The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker — Dragon Moons Begin to Fall in the Moonfall Sequel

At the end of When the Moon Hatched, Raeve and Kaan had reached a fragile peace. It doesn't last. In The Ballad of Falling Dragons, a foretelling warns of moonfalls, when the dragon moons in the sky will come crashing down, and the world they have fought for begins to splinter. Raeve is still haunted by who she used to be, by buried memories of a past life and by a darker part of herself she calls the Other. Kaan, the Burn King, carries the weight of a crown and a kingdom that may not survive what is coming. To protect the people they love, the two of them have to fight enemies they don't yet understand, and to finally be honest with each other. The Ballad of Falling Dragons was published on 19 May 2026 by Avon in the US, with a Harper Voyager edition in the UK. It is the second book in Sarah A. Parker's Moonfall series and picks up directly after When the Moon Hatched, so you will need to read that first. A huge world, built in detail Parker's world of dragon clans, elemental Creators and moons that are really dragons is one of the most elaborate in current romantasy. The book comes with illustrations, a glossary and a family tree, and you will probably use all three. Jocelyn Cosgrove, reviewing for New University, praised its "incredibly rich worldbuilding and storytelling" and the clear way the magic system and history are explained. More voices, and the dragons themselves This sequel widens its view. As well as Raeve and Kaan, there are chapters from other characters and even from the dragons, whose grief, jealousy and devotion give the book some of its most moving moments. Themes of loss, motherhood and resilience run through it, especially in the stories of female dragons mourning their mates and young. The romance between Raeve and Kaan feels gentler and more domestic than in many romantasy books, but the book still includes explicit sex scenes. What to be ready for This is a very long book, and several reviewers felt it. Common Sense Media found it overstuffed in places, Cosgrove called the pacing uneven and the long-awaited reunion underwhelming, and others noted that some middle stretches loop and that the invented vocabulary can be hard to follow. The ending leaves plenty of threads open for the next book. It is also very violent, with graphic torture, killing and dismemberment, and contains explicit sex, strong language and a storyline involving sexual coercion. Common Sense Media rates it 16+, and the publisher recommends it for readers aged 18 and over. Who will enjoy it If you loved When the Moon Hatched, or if you like your romantasy dark, dense and full of dragons, this is the next book on your list. Readers who enjoy studying maps and glossaries will be especially happy. Our verdict The Ballad of Falling Dragons is a bigger, deeper and more ambitious sequel, with a richly imagined world and some genuinely moving dragon storylines. It asks for patience, and its length and violence won't suit everyone. But for readers already invested in Raeve and Kaan, it raises the stakes and sets up the rest of the series in style.