This is an intriguing start to a teen fantasy adventure. There are many fantasy tropes that are overdone, but the Moon Magic concept is refreshing. The story was exciting and the characters were well developed. I appreciated the healthy portrayal of friends and relationships.

Draw Down the Moon is the first book in a new series. Wren Nightingale has grown up knowing that she is in a magical world but will never fully be a part of it due to circumstances of her birth. Her best friend Lee Young is fully a part of the magical community. As she is preparing for her 18th birthday Lee is getting ready to leave to go to the Academia de la Luna. Everything changes in an instant on the night of her birthday as Wren suddenly comes into her powers. Wren and Lee are now both going to the magical school where they must face dangerous and secretive trials.

This was very fun. The magic system is interesting and detailed. I enjoyed the dual POV. I think this book will be enjoyed by people that like YA fantasy. I'm interested to see how the second book in the duology wraps the story up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This had such a great premise which is what initially drew me in. The concept was there, 100%, but I think for me it really suffered from the lack of depth in the characters (and their development).

Another thing it lacked was steady pacing, I think some parts of the plot/relationships between characters moved far too quickly.
Slightly disappointed as it such a good idea, and a revitalised take on the Harry Potter-esque scene, but didn't really deliver.

Thank you for letting me read this ARC.

P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast's 'Draw Down the Moon' embarks on an enchanting journey into a world where magic intertwines with destiny and love. Set in the mystical Academia de la Luna, the novel introduces us to Wren Nightingale and Lee Young, two young adults whose lives are irrevocably changed by the powers of the moon and the secrets of their past.

The premise of 'Draw Down the Moon' is intriguing—a magical school hidden away on an island, where powers are bestowed based on the lunar calendar. Wren's unexpected transformation into a Moonstruck on her eighteenth birthday catapults her into this enigmatic world, far from the mundane life she believed was her destiny. Lee, on the other hand, is a character forged from the expectations of legacy and tradition, his path seemingly predetermined.

The magical school setting is both whimsical and captivating, offering readers an escape into a world where the impossible feels tangible. The moon-based magic system is straightforward yet alluring, providing a fresh perspective on magical abilities and their origins.

However, the novel seems to straddle the line between middle-grade and young adult fiction. Despite its protagonists being eighteen, the narrative voice and style lean towards a younger audience. The humor and dialogue often feel more suited to early teens, which might disconnect readers expecting a more mature YA tone. This disparity in writing style and target audience creates a mismatch in expectations.

The plot, while enchanting, treads familiar ground in the YA fantasy genre. Wren’s 'chosen one' storyline echoes themes we’ve seen before, though the Casts manage to avoid veering into cliché territory. Lee’s struggle between duty and desire adds depth to his character, creating a compelling narrative arc.

'Draw Down the Moon' is best suited for readers new to the fantasy genre or younger YA audiences. For seasoned fans, the novel might lack the complexity and depth they seek. However, the book shines as an entry point into the world of fantasy, offering a gentle introduction to magical lore and young romance.

Unfortunately, this just wasn’t for me. I feel like the idea was actually so good and I thought I would love it but I just couldn’t connect with the story at all. I think this will be beloved by so many though!

📖 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙬 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙋𝘾 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩 & 𝙆𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩

Wren Nightingale lost her parents years ago and came to live with her uncles. There she met her best friend, Lee. He has been gone for 2 years after his sister died, but when he comes back for her 18th birthday, something amazing happens. She thought she was a mundane, a magickal dud considering her parents were both moonstruck. However, when the clock strikes midnight on her birthday she is stuck by power unlike anything she’s ever heard of. Now her life has been flipped upside down and she must leave her home to go to a magickal academy with Lee to figure out if she really does have magick or if it was all a fluke.

It doesn’t take long for Wren to realize something isn’t right about the school, and when people start dying, she makes it her mission to find out why.

Lee has been in love with his bestfriend for years but doesn’t know how to tell her. When they are both attending the magickal academy, he starts to feel her pull away. He is under so much pressure to live up to his family name and honor his sister’s legacy, but is that worth losing his best friend?

