When the Moon Hatched

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.