I did not like this as much as I did the first book. I just wanted to get to the end to see how everything wrapped up and if Lee and Wren made their way back to each other. Ending was not very satisfying.

"This series is easy to read and binge-able and I was intrigued by the story but found that it read really young, especially for the characters being 18 and over - almost more like middle grade. That being said, I would recommend for younger readers or someone just looking for a super quick read!"

Rating: 5/5
I received the eARC for my honest opinion.

This is book two of Moonstruck, and wow it did not let me down. I mean I don’t think Cast has ever let me down with their books so there is that too. If you like reading fantasy, romance, YA, mystery and dark academia you need to read this duology.

In this book, it picks up right where book one left off. You will how Wren is handling life now that she doesn’t know who she can trust and who her real friends are. She feels alone, scared and not sure of her life now. All she knows is that her only friendly person right now is an elemental, one that has kept her safe and now that will help her through the next part of her journey. I loved that we got more of an understanding of what actions and obstacles that Wren and you will find out who real friends are. This book is about healing betrayals, understanding, dealing with grief, understanding their roles, and forgiveness as well.

I loved getting to see all the highs and lows of Wren and her friends. Feeling their pain, their worries and their hopes really helped me to connect to this book and the characters. I love that in this book you will have two dual POV, one is Wren and the Lee. I loved that the book develops with those two not being together. I loved getting to see how they handle different parts of the book, but at the end of the day you will see they were working with each other. I liked that the plot still had YA romance, but it went down a different root. It wasn't the main point of the story. I found the pace of the book to have been fast but not too fast that you didn’t know what was going on. It is action packed, with a lot of moving chess pieces.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters more throughout the book and see how strong Wren is, she has been through so much, but she keeps pushing on. You will see her shine and rise to be the person that she was always supposed to be. I loved getting to see Lee shining through as well, he wasn’t with Wren on his journey, but you will see how much he changes on his own. I loved getting to see Wren's friends help her through all the trials and to see that each student has a relationship with an elemental and that most of the elements are just misunderstood.

I also received the audio of this book and wow. Just wow. Ina Smith and Jordan Barton did an amazing job with bringing this book to life. I read the book first then I listened to it, and I was even more touched by the way that these narrators brought this book to life.

I can’t wait to see what the Cast family will bring us next.

I want to thank NetGalley, SMP, Macmillan for the opportunity to review this book.

hank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Rounded up from 3.5 stars. I liked the setting and the quest storyline. I did feel like I was playing a lot of catch up at the beginning because it jumps right back into where we left off in the first book. To be honest I definitely could’ve benefitted from reading the first book again because I was very lost. I did end up enjoying the book quite a lot but the tension being diffused by complimenting the elements and infantilizing them was interesting. Like something so violent and vicious is attacking you and you say “you are so pretty!” And pet them and all of a sudden they are totally cool with you. It was a bit odd and didn’t feel like the right course of action. The ending also felt very rushed and out of pace with the rest of the book. I wish it was just a smidge more fantasy. Having modern references felt out of place at times to me personally. All that to be said, I did enjoy it!

This is the conclusion to the Moonstruck duology and picks up right where the first book ends. Overall the pace of the book was consistent but it felt....hurried. I was hoping for more background and information about the school, the elementals and some of the other characters but I was left disappointed. The first book was wonderful and had so much world building I hoped would carry over into this one.
The writing also seemed younger than the first book, like the characters suddenly regressed in age and maturity. I know this is aimed at younger audiences, but it felt like the target audience changed between the two books. Honestly, the betrayal of Lee would have had more impact if we had more insight or details into their relationship, but we didn't. I wanted to feel the betrayal in my soul while reading but all I felt was "meh, that sucks".

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, it came up short.

Wren Nightingale, now Moonstruck, finds herself in a dangerous world filled with deception and murder. With the original Moonstruck ritual broken, she is determined to restore it.
Lee Young, struggling with family expectations and growing responsibilities, believes talking to Wren could fix things, but as they both fight for what they think is right, they’ll have to figure out who they can trust and whether they’re on the same side.

I would love to review this book, I really would.
But I can not wrap my head around the fact that this series is finished.
Because you loved it so much?
No, because it left SO many loose ends.

Give Up The Night is the conclusion and second book in the Moonstruck book that had me turning pages until the end. This has friendship, fantasy, adventure and so much more. The book was written well and was a great ending to this duology series. I enjoyed every character and liked Wren a lot. It also had great world building, which I liked. Overall, I highly enjoyed this one and would recommend it to any young adult or fantasy reader. Also I recommend the first book in this duology series as well. Thank you to Wednesday Books for the paperback read and thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ebook read in exchange of my honest review of Give Up the Night by P.C Cast.

I liked the first one more than this one. I found myself frustrated by the characters, because they acted more like 14 year olds than 18 year olds. The “romance” between Wren and Lee needed more depth and buildup. They went from best friends to being in love without even kissing, and they spent maybe 5 chapters together in this book. I loved the idea of moon magic and elementals, but I wanted more world building. The book felt a bit rushed to me, especially the ending, and I would’ve liked more exploration of the history and magic system. Overall, I think this series would be more suited for a middle grade audience than YA.
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My rating: ⭐️⭐️✨
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Read if you like:
▫️moon and elemental magic
▫️fight against parental expectation
▫️friendship can save the world
▫️dual POV
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Thank you to Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast, and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC. I received advanced copies for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Give Up the Night is book two in the Moonstruck Series by P. C. Cast; Kristin Cast.
I absolutely loved Draw Down the Moon and was so eager to read this newest addition.
This book is full of adventure and amazing intricate magical properties and I loved it! I was so excited for this thrilling adventure and it did not disappoint. The characters are well-developed and the plot is so good it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Give Up the Night is a fabulous ending to the Moonstruck duology. Full of actions and surprises, I loved the detailed description of the realm and I felt like I was right there in their world. I loved the fanatical creatures and scary enemies they had to face. I loved the bonds of friendship they made with their chosen family.

