This book ended up being a little disappointing. I requested this book because the concept sounded very interesting and it promised a dark atmospheric read. While it did deliver on great atmosphere and nightmarish settings and creatures, it simply lacked in everything else.

The writing to me felt much younger, it read more as middle grade than YA which was a weird experience and this premise was very reminiscent of the 2010 dystopian novels with the different clans and factions. Overall this book just didn't deliver much, nothing new happened that isn't mentioned in the synopsis and in the end there was no reveal or exploration of characters' backstories or world building, and there were no resolutions to so many plotlines as well. The trials were interesting to read about but there was way too much filler scenes and sometimes felt overly descriptive and repetitive.

I wish we got more insight into the characters, most of the time it was hardly believable to think of the hunters, especially the mother when we are only told about and not shown a whole lot. We don't learn much about the luminaries and a lot of the world building, which was disappointing. It also ended at a very weird point and almost abruptly which didn't convincine me to continue with the series. All in all, sadly a disappointing read for me.


Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have never read anything by this author before and that cover is what really caught my attention. I thought the synopsis sounded very adventurous and intriguing. The beginning of the story was okay, it kept my attention for awhile unfortunately I ended up dnfing this one around the 40% mark. This read just too young of young adult for me, which I should have known, it being about a 16 year old. I need to learn to stay away from that age range. I felt Winnie was just too immature for my liking. I also felt the romance subplot developing and I wasn't interested. I hope this finds the right readers but unfortunately it wasn't me.

I will start out my saying that I didn’t fully get the world and setting until the end parts of the book and I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I would have liked. But I still enjoyed reading the book, or at least the tail end of it where I really was into it. I think this book has a lot of potential and I will probably read the sequel when it comes out. I am going to give it a 3.5 ⭐️ rating because of the trouble I had in the first part of the book.

Okay, I wasn't sure what to think about this book at the beginning, but it grew on me! I don't have a super great love for paranormal, but this got me in the mood for fall, and it had some great spooky vibes. It's got a haunted forest with vampira, kelpies, basilisks, a werewolf, and all sorts of other creatures. It's got clans of monster hunters intent on protecting the outside world from these nightmares. It's got a girl who wants nothing more than to be a hunter, even if she has to lie to do it.

I was a bit worried about the entire plot being based on Winnie's lie and whether she could keep lying. But honestly, it didn't bother me too much, and it doesn't dwell on the lie too much. I liked the friends-to-enemies-to-almost-lovers vibes between Winnie and Jay (there better be kissing in the next book). I loved the dark forest vibes with nightmares and the small town full of monster hunters. And that ending had a twist that makes me excited for the next book!

All in all, I think this book will find a solid home with those who love paranormal thrillers. It's well-written and well thought out! And I love how the idea for this story came from Susan Dennard doing a choose-your-own-adventure for six months on Twitter. The book community is amazing.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, Tor Teen and NetGalley, for the ARC!

Trigger/Content Warnings: parent abandonment, monster fights, gory and frightening images (dm me for details)

This was fine. I don't know what I wanted more of, I just know I wanted more. Especially after being such a massive fan of The Witchland series, I think I expected this to be more in that vein, strong heroines, incredibly storylines, but sadly it gave pandemic vibes (every page felt riddled with anxiety).

I'll still definitely be recommending it, but I won't be re-reading it.

Three and a half
Winnie Wednesday and her family are ostracised by their fellow Luminaries due to her absent father being outed as a Witch. Winnie is determined to become a Hunter and not continue to be shunned but to do that she has to persuade them to let her take part in the trials. With no one to help her Winnie goes into the forest alone but when the nightmares come to life not only do they become all too vividly real but somehow others believe Winnie is a killer and really it’s something completely different entirely !
A fascinating idea that’s clearly aimed at slightly younger readers about a world that has spirits sleeping whose nightmares are released. The Luminaries are the über secret society keeping everyone safe but are they themselves safe ? Something new has appeared and it’s killing but what is it and what does it want ? Plus I have to know just what exactly happened seventeen years ago and to who but I’ve a sneaky suspicion that here my fellow reader is were the romance elements might be introduced in the next book. I did enjoy this but I didn’t particularly enjoy the writing style and just wanted a lot more background information.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