This was a decent book, I just felt like the first 50% of the book was really confusing and there were a lot of things that could have been explained better. The world building wasn’t very defined. The Zodiac references didn’t really add to the story. I also felt like this story would have made more sense if the characters were 15/16 years old instead of 18 year old college students. The characters read extremely young for the age they are supposed to be. The ending of this book was very abrupt and ends on a big cliffhanger, so be warned!

Overall, I would recommend this story for 11-16 year old students. It is a clean story with only one kiss on page.

Tropes:
🗺️ Young Adult Fantasy
💞 Friends to Lovers (YA)
🫶🏼 Dual POV

Thank you to NetGalley for my early copy of this story so that I could share this honest review!

I really enjoyed this book and the characters. It was a adventure learning all about the magic system and Wren and Lee's journey throughout the story. The book tells the story from both of their perspectives, which I did enjoy. Although it appears to be part of a series it was a great stand alone book as well. I am looking forward to the next installment!

I have been reading the Cast’s since middle school! I enjoyed this one so much and couldn’t put it down. Definitely make sure to pick this one up if you are interested in the genre.

The premise of this book was intriguing: those born with magick are whisked off to a magic training/boarding school after their 18th birthday to refine their skills. For one such young woman (FMC), she wasn’t born with magick but struck with it- on her 18th birthday. The magick is tied to their astrological signs- and each sign has a different strength or power. The FMC and her best friend (MMC), go to the school together and make a few friends. All seems good at first, until they start uncovering some secrets.

For me, the zodiac magic type of magick fell flat. I found it confusing and.. gimmicky? This is a YA book- which, I definitely have and do read, even though I’m (cough cough) 40 (cough). I know many reviewers said they felt this is a lower YA book due to the dialogue. I don’t entirely disagree there, however, I could picture 18 year olds speaking this way. I feel that the plot, the relationships, the magick, the pacing, feels appropriate for a lower YA crowd. Probably age 9/10 up to 16. I could see older groups enjoying it also, but it did feel juvenile overall. There’s no spice, just one kiss.

I do feel like it’s hard for me to rate this book because I don’t feel like I’m its target demographic (age). I liked the overall concept, some dialogue, and I felt like the book moved along well. World building is minimal. Side characters are not that well developed. The story ended kind of abruptly, too. I’m assuming there is another book to follow. I was kind of surprised by the sudden ending.

This book may very well be a 4 or 5 star book for a 10 year old, but definitely not for my age demographic!

Thank you to the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Wednesday Books for the advanced readers copy.

This book follows Wren, who finds out she has magical powers and is sent to a magical school with her best friend, Lee. The school has houses that follow the zodiac signs. It is a fun and easy fantasy read that I think would be best suited for younger audiences. There was a lot of language that I think tried to make this book more "woke", and just felt really out of place in the fantasy setting. The characters read younger than they are. But if you are reading this at a younger age then it wouldn't detract from the story like it did for me.

I did enjoy the friends to lovers subplot romance we got, it felt fresh and different compared to the usual enemies to lovers in a fantasy book. The Zodiac signs tie in with the school and magic powers was interesting and I wish we could learn more about why some signs were not chosen. And what happens to them. Is this school also the only one in the universe?

I think I came out of this with more questions than answers, especially with the ending.

Draw Down the Moon tells the story of Wren and Lee, two long time best friends who struggle to understand their evolving magic and their feelings for each other in this coming of age YA fantasy.

We meet these two characters a few days before they head to Academia de la Luna, a training academy for Moonstruck young adults. Lee grew up in an influential Moonstruck family, so he's always known he weilds magick and has received introductory training. He didn't feel much pressure toward ambition until his sister died during her summer at the academy. Now that he's the family's heir apparent, he is under pressure to be a top performer during their trials and to make important connections while at the academy.

Wren's parents were Moonstruck, but she was not, so while she knows that Magick exists, she does not weild it. When a strange phenomenon occurs at midnight on her 18th birthday, Wren finds out that she is Moonstruck, but her power does not manifest in a way that she's familiar with. Each passing day at the academy brings new information, secrets, and dangers to light, leaving Wren struggling to decide who she can trust. She has to figure it out quickly as deadly forces converge on the academy and her group of friends.

The premise and overall character ARCs in this book were solid for me. The authors weave tension into the story by layering mysteries, clues, and big reveals, and the book ends on an unsettling cliffhanger. I also appreciate that the cast of characters includes gender queer and other LGBTQ+ representation.

