Give Up the Night was an entertaining read, though it didn’t fully captivate me. I appreciated the world-building and the energy of the story, and some of the characters had moments I really enjoyed, but the plot felt a bit uneven at times. It was fun in parts, especially the more dramatic or action-packed scenes, but overall it didn’t leave a lasting impression for me.

My overall experience is that Give Up the Night was okay. To sum it up: there was more teenage silliness than in book 1 (which might be better received by the target YA audience and not a mid-20s adult like myself), the pop culture references felt jarring (I don't remember so many in book 1?), emotional moments felt dumbed down, and the ending happened too fast and left too much open.

Let me just say - I enjoyed the first book, Draw Down the Moon a lot more than I expected to! It had a pure YA shimmer to it - full of teenage feelings while being a fun, magical read. I was hoping the second book would continue the story threads and give us a strong ending.

Instead, the plot had a quest was almost obnoxious (and that's coming from me, a quest-lover!!). It definitely had the vibes of: "task? okay done. wait, another scary situation to get through? okay done, easy and quick. another task? okay perfect we're through." I wanted more time in the trials and more reflection and struggle.

There were also an abundance of "emotional" moments that felt spoon-fed to the readers. Instead of showing us how the friends are working out their issues, or how someone is processing a previous hurt, or how someone is growing in trust, there were monologues. Lots of themes of "you are accepted as you are" and such that were presented in such preachy paragraphs.

And while we do get a conclusion of sorts to Wren's story, it was surprisingly open and had an unsatisfactory shadow to it. It also came out of nowhere? Everything looked to be wrapping up and then BAM, actually we're leaving this kind of open in a flurry of activity in the last chapter. It was...odd.

However, I did have a couple likes in Give Up the Night - there was more magic as well as more information on the Elementals, the pacing was lightning fast, and the ending was happy in tone.

Overall, I would recommend this to teens and maybe even a younger-to-mid teen audience. I think adults may feel it a bit contrived and wish for more depth.

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook. I cannot believe that it took me this long to read the book. Sometimes I fear that I won’t like a book and unfortunately it gets pushed back again and again, but this book drew me in from page one and I could not put it down. I grew up reading their books and they have become a favorite author of mine

3.5 stars!

I enjoyed how this picked up immediately from where Draw Down the Moon left off! It felt like a totally seamless continuous so I’m glad I recently re-read book 1!
While I enjoyed how much adventure happened in this one, I was a little bit lost a few times. This was very apparently YA in how convenient certain things happened.
Also, no one was really acknowledging or dealing with the horrible trauma they went through???
I liked this as a whole but some of the plot was rushed and too convenient for me.

The story continues right where we left out and comes to a satisfying conclusion. I enjoyed the main characters and the worldbuilding/magic. I would be interested in reading another book that takes place in this world.

I was waiting for this book to come out and see how the duology concluded. This story was well worth the wait. I loved the writing, I loved the pace, I just loved all of it.

This book picks up right where the first in the series left off, which made for a smooth transition back into the world. The magic system continues to be one of the most intriguing parts of the story, and adds a unique layer to the plot. It’s definitely written for a YA audience, and while I found many of the twists predictable, I still enjoyed the overall journey.

Told in two POVs, the dual perspectives added some depth, though I would have loved to see a bit more character development. The ending, unfortunately, felt rushed and left quite a few loose ends that I wish had been tied up more cleanly. That said, if I had read this as a teen, I probably would’ve loved it. It has all the hallmarks of a solid YA fantasy: magic, emotion, and just enough drama to keep things moving.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book.

Picking up right where the last book left off, I thought this was a great conclusion to this duology, full of action-packed and emotionally fueled moments. Wren is dealing with the aftermath of what happened at the end of the last book, trying to figure out how to finish what Lee's sister started before she died. And Lee isn't sure what to believe. He loves Wren, but between what he saw and what he's being told by people he trusts, he isn't sure what's going on or who he should believe.
Which puts a bit of a damper on their romance. Although all the running and fighting is also doing that so they don't have much time to dwell on what's going on between them, at least until the battles are over.

While this is the second and final book in this duology, there are a couple of loose ends that make me think a spin-off could potentially come, and if it does, ill definitely pick it up.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed how this sequel picked up right where book one ended and continued the story in a seamless way. I loved the moon magic in this series as it was very interesting and a fun magic source. The quest that Wren went on in this book was great and she grew a lot on this quest. I enjoyed this series conclusion and love everything the Casts write.

