This was a DNF for me. It is set for a much younger audience than young adult. The language is very juvenile and much more suited for a middle school audience.

This book just wasn’t for me. I think the main issue is that it’s very YA and I’m realizing I’m not the audience for YA writing anymore. But also the writing style is very heavy-handed. The author tells you everything: how everyone is feeling, how they act, how they want people to feel, etc. rather than letting the audience make their own assumptions. It feels like the author is talking at me rather then telling a a story and it just didn’t work for me.

I feel as though this book was mislabeled - it should have been a middle grades versus ya. Even though they were 18, they didn't read that age

What an enchanting tale of magic and mystery. I was pleasantly surprised with how immersed I was in this story.
Wren is our FMC, who her whole life believed she was Mundane and without Magik. Until her 18th birthday where she is Moonstruck and everything changes. The magic is moon based with zodiac sign powers. She will now attend Academia de la Luna, a school for the Moonstruck.
Lee is our MMC and Wren’s best friend. He has known he was Moonstruck since a young age and has a goal to strive at the trials at school and be on the Moon Council.
On this adventure of magic and mystery they discover secrets that are far more dangerous than they realized.
This is a great start to the series and definitely more on the YA side. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Being a fan of these authors for almost two decades they have yet to disappoint! Coming into power is one of my absolute favorite tropes to read and expose and it felt like we got to explore this with Wren + the sub romantic plot line along with deception and trials and fear of failing absolutely loved this book

I absolutely LOVED P.C and Kristin Cast growing up. The House of Night Series was my absolute FAVORITE series growing up. I loved everything about it. I was hoping that same level of excitement would carry into Draw Down the Moon but unfortunately it did not hit me with the same level of love and appreciation. While in no way was this book bad, it just fell a little flat for me. I felt like I was drawn in immediately at the beginning but it hit a huge lull for me in the middle and got a little better in the end. This book is advertised as a YA novel but it felt younger than that? While the story wasn't for me, I can see why so many will appreciate this one. It's got a great premise!

Huge thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Wednesday Books for the incredible opportunity to read Draw Down the Moon.

Whew. Sadly, this one wasn't for me. Despite the Young Adult designation, the writing in here is either verrrryyyyy young adult or even middle grade. I don't think that the writing/internal dialogue of the characters matched their supposed ages — it was extremely young. I am clearly not the target audience for this book, but I think it could be great if the characters were either aged down or the writing aged up. Love the premise! Just a mismatch on genre/audience, in my opinion. Cover art is stunning.

I want to start off that I was not the target audience for this book. It has a very cool story line and I would have loved it but there is to many pop culture references to try and make it feel current that it just threw me off in the story. Yes, I understand they are 18 yrs old and teenagers does there need to be a bunch of things about Disney or pride and prejudice no a few references okay but it's an ongoing thing and it turns me off when it's fantasy/paranormal books. The characters are cute the blooming romance between the 2 main characters is very nice. The moon magic system is sound and very cool to understand. I would target this book for those under 20.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for the opportunity to read this book. This is my honest opinion of it.

The age of the characters doesn’t fit the internal dialogue.

I’ve been questioning what young adult really is recently. I think this book should be on the panel of examples.

The one thing I love about this book though is the moon and how it’s not just a form of power but has its own persona.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Wren has known about magick for her entire life, and she is prepared for her best friends to attend the Academia de la Luna during the summer after their eighteenth birthdays. What she is not prepared for is the fact that instead of being a Mundane as she has always thought, she becomes Moonstruck at the last possible moment and finds herself joining her friends at the fabled Moon Isle, as well. But something is different about Wren and she must survive the challenging trials set before her while trying to determine not only her place in the greater world, but her role in her own life, as well.

This fantasy adventure has a foundation in the real world while incorporating magick and wonder on top of it. Told from the alternating perspectives of Wren and her best friend Lee, the narrative grants readers access into the minds of the protagonists as they each speak in the first person. By writing in this way, the dramatic tension increases as readers know more about the story than either character does on their own. A slow-burning romance simmers between Wren and Lee, and while the pacing can be frustrating, the ultimate finale is gripping, promising a second installment to come.

Fans of contemporary stories that embrace magic realism will appreciate the blend of modern technology with the age-old belief of magick found in this book. The first in its duology, this novel must build the world upon which both stories will take place. While this is accomplished to some degree in this first novel, there are some elements that feel insufficient as they make way for more of the action to take place. Nevertheless, the pacing is decent overall and the characters themselves are unique in their presentation, which helps them feel more real to the reader. Filled with action and intrigue with limited profanity and chaste romance, this book will appeal to a wide range of young adult readers, and it is an engaging addition to library collections for this age group.

The characters didn’t get a whole lot of development and their actions and thoughts felt really rushed; as did the plot. We got little to no explanation of what moonstruck was and no understanding until later in the book with a rushed explanation. I wanted so much more from the characters as well and wish Lee and Wren had more time to actually deal with the weird tension that they had the entire book. I also wish we had more interaction with the Dean to establish why he was creepy and why Celeste was the unquestioned leader of the council. Celeste gave off obvious villain vibes the entire book.

I was disappointed. My first 2 star read of the year and from them and I wish I liked their book.