This was an enjoyable read, I enjoyed the world building of the Luminaries and all their lore (there were some moments where I was confused because of the immense amount of information about the world). Dennard is very good at creating worlds that are interesting and engaging, and this one is no different.
In this story we follow Winnie, who is trying to restore her family's status after a shocking betrayal. She enters the trials to become a full fledged Luminary, and with each stage passed, she becomes more aware that something is going on that her community might not be aware of. I liked Winnie's character, she was not a independent badass as many such characters are written, but rather a young anxiety ridden girl who is trying to make things better for her family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen, for providing me with this ARC!

When I saw that Susan Dennard, author of one of my few favorite young adult series The Witchlands, had a spooky new book releasing, I knew I had to read it. Though I wasn’t the biggest fan of the last book I read by the author, Witchshadow, I found The Luminaries to be a really enjoyable and fluffy read. Though it’s easy to see where the series is going, and it feels similar to other YA novels, this doesn’t make The Luminaries any less fun.

The story follows teenaged Winne Wednesday, an outlawed and former member of the Luminaries, an organization consisting of clans named after the days of the week, which guard a mystical and deadly forest full of monsters. Determined to get her family’s outcast status revoked, sixteen year old Winnie determines to participate in the Trials. Should she pass these tests, she can earn her place as a Hunter in the Luminaries and restore her family to their rightful place back within the clan.

"She hasn't told anyone she's going to attempt the first hunter trial tonight. if they find out, they won't let her....and they'll find a way to intervene. But what they don't know, they can't stop. Plus, nowhere in the rules does it say an outcast can't enter. Nons are forbidden, sure, but there's definitely no mention of outcasts."


I thought the entire premise of The Luminaries was really interesting. It almost reminded me of a mix between The Hunger Games and Divergent, with a teensy bit of Twilight thrown into the mix. Though I was very interested in the forest and how the Luminaries organization, as well as their arch nemesis organization the Dianas, formed, there was not a whole lot of time spent on world-building, sadly. I would honestly say that almost the bare minimum of world-building in The Luminaries is provided. I had more questions about the world—how were these organizations formed and how do they stay hidden from the rest of the world, and what the world outside these clans is like—than answers.

I was particularly perplexed that the town in which the Luminaries resided in had its own news station. Winnie remarks that this station (along with the town and the organization) is kept secret from the rest of the world, but it is never explained how it is kept secret or what the rest of the world is like outside of the organization. This really itched at my brain, as there are no witches working for the Luminaries to keep the broadcast private, or hints that anyone had an "in" at a big broadcasting station or anything of the sort. There are also not many references to the rest of the branches of the Luminaries, other than to say that some of the newest members operating in this town came from other branches. These new members seem to fit right in with no issues or differences from the other branches of the Luminaries at large. It's all a little too easy.

The writing is simply not as nuanced or as mature as Susan Dennard’s other works. It feels like The Luminaries is definitely geared toward younger YA readers than older ones. Parts of the world-building that were actually explained to me didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me either. The clan leaders claim to their teenagers that they want them to survive more than anything, but then let them go into the forest filled with murderous monsters as soon as they turn sixteen. Honestly, I don't understand the logic of actively putting these teenagers, without fully developed brains in these dangerous situations, and then claiming their survival is the number one priority. Wouldn't it make sense to at least make the kids wait until they're eighteen to go into the forest alone?

Nor does the heightened difference in difficulty levels between the three Trials feel logical to me. The first trial (view spoiler)This last test had practically no fail safes in place.
"The rule is that anyone in the Luminaries—except nons who join from outside—can try to become a hunter during the month of their sixteenth birthday. If they fail, though, that's it. No do-overs. No mulligans. The stakes are too high to risk anyone in the forest who isn't a peak performer."


