Draw Down the Moon review

"Draw Down the Moon" is a spellbinding young adult fantasy novel that captivates from its very first page. The story revolves around Wren Nightingale, who, until her eighteenth birthday, believed herself to be a Mundane, lacking the magical abilities of her Moonstruck parents. However, everything changes when she starts glowing, marking the beginning of a new and enchanting chapter in her life.

The premise of this book immediately drew me in, and the stunning cover art only added to the allure. The promise of a hidden magical school on an island off the Seattle coast had me hooked right away, and the story did not disappoint.

The characters, particularly Wren and Lee, are incredibly endearing. As best friends who share a deep connection, their relationship provides a strong emotional anchor for the story. Lee joins Wren as they embark on a journey to the mysterious Academia de la Luna. Their dynamics and evolving feelings for each other add depth to the plot.

What makes "Draw Down the Moon" stand out is not only its characters but also the well-crafted magic system and the secrets that surround the Academia. The story is a perfect blend of familiar elements, such as the chosen one narrative and dark academy setting, with unique twists that keep readers engaged. The duology's first instalment leaves readers eager to explore the future of the series, which promises even more revelations and adventures.

While it's a young adult novel, it may lean towards a slightly younger audience, especially when it comes to the romance elements. The story, however, is rich in mystery, magic, and secrets, offering a compelling narrative for readers of all ages.

This is a fantastic read for fans of young adult fantasy. The book delivers on its promise of magic, trials, slow-burn romance, and intriguing plot twists. With memorable characters and a captivating world, this novel is sure to leave you eagerly anticipating the next instalment in the series.

The amazing writing you expect from PC Cast! This was such a fun book and I loved how inclusive it was. If you want a fun YA, definitely pick this one up!

n this book, we have Wren and Lee, two best friends in a world where you are either a mundane or Moonstruck. Lee has always known his destiny as a Moonstruck in a prominent family, but when Wren suddenly exhibits Moonstruck powers on her 18th birthday, everything changes.

They go off to attend an academy on Moon Isle for Moonstruck individuals, but this year is filled with more than just the trials as accidents seem to happen left and right.

Overall, this was definitely an easy, enjoyable read for me. It is YA, but reads a bit lower YA to me — especially the romances.

I do feel like the story was oddly familiar to storylines the Cast's have written before.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
First off, this cover is amazing. The book itself was okay, but not the best. The writing was choppy, and the magic style was never really explained. Three stars from me. Wren has always known that she has no magic, unlike her late parents. Her best friend Lee has been trained his whole life to be the best at magic. Lee is going off to Academia de la Luna, and Wren knows she can’t go with him. But then, on her eighteen birthday, she shows signs of magic. Suddenly she’s being shipped off to the Academy. But once there, she can’t get her magic to actually appear again. Then dangerous accidents start happening, with the sinister message “There can only be one.”

I will not be leaving a full review until the boycott against St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday book is over. That being said, the cover art is beautiful and I wish good things for both of these lovely authors.

Absolutely an amazing read that had me completely hooked. Truly an amazing read and the characters, I couldn’t get enough of.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this but unfortunately I will not be finishing this one. I really struggled to get into the writing style as it felt like it was geared towards a younger audience.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Draw Down the Moon in exchange for a fair and honest review*
I was an avid fan of the House of Night series so when I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the new series by the Casts, I was excited! It has been a decade since I had immersed myself in the HoN series and I was eager to see what P.C. and Kristin would create this time around. Draw Down the Moon did not disappoint. This first installment to a new series set a good foundation for the potential books to follow. Draw Down the Moon had good character development, world-building, and a good plot. However good it was, it was just that; good, not great.
This book had decent world-building yet left a little to be desired. It set a good base for this new world but I would have liked to see more elaboration on the magick and the powers entailed.
I enjoyed the plot and the lead-up to the climactic parts. It was mysterious yet slightly predictable.
The character development was my favorite part of this book. I fell in love with the characters from the very beginning. I absolutely LOVE Wren & Lee's love for each other and their solid relationship. I was shipping them from the very first pages and was delighted I didn't have to wait too long to see it come to fruition. I loved Sam. I loved the inclusion. I even loved the supporting characters and villains.
While reviewing this book I had to keep reminding myself that it is YA. This book came off a little bit immature. As much as I adored the HoN series as a young adult, my tastes have matured since. Now that I am a full-fledged adult, I found this book somewhat lacking in story, plot, and love interest.
All of that being said, this was a solid book. I award it a solid 4 stars. I will most likely stay tuned for future volumes.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. The writing was a little too juvenile for me.

