"Draw Down the Moon" was a fast-paced enjoyable read, fans of YA Fantasy are not going to want to miss out on this one!

I think this book would be a great introduction into the Fantasy genre for young readers. It has a really cool magic system , a coming of age story , mystery and an atmospheric academia setting. The plot was easy to follow and the characters were done in a way that I believe could be very relatable for the intended audience.

I would recommend checking this book out if you enjoy any of these tropes:

-Academia/School Setting
-Chosen One
-Magic Systems (Astrology)
-Coming of Age
-Friends To More
-Found Family

Thank you P.C. Cast , Kristin Cast, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press , Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!

(Quick shoutout: this book takes place where I live and grew up. I hail from Portland and now live in Seattle, so it felt close to home to hear them talk about the Mariners, Blazers, etc)

This book had an interesting plot, and by the end, I was intrigued. I still have questions that I'm looking forward to being answered in the second book, but there were other points where I kind of lost the story. This book utilizes first person, which is not a fav of mine, and also does a lot of telling rather than showing. There were points where I didn't feel the connection between characters, but was told they were supposed to be close. I also would love to understand more about the astrology aspect of it all.
Still, I did get into the book and found myself unable to put it down this past day. I wanted to hear the drama and what was happening. I ended up really liking the character of Wren, but I had a harder time connecting to Lee. I also really loved their friend Sam and the constant Bridgerton references. Overall, I did end up enjoying the book but because I wasn't a huge fan of the writing, I give it a 4 ⭐️

Would recommend to: fans of Zodiac Academy, Vampire Diaries, former Wattpad users
Would not recommend to: fans of Throne of Glass, Priory of the Orange Tree, etc.

First and foremost, I have to address how absolutely stunning the cover of this book is. I'm a sucker for gorgeous cover art and I absolutely love the colors and art style of this cover. I'd have picked this book up from the shelf based on the cover alone.

This was a really fast read for me and I enjoyed it though it definitely seems most suitable for a younger YA audience despite the fact that the characters are 18. What really caught my interest was the magic system being based on the moon. I thought this was an interesting approach and made the story feel unique despite a lot of familiar tropes being present.

Overall I thought the story, characters and writing were enjoyable, and I think anyone familiar with the Cast's work, especially the House of Night series, will find this equally enjoyable.

* dual pov/ first person present
* dark academia type setting
* hidden powers
* chosen one
* magical trials
* slow burn friends to lovers romance

Many thanks to P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast, St.Martins Press/Wednesday books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and share my thoughts on an eARC of this book.

Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me. I was drawn in by the cover and synopsis, but ultimately felt that the book failed to deliver on its premise. The characters simply didn't grab me. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to check this out in advance of publication!

I wanted to desperately like this book but after getting more than a third into it, my attention wasn't captured. I've tried for a month to get more into it but even getting this far into Draw Down the Moon was a struggle. I do hope to return to it at some point in the future and enjoy it then but for now it's a DNF.

Hear me out. Young teen reader: 4 stars. Adult reader: 3 stars.

This book is perfect for my middle school niece. I’d say if you’re 13-15 years old you’d probably love this book! Let’s pretend you are that young.

You’ll love the FMC who is discovering herself and her magic, discovering what happens when a boy who is your best friend turns in to something a little more, and what happens when things around you start to get a little dangerous.

My favorite parts of this book are the FMC and her 2nd best friend Sam, and the mystery they’re trying to solve while at the academy.

You have two best friends trying to solve a mystery that is turning dangerous, a boy who is hell bent on winning the trials and following the rules, thus potentially being on the opposite side of the girl he loves, and adults who are supposed to be leaders giving off suspicious vibes.

Super quick read and I’m looking forward to the 2nd book in this duology dropping. It’ll be the perfect buddy read for my niece and I.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting this to be far more exciting. The magic system’s simple but interesting and the story had a lot of potential, but it felt wasted. Wren is a good protagonist, she’s inquisitive and not annoying at all, while Lee is the total opposite. The book is written in dual pov, but while the story unraveled and Wren was going through changes and discoveries about her powers and the mysteries of the island, Lee was just pining and being the most naive person on campus (which makes no sense considering how the character’s upbringing is presented).

The whole plot felt obvious from the beginning, but I wasn’t put out by that. It was the poor and rushed execution that killed the vibe. The writing is very fluid, the pacing was good and the book has a tolerable cast of characters and a compelling narrative, but too much time was wasted on miscommunication instead of development.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was hard to believe the characters were 18 years old. In fact, if the characters were 12-14, the writing style wouldn't have bothered me as much as it did.

