Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I really enjoyed Draw Down the Moon. It certainly had it's Harry Potter vibes, but it truly felt uniquely it's own. I loved the characters, the world building and while I did feel like the characters acted a bit younger than their ages, I still had fun reading it. 3.5/5 stars

This was a bit slow at the beginning but once it picks up it's a great and easy read! Definitely entertaining and fun! Love the magic and the plot. The dialogue is a bit cringy and unrealistic, but other than that it was a good read.

Draw Down the Moon by PC and Kristin Cast tells the story of two best friends Wren Nightingale and Lee Young. Lee has known his entire life that he was Moonstruck. He was born under an Aquarius moon and gifted with healing magic. Wren's parents were also Moonstruck, but she and her Uncle Brad felt Magick so they were Mundanes. At least that's what Wren thought until she manifested Moon Magick on the night of her eighteenth birthday. Wren and Lee both have to go to Moon Isle. A magical island where young Moonstruck students learn to harness their powers. A students' future within Magickal society depends on their performance that summer 9n Moon Isle. Friendships are tested, hearts are broken and things are not what they seem. The book is dual POV between Wren and Lee. Their voices are distinct and they both add something to the story which is a difficult thing to do. The pacing was good and I enjoyed both POVs. I'm excited for the next book and can't wait to see what happens next.

First, thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.

I requested this book because Kristin Cast + PC Cast altered my brain chemistry with the House of Night series when I was in junior high school. I was obsessed with that story, those characters, and the dark intrigue, so I was excited to see a new magical series from the duo! I have to say I went in with high hopes and came out feeling disappointed. While this book was about 18-year-olds, it felt much more like 13 to 15-year-old characters. The characters faced glaring issues and never went further than surface-level. There was a snoozefest of a "relationship" (if you can call one interrupted date with the most PG peck on the lips a "relationship") and the main plot was the main character being "chosen" (shocker) and trying to keep it a secret while all her friends were like "oh did you SAY you're SPECIAL? Isn't that SUPPOSED TO BE A SECRET? I know it's a SECRET, but let's TELL the SHADY DEAN AND QUEEN ALL OUR THOUGHTS!!!!!" I'm sorry, but I couldn't roll my eyes hard enough.

In trying to provide productive feedback on Netgalley, here are some issues I had with the book that could be strengthened in the second:
1. The characterization - this read younger than YA partly because all the characters were incredibly one-dimensional. If a side character has a personality trait, everything they do has to correlate to that specific trait. Ruby wants to be a Japanese fighter? Cool, they respond with at least one Japanese word that someone has to translate every time they speak. Wren is hyper-fixated on Bridgerton? Everything has to relate to a Regency romance. Sam is the genius without a filter? Everything she says is a screech. Get the picture? It just made for a very boring read character-wise because no one had the opportunity to grow.
2. The plot itself was very simple. It was all laid out with no room for surprises, so it didn't keep me turning the pages. It stated exactly what Wren was and then proceeded to follow that exact line. I was hoping it would end with a cliffhanger twist but it just ended without anything surprising happening. The characters were also completely juvenile when trying to "uncover the plot" and it was very frustrating. I know 18-year-olds are the brightest crayons in the box but these kids were idiots.

Again, I wanted to like this because of the love I had for the House of Night series, but this was it's more simple, younger sister wannabe.

First off I’ve been a fan of P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast since the House of Night series which I have read multiple times.

Draw down the moon kept me intrigued and ready for more with the great storyline. I will say that the very slow back and forth does he or does she like me aspect was the only thing I didn’t like. I am ready for the next book in the series to know what is going to happen next.

Wren was born a mundane even though she had two magical parents. Her two best friends were set to leave her for the summer to go to the magical school to learn to use their moon powers. On wrens 18th birthday she gets the surprise of her live and her real adventure begins whether she is ready for it or not. Remember this is only book one of the series so be ready to wait for what happens next.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I had the wonderful opportunity to read, "Draw Down the Moon" by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast and it promises an enthralling journey into a world where mysticism, danger, and romance intertwine to create a spellbinding narrative. Set against the backdrop of a hidden magickal school off the Seattle coast, this novel introduces you to Wren Nightingale, a young woman whose life takes an unexpected turn when she discovers her elemental powers on her eighteenth birthday.

Cast into the mysterious Academia de la Luna, Wren finds herself alongside Lee Young, a childhood friend harboring a secret love for her. Together, they navigate the treacherous trials of the academy while unraveling the school's dark secrets, including a sinister murder.

The authors, known for their immersive storytelling, weave a tale filled with intrigue, prophecies, and forbidden romance that draws you into a world where the line between mundane and magickal blurs, and where the choices made could mean the difference between life and death.