Thank you so much for my eArc!

this one was magical and got to travel with the characters. I love how the books explore different kinds of people and different relationships

Gorgeous cover to go with a beautiful story. I love YA fantasies especially in a magic school setting. I really enjoyed all the characters in this story and think they all added to the magic.

Read if you like:
- Lower YA books
- Magical and astrology world
- Ya romance
- Friends to lovers
- Magic school

I think this book was enjoyable, easy to read with a really cool magical world. This book is in two povs, the fmc Wren and her best friend Lee. In the beginning of the book Wren is a disappointed that she doesn't have magickal powers even although she is from a magickal family. On her 18th birthday she discovers some abilities and is enrolled into the magickal school with Lee who already had his powers. As she learns to wield her powers at the school she meets new friends that become family, learns more about spells and astrology and the world. She also discovers that there are many secrets in this school and works to find them out. I loved the atmospheric and astrological feel to the school. There's also a cute blossoming romance between Lee and Wren that I'm glad was in here. This book read younger even though the main character was 18, the characters actions and behaviors were very younger ya and at times it was a bit annoying. The ending though was very fast paced with a lot of action that left me wanting to read the next book. I would recommend this especially to lovers of ya books! Thank you Wednesday Books for this arc for an honest review, I will post on my social media closer to release day. .

3.5/5

Wren Nightingale grew up mundane, from moonstruck parents but never feeling power herself, until the night of her birthday. Except it’s different for her, everything is different for her. After becoming moonstruck, she joins her two best friends, Lee and Sam at the Academia De La Luna. There she will face not only trials, but heartache and more.

I was very drawn to the cover of this book, it is stunning. Plus, it’s been ages since I’ve read something from P.C. Cast and Lridtin Cast since the Marked series. This series definitely seems to have the length potential that the Marked series had.

The story has a lot of potential, I was very intrigued by the magic of the moon and the signs and how they were incorporated into the magic. The authors always have such well thought out lore. The characters were fun of course, but it just didn’t hold me over as it’s cover did. It was enjoyable as a plot, but I felt it could’ve been better, some aspects more fleshed out. I might’ve enjoyed it more as a younger audience.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Wednesdays Books for the e-arc.

First and foremost I absolutely adore the Casts and everything they write. And to have to the opportunity to read this book at all, especially as an ARC, is awe inspiring. I love the cover and that’s usually how I pick my books and the synopsis for sure gave me those giddy feelings of the their previous series, House of of Night.
I for sure like a fish to water with this book. It feels so familiar in a way I can’t really describe and that rarely happens.
This book for sure gave me House of Night vibes which I absolutely love. Following Wren & Lee on their journey of magic and love for sure was a sweet yet rocky journey.
The main issue that I had while reading this book is that for sure could have been more detailed on this world they brought us into. And a lot of the side characters felt really underdeveloped and the ride was kind of one noted. And the big reveal of the (i guess) big bad was for sure rushed and for sure kind of reminiscent of HON but not in a good way.
Overall this books for sure was kind of a disappointment. For sure felt like it was a House of Night rough draft. I might continue this series with it being a 2 part series but if it was longer, I wouldn’t.
3 stars

Thanks to the folks at NetGalley for the opportunity of reading a ARC of this book. My review is honest reflection of my feelings towards this book.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would give it a solid 3. The metaphors and descriptors were artfully created and pulled me into the scenes. For example, “I’m having a great dream…I keep my eyes closed and try to recapture the images, but they are melting as fast as ice in the hot…summer.”
I also really like the realness the author brings to the characters. So many books fall in the trap of several awkward, less than believable passages that make you think that would never happen if the characters were real. That being said, I don’t think the characters were well developed. Wren starts off being reckless and carefree and that wasn’t carried through past the first few chapters. Lee’s character also seemed a bit naïve and immature. The romance seemed lower young adult.
The author keeps the pace moving, but I feel that the action scenes go a little too fast. They lack development to the point that I couldn’t create a good image of what was happening in my mind. Those scenes felt rushed, especially near the end of the book.
The switch with the two main characters point of view is well done with some overlap so you can understand the different perspectives of the same scene, which I enjoyed. It is always interesting to think about how people can have such different impressions from the same information.
I almost exclusively read young adult fantasy and in a crowded space of storylines, I thought this plot was creatively developed. There are a lot of books about attending a school during the teen years for magical training, but this book managed a unique plot.

