I loved each and every House of Night book and this new series appears to be as good or better! Wren, Lee and their magical friends go off to a hidden secret school to learn to control their elemental moon powers but hidden secrets abound.
The magic system and world building is top notch and I was hooked from the first chapter.

I was given an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to The Cast's and to #Netgalley

DNF @14%

I am withholding my review until St. Martin's Press speaks up about racism in its organization and how it is going to mitigate the harm caused. #SpeakUpSMP

I have been a big fan of P.C. Cast, having read her Tales of a New World series and loved it. So, when I saw that she had a new book, Draw Down the Moon, I knew I needed to read it, and I was thrilled when I got the widget from St. Martin’s Press in my email. Having read the book, I think it was an excellent start to this series.

The main storyline of Draw Down the Moon centers around Wren and Lee. Wren is born a Mundane in a world where magic is powerful. On the other hand, her best friend, Lee, is a potent healer and is going to the highly sought-after Moon Isle to learn how to harness his magic. But everything changes when, on the night of her eighteenth birthday, Wren suddenly develops magic. At a loss of how it happened, Wren soon finds herself on a ferry to Moon Isle. Once on the island, Wren is plunged into a treasure trove of secrets and lore. With the secretive head of the school seemingly watching her, the elemental assigned to her house protecting her, and her feelings for Lee growing daily, Wren must figure out what is going on. But the truth will have a cost, either breaking Wren or setting her on a path to right old wrongs.

The main storyline of Draw Down the Moon was well written. Even the fact that it was a dual POV didn’t bother me. The author could seamlessly go between Wren and Lee’s POV without disrupting the storyline. I also liked that while I figured out what was happening (around when Wren had the 2nd trial), I was still surprised at what happened and the fallout.

I did get some strong Harry Potter vibes during the chapters where the other students were assigned to their houses. But I did like how they were assigned (it was better than the Sorting Hat, and yes, I am prepared for backlash on that). The Harry Potter vibe got stronger when they entered the dorms. But, as soon as Wren got her room, those vibes stopped, and the book started to take shape. I will warn you, there is no kindly headmaster (actually, just the opposite) or teachers with an agenda (well, not that I saw). The only magical creatures are the elementals that allowed the school to be on the island, and they are dangerous.

I liked Wren. She was mischievous and not afraid to stand up for herself. She was also out of her element during the first few days in school. Her lack of magic did set her apart. But it was during the first trial that I noticed something about her power. That thought grew when the elementals started approaching and talking to her. I did wish that she and Lee weren’t so tight. I would have loved to see her interact with Sam or any other students she befriended more.

Lee was all right, and I felt terrible for him. The poor kid was under so much pressure to live up to the family name that he suffered panic attacks. Add in that his older sister was killed while at the school, and he was barely keeping it together. At times, I could see almost two different sides of Lee. There was one side where he was this carefree boy man who just wanted to hang with his girl, and there was the other side where he was this anxiety-ridden mess who couldn’t/wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize his family name. I wasn’t surprised by any of his decisions. They were all done to further his family name. The only thing he couldn’t control was Wren or his feelings for her.

The fantasy angle of Draw Down the Moon was amazing. I loved that the author chose the magic system based on astrology. At first, there wasn’t much information about the different signs and magic. But, as the book went on, the author did start explaining the origin story of the Moonstruck and the other magic. I also liked that the author used elementals instead of the usual creatures featured in these books. The fact that the elementals were aware of Wren and were protecting her, but no reason was given, was frightening.

The fantasy angle also included a book Wren could not read (the writing was messed up). How she got the book was pretty funny, but she needed to decode it once she got it. All she knew was that Lee’s older sister wrote it, and it was something explosive. I wasn’t prepared for what it was and the fallout that happened. But I did like seeing the lore and the island’s past brought into better focus. It explained a lot.

The last couple of chapters of Draw Down the Moon were heartbreaking. While I like it when an author kills off major secondary characters, I was very heartbroken and surprised by who the author chose. While I had figured out Wren’s magic, I was not prepared for what happened at the end of the book. The revelations that were revealed were earth-shattering, as was the fight that went along with them. I also didn’t blame Lee for what he did.

The author ended Draw Down the Moon on a cliffhanger. There were so many questions that needed to be answered. And when I say so many questions, I mean it. I cannot wait to read book two and see what the fallout from the death and Wren and Lee’s actions have on the island.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, NetGalley, P.C. Cast, and Kristin Cast for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Draw Down the Moon. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

✨ Publication date: April 9, 2024✨

Draw Down the Moon is a new magic YA duology by PC & Kristen Cast (authors of The House of Night series).