With its compelling premise and richly developed characters, "Draw Down the Moon" is a captivating book of fantasy and romance alike. Cast and Cast deliver a gripping narrative that leaves you eagerly anticipating the next installment in this thrilling duology. Fantastic read. Highly recommended.

Wren knows the rest of her life will be in Fern Valley as a mundane, while her two best friends Lee and Sam travel to Moon Isle to attend the Academia de la Luna, and she is ok with that! But on her eighteenth birthday she suddenly becomes Moon touched, and her whole life gets turned upside down. Now Wren must train the magic she isn’t sure she really has, all under the watchful gaze of the Lunar council. Lee has been preparing for Moon Isle for years, and is determined to earn a seat on the Lunar council. He is thrilled Wren is joining him, and hopes his long time crush can finally turn into something more than friends.

This is a dual point of view story full of action and intrigue. As far as young adult novels go, this felt slightly juvenile at times, but given the target audience I think it would be perfect for most young adults. The end felt sudden, and it’s definitely a cliff hanger! I much preferred Wren’s point of view to that of Lee, and I would have enjoyed a little more background information on some of the characters and the Elementals!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my chance to read and review this book.

I want to start out by saying that I LOVED the House of Night series in high school. Now I knew that as a woman in her late 20’s I wasn’t going to be the target demographic for this book, even though to this day I truly like and enjoy a lot of YA books. Overall this was a fun read and I could see this being a 5 star read for those that enjoy younger YA fantasies or hasn’t read many magical academy books. With the characters being 18, out of high school, I had hoped this wouldn’t feel as juvenile as it did. The magic and premise were certainly interesting, and kept my attention long enough to finish the book.

Thank you for the ARC.

The premise of the magick system and the use of the zodiac was interesting and had caught my attention. The cover is absolutely stunning.

But I feel for me this read wasn't for me. This felt like lower YA to me and nothing wrong with that.
I'm just not the target market for this book.

3.5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: younger YA, magic schools, chosen one, childhood friends to lovers

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 4/8 and my review blog as of 4/11.

So...this book reads very young. And like it was written by someone in middle school. I could go on and on about how young the characters read and how they interact with each other the way no human being interacts with other people, but I'll keep this brief. These characters are all supposed to be 18, yet almost every single one of them reads like they're 12. I had to put the book down several times because of how absolutely ridiculous some of the things they said were. They also 100% do not dress like high schoolers. No high schooler is going to be caught dead in the kind of 'funny' slogan t-shirts these kids wear on the regular.

Another thing that made me put the book down was the fact that there's a Japanese character who...randomly responds in Japanese to people who don't speak Japanese. That IS NOT HOW CODE SWITCHING WORKS!!! Also, Cast gets some of the Japanese wrong, particularly in regards to respect registers, though that's of course hard to fit in when the character 'speaking' Japanese only ever uses one word at a time.

Moving on, the premise of the book rests on the 'chosen one' trope, and Wren is extra special since her powers don't quite fit the traditional categories. For most of the book Wren reads like a middle schooler, which I think she should've been and then the whole book could've been MG instead of YA, but whatever. However, there are certain points in which she acts more mature and behaves like one would expect an 18-year-old to. I'm...not really sure what her character arc is. She's very loyal to her friends, and she wants to solve the mystery of what's going on, but that's about it. While there's not really any character development going on with her, she does have a lot going on and her I'm-actually-12-in-an-18-year-old-body behavior/attitude does make her POV interesting to read.

Lee actually has a more solid character foundation, imo. He wants to uphold his family's high expectations while also honoring his sister's memory. This, naturally, leads him to do things that he thinks his sister would've done, regardless of it's something he wants. These familial expectations have, apparently, turned him from a mischief-maker like Wren into a rule-follower. His blind obedience to the rules gets kind of annoying when it's obvious there's something wrong going on at the academy. Instead, he's just like la-di-da, we should tell an authority figure (even though they're acting suspiciously). At least that's in character for him though, so I can't fault it too much even if it's annoying. That being said, while I think Lee is a stronger character, he's rather boring, and he actually acts incel-y for a portion of the book. He thinks Wren is telling him to date someone else and since she doesn't return his (unspoken) feelings, he decides to ghost her. And then somehow everyone thinks this is her fault.

Sam is really the only other character who gets enough page time for us to know. Luke, Lily, and Ruby are just kind of...there. Sam is Wren's other BFF and also has that weird mix of immature and normal-18yo. Her entrance is literally her belting the opening song from Beauty and the Beast in front of a crowd of people she just met, solely in order to say 'hi' to Wren. Luckily, Sam has smarts to her and that mostly makes up for her entrance. She's able to help Wren with the mystery and is good at making leaps that help. She's also fiercely protective of Wren.

