This cover and the description was so pretty and so promising. The story however? not so much. This felt very flat and middle of the road writing/story telling wise and I was not impressed. I did not finish this and stopped reading around 45%. Thank you for the opportunity.

If I was paying attention to all the little things and being picky, I would probably give Draw Down the Moon 3.5 stars. Maybe 3 stars. But for entertainment, enjoyment, and a magickal school setting? 4 stars, no questions asked!

Wren Nightingale knows that Moonstruck exist - humans who have been gifted with a magickal power by being born under the corresponding moon sign. Wren's best friends and even her parents are Moonstruck, but she is not... until one evening when she discovers she might have magick after all. Wren goes to Moon Isle for the traditional summer of training and Trials to discover her powers, along with her best friends Lee and Sam. But things feel off at the Academia, and Wren finds out there might be more secrets and danger than she thought...

This was literally just so much fun! I loved the setting, the different magicks that Moonstruck could have, the fact that the powers were from the moon Herself and the backstory there, and the Elementals. I also felt that there was a good amount of worldbuilding and explanation given to us, while still leaving some secrets for the second book in the duology to explore.

I don't think there was a single moment when I was bored. Between the atmosphere of the Academia nestled on a hidden Pacific Northwest island, the friend group that slowly forms around Wren, and the Trials and their dangers, the plot was always moving. I do have to say that there's not many plot twists here; the characters are searching for clues to solve eerie mysteries and we find out the answers when they do.

Both Wren and Lee's POV chapters were enjoyable, though I will say that Wren felt a bit inconsistent at times. Lee has never seen her cry and then she cries about 6 times in this book? Hmmmm. And Lee has this whole "professional grown-up man whose family legacy rests on his shoulders" vibe that gets a little intense. It's either that or his very focused observations of Wren that take over his thoughts most often. BUT, I did find Lee the most mature character and generally intriguing with his oscillating motives.

The romance... eh. It wasn't glaring, but it was definitely full of that teenage angst of "what if I mess up my friendship cause I actually like him?!?!" and then the inevitable, "maybe I'll just mention another girl and pretend I don't have feelings and then avoid him cause we are both awkward." So, that was painful to get through. Lol. But aside from that, I believed the friends-to-more-than-friends love story and thought it was kinda sweet.

To address my biggest qualm with the story: the maturity. Wren and her friends are supposed to be 18, but they act young. Aside from Lee, whose inner maturity shows more in his POV chapters, most of the characters come across as about 16 or so. But also, have you been around 18-year-olds recently? Some of them do very much act like this. So, it's a toss-up. And, there's definitely pop culture references and joking that the true YA-aged readers of today might appreciate.

However, the darkness of the book does reflect the (supposed) ages of the characters - there are several hard moments that get graphic or violent. There's a shift in tone after the first happening, but I think it reflects the shifting atmosphere our characters feel. Danger is moving ever nearer...

Overall, I will be reading the conclusion to the duology! While maybe not the most mature or complicated story, I had a lot of fun. I also appreciate how built the Moonstruck world is for such a quick read! I think this series could be a great fall read for those who like that middle YA feel (15/16), or readers around that age!

This read really young for me even for a young adult book. Wren felt like a 11,12-year old, even her parents felt really young. And I think the problem is the dialogue - it's just so juvenile and stillted. I hated the sense of humour. The plot is really slow.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Unfortunately, it's a DNF for me. I didn't really connect with the characters who felt a lot younger than they were supposed to be. The number of specific products/apps mentioned in the first chapter was also jarring, and it made this read more like fanfiction to me than I would've liked. Overall, this reads as younger YA than I initially thought it would and this book doesn't seem like it's for me.

I really enjoyed the magic system and the trials aspect in this story but unfortunately this book wasn't for me, but I do get why some people might love it.

Thank you netgalley for sending this my way!

I enjoyed this one! The dark academia vibes were spot on and I love a good school setting. This was a great start to a new series - the magic system and world building is great. I found the astrological factions really creative! I do have a few questions but I'm guessing they'll be answered in book 2 👀. Can't wait to read it!

I went between the audiobook and ebook but ended up liking the narrators a lot so I finished it off by audio!

A huge thanks to St-Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC/ALC. All opinions are my own.

Wren was Mundane in a family of magickal beings, she was never supposed to go to Academia de La Luna. That is until she is moon struck on her eighteenth birthday. As she tries to navigate her new magick powers, school politics, arcane trials, deep secrets and prophecies she will have her childhood best friend, Lee, along with new friends to help her survive. But what happens when you have to choose love over legacy?

