Give me creepy magical woods, sinister creatures, and angsty outcast protagonists any day and I’ll fall madly in love with the story just how I did with The Luminaries.

This YA Fantasy novel is quirky just like the beautiful human who wrote it…and not to mention Susan Dennard garnered the input for the plot from all her readers and followers on Twitter! What an amazing way to have your fans be a part of the stories you create.

I truly fell in love with the side characters too, and a found friendship that will have a special place in my heart forever.

I’m obsessed! I’ve enjoyed the authors works in the past but this title in particular I flew through. I adored the lore of the world presented and soaked up any piece of information offered. Winnie is a fantastic MC and I enjoyed her POV. Not once did she become whiny or irritating and I sympathised with her treatment by the fellow luminaries. I loved that she wasn’t overpowered and allowed be flawed and weak at times. It not only helped to amp up the drama and danger but also made her more relatable.
My one major criticism of Winnie however is how often she was described as “clicking her teeth”. This drove me absolutely wild and I had to immediately skip lines as soon as she started. How anyone close to her could stand to listen to that all day I don’t know!
My other criticism was how abruptly it ended. I felt let down and disappointed but I guess it’s a tactic to get you hyped for the next book which I will definitely be reading!

I haven’t read the Witchlands series yet so this is my first book by Susan Dennard. I won’t lie, I was impressed. I really liked this book.

It wasn’t what I was expecting, plot-wise but I enjoyed it nonetheless. There’s a really interesting world and the mystery kept me on my toes the entire time.

One thing I didn’t love was the way the mystery was kind of left unresolved at times. Characters brushed off facts and incidents that they probably shouldn’t have or rather wouldn’t have if they were actually thinking about it.

Overall, a solid 4 stars and a series I’m excited to continue.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely LOVE Susan Dennard work, she's just so amazing with words.
I've read this is consider low-fantasy but the world was really good constructed, AND it's fast paced without being weak!! I feel that's just something Dennard can do.
The MC was cool too, though all the aplauses go to Jack becase he stole my attention everytime he appeared. I really liked their relationship.
The plot of the book is exactly what its promised, it didn't let me down and it caught me from the first moment.
This is a solid 4 just because I feel like the next books are going to be even more amazing.

The Luminaries is a fast-paced supernatural mystery with lots of creepy monsters and a bit of romance. Susan Dennard has created a town surrounded by a forest full of monsters that creep around at night. Clans are separated by days of the week, and each has its own culture ingrained in its blood. Winnie Wednesday’s family was part of the Wednesday Clan tell; her dad betrayed them, and they were forced to become outcasts. As a result, for the past four years, her brother, herself, and her mom have been treated as the ghost who live and try to survive in the town they once were a huge part of. Winnie is determined to rise above and become the best hunter to restore respect to her family.
I was engaged while devouring this tale; Dennard knows how to grip her readers and keep them on the edge of their seats. Then, of course, there is the entire plot of Winnie taking on the Hunter Trials but underneath that is a puzzle left by her father, who has betrayed everyone. I can’t wait for the next book.

4.5 ⭐️

I’ve been really looking forward to reading something by Susan Dennard because so many of my book friends love her writing. I figured The Luminaries would be a great start for it as it’s the first book in a new series!

The story starts off quite slowly and the situation of Winnie, who's an outcast, is painted very clearly. You immediately understand what drives her to change the situation and I immediately connected with Winnie and sympathized with her.

The worldbuilding was very intriguing and I understand the spooky and atmospheric reference hahaha. It really felt like that. The nightmares that appear in the forest are really interesting and I really want a Compendium to learn about all the different ones! It was really apparent as well that this book is part of a series, since some things were mentioned, but not really explained yet. The Dianas being the biggest example. And knowing there are more communities around the world als well. I'm really excited to learn more about the world in the sequel.
The characters were sooo good! I loved them, all of it hahaha. Winnie is such a believable character. Her luck isn't annoying or comes across as convenient. It actually makes her that much more believable and connectable. Jay as well is very mysterious and I'm curious to see his secrets revealed. personally I think he's the werewolf after seeing what happened in the last trial!
I liked the connection Winnie has with the different Luminaries and how it compliments her journey and growth during the trials. So much happens and it was hard to grasp that the timeline of the whole book is actually a little over a WEEK!!!

The ending was really gripping! I had such a hard time putting the book down because I wanted to know what would happen next! The stakes were super high and loved the way those stakes were raised throughout the story. while a lot is still unknown who's the werewolf, what's the whisperer, why does it seem to help Winnie, was her dad really set up etc. We have so much that’s still left unrevealed and it has gotten me really excited to get to the next book!!

Overall, it was such a good start to a new series with compelling characters and a really intriguing world and forest full of spooky creatures. I can't wait to find out more about all that!

The Luminaries is a gripping contemporary fantasy that weaves magic and suspense into a thrilling adventure. With vivid descriptions and a unique setting, Susan Dennard takes readers on a journey into the dangerous forest of Hemlock Falls. The characters are well-developed, and the dynamic between Winnie and Jay adds depth to the story. Packed with mystery, action, and unexpected twists, this book kept me hooked from start to finish. I really liked it!

