(Thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

One of my favourite things about this book was the lore and all the paranormal/fantasy aspects. There was lots of depth and I loved learning not only about all the different nightmares (the paranormal creatures) but also the history of the luminaries. I also liked how there were drawings and exerts from the Nightmare Compendium (the big book of monsters). The plot was also really well-paced and was fast enough to keep you engaged but also took time to explain the lore and world-building well.

The characters all felt really authentic and I really liked the main character Winnie. The only character I didn’t really understand too well was Jay. He sent a lot of mixed signals and his backstory isn’t really ever explained. The slight romance he has with Winnie isn’t too major which I liked as it would have felt way too rushed if they had gotten together by the end.

My biggest issue with this book is there are a lot of questions left unanswered by the end of the book (mainly concerning Winnie's dad) which I know is to make us want to read the sequel and whilst I do, it would have been nice to have a few plot threads tied up. Winnie's dad, whilst he isn’t present in the book at all, has a large impact on the plot due to his actions in the past and it would have been interesting to find out more about that in this book rather than wait for the sequel as I feel we would have connected to Winnie a bit more and felt more for her family if we knew the full story. There are also other small bits that are left out like why are all the different families named after the days of the week or why exactly are the Dianas (witch-like people) so feared by the townsfolk. It would have been nice if things like this were explained more.

Overall though, I had a really fun time reading this. The lore and fantasy aspects kept me intrigued the entire time and I’m looking forward to seeing where the rest of the series goes.

So this took me an <i>age</> to read, maybe because it’s YA or maybe because of the book itself but I’ve finally finished it and definitely have some thoughts.

I think if this book was out when I was sixteen, I would have lapped it up. Twenty four year old me? Not so much. I really liked the premise of this story which is why I was keen to read it. I liked the idea of the trials, the enemies aspect of the book and it seemed like it would be well structured. Spoiler alert. It wasn’t.
Besides not much happening in this book plot wise, the structure of this book felt messy. I don’t know if this is down to editing or poor plotting but something was off.
I also found there was so much <i>telling</i> rather than showing.
But I think my biggest thing with this book was how boring our protagonist was. I couldn’t get on board with liking her and I know she was young but she read very young and it really threw the story for me.
I also feel like the ending of the book just happened without much lead up to the sequel.

I will say, the writing wasn’t awful which is why I haven’t rated this one star. I would give this author another go but I just don’t think YA reads are for me anymore.

<i>I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I’ve not read this author before, but I’m a going to check out her other books now based on this one. I really loved it, it was fast paced, the characters are very well written and I found myself feeling for all of them.

Briefly, this is about Winnie and her family, who have been cast out of the clan and are paying their way through menial jobs thanks to an event that was nothing to do with them. Winnie is having none of this and sets out to get her family back into favour….

Forest, monsters, friendship and possibly a suggestion of romance? Maybe? This book very much looks like it’s setting up for a second one and I for one, will look out for it..

My thanks to Netgalley as ever. My review is based on an advance copy that I received from the publisher. My thoughts are my own.

Unfortunately I struggled to get into this book, so was unable to finish it. I'm sure others will love it though!

"Hemlock Falls isn’t like other towns. You won’t find it on a map, your phone won’t work here, and the forest outside town might just kill you..."

Outcast Winnie Wednesday is keen to join the Luminaries, the ancient order that protects Winnie's Hemlock Falls and the rest of society. Aged 16, she can finally try to win their approval, with the help of Jay Friday - who used to be Winnie's best friend. They battle all sorts of monsters and demons together - this is firmly a YA fantasy that was a little lost on me, but I know others will love this world the author's created!

