I wanted to love this book! The premise of it sounded like so many books I love but I just felt it took too long to get to the point. I’m a huge proponent of reading until at least page 100, and I did but it was a struggle. It did begin to pick up and was interesting. Girl must undo the wrongs of her father, town that protects the world from monsters, sounds great! Just didn’t execute it the way I was hoping. I may still give book 2 a try and hope the author doesn’t have to set the stage as much with it being a book 2!

This was a clunky first book in what seems to be is going to be an amazing series. It reminds me of the scholomance series but not stuck in a school rather a town with a creepy forest where they send children to hunt nightmares. Winnie is an outcast in her town after her father betrayed the town. She is determined to be bring glory to her family and in her pursuit of doing so realizes it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I loved the honesty and emotions of Winnie while she struggled to get to the top. I am invested in the series despite this books being so heavy in world building. It took a lot to set it up and I still can’t keep anyone as name straight. I think this is a great fantasy series about a town that defends the world against nightmares like basilisk and werewolves that are confronted with spirits they’ve never seen before. I can’t wait for the next one

I did love how the world Susan Dennard has created feels. I love this idea of the different nightmares haunting the forest and having families of Hunters that protect the world and the people who know nothing about it, but I think it's also interesting the mention more than once that the nightmares seem to be sad... I wonder what that means... I loved the world building, as I was saying, and having this family who has been cast out because they offer you a different perspective of the Hunter's society and how easy it is for them to shun someone out.

I also did love our MC, suffering from anxiety and insecurities and wearing glasses and not being your typical Mary Sue. The relationships she has with her ex friends (due to her family being cast out) and how they approach her again after she seemingly single handely kills a banshee... and the new friends who seem to have been by her side since the begining.

We also have mystery, about what happened to our MC's dad, who are the Dianas exactly and we will be seeing them?, the Werewolf and the Whisperer... and it seems like the Society of Hunters have also lots of things they are hiding...

At 87% (I know because I was reading on Kindle) of the way into this book, I began to feel even mildly interested in it, or really anything other than bored and annoyed. The final 13% were middling at best, but at least fast paced and vaguely engaging.

I've heard great things about this author's other series, so I was really surprised that this book is just... not good. It's poorly written, poorly paced, poorly edited, and the characters have all the personality of a damp dishrag.

The 16 year old main character seems to have some kind of tooth problem because she is CONSTANTLY described as "clicking her teeth". What does that even mean?? This description occurs 38 times (I counted) and it felt like 380. I can imagine the author's notebook now - under the heading character mannerisms, we have Winnie clicking her teeth and pushing her glasses up her nose every second paragraph, and Jay smelling like bergamot and lime (is he a CANDLE??). Repeating these things a million times does not constitute giving them a personality!!

The main character's full name is Wednesday Winona Wednesday. Twilight called and it wants its cringe back.

Then we have this:

"He is a vague shape in the corner of her vision, hazy like forest trees at dawn. Yet real and sturdy like them too."

Really. I usually hate it when people complain about YA "reading young" but this reads like it was actually written by a 16 year old.

The forest and the monsters in it had SO much potential, but there just wasn't enough of it, and the main character was like the mushy part of a biscuit dunked in lukewarm tea.

I'm enough of a masochist to probably pick up the second book because the very end hinted at the potential for this story to take an interesting direction. If I can handle reading about Winnie's teeth another 40 times and honestly I might lose grip on my sanity.

Also, I really hope the author has a twist up her sleeve with regards to the identity of the werewolf because it seemed glaringly, inelegantly obvious. The other "bombshell" at the end had also been set up with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

Look, a lot of people seem to be somehow enjoying this. Maybe the target age group will find it more relatable and be less picky. But I really feel that it is just objectively badly written and I'm pretty surprised. It's like a cake that could have been delicious if it had stayed in the oven for 10 more minutes, but instead it's a soggy mess.

Fast pace story about Winnie, girl who needs to win this contest to change her family status. Her father lost a status and her family was left without father and without everything,. Some unexplained circumstances make Winnie a hero of town and her status changes quickly from no one to the most important person in town. First she is confused how this is happening and how she became a hero and she is angry how easy people forget how much they hated her before. Her best friend is helping her train when no one wanted to help her but she is still bitter that even he turn his back when her father was exiled. Can she find her spot in her town? Can her family regain their status? Fist in a series !!! Fun / action Hunger Games meet Harry Potter for middle school to high school kids.

The Luminaries is a haunting, coming of age fantasy story about facing your fears and uncovering those parts of yourself kept in the dark. I loved the world building within the Luminary world. I loved Winnie as a character and I rooted for her from the beginning. I look forward to reading the next book.

I had such a great time reading this book! I love her writing, and I participated when it was a twitter story, and I was so excited when I found out that it was going to be published as a full book! It was a such an entertaining read!