This is even though we know that the Hunters, even the adult ones, have an incredibly high mortality rate. Wouldn’t procreation and the life of the next generation of Hunters be a top priority? Why is there such a rush to get these kids into the forest alone, without an apprenticeship or anything? Shouldn’t these children only be tested once their brains have fully developed and allowed them to make better decisions?

Perhaps, as an adult reader, I'm just taking this all too seriously and asking too many questions, but it was honestly just hard for me to completely believe the way that this society ran as a whole and how it held such conveniently conflicting ideals. I also couldn’t help but feel that The Luminaries wasn’t quite as dark and gritty as it should be for the world in which it took place. Though the novel starts with Winnie out on corpse duty extolling the virtues of kids getting used to being around brutalized bodies at a young age, none of Winnie’s classmates ever die or are permanently maimed and have to give up their dreams, or anything of the sort.

And oddly enough, even though the entire society of the Luminaries revolves around the forest and hunting—even the children go to school late in the day so they have more time for corpse duty and training—there somehow isn’t a stigma against those who within the society who choose not to take up the mantle of hunters. I found this very hard to believe as the Luminaries don't even let outsiders into their society without background checks, vetting, and interviews. It's even harder to believe that it's just fine for the children not to become hunters in light of the fact that Winnie and her mom and brother are constantly bullied and treated like dirt for her father supposedly being a traitor to the society. I don't think the culture of the Luminaries and their acceptance is at all in line with one another—they're cruel and callous when it suits them, and kind and accepting when it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for them to be.

The Luminaries, I would assume would also be concerned about reproduction to replenish their supplies of Hunters, but that also doesn’t seem to be the case. Families seem to only have one or two kids, not a more reasonable seven or anything, to keep up with the supposedly high mortality rates—but again, readers don't ever see Hunter deaths on the page first hand, just read about people speaking or remembering past deaths. The Luminaries also have no problem with LGTBQ+ romances, despite the constant need for more Hunters, which was a pleasant surprise for the type of militant society they are. Winnie’s brother is in an openly gay relationship and hasn't had any issues with acceptance of his sexual orientation or relationship or pushy attempts to get him and his boyfriend to adopt children to train as Hunters. Again, this seemed almost too perfect to believe of the same society that fired Winnie's mother as head Hunter and forced her to seek other means of employment, treating her like dirt beneath theirs shoes in that new job (waitressing), laughing as she barely eked out a living to support her family, calling her daughter names, and all because her husband might have been a traitor.

I guess maybe I am viewing this society, which has children as Hunters (basically child soldiers), as a dystopian society, and maybe that’s not how the writer herself sees it. Regardless, I kind of wish Dennard had pushed the envelope more consistently on the behaviors of this society, which has no problem shunning former integral members or leading their kids to a slaughter, but is strangely accepting of almost everything else. While reading I often had moments of asking myself "is this the same society?" Do the Luminaries actually care more about its survival as an organization to keep the forest at bay or the happiness and survival of its members? Most of the time, it seems like the former—especially with its treatment of Winnie's family—but then instances of the latter are thrown in willy-nilly to make the society seem less awful or the novel more suitable for younger readers. Regardless of the reasoning behind these choices, it left me feeling like The Luminaries couldn't quite make up its mind on what it wanted its shadowy organization to be or to stand for.

I was also similarly surprised by other narrative choices in The Luminaries. The novel relies on Winne panicking and going into some anxiety-ridden verbatim recitation of what is in the monster handbook, known as The Compendium, whenever she encounters a forest denizen. Though realistic to someone in a life-or-death situation, it was literally such a buzz-kill to read. Instead of being surprised by what creatures were appearing and showing the detail of what they looked like, Winnie spoils the suspense again and again by telling readers what the compendium says about the monsters that are apparently appearing in front of her—before they are even introduced to the reader. A big part of horror or horror adjacent genres is that the imagination is usually worse than whatever the author describes, and giving time to show details of the monster before it appears, so the imagination can run wild, is a classic way to heighten the suspense. I find it so odd that The Luminaries constantly and consciously chooses not to do this. I don't think readers are introduced to monsters in a more organic way even once in the novel.

