Love all of pc cast books. So naturally when she releases a new one I'm in line or on the per-order list ! I’ve been reading PC Cast and her daughter Kristine Cast ever since I was in high school!

This book really took me back to when I read the house of night series for the first time, so I knew automatically that I was going to love this book!

I loved how well rounded and relatable Wren was, and Lee is a perfect friend for her, a well good duo!

And the astrology added to the book! It’s was all perfection!
I can’t wait to see how PC Cast takes this series further🖤

2.5 stars

I love a good YA fantasy, and with protagonists who are 18 years old I thought this would be another great addition to the genre. Unfortunately these characters and the story read incredibly young. It follows your typical normal girl who is the chosen one which is a staple for YA fantasy. But where we have Celeana, Aelins and Feyres, all who are 18/19 years old, Wren felt childish and better suited for a middle grade marketing rather than YA.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley.

I need to disclose that I’m not the biggest fan of books set in boarding schools and magical academies. There are exceptions when I truly adore a series. For instance, The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik was excellent, even if I had quips about certain things that happened. Draw Down the Moon is largely set in a magickal academy. I had some hesitations about it, but the beginning of the book drew me in.

Wren is pulling a prank in the middle of the night with her best friend Lee. Just as she turns 18 years old, she is struck by the moon’s magick, making her no longer a Mundane but Moonstruck like Lee. Her world is somewhat turned upside down because she will be attending a magickal school (with her two best friends) rather than leading the normal mundane life she had finally come to terms with.

I was intrigued by this moon magick and the elementals that surrounded it, but not so much by the academy, where Wren finds some things are a little off. I think I would have eventually warmed up to the story, but I began to note how the writing seemed aimed at a younger YA audience. It’s not usually an issue…when it is expected–I enjoy reads of all ages. The problem was these were individuals out of high school, likely 17/18 year old, and some of the conversations made me inwardly cringe.

I liked the characters. Wren’s apprehension at a new school is one I completely understood. While she’s worried about trying to catch up, she is also trying to deal with her new feelings for Lee. Lee is trying to live up to his family’s reputation as well as trying to deal with his seemingly unrequited feelings for Wren. Life is generally complicated and the authors capture it here. Wren’s other best friend Sam was a character I liked, but some inconsistencies in her actions toward the end left me frustrated.

I would recommend this to this for a younger YA audience and those who like magic and the academia setting. However, I am ultimately conflicted over this one. I like the magick and want to know more about it as well as Wren’s fate. The reveals at the end were good ones. The problem is I did not connect as well with the writing.

It's been a few years since I've read any of P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast books and I was so excited to receive this ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and looking forward to the rest of the series. In a world where magic is not known to humans, there is moon magic. Either you're born with it or you're not and when you live with a family who has it and you don't, it's hard to imagine what life could of been if you were chosen to wield it. Just like Hogwarts for the HP Potter series, those lucky enough to wield moon magic gets to learn more about it at a school especially for those with these talents. Yet drama and backstory is always going to be there because greater forces are at work and others want all the power to themselves. It's a great read and pulls you into another world of tragedy, love and friendship. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast for this ARC. I look forward to the next one which I hope is soon!! Cliffhangers! Eek!

All reviews and comments are of my own accord. Thank you!

I tried to get into this book. But I truly think it’s time I part ways with these authors. The way they develop a story and the style of writing just doesn’t do it for me. I have tried a couple others and I just couldn’t melt into the story and give these authors more.

The cover is brilliant.

I loved the world building in this one but I did feel like was a slow start. It was also more YA than I thought it would be but I did enjoy it enough to see where this series will go. I also love this duo as authors and will read almost everything they write.

DNF at 20%. I've tried to get further in but I just couldn't get into the story. I tried to pick it up more than a few times and I just couldn't get through it. I'm sorry.

I really enjoyed this. It reminded me a lot of the Harry Potter world but was still very different. The story line was great and it was a quick read.

I loved this! I loved the magic system and the characters Wren and Lee. I was captivated and couldn’t put it down. I loved this so much

I think the cover of this book is gorgeous! The storyline had a great set up but unfortunately I just could not get into it. The plot line itself was just too predictable for me. However, I think the writing was really great even if the plot wasn’t my favorite.

[Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for the eARC!]

2.75 rounded up.
Overall a very juvenile group of 18 year olds. They read way more 15-16 than 18.
Lee as a character was confusing and inconsistent. His actions in tje final chapter don't make sense at all.
The plot for this book was very slow. There was a ton of dialog but not much plot progression. I get that it's probably a set up for future books but you still need to hook people with the first book...
Also feels way too similar to Harry Potter, it was distracting.