I too would be curious to see a large, ornate fountain dosed with dish soap. But I’ll have to pass on the high school graduates acting like tweens.

This could’ve been a moon magicky summer camp romp in the vein of Percy Jackson. Kids show up at the mystical moon isle and get sorted by their moon signs (aka powers), oh no, what’s this, Wren doesn’t know hers and feels like a misfit? She feels estranged from her bff because he’s got an in with the cool kids? *shocked Pikachu*

With younger characters, or an aged up writing style, this could be fun. I liked the personification of the moon - it became something of a knowing entity not just a source of power, and each of the moonstruck forms a unique, spiritual connection. Also have to appreciate the Pride & Prejudice references (BBC version, tyvm) and the supportive friendships.

(Aside - I keep mixing up PC Cast with CS Pascat, and I know they’re not the same, lol.)

**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC**

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was a delightful surprise. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

I have a lot of notes on this book and could probably write a small essay regarding my opinions on it, but I shall try to be brief.

WHAT I LIKED:
-There were some really good bits of description.
-I appreciated the implied autism rep.
-I appreciated the casual queer rep.
-I love the idea of someone’s special ability being to amplify others' magick.

WHAT I DISLIKED:
-The autism rep was only implied, never confirmed, and the queer rep was so casual that the queer characters were barely present and had no direct impact on the plot.
-Ruby throws random Japanese into their dialogue, bows in greeting, wishes they could be a Shogun, and is the martially skilled character. In other words, a very shallow, bordering on offensive stereotype of Japanese people.
-The very first thing we learn about Lee is that he’s more likely to be arrested than Wren because he's black. This is an offhand comment of no consequence.
-Lee also comes from a wealthy black family that is so powerful that they basically decide who becomes president and have done so for generations. But institutionalized racism is still a huge problem?
-The plot is largely nonexistent and relies on characters never taking initiative/showing any agency or just being colossaly stupid.
-The romance subplot was super rushed and felt underdeveloped. The blip of conflict that existed in the middle of the story just left Lee looking like an incel douche who iced out his supposed best friend the second he thought she didn't want to date him.
-Characters felt much younger than 18

I love reading books by p.c.cast and Kristen cast so when i got the opportunity to read this one i was so excited. I cant wait for book 2

"New York Times bestsellers P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast return with Draw Down the Moon, the first book in a new duology set in a dark and magickal world filled with incredible danger and irresistible romance.

A mystical school. A mysterious death. A magickal romance.

Wren Nightingale isn't supposed to have any elemental powers. Born of magickal parents but not under one of the four fated astrological full moons, she is destined for life as a Mundane - right up until she starts glowing on her eighteenth birthday. In a heartbeat, Wren's life is turned upside down, and she's suddenly leaving her home for the mystical Academia de la Luna - a secret magickal school on a hidden island off the Seattle coast.

Lee Young has always known about his future at the academy. He has three goals: pass the trials, impress the Moon Council, and uphold his family's reputation. But he wasn't expecting to be attending alongside the girl he's been secretly in love with for as long as he can remember.

As Wren and Lee are thrown into the academy's grueling trials, they quickly learn there's something different - and dangerous - about the school this year. Wren will have to navigate a web of secrets, prophecies...and murder.

And Lee will have to decide what to protect: his family's legacy, or the girl he loves."

Everything about this book sounds awesome, but it's the title that gets me. I have always loved the concept of drawing down the moon.

The premise of this story is awesome (love dark academia), but it did not come together for me. The plot and relationships were a bit more juvenile than what I think it wanted to be. I also was not a fan of the main characters and felt they were not original or exciting. I think young readers would enjoy a lot of aspects of this such as modern day references and talk, and would connect more to the characters.

First of all, thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this eARC! I am always so appreciative of the opportunity to share my honest reviews!

Gorgeous cover, fanciful and magical story, it did feel a bit more middle grade (or towards the younger end of YA). However I think there’s such a market for this kind of novel, especially for tweens and teens who are enthralled by the ever popular romantasy genre!

Another great book written! I can’t wait to see what will happen in the sequel! I love the characters and this story so much!

I was absolutely enamored by the cover and concept of Draw Down the Moon. Wren Nightingale isn’t supposed to have elemental powers, but on her eightieth birthday, powers she never knew she had and with her best friend, Lee, she’s unexpectedly on her way to Academia de la Luna, a secret magickal school. Lee has spent his whole life training for the Trials at the academy, but having Wren there—who he has been secretly in love with his whole life—changes things. And as the trials grow, even more secrets are uncovered and Wren learns the reasons for her powers and the prophecy hidden in the school. This is the first in a duology, so there’s a lot of world building happening, but I think the pacing happens too fast, and while I loved the friendship of Lee and Wren, I actually didn’t love the romance. I wanted more of their friendship and more banter to build up how they fell for each other. They’re eighteen, so I understand they’re younger too, but it is definitely a YA novel, and it felt very young. I had trouble connecting with any of the characters to be honest, and I wanted to know a lot more about them as people. Still, the world-building was interesting, and I liked the elemental magic. I was engaged with the premise and the trials, and I was curious where the story went next and to learn about Wren. I’ll definitely still check out the ending of this series.