The Ballad of Falling Dragons: Characters, spice, review, triggers
The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker is the sequel to When the Moon Hatched that will elevate and twist everything you thought you knew.
I’ve written a TBOFD book review to explain in detail why and also included a character guide. Not to mention trigger warnings, tropes and a few other bits and pieces.
I know that a lot of y’all are seeking info on the spice levels and spicy chapters. So scroll down to the FAQs and spoilers section of this post if that’s what you’re after. I’ve included a dragon guide in a separate post, because the dragons are co-stars and deserve their own page.
Otherwise, get ready for this epic fantasy sequel that will leave you shattered, torn and broken on the floor perhaps. Well that’s what it did to me. Godspeed to y’all!
⚠️ Be aware that there will be spoilers aplenty for When the Moon Hatched & The Ballad of Falling Dragons throughout this article.⚠️
Perhaps come back later if you haven’t read this book yet? Or spoil yourself, I’m not the boss of you ;)
Happy reading!
The Ballad of Falling Dragons synopsis.
The Ballad of Falling Dragons is the much-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling phenomenon When the Moon Hatched, featuring an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages.
“Moonbeam. A moonfall is coming.”
Raeve’s thirst for vengeance continues to burn, as does her love for Kaan Vaegor—a staunch beacon from a past she’s yet to face. With Rekk’s blood still fresh on her hands, she learns the world will face its most devastating moonfall yet, forcing her to pick a path:
Chase death.
Or life.
Desperate to save his kingdom from ruin, Kaan’s crown has never felt so heavy. His many larks to scattered friends and family remain unanswered, and time is running out.
As allies merge and enemies surge with bloodlusting agendas of their own, secrets brew hot enough to burn, but none so mighty as the truth nesting within the icy depths of Raeve’s long forgotten past.
Something … Other.
Something with the knowledge to change it all.
The Ballad of Falling Dragons characters guide & list.
⚠️ Be aware that this guide will 100% spoil When the Moon Hatched and possibly spoil the sequel, The Ballad of Falling Dragons, so please be aware.⚠️
Perhaps come back later if you haven’t read this book yet? Or spoil yourself, I’m not the boss of you ;)
The Ballad of Falling Dragons is narrated from a first and third person point of view, from nine perspectives, or ten if you count the epilogue:
Raeve: our female main character.
Kaan: our male main character.
Kyzari Vaegor, Princess of the Shade.
Veya Vaegor, Princess of the Burn.
The Other: Slatra, Elluin Nevan’s bonded Moonplume dragon.
Grihm: King Kaan’s second in command.
Arkyn: Also known as The Scavenger King. Son of Ostern Vaegor.
Pyrok: A not very helpful member of King Kaan’s imperial court. Sibling of Roan.
Silver Ribbon: One miscellaneous chapter, chapter 77 from a random point of view. What are we thinking here? Caelis?
Epilogue: Sereme
Main characters.
Raeve.
Character art shared by artist @ladyeruart and author @sarah.a.parker.author via Instagram.
Raeve, formerly known as Elluin Nevan, is on an emotional journey of growth and self-discovery, excavating her past and the memories that she tucked deep down into her icy lake.
Kaan Vaegor.
Character art shared by author @sarah.a.parker.author & artist @adamszkiart via Instagram
Kaan Vaegor, King of the Burn, is just a green flag growly-voiced fae, skyrocketing the standards for book boyfriends and real boyfriends everywhere.
Kyzari Vaegor.
Princess of the Shade. Daughter of Kaan Vaegor and Elluin Nevan. Grandchild of Ostern and Kovina Vaegor. Descendant of the familial line entrusted with the Aether Stone.
Veya Vaegor.
Princess of the Burn. Daughter and youngest child of Ostern and Kovina Vaegor. Full-blood sibling of Kaan, Cadok and Tyroth Vaegor. Half-blood sibling of Arkyn Vaegor.
Pyrok.
Pyrok’s chapters come later into play in TBOFD as he grapples with alcohol addiction and puts himself to use looking after after a baby dragon hatchling.
Grihm.
We find Grihm where we left off in When the Moon Hatched, seeking to bond with a new dragon, in Gondragh, where the Great Silver Sabersythe lives.
Arkyn, the Scavenger King.