This way of telling the story took me right out of what was happening in the novel, which was a shame in what is supposed to be a moment of climax and heightened suspense. I suppose it was written in this manner as a method to make Winnie seem more relatable to readers, but I found it irritating. As was the egregious use of the phrase “teeth clinking.” I don’t know that it was necessary to write about Winnie’s anxious "teeth clinking" habit SO. MANY. TIMES. Also unclear what the “clinking” of teeth means, it is teeth grinding, chattering like when someone is cold, or what? Another thing that really threw me was that the entire novel was written solely from Winnie’s perspective, only for the point-of-view to suddenly switch to Winne’s ex-best friend for literally two paragraphs, just for it to then switch back to Winnie’s narration. I had to reread those paragraphs several times because I was so confused at what was going on, as this change in perspective wasn’t denoted in the novel in any way.

Despite my concerns with world-building and some of the narrative choices, I really did enjoy The Luminariesas a whole. I always wanted to pick this book back up and I easily could see myself having been wild about this book when I was younger. As an adult reader, the developing romance between Winnie and her like-new-but-old-friend Jay was kind of vanilla and predictable, but as younger reader, I am sure I would have relished in how Jay is not only mysterious (even though it’s obvious why he’s mysterious), but there for Winnie when it counts.

"He just stares at her with that gray intensity only he can have, and says, 'You either trust the forest or you don't Winnie. You have to make up your mind.'"


And Winnie herself is a likable protagonist. Though she is inwardly scared, she faces not only many life-threatening situations, but also family dynamic issues, clan conflict, and more with aplomb. It was easy to relish in her determination and successes. Though I wished Winnie were a bit more confident, bold, or even angry at times, her behavior is definitely in character for a newly turned sixteen year old.

Though I was more often than not annoyed at how the Compendium was utilized in the novel, I really was intrigued by the interesting ideas of the monsters, which often go beyond the typical basic monster descriptions of “vampire,” “kelpie,” and “banshee.” These are not the run-of-the-mill creatures of legends that readers see time and time again. And Winnie's encounters with these foes are very tense and climactic, after that first Compendium-narrated introduction. I don't know how any of these adults or teenagers, dedicate their life to hunting down these creepy creatures, and how there aren't more kids actively choosing not to pursue that grim and terrifying future.

All in all, The Luminaries is a light and spooky novel perfect for younger readers and those who can accept the nonsensicality of the organization of the Luminaries. This was a great read to get me even more hyped for spooky season. As the novel ended on a note somewhere between resolved and cliffhanger, The Luminaries left me both satisfied and ready to read more. I am planning to pick up whatever other entries in the series come out and hope future entries will answer more of my questions.

This was such a fun book and knowing it's inception makes it even better! Perfect for spooky season!

The Luminaries was an excellent book — I enjoyed it. This is very different than her Witchlands series. This book has a feel of horror/mystery with a mixture of paranormal/supernatural elements. It also felt a bit dystopian. Not in a bad way but I would say it had “Supernatural” vibes with the hunters aspect.

Much of the book is exactly the summary of the book, Winnie must pass the hunter trials and redeem her family. There is some mystery thrown in as well, and I enjoyed Winnie as a character. I loved how she and Jay interacted. Darian was pretty cool as well.

(Also want to point out I love that she wears glasses, and it felt so relatable with her constantly pushing them up.)

One thing I will say is that it didn’t have a lot of plot to it, it was pretty much trial, trial, trial, and then end. This definitely is more like a setup for the rest of the series. This isn’t a bad thing at all, because I’m intrigued enough to read the next book.

An aspect that I also enjoyed is that she isn’t super powerful, she doesn’t gain all these amazing skills, in some ways a bit like the anti-chosen one. Which worked very well for this book.