Probably my biggest issue with this novel aside from the immaturity of the characters, is the fact that the dialogue is exposition. It's literally the embodiment of that Tumblr post talking about bad exposition "morning sis, remember how our parents are dead," is basically how things work in this novel. There are moments when things are explained through showing, so I'm not sure why so much of it is told unnecessarily through dialogue.

The ending also did not wow me. The whole book is spent building up to this moment and then after some action, things just fizzle out. Wren I think gets a magical transformation into a 20-year-old (??) and also a hair dye job (??). Somehow Wren leaves the school and I'm just very confused about the whole thing. I think Cast could've easily made this a standalone and wrapped everything up in this book, particularly if the exposition was delivered a little more smoothly.

ARC review:
⭐️⭐️.5 for Draw Down the Moon by PC Cast

An 18 yr old orphan girl (Wren Nightingale) comes into her very special moon magick and is whisked away to a deadly magickal school. Will she and her gaggle of friends survive the summer?

Let me start with the things I really enjoyed in this book. I love a good magical school setting and that didn’t disappoint. I also didn’t mind the moon/zodiac magic system, even though it could have been explained better. I also loved the Elemental creatures and in my opinion they were the stars of the book. The cover is absolutely stunning and I love it. Now for some negatives. I unfortunately found the characters to be extremely immature. It made it difficult to get through the book, as I wasn’t invested in their story. Wren was constantly in a state of denial/self hate and it was frustrating. It also had very strange and unfitting pop culture references galore. The ending was extremely rushed and had me saying “huh?” as it ended. I hate to say it but the book wasn’t for me.

Thank you netgalley and Wednesday books for the opportunity to read this book.

12-year-old Abby would have made this book her new personality.

Draw Down the Moon is a YA fantasy story taking place in a magical school where things are not always as they seem. The writing style feels to be on the younger side of YA, whereas the plot feels more middle YA, which was a bit weird to me. It did contain a lot of trending tropes, such as magical boarding schools, childhood friends to lovers, secrets in academia, and seemingly mundane protagonist being tossed into a new world.
The story follows Wren and Lee as they attend a new magical school with magic based on the moon and different zodiac signs and elements. I thought the magic system itself was interesting, as well as Lee's connections with the school's history. There's a tournament-esque plot about halfway through, but overall, there wasn't a ton of action. I predicted the plot twists fairly easily, but as I said, it reads as a younger YA, so I think, given the age range, the plot twists and action are adequate.
The characters were what kind of lost me. Because there's relatively little "action," the reader spends a lot of time in the minds and conversations of the main cast. Ruby, Lily, and Sam were all neat in their different powers regarding the moon, but there wasn't much time to genuinely connect with them. While we got POVs from both Lee and Wren, most of the internal monologue focused on discussing their budding relationship and their inability to simply communicate with each other. Wren was a bit "not like other girls," which got on my nerves a few times, but other than my lack of connection with the two main characters, I didn't hate them.
The ending sets up for a very interesting sequel, so I might check it out eventually. If you want an easier YA read with plenty of popular tropes and a quick adventure, Draw Down the Moon is nostalgic and yet unique at the same time.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.25/5

The premise of this was intriguing, but unfortunately, I just found the pacing a little jarring and the world-building a little confusing. The POVs of the two main characters were also quite similar, so it was sometimes difficult for me to keep track of what was going on.

The concept of the moon magick was very intriguing though, and I really enjoyed the first few chapters, but unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.

2.5

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast, Marie Smith (audio narrator), and Jordan Barton (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Draw Down the Moon in exchange for an honest review.

Draw Dawn the Moon is the first book in a duology, and it is a fast-paced, magick-filled romance taking place at an academy for elemental witches. The pacing is brilliant, the conflicts are dark and intriguing, and the overall impact makes for an excellent start to a two-part series. Being a long time fan of House of Night, I was excited to explore another academy-type of novel in the real of paranormal from the mother-daughter writing duo. I am certainly not disappointed, and I think this duology will be one of their best works to date!

Wren's parents are both magickal, harboring elemental powers, but she was not born under one of the astrological moons, meaning she is fated to be a Mundane (basically a regular human being).  On her eighteenth birthday, some semblance of power makes its presence known to her, and instead of saying goodbye to her best friend, Lee, she is abruptly going with him to the Academia de la Luna, a special school for elemental witches.

With alternating first person perspectives, not only does the reader see Wren's first-hand experiences, but Lee's as well. Unlike his best friend, Lee has always known he would be attending the Academy (think of it as kind of like a college, as students attending have already graduated high school). Lee is from a more prestigious magick family and aims to pass the school's trials for a shot at upholding the family name. 