Probably one of the most delicious villains I’ve read in a long time, he is compelling, evil and his motives seem legit. He’s not just a moustache twirling caricature, he’s got depth and believable trauma and honestly, sometimes we can empathise with the reasons he became evil, even if we’re not rooting for him. In Arkyn’s case, as a bastard son of King Ostern Vaegor, his father was a real jerk to him and that’s putting it mildly.
Other supporting characters.
| Character Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Roan Du Alc’ of The Burn | Kaan’s alchemist and brother to Pyrok. |
| Arkyn | Known as The Scavenger King. |
| Sereme | Raeve calls her the serpent bitch. She controls Raeve with a blood bind to do the bidding of the Fiur du Ath. |
| Essi | Raeve's room mate, presumed dead. |
| Siharna Farjor | Chieftess of Beluhn, sister to Kovina Vaegor, mother to Korie Farjor, and aunt to Kaan, Cadok, Tyroth and Veya Vaegor. |
| Ahvi | A child protege whom Tyroth traded to the Tri-Council in exchange for their favor. |
| Noeve | A cart driver who frequents the Path of Daes. |
| Korie | Daughter of Siharna Farjor. First cousin to Kaan, Cadok, Tyroth and Veya. |
| King Tyroth Vaegor | Current King of the Shade. Son of Ostern and Kovina Vaegor. Full blood sibling of Kaan and Veya and twin of Cadok Vaegor. Half blood sibling of Arkyn Vaegor. |
| Utris | A warrior of The Burn. |
| Kilith | A male who successfully steals and hatches a dragon egg, whom Grihm crosses paths with and assists. |
| Pidra | A healer. |
The Ballad of Falling Dragons: Dragons and their bonded
Dragons are a big part of When the Moon Hatched so I’ve dedicated a whole separate article to these fierce beings because they deserve it. But just a quick recap of their dragons we encounter in The Ballad:
Rygun
Allume
Slátra.
Grohn
Ahra
Liri
Furn
Bharon
Inkah (mentioned--Grihm’s previous Moonplume dragon who passed).
Maell
Jogo
Gruffin
Other names mentioned in The Ballad of Falling Dragons.
These are characters who appear in diary entries, flashback memories or in passing, in The Ballad of Falling Dragons. They give background context and enrich the whole story and character arcs and development.
Terros
Rekk Zharos
King Cadok Vaegor: King of the Fade.
King Ostern Vaegor
Queen Dothea Vaegor: Queen of the Fade and Pyrok’s sister.
Hadeon Nevan: Elluin Nevan/Raeve’s brother.
Ayda: A servant of Tyroth Vaegor.
Rasha
Hulo: King Ostern Vaegor’s young miskunn
Mior: Veya’s childhood friend and a Mindweft
Einar: A Tri-councillor who does business with Arkyn.
Marci: A maid of Tyroth Vaegor and friend of Kyzari.
Suri: A friend of Kyzari.
Shera: Kaan’s mother’s chief handmaiden.
Zior: Siharna’s love and the father of Korie.
Kovina Vaegor: Kaan, Cadok, Tyroth and Veya’s mother.
Caelis: God of Aether
Zatia: A bloodlace enlisted by Tyroth Vaegor.
Fantasy creature characters (including mentioned names).
Thanks to the glossary at the back of the book, I’ve been able to compile a fantasy creature table describing some of the non-fae creatures we come across in the epic journey of When the Moon Hatched and its sequel. All credit to the author, Sarah A. Parker, for this dictionary of sorts, that will be sure to help readers understand the magnificent magical creatures in this world.
| Creature Name | Description |
|---|---|
| The Fate Herder | A large silver feline-like creature that is more legend than reality. Those who have seen it are often considered unstable or delusional, boasting stories about the beast nudging them to make a different decision than the one they intended. |
| Velvet Trogg | Large lanky creatures that like to hoard and feed on trash. With four arms, long black hair and blue velvet skin, they consume memories from the bits of trash they eat and purge them as luminous sticky tendrils they pull from gaping holes in their hands, using these tendrils to decorate their lairs. |
| Miskunn | A knee-height creature with white hair and complexion, buttony features and sharp teeth. They have willowy bodies that fold up like a marsupial, and long tufted tails. They can see into the future, though these visions are sporadic and subject to change. |
| Parchment Lark | Not technically a magical creature, but included here from Parker’s glossary: “Runed squares of parchment that have activation lines. Once folded into the shape of a lark, these notes will flutter to the one the message is intended for.” |
Review: The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here.
