Susan Dennard’s The Luminaries is absolutely a five-star read. This book hit the ground running and never looked back. Enter the world of The Luminaries and you will never want to leave!

Winnie Wednesday and her family are outcasts from The Luminaries because of her father’s betrayal. She will do almost anything she can to get back into the fold, including going into the Hunter Trials despite not having trained in four years. Luminaries protect the world from nightmares dreamed up by magical spirits that inhabit certain areas in the world. Winnie comes from a long line of strong Luminaries and it pains her greatly to be shunned and ridiculed by everyone, including her own aunt.

Dennard explains the magical system for the book in such a fabulous way. The book starts with Winnie and some other teenagers on nightmare corpse duty, cleaning up after the hunters that have been killing nightmares in the forest. It was a perfect introduction to the world of the Luminaries and really set up for the rest of the story well. The pacing and introduction of characters flowed perfectly through the book. The character relationships felt genuine, especially the pain Winnie feels between herself and her former best friends. There are a few storylines woven throughout the book. This is the first in a series, so even though most of them weren’t wrapped up by the end, it didn’t end in a cliff-hanger, for which I’m thankful. I really look forward to the sequel(s) and being wrapped back up in the world of the Luminaries.

The Luminaries is the first book in a new YA fantasy series by Susan Dennerd (author of the Witch lands series). Set in Hemlock Falls this story follows Winnie Wednesday on the day of her 16th birthday where she enters the deadly hunter trials. Because in Hemlock Falls nightmares are real and only the hunters - the Luminaries - can stop them from spreading to the outside world. Winnie Wednesday wants nothing more than to reclaim her family name after her family is shunned when her father is outed as a witch. She enlists the help of former best friend and badboy, Jay Friday, because she is woefully unprepared. But Winnie will have to face more than just her fears if she even wants to survive.

I became a fan of Susan Dennard's earlier this year at YALLWEST when I went to a panel she was moderating. I loved how she explained her writing process and when I heard about her upcoming novel I immediately added it to my TBR. Imagine my surprise when I got an arc of it through Netgalley!

The novel opens up straight away introducing the reader to Hemlock Falls and the eerie woods. I believe this was a perfect introduction and set the mood wonderfully! Winnie's motivations are at the forefront of this novel and propel the story forward. She's an easy character to understand and side with and I loved her! Sometimes urban fantasy is hard to understand but Dennard blends the real world and the fantasy world of this novel nicely and it makes perfect sense to the reader. I think the only things I was confused about were things that hadn't happened yet, things that the reader is supposed to wonder about!

As most YA novel, there was a sprinkle of romance, and I mean how could there not be? I love it though and the subplot of romance in this novel did not distract from the main story, if anything it enchanced it. I'm excited to see where this romance plot goes in the series!

Overall, I think the Luminaries is a very strong start to this new series and I can't wait for book 2! I'd recommend this novel to anyone with a taste for the dark side of fantasy but still wants it to be set in a modern world.


Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for a review copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This was really fun, I love the setting and the characters, very intrigued what each character will be like as we get to know them better. The monsters are very cool and I loved that the main character sketches them so that we get even more detail of the monsters' appearance as her drawings are described. Action movies quickly and we're left on a bit of a cliff hanger, can't wait for book 2 and what might happen between two characters!

A wonderful combination of mystery and adventure with a touch of fantasy in this fiest book of a new series from the Witchlands author. A fabulously enjoyable read

The monsters are very vivid. The way Winnie describes the Whisperer is incredibly easy to picture, the various, somewhat nonsensical adjectives help with the very creepy vibes of this mysterious nightmare. It’s a little gory sometimes, but not in a sickening way. Just in a, this happens everyday and we’re used to it kind of way.

I can’t believe the Luminaries allow Winnie and her family to stay, and even bear the last name of one of their clans, but shun them so much. Why are the twins so accepting of Winnie but no one else is? How can everyone just have dropped Winnie’s entire family like that and still claim to love them later? I suppose being a Luminary is a lifestyle, one Winnie is addicted to, feels comfortable in. She can’t imagine doing anything else but being a hunter.