The main things that I remember from when it was going up on twitter was Ugh, Jay, and hunting monsters. Having it built out in words that we can read was excellent, learning about this world and what the Luminaries do, was just so interesting! Having read the acknowledgments at the end, this is a different story then the twitter tread, which is great for my memory! Though I'm wondering if the Erika plotline that I remember will happen...

Becoming a Luminary is different then Winnie thought. She's been outcast for 4 years, and now that she's taking the Hunter Trials-and passed the first one in a startling manner-it's like everybody is trying to pretend that those years didn't happen. So between the further stress of the trials and the secrets she's keeping, she has to deal with those conflicting emotions that their treatment of her is bringing up.

I'm so excited for the sequel! There was so much set up for it, between the monster that nobody believes exists, the werewolf (I have a theory that's pretty much guaranteed, given the huge hints that were dropped. I can't wait to explore more!

Another thing I'm hoping to explore in the sequel, are Diana's. Between her dads note, and that one liner that they used to be part of the Luminaries, I want to know more! Because there's a chance that they're not what the Luminaries say they are. I want to know what her dad meant in that message!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait for the sequel!

This was my first Susan Dennard novel and I must admit I enjoyed her writing style.
Told from a single POV by our female MC Winnie Wednesday , she was likeable enough. There was some strange emphasis on her glasses and her teeth clattering which i did not understand the significance of. She's headstrong and basically tries to change her life...would i call that loyalty... maybe not.
I wish there was a bit more world building, the premise of the families and each "house" taking on different roles was very intriguing and the whole history with the Dianes wasnt really explained in much detail. As such somethings did not make sense to me, i.e being shunned for not knowing her father was a traitor.... that seems a weird punishment.
One thing i loved about this book was the creepy atmosphere. Susan Dennard had it spot on with the spooky vibes of the mist and forest and things that basically out to kill you in the dark. I felt chills at some points.
The story ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, and there is so much more to explore with the characters and the world and the monsters!
Overall, this book was easy to read and had a relatively fast pace. I enjoyed this one and look forward to carrying on with this series.

What did I read? No, honestly, what exactly was the point of the story?
I’m so sad I didn’t like this one, I had high hopes. The cover looked cool, the premise too, but as soon as I started reading I knew I made a mistake in hyping this book.
The Luminaries feels very juvenile, from the writing style, to the characters and the world building. It looks like the author had an idea but was too lazy to fully develop it.
We get no answers, the book is about Winnie who does the trials and she does. The end.
We have endless, pointless conversations about the same thing over and over, then there is a trial and then we have pages of internal monologue with info-dump or about stuff that I don’t know why I’m supposed to care about and then another trial, rinse and repeat.
No one explains how this society works, we don’t even get to know their enemy, the witches, we just see Winnie say there is a monster.
The love story was bland and every character was too.
I feel like I wasted my time reading this and I wish this book could give me my time back. But at least I know I’m going to avoid reading this series.

To be honest, I thought this book was not for me because I'm not a fan of contemporary fantasy but the story was so engaging I had to finish it and voila, what a crazy rolecoaster it was. Now I do not know if I should trust the luminaries or not. The world building was amazing and I cannot wait to find out what is the deal with the Dianas. Also the whole secret es safe was just genius. I was expecting something but definitely not that

One of the things I really didn't like is the description of the sounds but I know that’s just a preference I have so others might enjoy it. I love where the whole situation with Jay is going, I mean. Who doesn’t love a slow burn romance?

Anyways I’ll definitely be reading the next one! I need to know how this amazing crazy story will develop'

This is my first Susan Dennard book and I must say after reading it that it's motivating me a lot to start reading Truthwitch which has been casually hanging out on my shelves for a few months by now.

This was a very pleasant, short and easily digestible YA fantasy with supernatural creatures, spooky forest vibes and just a sprinkle of romance (at least in the first one). The book does read a bit like a first in a series and doesn't tie up all loose ends at the end of it, not to mention there's also a bomb dropped at the end which... excuse me, I need answers, please. I have so many questions.

A quick run-down of the good and the bad:
➕Spooky forest vibes
➕Underdog lead character who is literally willing to die to improve her family's life
➕Mystery vibes too
➕Cute possible friends-to-not-friends-to-friends-to-lovers scenario
➕The nicest pair of twins I've ever come across and they better not turn backstabby
➖Self-doubting was a bit too much at times
➖We get it, he has nice thighs

Overall I give it a 4/5⭐ - it was a nice, fast-paced and enjoyable YA read!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This YA horror is an urban fantasy that follows Winnie through 3 trials to become a hunter of nightmares. While the world building was slim it was a good amount for YA. We got fun side characters, a mystery brewing with her MIA father, and lots of nightmares in the forest. I definitely recommend for those who like YA urban fantasy horror who don’t mind that it’s a little simpler than adult fantasy!
Pub Date: Nov 1st, 2022
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I received an eARC and I was so excited for this book. I love The Withclands and I felt this would be another favorite. It turned out to be so boring I DNFd it 27% through. There is nothing remotely inresting happening. We are given a surpluss of information that tells us so much and yet nothing. The heavy narration only made the pacing drag on so unnecesarily. None of the characters gave me anything worth knowing about. And what was worse, the overuse of onomatopeias. I expected to have CLICKS, ZIPS, and KNOCK on a grade school book. Certainly not on a near Adult urban fantasy. Its both distracting and off putting. Definitely a dissapointing and dull read.