I received an advanced copy of Draw Down the Moon from Netgalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Draw Down the Moon lured me in with its beautiful cover and interesting premise, but ultimately fell short. I did not get far before realizing that this was not the book for me, which is disappointing because I've had a series of duds lately and was hoping that this would pull me out of the reading slump I've fallen into. I think it threw me further down.

When I don't like a book, I always ask myself, "Is it me? Am I the problem, and I just need to come back later? Or is it truly the book that I'm having issues with?" I asked myself these questions after every chapter I read, which eventually led me to the conclusion that it was the book.

The writing was for a far younger audience, and the forced slang and pop culture references could have had their purpose but were uncomfortable to read. The characters were flat, their personalities defined by a single aspect of themselves that held no real meaning. I felt no connection to them and didn't care about their supposed problems. On top of that, a massive pet peeve of mine is when there is an established rule to something (and a reason that it's supposed to be that way), but a character breaks it nearly immediately with seemingly no care for the reason it's in place. Why make it a rule if you're going to have characters break it willy-nilly for no reason at all? It's one thing if it's justified, but this felt silly.

Draw Down the Moon had potential, but it was not the book for me.

I don't know how I feel about this book. It was neither here nor there. I liked it but it also bored me a little. I didn't feel captivated by the story.

DNF around 25%, the concept of the book from the summary sounded interesting, but the plot so far was pretty mundane and doesn't keep my attention.

⤿ 05 | 07 | 2024
2 stars ★

lately, i've been reading fantasy books that have felt like a mix of every single popular magical novel i've ever read. where is the originality? the creativity? personally, i don't mind something similar to harry potter, divergent, or the hunger games, i even like them sometimes! after all, they are the books that got me into reading in the first place <3 recycled scenes packed with tropes that have been repeated over and over again does nothing for a reader. it makes the experience dull :( we are supposed to dive into worlds that make us feel at home, and yet draw down the moon feels like it's just missing the mark. i read young adult books voraciously and yet i felt so juvenile reading this. i'm in my teens, so this feeling was extremely new, but here's a piece of advice for aspiring ya authors: please make your characters relatable. teenagers these days don't need a fictional character to use modern slang. i read to escape that kind of stuff, so i beg; write as if your readers are extremely intelligent and interactive. because chances are, they are.

thank you to the author and netgalley for providing me an e-arc of draw down the moon in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you for the e-arc of Draw Down the Moon. Unfortunately I will not be posting about it on socials, as SMP has yet to speak up about their staff member whose harmed the bi-poc community. Reading is inherently political and readers don't often forget wrongs, so this won't simply go away the longer than SMP ignores it. Rating it 3 to solely help the author, as they had no choice in who they publish with.

The first book to a brand new fantasy duology called Moonstruck by author duo P. C Cast and Kristin Cast that is set in a dark magical school setting. I love this cover, I think it’s very eye catching but I do love me a good illustrative cover so I’m biased. We follow Nightingale who has parents with magical powers but she unfortunately was born without powers herself until on her 18th birthday, she starts glowing! and her entire life changes after being away to some magical academy. Tons of stuff to love here!

I just lost interest in this one that while the plot is interesting, I felt like two main characters should have been a little younger like 14 or 16 instead of 18. The whole premise of going to a school of magic in the summer when you turn 18 when you become moonstruck with Elemental magic sounds cool for the most part. It’s just the fact the school felt so middle/ elementary school instead of feeling like a college campus that it should have felt like since they are 18 year olds about to go to college. One scene in particular felt like they were lining them up like they were elementary students instead of freshly graduated seniors about to be freshmen in college.

3.5ish stars

Not bad, but also not amazing. I’ve really enjoyed the adult fiction that one of the authors writes on her own, so it may be that something about this particular YA style just isn’t as compelling to me now as it once would have been. That being said, the book is apparently the first in a duology; I probably wouldn’t have committed to a longer series, but for one more book, I’d like to see how the story ends. (And to be honest, reading this one was made me more curious to revisit the House of Night series that I previously enjoyed!)

1 💫

This book fell a bit flat for me which was unusual as I love the genre and I usually love the authors.

It felt a bit immature for the age range provided and I just couldn’t seem to sync with any of the vast array of characters.

It felt like hunger games, but for astrological signs and more immature.

Unfortunately, would not recommend.