Thank you to netgalley for an arc. The Luminaries was a very fast-paced book with monsters and a sprinkling of romance. The world the book is set in is our world, which not a lot of fantasy books do. The chapters were short and had only one POV. The tropes and themes in this book are monsters, coming of age, family drama, and fantasy. This was a refreshing change of pace from the books I usually read.

Wasn't a fan of this read. Didn't feel like it really went anywhere, the world building was ok. The main character wasn't that likeable. Felt like it was a lot of build up to nothing remarkable.

This book is an okay book. The premise was interesting but I just could not really get attached to characters or the plot. It didn’t suck me in and make me want to forget everything but reading.

I really really liked this book! The writing is phenomenal, the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat, and overall I really liked the world of the Luminaries and can't wait to keep reading!

Purchased for my high school library. Students have enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next installment.

The Luminaries takes place in a world where there are creatures called nightmares. Nightmares are not nice and they will kill humans. the Luminaries are a group whose purpose is to kill these nightmares and keep them away from humans. Winnie and her family were banished from the order because her dad was a traitor, Now Winnie is finally old enough to take the test to become one of the Luminaries again. She hopes that this will restore their faith in her family and they will no longer be banished from the community. This book puts you right into this world and you won't want to leave.

DNF. I have loved Susan Dennard's Truthwitch series and I was so hoping I'd enjoy this one as well but sadly it didn't work out. I've been trying to read it for months now and I have to admit that it's just not for me, unfortunately.

This book is amazing! It's really fun, it's fast paced and it has romance...so, it has it all. Short chapters made this book a page turner and impossible to put down. After I finished it, I was left wanting more. I can't wait to read more from this author.

I initially requested a copy of The Luminaries not necessarily because I loved the premise, but because I enjoyed (and am still reading!) Dennard's Witchlands series. I had decent hopes for this! However, I was left quite disappointed.

Winnie

Winnie is a very shallow character, made that much worse by her being the main character. There's very little to learn about her beyond a few cardboard cut-outs for "teen girl" and "extra special chosen one." What I wouldn't have given to get away from Winnie for a bit.

I can't remember anything about Winnie from the book other than she was also boring. She didn't have anything interesting to say, just a huge chip on her shoulder that is absolutely beaten into you. She has daddy issues, I get it.

Several of the other characters drew my attention more than Winnie did, and they were even weaker than she was. The broody love interest, the clingy mother, the frustrated brother...I'd almost rather read about any of them than spend more time with Winnie.

The World

The world was also pretty disappointing. One of the major sources of conflict in the book is related to a betrayal committed by Winnie's father, rendering his family outcasts. This was a good opportunity to express the complex tension that can exist between loyalty and family.

Dennard doesn't pull it off. The way the rest of the world treats the family is unrealistic and unbelievable. I can't say a lot about this without spoiling it but it almost seems like a child wrote how they thought adults would act in that situation, without knowing the reality.

Another issue that I had with the world is that it was boring. The different clans are organized to a day of the week (which, I don't know why the day of the week was so important they built their whole society around it) and each has a specific function. They also fit into very clear stereotypes, right down to how they dress and what their clan houses look like. It was comical.

The Hunters instituted these trials to thin the herd but at the same time, they're really low on Hunters? The trials aren't even particularly difficult as there is help from adults available.

Plot

There wasn't much of a plot in this book. As many other reviewers have said, all that happens is exactly what is written in the publisher description. There are no surprises here. What you read there is exactly what you will get.
What you do get isn't explained at all; you're supposed to go along with that but there isn't anything revealed as the story progresses. There are several important secrets hinted at but by the end, you're just as confused as you were at the beginning. It's very unsatisfying.

Some of the conflict is the drama around Winnie's family and her taking these trials, but we all know she's going to pass them. There is never a hint that our protagonist might not succeed. We all know somehow that it will be wrapped up with a little bow - and it is too neat. Instantly it's all forgive and forget.

The worst part is that the book couldn't get me to care. Not for the flimsy characters, the shallow world, nor the thin plot. I kept reading just to finish it and get it out of my mind. I can't imagine how this came from an author I like so much. I'm disappointed and I'm not sure where that leaves me for the rest of the Witchlands series.

Thank you to Tor Teen, Macmillan, and NetGalley for allowing me early access to an eARC in exchange for my review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I made it about an hour into the audiobook and just wasn’t hooked into it. I had “paused” it in the meantime but I’ve just hit the point where I don’t think I’ll be picking it back up.

Adventure, secrets, action! This book was another amazing adventure. Written well, character driven, descriptive and immersive. What an amazing story.

This author is one of my buy without question, I found her through the truth witch series which I love and got a friend even hooked on to it. So when I saw she was writing a second series I had to get it

The Luminaries is a YA coming of age story following Winnie as she restore her family name after her father’s betrayal resulted in them being kicked out of they community.

Sadly there is romance which is okay if you like that (my heart is too black for that). The plot has a lot of twist and turns which I can’t wait to see develop as the series goes on. The story flow is great and as someone who has read her books you can see how. She has a grown as an author as well as a story teller.

Easy to read with short chapters and great monster guides. Just need book 2 to see if I am right about a few things

Unable to review at this time. Will review at a later date. I'm cleaning up my netgalley in order to review 2023 books. This book sounds delightful and will read once fully caught up on my account. Thank you for this opportunity! I look forward to reading this book!