I absolutely loved this book. The way the author wrote it and had the main characters inner monologue and feelings made me feel like I was her because how she reacts to things is exactly how I would. I loved the idea behind this book and it was executed so perfectly. Im going to need the next book like yesterday.

Nightmares and monsters rise in the forest of Hemlock Falls every night and the Luminaries are the protectors that keep the rest of the town and humanity safe from those nightmares. Winnie Wednesday dreams of being a Luminary, but when her father was outed as a witch her family was shunned. Now on the month of her 16th birthday she has one opportunity to participate in the trials to become a Luminary and hopefully show her family's loyalty to their society.

I thought this book was great. I loved the characters, particularly Winnie and Jay. I cannot wait for the sequel. Two thumbs way up!

Book Review of The Luminaries (The Luminaries #1) by Susan Dennard

Cover Story: Still Death
I dig the dark vibes of this cover and the mix of life and death. There’s little telling what this book is about, but this is the kind of cover that intrigues people from the very first glance.

The Deal:
Winnie Wednesday is a Luminary—or, at least, she was until four years ago when her father was revealed to be a secret enemy of the Luminaries and she, her mother, and her older brother were cast out of the not-so-secret society of nightmare hunters who live in and protect Hemlock Falls. But it’s Winnie’s 16th birthday, and joining the hunter trials, and becoming a full-fledged hunter after completing them, is the only way she and her family can maybe lessen their 10-year-sentence and rejoin the only family any of them have ever known.

BFF Charm: Heck Yes
Winnie is exactly the kind of person I would have loved to be friends with when I was her age. Self-aware yet unsure, confident but not without bouts of indecision. She’s funny and smart and a total badass. I certainly wouldn’t be unkind like all those other jerks who shunned her when she became an outcast.

Swoonworthy Scale: 4
There is a definite and obvious (except to Winnie, but she’s a teenage girl) connection between Winnie and her former best friend turned town bad-boy-with-a-heart-of-gold Jay Friday. There’s also a lot more to Jay than it seems. But we only get glimpses of what’s possibly to come for the two in this book, which is the first of a trilogy (?).

Talky Talk: The Start of Something Good
The Luminaries is based on a (terribly fun) “choose your own adventure” Twitter thread that Dennard kicked off a couple of years ago featuring ideas and characters from an idea she’d never sold to a publisher. The novel is a new story—though it does feature the same main characters and general worldbuilding—with a few direct nods to the thread (or so Dennard says in her author’s notes).

Dennard is skilled at writing relatable and realistic characters, and the worldbuilding around The Luminary society (more on that below) is unique and fascinating. In general, The Luminaries is a really fun story, but I couldn’t help but feel like it ended just as it was getting good. (I literally had a “wait, what?” moment when I reached the end of the book; I was switching between a physical ARC and the Kindle version and didn’t have the “X minutes until the end of the book” up at the bottom of my device; I was blindsided by the ending.) I know there are additional books to come, but this is definitely one of those series starters that leaves you begging for more.

Bonus Factor: Secret Societies
The Luminaries are a secret(ish) society of people who live in 14 areas around the world where “sleeping spirits” create “nightmares” (a myriad of paranormal creatures) each night. Luminary hunters are tasked with killing these monsters and keeping the world safe. As a Luminary, you belong to one of seven families named after the days of the week* with distinct characteristics and jobs. Basically, the entire town of Hemlock Falls is made up of Luminaries and a few “nons” who’ve been enveloped into Luminary society through relationships or general trustworthiness/usefulness. Dennard glosses over the whole sleeping spirit thing a little bit, but knowing about them is not necessary to enjoy the story; the details about Luminary society, however, are many. (And this kind of secret society is right up my alley.)

*Although the American Luminaries are named Monday, Tuesday, etc., the various other Luminary groups around the world have names that match the language of their location. It’s a small detail, but a very clever one.

Bonus Factor: Mysterious Loner Dude
I offered Jay Friday a provisory place in my personal MLD Hall of Fame during the Twitter thread, but The Luminaries made it official. He’s broody, he rides a motorcycle, he plays bass in a band, he smells of bergamot and lime. He rarely attends school, he shows up to places reeking of weed (but doesn’t actually smoke it?), and yet he’s one of the best hunters the Luminaries has ever seen. He likes Winnie’s glasses! He thinks she’s spectacular! (Even though she thinks he’s making fun of her when he mentions that last thing.) Hemlock Falls’s Most Eligible Bachelor: You’ve got my heart.