This book is a wonderful and magical YA novel, with an interesting and unique magic system. The level of angst in the book is very age-appropriate for the teenagers in the book. The mystery is mystic and the trials are trying. What more can you ask of a YA fantasy book?

The only things that I didn't love about this was that it takes the characters so long to resolve their problems when all they needed to do was talk to each other. This book is 100% YA, and therefore not might not be for everyone. At points it seems a little immature, which when put into context as to how old the characters are makes sense but that does not mean everyone will like that.

Anyone who loves fantasy with a bit of teenage angst should read this. The author was definitely not afraid to off any characters and throw in some twists that will leave you begging for the sequel. It's me, I am the one begging for the sequel! I can wait to see what the authors do next with these characters and their story. But until then I am going to be telling all of my fantasy lovers to check this one out!

It's beginning to become clear to me that stories written against a school backdrop don't really jive with me anymore. I thought this book was just okay and probably will not be continuing on with the series. The magic system was interesting but other than that this book just fell a bit flat for me. I think that this book would have greater appeal to a younger audience and unfortunately that just isn't me anymore.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me for now. Hoping to revisit in the future but it's been months and I haven't felt compelled to finish.

Beautiful cover and the synopsis was intriguing but just not executed well. The characters are 18 but this book reads so much younger. There is also way to many similarities to HP- chosen one, learning magic ( but she doesn't really learn much), two friends and people out to get them. I just didn't get into this story. 2.5 stars

"P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast return with a new duology set in a dark and magickal world filled with incredible danger and irresistible romance."
Draw Down the Moon is about Wren Nightingale and Lee Young when they go on an adventure that is filled with magic but also mystery. This was written really well and had me turning pages until the very end. I loved the characters in this book and my favorite was Wren. The magic system in the book was amazing. Overall this was a quick read with a really great storyline. I am so excited for the second book in this series and can not wait to read that one! I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any reader but especially if you love fantasy novels or young adult books. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this magical read in exchange of my honest review of Draw Down the Moon by P.C Cast and Kristin Cast.

2.5 stars.

I keep going back and forth with this book. I was very interested in the world and the magic system, but honestly the characters just weren’t doing it for me. I found them to be a little dry and flat.
I feel the authors tried too hard leaving it off with a cliff hanger, but didn’t really work out well. It wasn’t a cliff hanger where I was sitting on the edge of my seat scared of what was to come next.
The ending was very lackluster, and not really much on the line for our main characters.

When I saw the cover and heard the premise of Draw Down the Moon, I was excited to give it a go. However, the authors have a reputation for their early-2010's writing style, so I was a little nervous. Still, I thought maybe their writing would have matured by now. Unfortunately, it has not.

At face value, the premise of Draw Down the Moon is interesting. A girl discovers she has powers drawn from the moon and goes to a school to train and take place in "deadly" trials. She meets other students with powers derived from their astrological sign, and a fanatical plot ensues. Unfortunately, in reality, this premise didn't end up being as unique as I'd have liked, and the majority of this book just felt like a Harry Potter knockoff. I mean, on her birthday a girl discovers she has magic. She then goes to a school divided into four houses to improve her magic. She meets a bully on her first day, but luckily also unites with her two best friends. She then realizes she is the chosen one, and some weird stuff is going on at school. Not all the professors can be trusted, but with the help of her bookworm best friend who is always studying and memorizing knowledge, she'll get to the bottom of things ...

In addition to the utter lack of originality, as I mentioned, I hated this book's writing style. Even though the characters are all 18+, this reads like middle grade. All the characters are incredibly shallow, yet overly quirky. The main character and her best friend/love interest are always pretending they're in Bridgeton and saying "Milday". We're introduced to the main character's bookworm friend by seeing her walking down the street loudly singing a song from Beauty and the Beast for no particular reason. It's just too much quirk. In addition to the weak characters, the pacing and exposition are wretched. The exposition is delivered incredibly bluntly, and the pacing is nonsensical. The main character doesn't arrive to school until the 25% mark. Then like half the plot happens in two days. Then 3 weeks are told to have passed at the beginning of a chapter. And not to mention that there are no scenes of the main character actually learning to use her magic. She arrives at school and is told the trials will help her perfect her magic, but the professors never explain how to use it. They just present the students with problems and ask them to use their magic to solve them. Truly, I have no idea how this magic system works. So while this book had a decent premise, I simply couldn't get past the writing to actually immerse myself in the world.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you publisher and NetGalley for the eGalley.