The book falls flat for me with regard to the writing style and world building. The prose is very casual, bordering on conversational or stream-of-consciousness. The authors incorporate references that indicate that this is a contemporary setting (specifically referencing TikTok, Instagram, and colloquial phrases like "boomer"), but the way the characters engage with each other makes me feel like they should be in their early teens, not 18 and on the cusp of adulthood.

Even though the characters are early college age, based on the themes and writing style I'd place the ideal audience for this book at early YA, maybe 14-15.

Initially, I was really excited about the story. It gave off huge harry potter vibes but with a more diverse and modern approach to magic. Fast paced and character driven I loved the character POVs we got for Wren and Lee. What fell short for me was the lack of depth to the characters and how fast relationships and the plot moved. I felt like I needed to understand the characters on their own more before they started becoming friends and such. Great cliff hanger and will definitely read #2.

ARC from NetGalley

There were a lot of exclamation marks.

This read pretty young. The MCs are freshly 18, and they act it. I don't take issue with that, but just so that people know, it's closer to MG than NA if you feel me. There's a point where the dean reminds them that they're legally adults, but they're treated like children. It adds to the young vibe.

There are quite a few errors in this book, but it's an ARC so I suppose that's acceptable, though I feel like these things should have been caught immediately upon review.

Anyhoodle, in this book, the term magick applies both to the magic which is cast and the person who cast it. If you are moonstruck, you're a magick. In order to bring forth abilities, some kind of Naruto finger jutsu is required. I couldn't stop thinking that, and it just made things feel kind of cheesy to me. That said, Naruto is boss. No hate for Naruto. But still.

The story was interesting enough if basic. Things were predictable and convenient. The romance had 0 chemistry. We end on an irritating cliffhanger because Lee is stupid. I might read the next one, but eh..

The book was enjoyable but not the best book I’ve red from PC cast and Kristin Cast. I really enjoyed the world building and learning of the magic of this world. I didn’t really care for any of the characters nor the character development. What the book did well it did really well but there is definitely something missing.

The writing in this is really jarring. It feels written for a middle grade audience both in tone and vocabulary. It really made the entire book fall short for me.

I'm so disappointed. When I received this arc I did a little happy dance because I absolutely love this writing duo but Draw Down the Moon definitely does not match up to their normal skills.

It reads as young ya/middle grade even though the main character is an adult. The characters are immature in both dialogue and actions, and the plot was repetitive and stale.

If you go into this expecting a middle grade book you'll have an enjoyable time.

Thank you for this ARC. Unfortunately this one was not for me at all. I didn't like the writing, and it was truly difficult to get through. I wanted to set it aside but I gave it time to improve. Sadly, it did not. I think it is too juvenile and the writing quality is not what I'm accustomed to. The internal monologues were painful. Very sorry to provide this feedback, although I hope it is helpful.

Unfortunately, this did not mesh with me. I ended up DNFing it about halfway through. Something about the storytelling techniques and the internal monolgues just wasn't working for me.

I was really drawn to the blurb so I had high hopes for the book, and I tried - I really tried - but I DNF'd this about 30% through, which was more than I should have spent on it given my backlist of books to read.

At one point I came back to it's Netgalley page to figure out who this was geared to - I felt it was veering wilding from MG to NA, so I wasn't sure who it was being written for. Parts felt really juvenile, particularly in the world building and some of the internal dialogue.

This just wasn't for me - I'm sure there is a fantasy audience out there that this is PERFECT for.

This was a WILD ride! Draw Down the Moon is a YA romantasy book that follows Wren Nightingale as she gets THROWN into the world of Moonstruck magick, even though she has friends, like Lee (her long time friend who she has a crush on (and he has a crush on her too 🥹)), she still is floundering due to the fact that she was never supposed to have Moonstruck magick! When Lee and Wren go to the Academia de la Luna, the summer school where they will learn to control their powers, mysterious things start happening and danger keeps stalking Wren... The mysterious and suspenseful aspect of Draw Down the Moon will PULL you into the book and then destroy you when you realize the book ends on a cliffhanger!😭 This is definitely an interesting NA/YA book and I'm already dying for the second book! 👀 Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for an early copy!💖