Factor: Series Starter
I mentioned this above, but the ending does come unexpectedly fast.

Relationship Status: Book of My Nightmares Dreams
I’ve been excited to read you since the Twitter thread, Book, and you didn’t disappoint. You stole away before I was ready for our date to end, though, so I’m hoping we can get together again soon.

I really enjoyed the Luminaries. My only negative was that I didn't love the pacing. It felt to me like it this should have been one longer book but instead got split up. I am really excited for the sequel, though. The ending really snuck up on me and I was left wanting more! I love Susan Dennard's Twitter and newsletter. I love her world-building and characters.

This surprised me! I wasn't sure what to expect, as I hadn't read anything by Dennard before. The plot was interesting and kept me guessing without being convoluted. It was so unique! Dennard's writing is descriptive without being so lush that it's difficult to parse.

Winnie, our main character, was very fun to follow and her romance with Jay was so sweet.

Definitely a great start to a new series. I'm excited for the rest!

I tried this author’s Witchland series, but it just wasn’t for me. But this book? I couldn’t wait for its release. Everything about its description called my name.

Although set in the modern world, Hemlock Falls is kind of its own world. They’re a pretty closed society, and outsiders have to be vetted before their admittance. Why? Because the town is protected by Luminaries (hunters) from the monsters and nightmares that rise in the forest every night. You’ve got your garden variety creatures (basilisks, werewolves, kelpies) plus some the author created. It’s a highly dangerous job, and not everyone makes it to retirement. Winnie comes from a long line of hunters and has wanted to continue the tradition as long as she can remember. After it’s discovered her father is a traitor, Winnie, her mother, and brother are shunned and lose their standing in the community for ten years. Winnie thinks her dream is lost until she finds a loophole that allows her to still compete in the Luminary hunter trials. All she wants is acceptance for her family and for things to be the way they were.

Winnie is such an easy character to root for. She’s plucky, brave, and family is her top priority. She’s determined to show everyone they aren’t responsible for her father’s mistakes. Luckily, she has the support of a few friends who stuck by her over the past few years, unlike Jay, her former best friend and now one of the society’s best hunters. Jay piqued my curiosity. There’s something going on there, and he’s definitely holding onto secrets. I’m anxious to learn more about him in the next book.

Besides Jay’s secrets, something’s also afoot in the forest – something that has even the regular monsters running. Winnie saw it (she’s still not sure exactly what it is), but no one believes her, and town leaders reassure the citizens that everything’s under control. It’s not.

I loved the author’s note about the origin of this story – it began as a choose your own adventure Twitter serial. Dark fantasy is one of my preferred genres, and my head was buried in this book from beginning to end. I was annoyed when I had to put it down. I’m anxious to learn the secrets this forest and a certain character are hiding, so the second book can’t get here soon enough.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard is a YA fantasy novel with horror elements and the first book in a new series. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at a little under ten hours and is narrated by Caitlin Davies. We follow our main character with a solo third-person point-of-view.

Hemlock Falls isn't your typical rural town. The city is protected by the Luminaries, an ancient order that saves the world every night by killing the monsters that appear in the surrounding forest. Winnie Wednesday's family was shunned after her father was exposed as a witch and a traitor years before. To get her family back into their good graces, she decides to take on the sometimes-deadly Luminary hunter trials on her sixteenth birthday. But she might need a bit of help in training from her ex-best friend Jay Friday, aka the resident bad boy.

When I started reading this book, I wasn't aware it was the start of a new series, so please keep that in mind if you're like me and like to binge series. I do plan to continue with the series, as the world seems pretty cool and I have a few theories I'd like to see if I'm correct about.

I'm still a little confused on how the monsters here are formed, and on the "big bad" Dianas--a group of witches who appear to be the mortal enemies of the Luminaries. I'm guessing we'll get more information about those things in later installments of the series.

The pacing goes at a good clip, so if you're looking for some YA to scratch a thriller itch, this could satisfy that craving for you. There's also a wee bit of romance to curb that want as well.

If you dislike repetitious sounds, I want to briefly mention that several characters--including our main character--seem to have a habit of them. Our main character clicks her teeth together, which makes me worry for her dental bills, and another character consistently blows bubbles with bubble gum. I'm guessing these were supposed to be quirks for the characters, or maybe signs of OCD/stims? That's unclear, though.

Tropes in this book include: supernatural creatures, nerdy FMC, FMC with glasses, outsider

CW: body horror, death, murder, gaslighting, abandonment, anxiety, panic attacks

The publisher provided a audio ARC of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.