Spoiler Free Review!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Daphne Press for the eARC of The Luminaries in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first Susan Dennard book but I’ve wanted to read some of her work for a long time now. I’d give this book a 3.5 to 4 stars, I did really enjoy lots about this story, and really liked finding out at the end how the story came about.
I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll try to be very vague. I liked that the main character and her flaws, the fact she has bad eyesight and wears glasses. I like the “outcast” aspect.
The reason it’s not 5 stars? It’s left wide open for the next book. I mean so wide we didn’t get many answers at all. I understand leaving some things unanswered for a next book but I would have just liked an answer or two.
This book is out in paperback in the UK on March 7th, 2023. I will be reading the next book and do recommend this.

I really love the trope of 'small town, only people in this town know about supernatural things', which was the main reason why I picked up this book. It started out fairly interesting, but I eventually got a little bit bored. Winnie as a main character just didn't hold my attention at all. I found her a little bland and most of the story it felt like things were happening around her and to her without her really doing much. The book also really reminded me of other, similar books that I*ve read before and I didn't find it hard to guess ahead of time what was going to happen.
Still, if the premise sounds interesting to you, and you haven't read other, similar books yet, you might enjoy this one, it just wasn't for me.

A page-turner with new nightmares on every page

Winnie has been an outcast in her society for the last four years, but all she wants to do is restore their honor and join The Luminaires. The people who make sure the normal world doesn't notice the nightmares that are conjured up each night in the forest by the spirits. She stubbornly joins the trials, even though she has not been able to train properly these last few years. She gets help from Jay, one of the few people who are still talking to her. On their quest to get her back into good graces, they stumble upon even bigger problems when something new arises in the forest.

Winnie feels like a typical YA character in that she is stubborn and doesn't always look at the whole scope, getting herself in even more trouble than she already was. Then there is the love interest who is great at everything, but also kind of a bad boy.

The atmosphere in this little town is great. Especially the way that the nights in the forest are written provides a lot of tension and will keep you on your toes. The little society that is Hemlock falls is also really interesting and well thought out. There are seven families who are each responsible for hunting the forest one day of the week and they also each have their own jobs when it comes to keeping their society going. One family is responsible for schooling and training, another for research, another for keeping things from leaking out to the human world. It all works really well together.

The story has a great flow to it with great writing and short chapters that will have you saying "just one more chapter" until suddenly you're at the end. There are also these entries from the nightmare compendium incorporated with pictures of different nightmares and their characteristics, which is a great addition to make the story even more immersive.

Overall, I had a good time with this book, but the static characters and all of the loose threads that are left just keep me hanging a bit. I think I just expected more from it than just the things that were given in the synopsis.

Hopefully this series will not go the same route as The Witchlands, because there are some quite a few threads in the story that are left mostly untouched and unresolved at the end of this book. The Witchlands had things that stayed very vague all throughout the series and made me give up on it al together after book three. I truly hope that book two of The Luminaries will bring some quick answers as there is a lot of hinting being done already as to what is actually going on. There are some really intriguing subplots in here that I would love to see resolved.

Thanks to Daphne Press for providing me with a review copy via Netgalley

My reviews are always 100% honest and my own opinions. I will try to never fully spoil a plot. This particular copy I was given access to a copy to review via netgalley. #NetGalley #TheLuminaries #SusanDennard #TorTeen

The Luminaries is a good horror fantasy by Susan Dennard but it just missed the mark with me, partly due to our heroine, Winnie Wednesday. I personally just could not gel with her. I think part of this was her driving force was to bring her family back from being shunned due to her father helping a Dianas (a witch of sorts) but we never really learn much about them and why they are enemies to the Luminaries which makes it difficult to understand just why everyone has decided to shun Winnie and her family. I appreciate this is the start of a series but a little more information of just why it was such a terrible thing for Winnie’s father to do would have perhaps aided me in understanding her drive.

The story itself is complete and stands alone but we are left with a lot of questions that I really hope are answered in the next book because it all did end rather suddenly. Having read the Witchland books I am sure that Dennard has this all planned out and I understand that if it is a series we cannot expect to know all the answers in the first book but I felt the reader is left with a lot more questions than answers.