Wren Nightingale has no magik. Her parents both had strong elemental magik powers but children usually show their powers if they have them early on. After her parent tragic deaths Wren went to live with her uncles and planned a future without magik.

Lee Young is Wren’s best friend and comes from a long line of powerful magik and after his sister’s death, knows he is the only one left to carry on the Young name with the Moon council. Lee is headed to Moon Isle academy to participate in the trials and determine his future.

Lee and Wren spend her eighteenth birthday together before Lee heads off to the academy. At midnight Wren is moonstruck and her dormant powers are released. They head to the academy together where Wren starts to discover things aren’t what they seem and she doesn’t know who she can’t trust.

This was a good story. The magik system is easy to follow and well laid out. I would have liked to understanding the role of the Elementals a bit more. There is also the love story of Lee and Wren, they have such a strong friendship connection and both have harboured romantic feelings for each other.

This is a 3.5 star for me. I liked the story and the build up but I did find the writing of the characters to be a bit more immature than the 18 year olds they were portraying. The responsibility and actions matched their age but the dialogue was a bit mismatched. Looking forward to the conclusion of this one!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #pccast #kristencast #drawdownthemoon

Thank you to Wednesday Books and SMP for the digital arc copy and the physical arc copy of DRAW DOWN THE MOON. This review is entirely my own thoughts and opinions based on the advance copies I recieved!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

DRAW DOWN THE MOON is a coming of age and coming into your own magick story of a girl who thought she would live her life magick-less until the moment she turned 18. She's suddenly pulled into the world she thought she'd never be apart of only to have mysteries about her own powers and her place in their world begin to surround her. With the help of her friends, Wren begins to unweave the mysteries of their magical world, even the secrets that were meant to be buried.


*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

MY THOUGHTS:

This book definitely sits on the young side of Young Adult, which confuses me a bit as the characters are supposed to be 18 year olds heading off to college. To be fair, the bulk of the characters reflect their age— LIly, Ruby, Sam, Luke. But the two main characters, Wren and Lee, were written to act like early high school aged characters, which aged the book down into lower YA. It did at times feel like I was reading a young teen's diary. Since I am clearly not the target audience, I'm rating and reviewing this book in the mindset of this is for a younger audience.

Outside of that, this reads very much like a P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast book. Its style is reminiscent of the House of NIght series which gave me some serious nostalgia to when I was 18-20 years old and obsessed with that series. Plot-wise, I loved it. While my 35 year old mind was able to quickly put together the plot and know what the big reveals would be, I could easily see my younger self obsessing over it.

I loved the unique premise of how magick works in this world, My Pisces ass is slightly salty that we're not one of the Moonstruck signs. LMAO (I was even born on a full moon night!) I appreciated the familiar PNW setting. I loved the focus on friendship and communication, listening to your intuition, and learning to shape your own future. The romance between Wren and Lee was sweet, if not a bit cringy at times (but weren't we all cringy at that age?). I especially appreciated the huge effort to create a YA story that is heavily inclusive.

All in all, this was a pretty solid 4 star read for me and I will be looking forward to the sequel cuz of course they left the book off with a huge cliffhanger.

Really enjoyed the magic system used here, and the use of astrology signs being tied to specific powers. Appreciated our MC’s magic not being overly powered but instead used more as a way to amplify the magic of others.
Didn’t love that the characters weren’t particularly memorable or lovable, or that the pace of the plot was pretty slow until the end, i felt myself putting it down too often. Not a totally negative, I just feel like better pacing and fleshing out the characters a bit more (to make them more of an investment) would have worked wonders.

Draw Down the Moon by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast is a Young Adult, coming of age fantasy book.

In it, Wren Nightingale is a human who grew up thinking that she would never possess magical abilities. But on her 18th birthday, her life changes when she begins glowing. She is then sent off to a magical school where her best friend Lee goes. Thus begins a journey for the both of them.

While I enjoyed reading the book, I honestly do not know if I will read the next installment. My reading tastes seem to be outgrowing YA books, but like I said, I did enjoy reading Draw Down the Moon so who knows. I just couldn't rate the book higher than 3 stars since I did not love it or think I will reread it again and again.

2.5 stars rounded up
In general, this one was a miss for me. I didn't realize until 80% into the book that it is meant to be the first in a series, mostly because it wasn't structured as one at all. I felt like there was a lot of hurry up and wait. The pacing was off and unfortunately that was enough of an issue that, even though I liked the world the authors built and the magic system, I'm not compelled to continue the series.