I enjoyed this once I got into it. Definitely wizard school standard but enough different to be fun (Harry Potter vibes). Good characters, but I hate books that that don't really have an ending but open for a second book. I don't mind some things left unfinished but this was really no closure until another book. Lost a star for that irritation at the end.

Despite the main characters being eighteen, this reads for a younger audience.

I enjoyed the setting, a magical school, where powers are based on the moon. It is a fun and easy magic system to grasp, which makes it a suitable starter fantasy for young teens. It has a whimsical element to it, set on a magical island hidden from mundanes.

I really struggled with the writing style. It reads like a middle-grade or even chapter book with a "quirky" sense of humor. The overuse of parentheses, ellipses, and exclamations point made it hard for me to think of this as YA. The sense of humor was also really bad. Our two characters have graduated high school, yet they talk and joke like my friends and I did at twelve years old. There was a lack of maturity and depth that I was expecting.

The plot line added nothing new to the YA genre. A seemingly normal girl who ends up being a "chosen one" has been around for ages. Thankfully, the characters avoided being Mary Sue, but just barely.

I read and enjoy both middle grade and YA, so it was easy for me to note that, if this book had been marketed for a younger audience, I would have gone in with a different mindset. Alas, I was expecting something with a little more depth and uniqueness. This isn't a bad book; it's great for those trying out fantasy, or YA novels. I would recommend this to younger readers. If you are already a firm lover of either genre, I'd skip this one. You won't find anything new or stand out here.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Wednesday Books for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Drawn Down The Moon was a magical read, containing angst, an interesting magical system and school, and dark and mysterious events.

Drawn Down The Moon was a well written YA Romantasy, and I was entertained while reading. The story is told through dual perspectives and first person. The characters were well rounded, and there was an inclusive cast of characters. The magic system was on the softer side and interesting. I wanted more magic scenes. The romance and overall story ARC were equally important. The story read quickly. There were some dark and mysterious events. The ending was unexpected and a cliffhanger.

Overall, Draw Down The Moon was well written, and I would recommend it to YA Reader who enjoy fantasy novels with a soft magic system and teen angst.

Tropes: Unrequited Love. Not great communication between 'love interests'. Magic School. Chosen one.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for giving me early access to this book! All opinions are my own.

I am a huge fan of P.C. Cast’s writing. Her world building, her characters, everything is always fantastic. That being said, I do typically find that when she writes with her daughter Kristin, there are a lot more…juvenile aspects to the writing, particularly with dialogue. I love the idea of a school for moon chosen students learning to use their magic, and the plot was really unique and great. It’s just the dialogue between the characters that feels out of place, even for a YA novel. That being said, I would still easily recommend this book to anyone who loves P.C. Cast/Kristin Cast’s books, or who enjoys YA books involving moon magic or academic settings.

3ish stars. Draw Down the Moon was unfortunately not for me, but I've given it 3 stars, in part, because I'm not the target demographic. Because of that, it feels unfair to rate it lower. Let me start by saying that I'm personally not a young adult, I'm in my 30s. With that said, I do enjoy reading YA, but I like it to feel older, and not have characters act like they are pre-teens or teens. That is my personal preference. Given that the characters are 18 and going to some magical college-type academy, I figured this would read either NA or in the very least, as older YA. It did not. The relationships and behavior of the characters was just so tediously juvenile for my preference, and honestly, felt too juvenile for an 18 year old character in general. Why did I pick this, knowing it could potentially be too YA for my preference? Because I'm a HUGE junkie for magical academy books. That, combined with the gorgeous cover, and this was an easy request. Character development aside, the plot and magical world that the authors created felt very derivative and cliche. It's nothing I haven't read before, but because I didn't care for the characters, it made it harder for me to enjoy. The writing itself wasn't bad, but it also wasn't great. It often felt repetitive and there was a lot of telling rather than showing. The book was also told in 2 POVs and to be honest, I really didn't jive with Lee's character at all- so reading his POV was a struggle. I didn't necessarily like Wren as a character either, but I didn't actively dislike her, so her POV was more palatable. Like I said, I really feel like I'm not the target audience for this. I think someone that enjoys younger YA, or maybe hasn't read a lot of magical/ academy books, could end up enjoying this. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't for me. I do want to say thank you to the authors, publisher, and netgalley for the chance to read this early in exchange for my honest review.