That said it is an easy, fast paced and quick read and I did enjoy the horror elements. I just hope that we get more world building and lore in the future books so we can better understand the world Winnie lives in and how it all works.

*3.75

The Luminaries is the new YA fantasy by Susan Dennard, the author of Truthwitch.
As a huge fan of her previous works I had great expectations.
I have to admit I tried to read it last year and left it unfinished, then I picked it up not long and actually enjoyed it.

The main focus of the story is the town of Hemlock Falls and this community of hunters.
Winnie, the protagonist, is one of them but is treated like an outcast because of her father who betrayed them and she's determined to regain her place with a series of trials to become a real hunter.
The story flows quite nicely and revolves around the trials, together with a little bit of 'romance' with her former best friend, Jay who helps her.
It's not really different from any other YA with this kind of story but it's well written, and I'm actually looking forward to read the sequel.
This for a reason: it felt a lot like a prequel, like something bigger is something to happen.
You keep reading the book hoping that you're gonna make a huge discovery but instead you're left clueless.
There a lot to solve and I get that it's to create suspance and anticipation, but I think it's a little bit too much.

SPOILER ALERT
At least I wanted and explanation regarding Winnie's father betrayal, the story revolves around this and still we don't really know what happened. I asked myself a lot of times what he could have done to get so much hate.
I think knowing this could have given the reader a best insight of what is happening.
Then there's the big mistery of the whisperer, which is good to leave for book 2 but still I wanted a little bit more on this matter, as at the end of book it was left a little bit 'loose'.
One thing I'm super curious about is Jay, I suspect something happened in the past.
I hope we get to see more of him in the sequel and maybe also a POV.
I'm really looking forward to it!

Move over Addams, there’s a new Wednesday in town.

I really liked this story, it was fast paced and filled with interesting lore. The characters were well fleshed out and I feel like I know the MC Winnie really well.

My only complaint would be the under explanation of the world. There are some elements that probably aren’t crucial for me to know, but would flesh it out. Like why are all the families names after days of the week, if they’re not all related how does it work - like a clan? And then there are some things that are actually quite important - like what are Diana’s exactly, what’s their philosophy, why are they so bad. These things would better help me grasp the dads betrayal.

Overall though I would recommend and will be tuning in for the sequel.

This is my first Dennard book and it did not disappoint. I felt as if I was swept away with this one, the world-building was great. I was not confused by a lack of information, nor was I fed up because information kept being thrown at me, which is very common in a first book of a series. I needed to know what was actually happening in Hemlock and was desperate to finish this. I am super excited for book 2!

Thank you so much for the publisher and Netgalley for the e-Arc copy!

I was waiting for this book since the moment it was announced by Daphne Press! I knew they only choose compelling and unique stories..and my expectations were met!

I love the unique setting of a hidden town, a dangerous and deadly forest (well, deadly creatures) lurking at the border and the secret Luminaries order that protects the town.

Winnie, the main character, is growing up in front of our eyes: from a really outcasted, shy girl to a brave and intelligent Luminary! The plot was really well-thought and each element had its purpose toward the world building, magic system and the acts of the characters! Gripping, fast-paced, sometimes scarry (horror elements hey hey! ) and really unique.
A perfect blend between fantasy and grotesque elements, with a hint of love.

The LUMINARIES is a cosy, spooky contemporary-fantasy with well-rendered characters and atmospheric thrills.

This book is so different from Dennard's other book series, THE WITCHLANDS. Whilst one is a dense high fantasy series with expansive lore, a large and varied cast, a tangled web of interwoven plotlines and world-ending stakes, THE LUMINARIES is its near opposite: YA contemporary with fantasy elements that follows one central character, Winnie Wednesday, and is focused on one central goal. I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it.

Luckily, I had nothing to fear! I don't think this is perfect by any means, but it is a lot of spooky fun.