Wren Nightingale isn't supposed to have any powers. Born of magickal parents but not under a moon sign, she was 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 Academia. He has one goal: 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 Academie's gruelling 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 who to protect-
-his family's legacy, or the girl he loves.

I liked how the book began but my feelings changed when they moved to the school. The magic system is intriguing but confusing. Wren and Lee head to a school they know nothing about, Wren especially. She was never supposed to have magic. I expected her to be uncomfortable and need time to adjust but both of them seem to settle into school life. Obviously there are still things for them to discover.

The chapters are divided between Wren and Lee's perspectives. I read a lot of YA books and usually have no problem relating to the characters, but the narrative here is really being written for a younger audience. Younger readers are likely to enjoy this more.

At the story's beginning, I wasn't sure how much I would like it. The magic was really cool, but Wren seemed especially immature and I really felt the young adult aspect. However, while I thought throughout it still reads on the younger side, once Wren and her bestie/love interest Lee make it to the magical school things began to pick up for me and become more interesting. While Wren did still seem immature most times I enjoyed watching her participate in the trials, and figure out how she ended up with magic when she thought her whole life she didn't and would never have any. There are plenty of high tension moments and not everyone is going to survive.
The ending was pretty action-packed and I would definitely pick up the next book to see what's going to happen next.

3.2 / 5.0

Like P.C. and Kristin Cast books of old, this one has a ‘not like other girls’ FMC that is a little entitled, a little spoiled, and a lot clueless. I didn’t mind that much, even though I found her unlikeable, because the story was written for her “special-ness”. The MMC felt less developed and almost like a side character, the romance is super slow burn, and the magic is fantastic. The magic system and world building were the best parts of this.

Otherwise it follows a “training academy trials of fortitude” formula with some smooth twists and turns. I’ll read more from these ladies because they are amongst my favorites, but it’s not a new concept/trope/plot by any stretch of the imagination.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to this ARC for review.

Thanks netgalley and Wednesday books for the arc! Here is my honest review.

It took me a moment to get into the book but once I got used to the different povs I could start to appreciate each character!

I like the friendship between wren and lee! It does get messy with emotions and how the figure out how to navigate it.

The theme of being normal and the getting special powers was cool. The things she goes through to figure out what hers are and also accepting this new version of herself was a journey for sure!

Be prepared to cry at some points! Dang those emotions and yes there is a cliff hanger!

Wren has known that she is a Mundane and both of her parents were magickal … it just was how everything was. That all changed on her eighteenth birthday when she started glowing. Now she must go to the Academia de la Luna and learn to develop her powers, if she has any. Lee is her best friend and has always known about the Academia and had plans to continue his family’s legacy. He was not planning to go with Wren, who he loves as more than a friend. The Academia is overwhelming, and these friends quickly learn it is dangerous too. What secrets will be discovered? Who will survive these dangerous trials?

Draw Down the Moon is the first book in the Moonstruck series. I was captivated by the various characters and subplots and couldn’t wait to turn the pages and find out what would happen next. As this first story started reaching its conclusion, I felt dismayed that the book wasn’t longer. I don’t want to wait for the next installment, but it will be added to my to-be-read list!

Beautifully written YA novel. In a world full of romantasy...here's a true testament to YA fantasy. Set post-high school in the modern world, this book follows a group of special teens as they embark on a magical mystery adventure. While I thought the magic school trope couldn't get more interesting, "Draw down the Moon" brings zodiac and harry potter lore together. This book take star signs and turns it into every teenager's dream- to use magic. Upon arriving at a magical pre college school, you get sorted into dorms based on your zodiac. Each sign has particular magic styles. While I'd long for more details on this, the true body of the story is the fast paced plot. The kids only have three trials before they're all off the island. They've got to make the most of the time there. But there's been an accident! And there's a tragic backstory for everyone involved. 10 out of 10. Great cliffhanger.

{3.75/5}

CW: death of family members, some violence

Read via NetGalley.

I don’t even know what to think after that ending.

Wren Nightingale is a perfectly ordinary troublemaker. Or she was until the night of her 18th birthday. Thrown without warning into a magical world she never expected to be part of, everything in her life changes literally overnight. Wren’s best friend, Lee, hasn’t been the same since his sister died two years prior, but Wren’s sudden inclusion into his world seems to be a step in the right direction. Unfortunately for both Wren and Lee, something’s not right about the academy they’ve been sent to attend, and it looks like the two of them may be stuck directly in the middle of things.

