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abby_ace_of_books 's review for:
Draw Down the Moon
by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
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
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