The drama! Where is Winnie’s father? What happened to him? Who are these Dianas and why are they so bad? What does the wider world know about Luminaries? Who is the werewolf and what happened seventeen years ago when there was a werewolf attack? These plots were well woven together and I wanted to keep reading every time I had to put the book down. There wasn’t a single boring moment, even when Winnie was talking about school or eating dinner with her mom. Some topics deserve more depth and I hope to see that in future books in the series. I felt like Winnie’s father was pushed aside

The teeth clicking thing bothered me way too much. It distracted from the narrative more than saying something like she chewed her lip or gnashed her teeth. Saying her teeth clicked just felt incredibly awkward. Of course, this is such a small issue and does not deter from the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

The Luminaries was a solid teenage underdog story with light fantasy. Easy to follow story with good pacing. The world building could have used just a couple more details. Incredible such a intriguing story came from a twitter thread, really the only negative I have is that I could have used just a little bit more world building. It was unclear if this was an alternate universe of secret society within our word which ended up being somewhat distracting.

A fresh take on a world where modern sensibilities and magic meet up.

Dennard delivers another fantastic cast filled with characters you want to root for, none more so than the protagonist Winnie Wednesday. The normal teen issues of crushes, losing friends, and clashing with family are all juxtaposed gorgeously against a mystical world filled with spirits, hunters, and more than enough danger to spare.

This book feels like the best kind of paranormal fantasy, as if the author just opened a door to let us see into a world that already exists alongside our own.

The first book in The Luminaries Series shows off Winnie learning to find her place, and try to prove herself as a hunter, while also asking questions about her history and father that aren’t answered by the time the first novel closes.

It gave me a solid start to the story, but left me craving more **Immediately** (which is what I love in a series opened tbh). And I cannot wait to see where it goes next.

The luminaries is undoubtedly one of my favourite books of the year! I went into high expectations knowing that I’ve read her books in the past. But this seriously blew me away so much more than I was expecting. Everything - from the development of the characters to the overall vibe and setting of this book, this was no doubt in my mind that I would become obsessed with this book. 5/5 stars for this book , it was just so good and worked so well for me!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Luminaries tells the story of Winnie Wednesday who is turning 16 and qualifies to become a hunter for the group, but has to overcome the disgrace that her family has faced for the last four years after her father was found to be a traitor. The description had me completely interested between a slightly weird town, a forest with monsters akin like vampires, basilisks, and banshees, and a main character trying to prove herself to a town who has shunned her. The story for me fell a little flat though. It was highly readable and the story moved fast, but it doesn't give you a lot of background on who The Luminaries are as well as the opposing Dianas and why they are doing what they're doing.

I did have to remind myself that this was a YA story and not an adult read, but this definitely skewed a bit more juvenile when compared to other YA that I read. It does set up a lot for a continuation of the story depending and I'd probably keep reading it out of curiosity to see what happens next and see how things are revealed.

Winnie Wednesday and her family are in disgrace after her father is caught spying for the Dianas, the enemies of the Luminaries. Winnie wants to enter the hunter trials to take up her family's long legacy and a Luminary hunter -- but will she make it?

I really enjoyed The Luminaries, a confection of YA fantasy with an intriguing and original concept and a lovely main character in Winnie Wednesday. I loved how the fantasy elements were interwoven with the more grounded, realistic parts of the story. This was such a delightful read, and beautifully written, and I hope that Susan Dennard gives us more stories in this world.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for giving me a free advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Winnie Wednesday's family has suffered a fall from grace. At one time her mother was the Lead Hunter for the entirety of the Wednesday clan; that was until it was discovered that Winnie's father was a spy. Now Winnie's mom works two jobs to make ends meet and her brother is nothing more than a gofer for the President of the Luminaries.

Winnie has a plan to restore her families reputation. In the month of her sixteenth birthday she has the right to enter the trials to become a Hunter. It won't be an easy feat, the woods around Hemlock Falls are filled with deadly creatures known as 'Nightmares'. Even the most experienced Hunters are risking their lives when entering the forest after dark. Winnie has not had the benefit of training but she is confident she will be successful. Her first night in the woods she encounters a creature never seen or heard of before but no one in Hemlock Falls will believe her. If that wasn't enough for Winnie to deal with she is attempting to rebuild old friendships with friends who seem to be keeping secrets of their own.