I have a lot of thoughts about this book, and they’re all jumbled up, so let’s start with some basic information about it first. A contemporary fantasy novel falling somewhere between YA and NA and told in a dual POV, “Draw Down the Moon” manages to somehow do a lot while also just…not. It gives the feeling that it’s fast paced, but if you were to actually break down what happens when, it’s actually a little slow up until the last 20-25% or so.

The worldbuilding, to me, feels a little lacking for what could have been a particularly magical setting. Our two MCs are sent to a hidden island to train their magical talent, and a large part of the experience is that there’s basically no outside contact, no Wi-Fi, no phones, and so on. This would have been a great place to really fixate on some magical (or even just unique) details of the island, the school, or the magic systems. While there is some basic background on the types of magic, and there are some really interesting magical entities on the island, there’s very little actual expansion on any of these things. I really wanted more of the magic aspect, and it just wasn’t there.

Limited worldbuilding aside, I did really enjoy the book’s characters. Wren and Lee are fine as far as MCs go, but the really fun people were the side characters. They were easy to like, and I would have liked to have seen even more of them. In terms of our MCs themselves, while they may not have been as robustly developed as some characters I’ve seen, they also weren’t entirely flat. Wren’s not entirely sure she’s going to fit into this world, but she’s fairly certain she can figure something out, and Lee’s struggling with being himself and becoming what tragedy and family has tried to mold him into. The only thing they both know, and the thing I personally love about them the most, is that they have each others’ backs, full stop. “I don’t get it, but you do, and that’s enough” —both of our MCs, almost the entire book. Were there also times I wanted to bodily shake both of them? Yes, but they’re 18, and I’m pretty sure that’s a universal feeling about people that age.

The final, arguably most important, point is the plot itself. Honestly, up until the last 6ish chapters, I was enjoying myself. There were some mystery vibes and some dark academia vibes; it was a good time. But those last chapters? Everything, all at once, immediately and with very limited explanation. Instead of feeling like our characters were finally getting to some answers, it felt rushed. There was limited explanation of why things were happening, or even really *what* was happening, and the actual conclusion was, for me, less than satisfying. I know this is supposed to be a series, so presumably we’ll get more answers in book 2, but based on the info we have I’m not 100% certain of what the questions even are.

So, what are my final thoughts on this book? Well, I’m not entirely sure, if I’m being honest. I most definitely did not hate it. For the most part, I enjoyed it. This one’s an easy read that doesn’t require too much brain power or focus, and that can be a nice change of pace, especially if you’ve been reading a lot of more intense books lately. If I’d read it when I was younger, it probably would have been a book I absolutely loved. For a fantasy that’s not fully either YA or NA, it’s decent, and it might be a good starting point for readers trying to determine if fantasy and/or dark academia might be something they enjoy. I just wish there had been a little bit more to it so I could really sink my teeth in.

🌙 Draw Down the Moon 🌙

I’ve been searching for a book that I could recommend to younger teens and even tweens that would still be just as entertaining for adults and this book perfectly fills that role.

It has all of the elements that I love: a magical school, a unique magic system, and an especially sweet best friends to lovers with dual POV so you can see his epic pining. I also have to praise that fact that Wren’s magical evolution was done so well and not what would be expected. I’m avoiding spoilers, but honestly THANK YOU for not going the typical way.

Side note, I thought this was a standalone and was pleasantly surprised that I get to spend more time with these characters BUT after that cliffhanger I so hope the next book arrives swiftly 🙏🏼🙏🏼

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

2.5 stars for me. It started really strong but I lost interest about half way through. Too many breaks in the narration for side thoughts in my opinion. DNF

I don't read a lot of YA Fantasy Romance, but when it was offered, I decided to take on this first book in a new duology by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. With it's magic school, sorting of houses, a school held in a castle it definitely gave me HP vibes (a YA series I have read), so I I'm giving the book points for that. I liked the characters overall, although they seemed a little younger than the 18+ that was started in the book

The story was hit and miss for me. There were some parts I enjoyed, and others that didn't work, but I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read it. I'm sure many other readers will enjoy it thoroughly.

I do have to say the cover is very cool.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

This reminds me of Harry Potter goblet of fire except with young adults! The elementals were so intriguing and I fell like the writing flowed to well I was rarely bored!

This was a good book. I really love the world building and the characters. The pacing was really good and it was an interesting story to read