Review by Kelly Jarvis: Draw Down the Moon by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Draw Down the Moon is the first book in a new duology about Academia de la Luna, a magickal school located on a secret Moon Isle. The novel unfolds with the alternating perspectives of teenagers Wren Nightingale and Lee Young. Although they are both born to magickal families, Wren grew up believing she was a Mundane, a person without magick, while Lee grew up as one of the Moonstruck, a person born under a full moon in possession of magickal powers. When Wren suddenly feels magick course through her veins on her 18th birthday, the two friends’ lives are reunited as they travel to Academia de la Luna together to begin their magickal education.

Academia de la Luna is a feast for the senses. The Magick School is a Gothic, dangerous, enticing place where Lee must prove his name and uphold his family’s powerful reputation. Students at the school are divided into halls and dormitories based on their elemental signs of Air, Water, Fire, and Earth. Known as Aquarius, Leo, Scorpio, and Taurus Moons, the students receive instructions for honing their powers and face trials for proving their worth. There is engaging description of the students, classrooms, dining halls, and professors, and the book provides a subtle romantic plot to keep readers interested. There are magickal twists and turns for fans of young adult dark academia.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dual protagonist point of view in Draw Down the Moon. The fast paced plot sets a sequel into motion, and the duology will be perfect for readers thirsty for stories of moon magic and enchanted education. You can find the book here.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

Kelly Jarvis works as the Assistant Editor for The Fairy Tale Magazine where she writes stories, poems, essays, book reviews, and interviews. Her poetry has also been featured or is forthcoming in Blue Heron Review, Mermaids Monthly, Eternal Haunted Summer, Forget Me Not Press, The Magic of Us, A Moon of One’s Own, Baseball Bard, and Corvid Queen. Her short fiction has appeared in The Chamber Magazine and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers. You can find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/