The atmosphere was wonderfully done. This is a book that reads very well for the fall. It kind of sucks you in. Honestly, I kept thinking back to TV shows like Teen Wolf, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries while reading this. They were all shows I loved, so I also very much enjoyed the book. Just the feeling of them…it felt like that.

The second part I had some trouble with is not necessarily the world building, but how this society actually functioned. I felt that it wasn’t totally fleshed out well enough to be understood. I’m hoping we’ll get more of that in the future, and understand more of what this world is like.

I’m excited to see what happens next for Winnie, and the mystery she must solve!

“That's why we're called the Luminaries, Winnie: we are lanterns the forest can never snuff out.”

MC wanting to become a monster hunter? Check!
MC being brave despite being terrified? Check!
Urban Fantasy setting? Check!
Secret Societies? Check!
MC having a great amount of wit & not willing to take being an outcast lying down? Check!
The worst thing about getting an advanced copy of a book that absolutely enthrals you is you have even longer to wait before you get answers, especially when said book ends on such a cliffhanger! This book will transport you to a magical world of forests with sleeping gods & monsters, magic, friendship, courage & what family really means. I loved Winnie’s determination to clear her, her brothers & her mother’s names after they have been shunned for four years by their clan due to Winnies Dad being accused of a Bad Witch & him going on the run. With the clans who fight the monsters that come alive every night in the forest believing Winnie, her Mum & brother are guilty by association, the only way Winnie believes she can restore their standing is by going through the terrifying trials to become a monster hunter so that their outcast status will be lifted. I loved that Winnie was clearly terrified so often (as you should be when things like Banshees & Manticores are attacking you) throughout the book, she braved her way through it all anyway. Her realisations about what is truly important throughout the book had me cheering her on & turning the next page desperate to figure out the mysteries of the forest & the secrets of the town. While I loved Susans Witchlands series a bit more, this was a solid read, with the last 20% of the book keeping me on the edge of my seat & not being able to stop reading had I wanted to! I cannot wait to read the next book because I NEED answers!
Thank you to Netgalley & TorTeen/Macmillan-Tor for granting me a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Author: he looked like utter crap.
Me: ah yes perfect.

What a fun ride. The Luminaries reads as the best parts of The Mortal Instruments meets Hunger Games with a dash of The Cruel Prince. I fell in love with this intricate, layered world of nightmares and the hunter society that slays them. The writing is fresh and vivid, and though Winnie felt pretty young to me, the rest of the story balanced out. Jay was a fast favorite and the slow-burn romance was alsjdhaksksjjs PERFECTION. Also, that cover is top-notch.

And that ending?? I need the next book STAT.

Eternally grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc—I loved it, and I think fans of The Hazel Wood and the Shadowhunter world will, too.

-A

I don't think I gel with Susan Dennars as an author and this will probably be my last book from her. Sadly, I found the plot and the world building terrribly lacking. The characters felt dull and predictable, and the writing did nothing to draw me in, leaving me feel detached and that's not how I want to feel when reading a book.
An absolute shame as the vibes of this book could've been so deliciously dark and I am in love with this cover...

🏹 I fell in LOVE with the idea of this book. But, overall it just didn’t fully fulfill its potentional. The world is vast, endless and so darn interesting but was never fully explored.

🏹 There are many sleeping spirits in various locations across the globe and when they sleep, their nightmares come to life in the forest. The Lumanaries contain the nightmares/creatures, keep the outside world from knowing about them, and try to keep their world safe. Pretty cool, right? Except I have very little information about these sleeping spirits. It’s mentioned at one point that they are born… From what?! How often?! What are these spirits… are they the spirits of the forest or something else entirely? Why do they have only nightmares and no good dreams!? What do the spirits do during the day? 🤔 I need answers.

🏹 We mostly got background on The Lumanaries and the nightmare creatures. While I loved this, I needed MORE. I needed to understand the why.