The thing I immediately noticed in the opening chapters was the writing feels very solitary, isolated, almost as if we aren't meant to be in Winnie's head, but at arm's length. There's a quirky feel to it as her 1POV glosses over some things and digs deeply into others. This feels like a very deliberate choice on Dennard's part, however, as it conveys the atmosphere of the book very well, and you do get used to it after a while.

Though you will probably forget all of the background characters, the main cast are well-developed. All Luminaries belong to one of seven families, all named after a day in the week, which doesn't make for the most memorable naming convention – even coming out of the story I kept mixing up Lizzy Friday and Jenna Thursday – but Winnie, aloof bad boy Jay and others felt like real people, living their own lives.

Probably the biggest criticism of this book is that the blurb on the back of the book is exactly the one you'll get, with very few twists or surprises. 'Winnie competes in the Luminary Trials' is the whole book. As such, you do get a sense of linearity from the plot, though the book is short enough to get away with it. This does offer a compelling reason to read the sequel though, as it seems all of the questions you'll close the book with are being saved for #2.

When I got into the story, world and characters of THE LUMINARIES I was totally immersed, and I have so many theories that I know the sequel will explore. This is a spooky, cosy, compulsively readable story.

WILL I READ ON? Yes!

Firstly I’d love the thank Daphne Press and NetGalley for the beautiful proof ❤️😘

The Luminaries tell the story of Winnie Wednesday, a resident of Hemlock Falls, only Winnie been shunned by the other who live there after her father was outed as a traitor and witch four years ago. Winnie’s one dream is to join the Luminaries, become a hunter and, hopefully, restore her families name.

As Winnie is spurned in Hemlock Falls she’s been training by herself for the trials, preparing herself for what might come when she enters the forest at night. She enlists the help of her ex best friend, Jay Friday, to help her as the trails loom. Jay is not only a hunter (and an amazing one at that) but he knows A LOT about the nightmares in the forest. When he and Winnie go in the forest they find things that no one wants to talk about and things that cannot be killed. Can Winnie fulfil her dream? 🖤🖤

I adored The Luminaries 😍🖤 It’s such a brilliant book and start to the series!! Susan Dennards writing is flawless, the gothic forest completely drew me in and Winnie and Jay kept me there!! 😊🖤 All of the creatures are incredibly beautiful and totally cool and I’m so excited for what’s coming in the next book!! The slow burn is everything as well by the way!! 😏😏

Please please add this to your TBR you will not regret is!! This book is incredible!! 5✨

3 fascinating stars

This was such an interesting book!! The world-building was brilliant – no info-dumping but also minimal confusion, which is such a fine line. It was also a really unique world, with the fascinating concept of different places on the globe becoming populated with a wide variety of unique monsters, come night. Not only did this introduce a broad selection of both traditional and uncommon monsters, it also initiated some racial representation, which I thought was really cleverly done.

“That’s why we’re called the Luminaries, Winnie: we are lanterns the forest can never snuff out.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)

Winnie was definitely a powerful character. She’s not the most gentle, instead she had a bit of a chip on her shoulder, absolutely valid given her family’s brutal exile from the hunters, for something that wasn’t their fault. But her development and her portrayal were both highly impressive and added so much flavour to the story, which I really enjoyed. We need more characters like Winnie, determined and brimming with rage.

“You either trust the forest or you don’t, Winnie. You have to make up your mind.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)

Jay was… not quite as impactful, in my opinion. Though his character was interesting, causing me to come up with a VARIETY of theories – each more ridiculous than the last – we never really found out the answers to the questions he dragged up. While this may be because his mysteries will later be revealed in the rest of the series, I couldn’t help but just feel a mixture of confusion and a bit of apathy for Jay, and I wish that we knew a bit more about him.

And the romance was very much a slow-burn, and not particularly present in this book – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, the fantasy aspects and hunter trials added enough entertainment.

