65 pages • 2 hours read
When the Moon Hatched
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Character Analysis
Raeve/Elluin Neván
Raeve is the protagonist of the novel and a point-of-view character. She is described as having powder-blue eyes, snowy skin, and long, black hair. Raeve embodies many key elements of the traditional romantasy heroine, from her sarcastic wit to her unparalleled sense of moral justice. She is portrayed as outspoken and fiercely independent yet shaped by a vague past that she both hides from others and struggles to fully remember. The amnesia she experiences about her past as Elluin acts as both a shield and a prison, protecting her from trauma while preventing her own self-discovery and transformation.
Raeve has two key internal struggles. The first is her Fear of Love. Because she has lost everyone she has ever loved, Raeve believes that she is a danger to those she loves. After all the loss she’s endured, she fears that she cannot handle any more heartbreaks and thus avoids emotional attachments. The second internal struggle arises from her dual identities: As she recovers her memories of her past as Elluin, she risks losing the identity she has meticulously crafted to survive the past 23 years. She fears the vulnerability and loss of control that might ensue if she opens herself up to the memories of her past and her bond with Kaan. As she puts it in her own words, “Preparation is [her] armor. Don it or die” (39). Raeve’s avoidance of Kaan’s affections at first hints at her fear of intimacy and trust. However, her gradual acceptance of his presence signals a slow shift in her perspective over the course of the novel, allowing her to envision a future where her past and present coexist—a reality she was previously not open to.
Raeve is driven by revenge, bloodlust, and her battle against tyranny. While some of these goals are honorable, they serve as a distraction that allows her to avoid dealing with her own problems. Though it is clear that her character arc lies in healing, self-acceptance, and overcoming her fear of love, her decision to hunt Rekk down for vengeance at the end of the novel and the suggestion that she might not return to Kaan in The Burn signify that her arc’s completion is still a long way off.
Kaan Vaegor
Kaan, the King of The Burn, is a secondary protagonist and point-of-view character. Though he is a significant character with a large role in the narrative, his presence comes second to Raeve’s. Kaan also serves as her romantic interest. Kaan is described as having dark hair long enough to pull into a bun; a thick beard; rich, molten, amber eyes; and a muscular frame. Upon first seeing him, Raeve perceives him as “harshly chiseled, raw…fiercely beautiful” (72). He is covered in scars and tattoos that hint at his violent upbringing, his prowess in battle, and his dedication to morals and honor. Kaan hears the songs of Ignos and Bulder, which grant him fire and earth abilities. He is also Daga-Mórrk with his Sabersythe dragon, Rygun—meaning they share a bond so strong that he can harness Rygun’s strength and fire.
Kaan’s benevolent rule develops the theme of Rebellion and Social Justice. Though he is rumored to be a bloodthirsty king who allows his dragon to “hunt freely across his kingdom, firing cities with his blazing breath and feasting on his folk whom he cares little about” (196), these rumors are far from the truth. Equality and morality are core values to Raeve, and Kaan embodies these same values in the way he rules his kingdom. He strives to create a just society in The Burn, which contrasts sharply with the harshness of The Fade and The Shade, ruled by his cruel brothers. His leadership style reflects his compassion for others and his desire to protect people, highlighting his integrity and moral compass.
Veya Vaegor
Veya is a secondary character, the sister of Kaan, and a former friend of Elluin’s. She’s described as having ember eyes and “thick, curly hair and freckles on her nose and cheeks” (451). Veya has a cheeky, fiery temperament that she isn’t afraid to showcase. She is incredibly loyal “but intolerable when [someone] get[s] on [her] bad side” (426). From the moment Reave meets Veya, she notes the impressive aura of confidence that Veya exudes. While they begin on tenuous terms, it is clear that despite Veya’s frustration with Elluin, there is a chance to mend the relationship they once had. Veya is immensely loyal to her loved ones and can be a powerful ally.
Veya has 78 ancient fire-lash marks that mar the skin of her back, evidence of a punishment that her father and brothers Cadok and Tyroth inflicted on her when she won her own Tookah Trial to avoid being wedded off to a member of the Johkull Clan. The Vaegor siblings’ mother died during childbirth with Veya, a truth that has caused her father and brothers—aside from Kaan—to despise her since her birth. Veya is consumed by guilt, blaming herself for the death of a mother she never had the chance to know. She mourns the loss her brother Kaan must have felt as the eldest child with the most memories of his mother.
The cruel treatment and visceral hatred that Tyroth and Cadok have shown Veya all her life have fueled her hatred of them in return. She keeps her scars “so that every time [she] look[s] in the mirror, [she’s] reminded of why Tyroth and Cadok need to rot” (414). Veya presents herself as a staunch ally of Kaan’s plan to defeat his brothers and remove them from their thrones in an effort to forge a better and safer world for everyone. Veya’s hunger for war and her inherent brashness also offer a sense of tension and apprehension leading into the second installment. Her desire for her own vengeance might provoke Kaan into conflict with his brothers sooner than he anticipates.
Kyzari Vaegor
Kyzari is the Princess of The Shade, the grandchild of Kaan’s parents—Ostern and Lovina Vaegor—and a descendant of the familial line entrusted with the Aether Stone. Though Kyzari is a minor character who only appears in the opening chapters and again in the final chapters, the place where her plot thread leaves off hints at a deeper significance and influential role in the second installment.
Kyzari is described as having azure eyes, white hair that hangs past her waist, and a pale complexion. She wears the Aether Stone on a diadem around her brow that was placed upon her immediately at birth. The Aether Stone’s ill effects are apparent in many aspects of her appearance, from the “dark dents beneath her eyes” to her “frail, almost skeletal hand, and the way her cheekbones jut out much more than they once did” (133). Toward the end of the novel, The Scavenger King sees her in a different light. He regards her as having “red lips, large eyes mantled with a thick fan of lashes, a shapely elegance the likes of only one he’s encountered before. His Fire Lark” (707). The end of the novel explores Raeve’s nightmares of her early past as Raeve, when she was forced to brawl for The Scavenger King and became known as the infamous Fire Lark. With the reveal of Nee returning to Kyzari at the end of the novel and The Scavenger King’s recognition between Kyzari and Raeve, it is heavily implied that Kyzari might be the daughter of Kaan and Raeve.
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