I absolutely loved Winnie Wednesday, her caring brother, and her quirky mom! School in Hemlock Falls is so unique; half regular classes and half hunter training. Winnie is so relatable I couldn't help but feel deeply for her plight as well as anger for those that mistreated her and her family the past four years.

In the afterword of the book, Dennard shares a most interesting story about the origins of the Luminaries. Apparently the base idea developed from a series of posts, reader driven via polls. Dennard weaves into her story a perfect mix of everyday fantasy creatures, such as werewolf and banshees, with her own unique and original beings. Her characters are wonderfully developed, the backstory has great depth, and there is an element of mystery that keeps you guessing what will happen next. I am excited to visit Hemlock Falls and spend more time with Winnie in the second installment.

Winnie Wednesday's family is in disgrace. They should have known her dad was part of the faction sabotaging the mission of Hemlock Falls - keeping their forest spirit sleeping and killing its nightmare creatures - but they didn't figure it out until it was too late. Now, with her 16th birthday looming, Winnie is determined to take the hunter trials to redeem her families' placement in their society.

This book is definitely the first in a series -the ending shocked me with how much incomplete feeling it left me - with a richly built world. Winnie seems to embody the current mental space many teens do - wanting to save the world and having no help in doing so. Our local bestselling author has another win for teens!

Being a teenager is hard, especially when you have to deal with the fallout from your parents' mistakes. The world-building and character depth is fantastic--without the addition of small details, the story would have fallen flat! Winnie is a loveable character thrust into an undesirable situation she doesn't quite understand. I found myself rooting for her even when she was making ridiculous choices.

The alternating perspectives isn't my first choice of structure, especially when the narrative remains 3rd person POV. However, the storyline is still easy to follow.

n this wonderfully written contemporary fantasy, we follow our main character Winnie Wednesday. Winnie lives in Hemlock falls, a town with a forest full of nightmares (creatures that go bump in the night). The Luminaries are hunters that keep the town and world safe from these nightmares, and Winnie wants nothing more than to be one of them. 4 years ago however her father was accused of being part of the "Diana's" (witch folk) and as a result Winnie, her mother, and her brother are to be outcasts for 10 years. Her mother works more than one job to provide, her brother is stuck in a crap job, no one talks to them, she has lost her best friends and the family can never be hunters.

Each year however on a child's 16th birthday they can take part in 3 trials in order to become a hunter, Winnie reads the "Luminaries rule book" and realizes it says nothing about outcasts unable to partake. She enrolls the help of an unlikely/forgotten ally and sets off to survive the forest and become a hunter.

I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it. The world-building was so believable and incredibly magical. Each nightmare was so expertly described I felt like I was watching a movie while reading.

The story was part magic and part mystery. There is definitely something sinister going on in the forest / a creature that no one knows of and people won't believe Winnie about what she saw. Relationships are being mended and she and her family are being allowed back into society slowly but surely. Winnie also discovers a hidden message left by her dad - but who can she trust? Does she even want to find out if it's true?

I did NOT want to put this book down. I needed to know what was around the corner all the time.

The ending though, you got me there. I would've loved to see the story conclude even a little bit, but I am absolutely waiting for the second book with anticipation.

I have been unable to review due to illness, but greatly looking forward to this novel! As I have greatly enjoyed Susan Dennard's other books, and recommended them over and over as a bookseller, I cannot wait to dive into this book and enjoy the new world she has created. It sounds amazing - witch trails, haunted forests, and a bad boy that could become something more than an ex-friend, this book is sure to be one of her best! Review to come soon!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor/Forge for this ARC ❤️

So, this book was amazing. I love Winnie. I love Jay. I have approximately one billion theories about absolutely everything. The twists!!!

This is a great fantasy / mystery - I haven’t read anything else quite like it, which made everything really new and exciting. It has Hunger Games vibes (sort of?) but the world and character dynamics are so different.

Literally my only complaint is that I’m going to have to wait a hella long time for a second book. Susan plz, plz!!!!

“The Luminaries” by Susan Dennard offers a fresh new take on monsters that roam the night and feast on flesh and blood. This spooky YA thriller delves into a world with terrifying creatures, a crew of feisty slayers reminiscent of Buffy, and one determined teen hellbent on proving herself worthy of becoming one of the luminaries who can wield weapons and slay the monsters that haunt the night.