While Lee fight's the attraction he has had for his best friend since, well, forever, Wren is working on navigating just how her magick works. As the female main character, she follows the chosen-one arc in a way that keeps the reader wondering about her powers and just what makes her different, and why. With her newfound friend, Sam, she embarks on a journey to discover her magick, learning that there are darker pieces at play at the academy, and Wren might be on the verge of discovering them.

I greatly enjoyed this novel as a first in a duology. Even though I love House of Night, I do still find the writing style to be a bit immature at times, though this is a young adult novel. Technically. The characters being eighteen and just out of high school makes it lean a bit more in the new adult direction, and there is some more mature ideas being explored, though not crossing the line of the safety that generally comes with a young adult novel. Some of the dialogue is a bit off-putting, yet there are other conversations that truly make the book impossible to put down.

I truly love the characters, I love the conflicts, and I love the incredible end that makes me want to read the next one. I generally don't get too into "witch" type novels, but this one really sucked me in and blew me away! Draw Down the Moon is perfect for lovers of paranormal, magic schools, and dark events. An excellent first book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I had a hard time with this one. Not because the writing or the concept wasn’t good but it just read much younger than I was expecting of the characters. I usually like reading from both these authors but this one just wasn’t for me.

Hello,

this book ended up not being my cup of tea, and I would prefer not to review it, as I had to DNF it. I don't think I have anything to say that would have a positive impact on this.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book

While i do enjoy a good YA book this one read as a bit on the younger side of YA for me personally even though the characters were 18. The magic and the school setting was fun & interesting this was just took me a bit longer than usual to finish as it didn't hold my undivided attention. Hoping the second book in the series is a better read for me.

This book had such promise but unfortunately, ended up falling mostly flat. Starting with the good — the magic system and the plot. I really enjoyed the moon magic and different types of magic attributed to the various lunar cycles. The intrigue surrounding the elementals was also fascinating, and I’d love to learn more about them in book two. I also enjoyed the overall plot. There was enough intrigue between the determining the truth of Wren’s powers and the prophecy the elementals kept hinting at in regard to Wren.

What didn’t work for me were the characters. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough build up to the relationship between Wren and Lee. They were friends for years, but we’re dropped in to the middle of that without seeing the build up only being told it’s there. As a result, there was no real chemistry between the characters at least in my eyes. Even amongst the friends group, I struggled with the connecting to the characters aside from Wren and Sam. I did find the story interesting enough to want to read book 2

I saw another reviewer share that young adult books like DRAW DOWN THE MOON highlight the disparity within the genre, and I couldn't agree more. It's intended for ages 12-18, which is challenging due to the mental, emotional, and physical growth that occurs during those years. I try to avoid labeling books within the genre because every young adult matures at a different rate. That said, DRAW DOWN THE MOON features characters that have graduated high school, but they present much younger. Their actions, thoughts, and manner of speaking would have made a lot more sense had they been starting their first year of high school.

I struggled while reading due to inconsistencies throughout the book. I always ask myself, "would a young adult notice?", and in this case, I believe that they would. There were several times when I would have to stop reading, go back, and verify that I wasn't crazy for thinking that what I just read didn't match earlier pages. I felt that there were several blatant parallels to a popular young adult series which isn't necessarily something new, but the execution didn't work for me. Additionally, I loved Jordan Barton's performance of Lee, but I didn't really understand the need for Lee's POV throughout the novel. I didn't feel that the book provided enough of a dive into the characters' psyche to warrant chapters narrated through his gaze.

I did appreciate the magic (or in this case, magick) system, and I think that the series has the potential to be a hit with its intended audience.

Is it fair to compare this to books like DIVINE RIVALS and LEGENDBORN? To be honest, I'm not sure. I feel that my rating is appropriate given the aforementioned inconsistencies and parallels to other novels, but a young adult book isn't inherently bad simply based upon the maturity of the characters. Normally, I don't end my reviews with a question, but I am truly curious to know what you think. Please drop a comment below with your thoughts!

Many thanks to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies in exchange for an honest review!

First and foremost I am a sucker for a beautiful cover, so I would buy this book just for that reason alone. The storyline was a lot of fun, I liked the backdrop of the magic school where nothing is as it seems. I enjoyed Lee and Wren's pov even though they were a little immature but fine for a YA romance. It had a similar vibe to Harry Potter/ Fourth wing's school magic and mystery, but I felt that the story was slow going and I would have liked more of a build up to Wren's powers before she found out the truth. I love a cliffhanger, but I just felt like the ending was rushed and so we didn't get the full effect. All in all I enjoyed the book and will still recommend it, I would give it a 3.5⭐ rounded down.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.