This second book in the duology opens right after the first has ended.
Wren is Moonstruck now and needs to solve the mystery surrounding the elementals and the Moonstruck ritual.
Celeste is being Celeste, all evil and such. Lee's father comes for a visit and starts taking over.
Lee and Wren struggle to find each other in this story, the betrayals and deception run deep. Who can they trust?
I absolutely loved the elementals that we get to meet. While it's a dangerous quest, Wren, Lily and Ruby find hope and allies they desperately need. It will take everyone working together to save the day....and get out alive!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC opportunity. My thoughts are my own!

Our girl Wren is on the run after the moonstruck ritual was broken & she wants to fix it, while the person who broke it wants things to well, stay broken. Wren has to pass some tests to prove her worthiness in relation to being the Maiden and the stakes are higher than ever for Wren due to her being essentially hunted and her lack of allies.

The pacing was great (I thought the first one was a little hurried). The characters are supposed to be 18 years old however they behave like they are 15. I don’t know if that is intended or not but it quite distracted me and had me thinking “I don’t remember acting this way at 18”.
I think this series as a whole could have benefited from more world building and more of show vs tell.

Overall not a bad book but forgettable.

A thrilling and magical ya fantasy academia sequel. Gives Harry Potter vibes. Great storyline. A quest with lots of twists and turns and a dash of betrayal. Unique magic & found family. Loving how this story is playing out and can’t wait for more.

The found family aspect of this book was my favorite. It made up for Lee and Wren being separate for most of this book. It was a cute read and summed up nicely at the end. But I do have to say I enjoyed book 1 better but I'm glad I finished this duology.

It was great to see what happened next for Wren and Lee in this one. The Academia is full of secrets that students are getting killed for discovering it. Wren and Lee are separated by information and a magical barrier, but Wren is not alone.

Lily, Ruby, and the Elemental Viento are now helping Wren to use the book and find whatever its leading them to. As they fight unknown dangers outside of the magical dome, Lee and Luke are fighting them inside. As Lee discovers more secrets that his sister left behind, he tries to find a way to get to Wren.

As everything unfolds, Wren and Lee must decide if their love is enough, and Wren will have to work to unite the triad and save all moon magic.

Wren has been trying to restore her broken magick after her Moonstruck ritual was interrupted. Unfortunately, the Elementals cannot agree; some want to complete the ritual and others want everything to stay the same. Lee, on the other hand, is trying to figure out a way through his issues. He believes that if Wren returns to the Academia, then everything will work itself out. Which side will end up on top?

Give Up the Night is the second book in the Moonstruck duology. Readers will quickly be able to remember the events from the first book with the few nudges that are included at the beginning, yet it doesn’t have that sense of the author trying to refresh our memories. Overall the story was enjoyable, but it didn’t have a drop-everything-and-finish-this-book-now impression. This duology had a great resolution and readers won’t finish with the feeling of something missing. Give Up the Night is a good read for those who enjoyed the first book.

This mother and daughter writing team have been creating fantasy novels together for more than a decade. I came to read P.C. Cast, however, from her recent solo book, Boudicca (which by the way is excellent). Give Up the Night is Book 2 in the team’s Moonstruck series. I personally think you don't have to have read the first book to enjoy this one. But I think I will be going back to read it anyway, just to lay a foundation. I'm thinking there will be more books in this series, and yes, I want to read them.

So, welcome to an island where good and evil are battling, a result of a broken spell centuries before. Wren, one of two main characters (with a great supporting cast), is a student at the Academia De la Luna, a kind of university for humans with special powers. Each student has a relationship with an “Elemental”, a being of great power, but bound by the broken spell and the evil Selene/Celeste.

This is truly an epic tale.

I really wanted to like this one, but it didn't give me the same excitement as book one. I didn't really care about Wren, Lily and Ruby's journey and I felt like Lee's internal monologue vs actions were rather confusing. Internally, he seemed to always be on Wren's side and believing her, while his actions made it constantly seem like he was against her which did not make sense. I also did not understand Luke's betrayal in the end. A semi good conclusion to the duology because the ending does make it seem like there is room for another story to unfold.

This story follows the PC and Kristen Cast formula to a T. If you’ve read any of their other novels, you will definitely know what to expect. It’s an interesting sequel to the first, I think it may be better than the first one. It’s just very predictable and you can kinda expect every turn as it’s coming. From Lee and Wren, to Celeste being the awful beautiful older woman, to Luke betraying his friends for her.. it mirrors most of their other stories. Thanking the elements, the same way they did in House of Night and even Wrens nickname of Little Bird feels reminiscent of House of Night. Not bad, but it didn’t really feel like anything special.

Slightly better than the first, but only because the turmoil & plot actually moved in this book.

Just as cringe in terms of dialogue, just as convoluted when it came to mending relationships, just... really frustrating overall.

And I'll be honest... the ending was entirely unsatisfying as far as consequences for villains goes.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read/listen to this book early and share my honest review. All reviews will be posted to my socials (Netgalley, Goodreads, Fable, IG).