In Hemlock Falls, a tiny town that most people haven’t heard of and wouldn’t be able to find on a map, there’s a forest that comes to life at night. Bloodthirsty creatures roam the woods, always on the hunt for prey. The Luminaries are a group of trained killers who slay these creatures to keep their town safe. To become a Luminary, one must endure several brutal tests to prove themselves worthy of the title and that they have the lethal skill required to kill.

Winnie Wednesday is determined to prove she has what it takes to become a Luminary. Even though she and her family have been exiled due to her father's traitorous actions against the Luminaries, Winnie can still take the tests to become a monster hunter. All she has to do is pass them despite missing years of training, then she can prove loyalty to the cause while restoring her family’s name. To ensure her survival, she enlists the help of her ex-best friend Jay Friday who also happens to be skilled at hunting and knowledgeable about the monsters that roam the forests. As they work together, they unknowingly stumble upon a new and deadly force even the Luminaries are unaware of. One that refuses to be bound to the dark.

The world-building in this story is incredible along with the depictions of the terrifying monsters that come to life only when the sun slips below the horizon. Dennard draws on recognizable beasts of old and new that are pulled from the dark depths of her imagination, illuminating the highly adept skills these creatures have at rendering their prey defenceless until they are nothing more than a tasty treat. The dangers of Winnie’s world are amplified, upping the stakes of becoming a Luminary and the skills it takes to survive a night in the woods.

“The Luminaries” is fast-paced and highly addictive. From the very first page, readers are drawn into Winnie’s life of exile, beasts, and loneliness. It’s hard to exist on the outside of a life she has always known and wanted to be a part of. When her time comes to prove herself, it’s easy to root for her, even when she tends to make dumb decisions that have not-so-great consequences.

Fans of Dennard, creatures that go bump in the night, and strong female leads are going to love this new, thrilling tale! Look for "The Luminaries" by Susan Dennard on its expected publication date of November 8, 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge (Tor Teen) for providing me with a free e-arc of this novel and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

finds herself the talk of her little community of Hemlock Falls while she tries to understand how she's ended up as the town's darling and investigate the new nightmare in their woods.

The author mentions in a note that this book came from a project she did at the beginning of the pandemic where readers got to choose what happened next.  Very cool concept, but I feel like that concept dropped us into the middle of the story.  The "bad guys" are the Dianas.  But who are they and why are they bad?  We know Winnie's father was proven a Diana and the family outcast.  No one stood up for them, but why were they allowed to stay in the town of Luminaries if they'd been kicked out?  And why, just because Winnie passed the first test in the hunter trials did their family suddenly open their arms?  These were nagging questions that haunted me as I read the book that was only exacerbated when we get to the end and certain revelations come out.  

I find myself in an odd spot with this book.  On the one hand, there were too many holes and questions in the storyline.  On the other, I'm curious about what happens next.  Curiosity killed the cat and will most likely have me looking out for the next book in this series just to find out what happens next.

The Luminaries is a fast paced fantasy from author Susan Dennard.

The lore of this book is well crafted, and Hemlock Falls is definitely a place I'd never want to visit. Terrifying monsters roam the woods, and each species is fleshed out in gruesome detail.

Winnie is an enjoyable heroine, and I enjoyed the mystery of her father and how he betrayed the Luminaries. Winnie's struggles to fit in and her feelings about her family drive this novel. It took me awhile to really get invested in the characters, but having Winnie work with her ex-best friend made me understand her more.

What’s treat this was to read! I was completely enamored with our reluctant heroine and her friends. I always loved a good story with hidden worlds and especially if those also include secret societies and magic schools. This has a little bit of dark fantasy mixed with supernatural horror, which I absolutely devoured with glee. I found myself desperately longing to continue the story with a sequel immediately after reaching the last page. I simply must solve the puzzle and get to the bottom of this spooky magic mystery! I was also delighted to learn that this had been written partially with participation of the authors Twitter following and i think that really gave it a unique spin and energy. How fun is that!? I hope that subsequent volumes are created in much the same way because the chaotic and intriguing story mechanics would be fab to continue!