Very interesting premise, but the disconnect between the characters' ages and their actions/words/thoughts detracted from what could have been a pretty good YA novel. It was still okay.

This book did not hold my interest. From the way it was written, I think the target audience is middle grade. It’s a classic Chosen One trope - girl who thinks she is ordinary gets magical powers and goes to magic school. The characters are supposed to be 18 but read as younger to me. Not a bad book but not one I would recommend to everyone.

I went into this book blind and am so glad I did! I adored it immensely!
So the beginning starts out with Wren and Lee spending time together and Lee is going to embark on an adventure that Wren can't go to. Lee has powers and Wren does not so when they spend Wren's birthday together kind of a last hoorah before Lee leaves Wren experiences power. Power in a way that they are not familiar with. Well, when they go back to Wren's house she is invited to attend Academia de la Luna with Lee and she goes to be with Lee.
On this adventure Lee and Wren realize what everyone around them saw immediately, they have intense feelings for one another and Wren becomes engrossed in prophecies, murder, and other dangerous mysteries!
This book is full of adventure and all sorts of kinds of intricate magical properties and I loved it! I am really excited because this thrilling adventure is just the beginning and now I am waiting for the next installment! The characters are well-developed and the plot is so good it keeps you on the edge of your seat good! Add this to your TBR for next April and you will not be disappointed! Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the extraordinary opportunity to read and review this one!

Love, love, love this book. I can’t wait to see where it goes. Magic and mayhem and life changes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves magic and hound adult books!

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. This review is my personal and honest opinion.
I was quite excited to start reading this book. I mean, the cover is gorgeous, the synopsis is intriguing, the authors are good to convince me to pick up this book, but the writing, the storyline, the characters...
It's fair to say that I couldn't even reach 5 chapters into this book. I don't think this read was for me.
It's a DNF unfortunately...

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I will happily leave a review for this when the racist remarks by one of their employees is addressed. I want to support the author, but also want to know they don’t support this behavior.

This takes me back to reading P.C. Cast as a teenager and being completely enthralled by their world building and characters. Wren and her story captivates you immediately and Lee only adds to that experience when you meet him.

This is the perfect slow-burn YA romantasy novel that someone of any age can enjoy.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Draw Down the Moon built a magical world with familiar elements and tropes combined in a unique way. The story combines the elements, zodiac signs, and a few other fables (that I won’t share to spoil anything) in an academic setting that is intriguing and easy to understand.

As part of a duology, the book ends on a cliff hanger with a lot of questions about what happens next.

The romance was a sweet addition without taking away from the core story of Wren discovering the answers about her new magic. However, despite the characters being 18 and going into college, their actions and character development read like those who are much younger and closer to middle school aged. The writing style was a bit difficult to get into and the dual POV that I believe was meant to make you feel connected and empathize with both our FMC Wren and MMC Lee, just made me dislike Lee.

If you are just getting into fantasy, and looking for a book that is on the younger side of young adult, this would be an enjoyable book to read.

Thank you NetGallery for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for giving me an ARC of this. Unfortunately I only got 20% of the way in and I knew this book wasn't for me. I really struggled to get with the rhythm of the writing and the prose and because of this, I couldn’t continue with the book. I think the the premise is interesting but I’m not sure if it’s actually being accomplished.

This is the first book I have read by this author and wasn't quite sure what to think. There were some things in the beginning that were stereotyped that just didn't make sense to me and didn't seem to fit in the story. Once past that though, the story was pretty good. A little bit whiny by Wren, but the world-building made the overall story interesting. Due to the way the story ended, I will definitely want to pick up the next book to read what happens next. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for my arc.

This was a classic YA fantasy that was filled with tropes you can read anywhere. The magic system was interesting HOWEVER it was eerily similar to a YA book that’s already published. But if you enjoyed Curious Tides I do reccomend you pick this up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Draw Down The Moon by P.C and Kristin Cast will be released on April 2nd, 2024.

Oh man, I would have EATEN THIS UP as a teenager. When I saw this book and saw the authors I immediately requested a copy - and I'm not sad about that. What I am sad about, though, is how young this book reads. I was expecting something more adult from the synopsis but I just didn't get that from the story. A lot of it felt similar to their other series, House of Night.

The premise of the book is very intriguing and the writing isn't bad, but don't go in expecting an adult read despite what it is labeled as.