This one wasn't for me, I felt like it was a bit to much like HP to get past. I can see the appeal and younger audience might enjoy it.

DNF at 44%. This story just did not click for me. It felt like a lot of plot points lined up with no real magic or emotion connecting them. The characters fell flat for me. By nearly the half-way point, I should have been hooked by a mystery or a conflict, even the relationships. But it's almost half-way and I'm not drawn in by anything.

Maybe it's because the book reads VERY young, almost middle grade. The characters are all 18-year-olds at the equivalent of magic college. Maybe I expected them to be a little more mature, more developed, more substantive. Maybe this is an issue with YA Fantasy as a genre; it encompasses too much.

I just can't. The cover really brought me in. but within two minutes we get name drops of Facetime, Insta, and Tiktok. and the FMC feels very young for 18.

I really really REALLY wanted to love this :/ the cover is beyond stunning, and the blurb sounded so amazing and intriguing! Unfortunately, I just didn't like it. It felt awkward and like the author didn't fully know where they were going with the plot.

*3.5 rounded up*

ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy of this eARC. P.C. Cast and the Marked series was a milestone for me as a reader and I followed those characters up until I went to college. I am still convinced I will go back and revist the House of Night to finish Zoey's story soon.

That being said, when I saw she was coming out with a new YA series I was intrigued. Its been almost 15 years since I first read a book from this author and I was so curious to see how her story telling has grown and if her world captured me as much as it did when I was a teen.

By 20% through I couldn't help but see the similarities between this book and the Marked series and it reminded me how great P.C. Cast is at crafting these magical academies and the students that belong in them. It felt like getting to reread one of my favorite series again for the first time, even though this world of magic is far different.

At time the world building did felt clunky or a bit too obvious with where some of the plot points were going, but it did not stop me from enjoying the book. It is for sure a YA book through and through, and I would've been curious to see how the story would've faired with an aged up cast. At the moment it felt like a "Zodiac Academy" but make it for teens with some of the bullying aspects and the mystery's going on around the school.

I'm excited to see where the story goes from here, but hope we get a little more character development from Zee, as his POV chapters often left me wanting. I think the book could have faired a bit better by being all in Wren's POV. And to be completely honest, Zee made me so angry at the end with him working to save Celeste. Communication is a big no for me trope wise and I couldn't help but think how much could've been solved if we had less secrecy between the main cast.

I would easily recommend this book to any teen walking into my store looking for a bit of dark academia fantasy, but wouldn't necessarily be my go-to suggestion for an adult audience.

Draw Down the Moon is very reminiscent of Harry Potter with the Chosen One living without magic until a certain birthday, at which point they are whisked off to a magical school. Though this story has a magic system based off of the moon, which was intriguing.

I think this book would have hit better if it was marketed for lower YA or even middle grade, it didn’t come across as upper YA. The characters are 18 going to a magical college but read more like 14-15 year olds starting high school.

If any younger teen readers are looking for a Harry Potter or Children of the Red King style read this book is a good choice.

Books with beautiful covers and on my most anticipated list for 2024 keep letting me down and it's killing me! I reallly liked PC Cast when I was younger and this book that revolves around astrological Academia seemed brilliant! At first...

I don't know if this is just a trend in current publishing (by God, I hope it is just a trend) but, I don't understand why YA authors all of the sudden decided that their audiences are stupid and have to have everything written in the most simplistic and obvious way or else we won't understand anything. It would be offensive to middle graders to say that this was much more middle grade than YA. I find it disheartening that YA authors nowadays refuse to write anything more complex and emotive. I really try to refuse to indulge in the nostalgia of the YA books of my young teen life (the 2010's) but it is very obvious seeing the quality and the way that authors would "talk" to their audiences in books that I adore(d) like The Raven Cycle, the Diviners, or the Graceling series versus this. The pacing was terrible, the characters were flat and I cannot even comment on the plot because I had to DNF due to the books unreadability. I cannot wait to get to the point where YA authors stop writing books just for a hopeful attempt at virality due to their "forbidden romance" and actually start caring about the content and the way they direct their younger audiences. If I was 13 right now, and this was the YA I was getting, I would assume authors thought that my demographic was full of idiots.