Wow - yes. I love this. I devoured this. What a fun contemporary fantasy. I was unsure going into this how contemporary it would be- but it does feel very grounded in our world. The characters feel realistic and the speculative elements are really interesting and feel comprehensive.

Honestly, the worst I have to say is that I'm angry I have to wait for a sequel.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Tor Teen, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Winnie Wednesday lives in Hemlock Falls, a town very unique. You can't find it on the map, cellphones don't work and the forest is filled with nightmares that can kill you.
Ever since she was old enough to understand, Winnie wanted to join the Luminaries, an ancient order that protects the city and its inhabitants from the forest's horrors. Since her father was exposed as a witch and a traitor, Winnie and her family were shunned, avoided and insulted. Now, at her sixteen birthday she has the chance to take the Luminaries hunter trials and to prove to everyone and herself she's a real hunter and Luminaries and to restore her family's name. But in order to survive, she decides to ask the resident bad boy and her ex best friend Jay Friday for help and to train. Something more dangerous than the usual nightmares is threatening the town and they are determined to understand what and how to stop it.

The Luminaries is the first book in a new, captivating and original series, written by the bestselling author of the Witchland series. A fantasy about living nightmares, a stubborn and brave main character, secrets and lies. The Luminaries is thrilling, wonderfully written and able to capture the reader's attention and to never let go, even after the book ended. The story is truly magnificent, transporting the reader into a world of rules, traditions, old families with their own crests, abilities and mysteries. Fighting to restore her family's name, Winnie is a marvellous main character, young, but determined, stubborn and smart, eager to protect her loved ones and herself, to discover new things, to solve mysteries even though few people seems to believe her.
Struggling with her family being shunned for years, Winnie is determined to change things and when they slowly do, she's eager to protect them all.
The bonds between characters, the nightmares, the hunter trials, I loved everything. The setting is fascinating and eerie, dangerous and captivating and I can't wait to know more about the town and the forests and it spirit.
I need answers!

(Thank you Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for giving us this eARC in exchange for an honest review)

I liked the concept a lot, it was actually pretty interesting how there was this special town that was hidden away and this group that would protect the town. I'm not a huge fan of witches and super high fantasy type books, but this one was still better than my expectations. I wasn't a huge fan of this book mainly because it felt like there were so many storylines that were started and left open. I assume that there are more books within this series because the ending didn't feel like a proper ending for a standalone book. But I do like the ex-friends to lovers storyline, I am a sucker for that type of trope. I liked Winnie's inner dialogue and thoughts, I felt a lot more attached to this character and she didn't feel like "the chosen one".

I adored the Luminaries and Susan Dennard's writing style. THIS BOOK IS A WORK OF ART. The Luminaries is incredibly hard to put down and has. so many twists and turns!!

I've never read anything by Dennard before, but the cover and synopsis intrigued me, so I wanted to pick this up. Sadly, I wasn't impressed. I found the writing to be a little too juvenile and, at times, had that early-2010 Tumblr feel to it. You don't need to read this book because the synopsis tells you everything. Nothing new or surprising happened. I think Dennard nailed the concept, but her execution was lacking. I loved the idea of watching Winnie go through these trials to become a hunter, but there was no excitement to them. I wanted to feel the action and feel the tension of if she'd make it or not, but it wasn't there. There are also a lot of different plot lines going on here, but nothing ever felt resolved. It had all the potential to be an atmospheric, creepy read, but it fell flat. I wanted more from the characters, more from the plot, just more in general.

DNF'd at 15%

Just could not get into this one -- the tense that it was written in wasn't done well enough for it to feel good and natural, and instead felt awkward. There was nothing that really pulled me in and kept me wanting to keep reading -- Winnie is just like every other YA protagonist, you could see where a forced romance was going to be with a guy that seemed like a Jace-knock off (who in turn is already a Draco knock-off), and none of the characters stuck out at all. There was nothing too terribly original about the monster hunter plot that made me want to find out more about the world/lore. And the naming convention felt incredibly lazy.