This is one of those rare occurrences when the second book is better than the first. I loved book one but holy cow I adore book 2. The world building was perfection I loved that we got to see so much of the island and the wild elementals. I was sucked in right from the beginning but as soon as they got out into the wild and started their journey I could not put this down. The creatures that they encounter are so cool and the attention to detail is *cheffs kiss*. I love the characters and liked the growth that they experienced through book two.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!
I enjoyed this unique world and magic system and was excited to read the conclusion. It did not disappoint, and made a satisfying end to this story.

This was an exciting sequel to Draw Down the Moon. It didn’t take long to get right back into the action. I liked the reminders of what happened in the last book because it’s been a while since I’ve read it. The beginning and ending were exciting and action packed, but throughout the middle of the book, the pace slowed because the two main characters were in separate places. I would have liked the ending to be longer so that we can see what happens after the final battle. However, the main plot had a great ending.

Give Up the Night is a great conclusion to the Moonstruck duology!

Thank you Wednesday Books for sending me a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death of parents (off page), death, blood, burns

What a fantastic conclusion to the duology!! It’s fast paced and full of action-packed adventures. I really loved how they separated the story into two parts and made it read from two different perspectives. It made connecting with each individual character so much easier. I think my only struggle with the story was that it was a lot more YA than what I usually read so there were a couple moments where I was lagging a little, with that being said, the story was still very engaging with fantastic characters.

Fantastic follow up to Draw Down the Moon. Not only did I love watching Wren and Lee’s story flourish. The authors ability to immerse me into this world was definitely one of the stand out attributes for me. The vivid descriptions of the settings made me feel truly at home as I saw the emotional growth all the characters experienced. Overall, this book combined emotional depth with an immersive world and it truly makes you feel at home.

“Give Up the Night,” by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Book two of the Moonstruck series! This series is great for readers who want a found family YA book that is truly a YA book. It follows the same vibe and everything else from book one. Magic school that focused on zodiacs which I love the entire concept. I love the bickering and fighting amongst the characters including the main romance. I liked the amateur sleuth/detective plot of trying to find out what’s happening at the school. The characters are solid, even though they are very YA coded they didn’t get annoying at all. I can’t wait for more of these books. 4 out of 5 stars, a really solid good book.

-Magic
-Magic School
-Zodiac Magic
-YA

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

I enjoyed this audiobook. I listened to the first book in the series and the sequel audio was equally engaging.

I definitely think this is a YA duology suited for younger YA readers. The magic system and world building were not as fleshed out as I’d have hoped for but still had interesting concepts. Also, there was some romance but not too much and there was no spice.

This book felt very different from the first book because we left the academia setting behind for an adventure in the wild. At times, the POVs felt a little disjointed but overall, the story came together in the end.

I’d read more from these authors and I liked both narrators and would definitely look for their works.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 Stars

The second and final book in the Moonstruck duology.

This picks up immediately where the first book finishes, but gives a brief summary of the first book so you're not completely lost trying to remember the events. We get Lee and Wren's POV once again, which I think helped move the story along. I listened to it on audio, and there are different narrators for each character. The pacing was well done, and I wasn't bored at all through out the story. I do still think this is geared more towards a younger YA audience, but like the first book, it is a very enjoyable read. I really liked the Elementals and found them so interesting!

It felt as if the story could be continued, so I wouldn't be surprised if this ended up being a longer series in the future.

This was a great conclusion to this duet. I don’t usually read a lot of YA books but I’ve always loved books by PC and Kristin Cast since I was younger so I couldn’t not read this book.

It was so easy to get lost in the story and to get lost in the world they were in. It was very action packed and kept me engaged the entire time.

Give Up the Night is the second book in the Moonstruck series, the sequel to Draw Down the Night. This novel picks up right where the previous one ends, rather abruptly, and thus reads like a serial rather than a sequel. Give Up the Night completes the story begun in Draw Down the Night, with Wren Nightingale leaving the Academia to find the elder, the third woman who will complete the triad necessary to release the moon magick, which has been bound by Celeste (once called Selene) so she can maintain her power. Some of Wren's friends come with her, but others remain behind, convinced that Celeste, rather than Wren, is in the right.

Unlike the previous volume, this novel ends with a plot resolution, while leaving open the possibility of future novels with the same characters. The romance between Wren and Lee remains in place, a clean romance that occurs far more in dialogue than in person, as they are separated for much of the book. While Wren and her friends are described as being 18, their actions and behavior make them seem younger - perhaps as young as late middle school - and this novel is appropriate for readers from middle school through adult.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.