Spice level: 🌶🌶 .5
2.5/5, slow-burn, open-door spice, but it doesn’t overshadow the plot or storytelling.
The 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.⚠️
Please avoid reading any more if you don’t want to spoil yourself!
And yet. I always like seeing characters fall in love and earn their bond, and while I love Raeve and Kaan both so much, not being able to witness their love unfold properly the first time and just be told how strong their connection is lessens the impact for me. I wanna be a witness to it.
Also, I am not a maternal person and scenes of childbirth, pregnancy and mothering I go out of my way to avoid. And there are a few scenes in here integral to the plot which I couldn't skip, where I think I was supposed to be moved, but I wasn't. Obviously this is a "me" issue. If you love those themes, don't be deterred by my own personal opinion and my cold heart, because I'm like this with all fiction that has these things. I know a lot of people will love it.
For anyone who wanted more dragon page time in the first book, I have good news. There are so many more dragons on page and dragon-related plot threads intricately woven into the story.
And look, I understand this is fantasy and very morally grey fantasy at that. The fae have their own cultural logic and ethical systems. I also think Raeve and Kaan’s bond with their dragons is beautiful.
However, I’m not thrilled with the lack of commentary and glorifying the dragon egg stealing aspect of this world. I think I just personally craved a tiny bit more reflection or commentary around a couple of those scenes to NOT glorify that and then it would’ve been sweet.
Also, I know that this is the emotional response that the author wanted to evoke, but my heart broke so many times with the amount of animal cruelty and death in this. And if you have read the book you know what scenes, yes plural, I mean. I guess technically, some parts of the story had a modicum of catharsis but I finished TBOFD thinking that some of those gut punches were cheap shots. I was mad. However I guess it is a testament to the author’s skill. She set out to devastate and devastate she did, it was almost emotional terrorism. I guess if animal cruelty and death inclusive of fantasy animals is a trigger warning for you, best tread carefully with this book.
So yes, I finished this aware that I had been put through the wringer by someone who knew exactly how to annihilate my emotions and I was exhausted in that way where I still loved and appreciated this book and its characters and world but I also needed to get far far far away from it.
Anyway, what would really make the third book soar for me is if Kaan, Raeve, Kyzari and Caelis just dracarys the fuck out of their enemies.
How good a villain was Arkyn?!
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.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here. I chat about books a lot.
The Ballad of Falling Dragons FAQs.
SPOILER ALERT:
Some answers will spoil the book if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution.
When will book three be published?
Character art shared by artist @marinevhs and @sarah.a.parker.author via Instagram
Honestly, no idea. Watch this space
What are the content and trigger warnings?
Animal cruelty
Animal death
Blood and gore
Death and violence
Death of parent
Sexually explicit
Torture
Childbirth and traumatic childbirth
Implied threat of sexual assault/sexual predator
Abduction/trafficking of minors (implied, off page)
Explicit language
Pregnancy
Injury and injury details
Murder
Classism
Gore
Grief
Cursing/explicit language
Confinement
Suicidal thoughts
What is the age rating for The Ballad of Falling Dragons?
The Ballad of Falling Dragons is classified as adult, so ages 18+, due to adult themes and sexual content. Please also see the trigger and content warnings listed above.
Is The Ballad of Falling Dragons spicy?
Yes The Ballad of Falling Dragons is spicy, although the spice, while open door and explicit, doesn’t overshadow the plot.
Character art shared by author @sarah.a.parker.author via Instagram. Artist: @panna_mara
What is The Ballad of Falling Dragons spice level?
Spice level: 🌶🌶
2.5/5, detailed open door spice in a couple of places.
What are the The Ballad of Falling spicy chapters?
Spice is rated on a subjective spice scale, ranging from one chilli for mild and more chillies for the hotter and more explicit. Here’s where all The Ballad of Falling Dragons spicy chapters and action lives.
Chapter 26: 🌶🌶
Chapter 39: 🌶
Chapter 40: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Chapter 41: 🌶
What are the tropes?
Who did this to you/who hurt you
Immersive world building
Green flag MMC
Forbidden love
Magical monsters and creatures
Animal companions
Enjoyed reading The Ballad of Falling Dragons? You may also enjoy reading:
When the Moon Hatched dragon guide: Moonplumes, Sabersythes & Moltenmaws
Shield of Sparrows | Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry
Fourth Wing | Iron Flame | Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
A Fate Inked in Blood | A Curse Carved in Bone by Danielle L. Jensen