All in all, I’m glad I read this, and I think I might end up continuing the series just because it was such an interesting and unique world! Plus Winnie 🥰. Thank you so much to the author, publisher (Daphne Press) and NetGalley for the ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

The Luminaries is really interesting, I enjoyed the story overall and I want to read the sequel. I read this in a couple of sittings, it held my attention well and I loved the addition of pages from the Nightmare Compendium.

I liked Winnie's character, she was very headstrong and went after what she wanted. Jay is suitably mysterious, I do have a theory about him so I'm interested to see if that comes true in the next book.

The writing is good, it's very YA but that's the age range it's aimed at, I would've devoured this as a teen and I think that feeling is what made it such an easy read. My main issue is the amount of times Winnie's teeth clicked, I get that it was some sort of nervous reaction but it was a bit much being told it every other page.

The world-building was lacking a bit for me, the whole setting is a very isolated town but there's no real reason given for why it's the way it is - there's just a town with monsters in the forest.

I would've liked more outside input, maybe someone wandering in or some sort of on-page conflict with the Dianas. The whole book revolved around Winnie completing the trials and it wasn't quite enough for me, although there were things set up for the next book which I'm intrigued about - there are definitely a lot of questions left open.

I was a bit hesitant when requesting this book from NetGalley, as I've not read any of Dennard's previous work, so had no frame of reference for writing style and have seen a lot of incredibly hyped reviews from readers with ARC copies online - I was worried that my expectations would be too high and I'd be let down.

That was a completely unfounded worry, and was alleviated within just a few chapters. This is definitely an easy read, perfect for readers who are starting to enter the fantasy genre. The world building is decent (especially as it's building on environments that we're already familiar with), and introduces you to a fairly large array of monsters and characters. I think a little more backstory could have been helpful, as some elements did feel as though it was assumed you would just know the history of something.
As typical for a fantasy read, the first part of the book is slower paced, but it does pick up.

I did find the main character a bit lackluster and difficult to fully relate too - this did act as a mild barrier to my engagement with the story. I generally find it easier to invest in a character when they are actively doing something and their personality shines through. While there were elements of this, for the most part it felt like Winnie was just along for the ride; a jarring feeling when she's the main character and we're following her story! The actual world and story did make up for this in a lot of ways, but it's still something to keep in mind if you pick this up,

This was overall a three and a half star read for me, but with the preface that I think the series will have an overall higher score. I think there were elements within this book that will be tied up or fleshed out in later books, and am excited to read the next part of the story.

I read this initially through NetGalley as an ARC I requested, and my views and opinions are my own and unbiased. Once published, I intend on adding this to my physical book shelf as I think it will be well worth a re-read when the whole series or sequel is out.

Unfortunately this was, for me personally, a case where the cover convinced me I’d love it but the content didn’t live up to my expectations. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and didn’t feel the storyline was gripping.

I am interested to see where this series goes, despite some pretty shaky worldbuilding at the start (we don't know anything about who the enemies of the Luminaries are apart from being bad guys, so I couldn't really connect with any aspect of the story that dealt with this). I'm not familiar with Susan Dennard's work at all, I have never read any of the Witchlands series, but I am interested in reading more from this author now!

This book is pretty much what you get on the cover, there's not really any deviations from that plot set out in the blurb, so if you're looking for an easy, first foray into YA fantasy, this might be a good one to go for. However, for me, I prefer a book to be a bit surprising and not be exactly what it says on the tin, so I did find that it was quite predictable.

The plot of this book is fun, I loved the spooky forest filled with monsters every night, and I thought that the variety of monsters was really cool - you have werewolves and banshees but you also have ghost-deer and vampira and something... new, and I loved those scenes that were set in the forest. I just wish that there had been more of these scenes because I didn't really care that much for the scenes that weren't in the forest.

There's a lot of plot threads to tie up in the next book, so I would be interested in picking the next one up, but I hope that we get a lot more worldbuilding rather than kind of stumbling through a lot of this book with no idea of what was being talked about.