This is a perfect episode you can send to them too to ease them into this amazing book.

Lexi (41:00)

Yay. We're so excited. We will see you next Monday for episode one. Bye bye everybody. Bye Bye.

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Nicole (41:39)

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Lexi (42:02)

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