This BARELY squeaked a 3-star rating for me. Unfortunately, I just found myself mostly bored. The concept is great, but I struggled with the execution.

The world-building was mildly interesting, but seemed to get a little bit convoluted and I started not to care as much when I got confused. Instead of fully explaining the world and how the magic worked (why do the Luminaries exist??) in a way that gripped me, there felt like a lot of textbook entries and quick quips of information. I found the mythological setup for the background really interesting and liked this basis for the world, I just wish it had been delivered a little bit better.

The protagonist and the writing both came off a bit whiny for my liking. Winnie has a strong backstory, but there is a LOT of repetition about how she feels like an outcast and it just makes her feel like a weak character rather than one who is overcoming the crap hand she was dealt. She wound up being a fairly bland character when she really could have been a diamond in the rough. Disappointing. Meanwhile, the writing felt a bit childish for a young adult read and there were several moments where the narrative felt much more like a middle grade novel. I expected more subtlety and more sophistication than I got. This was incredibly sad given that I have heard so much about how great Susan Dennard's books are and now I'm just not certain she's for me.

I nearly DNFd this read, but held out to see if things would pick up and give me something to root for. As the first in a series, I wanted to give a little wiggle room since sometimes world-building can really blight the story to begin with. Unfortunately, I was not rewarded for my patience. The ending is a bit abrupt and things were highly unresolved, which felt more like a ploy to create a series than a naturally progressing story that warrants multiple novels. There is definitely a lot that can be done in this world, but there was not enough resolution present in this book to make it feel like a satisfying read.

Maybe if I had waited and read the whole series back-to-back after it is finished I would feel differently, but right now I walked away just feeling frustrated and likely will not continue with the series unless I hear fantastic things about the remaining books. Either way, I will not be jumping to the next read until the entire series has been released.

I really enjoyed the world-building and I love Dennard's writing staying. However, this is a very YA book and probably not the most enjoyable for older people, but teens will love it. I will definitely recommend this to students.

What unique worldbuilding, compelling characters, and engaging prose and pacing. I can't wait for more in this saga!

The Luminaries is a contemporary fantasy that’s full of action, thrills, and romance! It’s a refreshing take on the “hunter” and secret society tropes. p

A slower set-up, but I AM DESPERATE FOR MORE because I know that the bigger picture with all the magic, cryptic & monsters is setting up an incredible world.

I loved the realistic take on the exiled main character, who is NOT magically fantastic at everything when they try to win back their honour. The number of secrets within this book that are just waiting to e revealed is the strongest alluring factor about this book; secrets & questions about society, her father, her ex-friends, her mother & the monsters.
Also, a shoutout to her mom, that called out those who shunned them after a mistake that wasn't their fault. They are a bunch of asshats!


Highly recommend it, can't wait for book 2!

Susan Dennard wonderfully wrote a story that was tense, a story that dealt with feelings of all sorts and a story in which let one know that home can certainly be where the heart is. There's no need to spend time reminiscing on what could have been, instead look at what you have now, what you could have.

On the surface this book sounds like everything I would love, however I just find myself not being able to get hooked on the story. However, I’m sure others with absolutely love this.

It’s been such a long time since I started a Young Adult fantasy and simply couldn’t put it down. The pacing of the book was perfect. The characters and development of those relationships was so enjoyable to witness. But most of all, the magic system was so cool! I’m totally hooked and I cannot wait to read more from this world.

A secret society and a family trying to redeem themselves set the stage for this trial to the death. The Luminaries has a unique and interesting premise but ultimately it told all its secrets and big moments in the book blurp. It was as if the book was following a very dry check list and did not want to derive from the path. There are info dumps that can bury the reader and would have worked more if evened out through out the book.

The Luminaries has excellent premises but unfortunately it is not suitable for me and more than once I have thought about abandoning it.

The story has a repetitive and easily predictable structure, the characters are boring, annoying and superficially developed.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for providing an e-arc.

4/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

I am very surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed our main character Winnie. I thought the world was interesting and I was totally invested in learning more. I had a great time getting to know the reasons behind the exile. I found this to be very easy to read and it kept me engaged in the story. I am very excited for the next book, I can't wait to see what happens with Winnie's family and her and Jay.

This is a fantastic book that keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. Susan Dennard creates a world reminiscent of an M. Knight Shamalan movie, complete with all the feels. It’s a pulse thumping ride full of strong characters, creatures that will give you nightmares, and a storyline that keeps you enthralled the whole way through. I highly recommend this book.

I'm sobbing because this book is SO amazing and I immediately need book two!!

The writing style is so different from what I'm used to seeing from Sooz, but in the best way. It's fun and refreshing, but also meaningful with easy metaphors and emotions that cut so deep. I think people already fans of Sooz's writing will enjoy it, but even better, people that perhaps didn't find her other books to be their cup of tea will find that this one is. It's not as complex as The Witchlands, but there's still plenty to theorize about, even while being easy to follow.

Winnie Wednesday must complete the luminaries trails to put her family back on the map. After her father betrays her family and the luminaries the council makes Winnie and her family outcasts stuck to mundane tasks. But Winnie is determined to become a hunter and will stop at nothing o make that happen.

The book starts off with a situation Winnie lies about to cast herself in a better light and to continue with the trials. Repeatedly through the novel Winnie wishes to come clean and turn herself in. It got to the point of irritation having to read about it. You believe the majority of the book that the plot is set precariously on this lie that Winnie is a qualified person to take the hunter trials but knowing this doesn’t make Winnie a devious protagonist willing to put her life in danger to protect her town. It instead highlights how juvenile Winnie is. This book is marketed for young adults and I’m a believer that everyone can read YA books but as an adult I found this character extremely unrelatable.

There was also this thing with repetitive OCD-like sounds the character would focus on. Like click click click or pop pop pop. There was no reasoning behind writing a character like this. Maybe it was showing Winnie’s attention to detail or to outline coping skills that the trauma her dad brought left on her but it was not elaborated on and was simply just a ~quirk~ of the character. And it grated on me.

I did love the way the monsters and creatures were described in the book though. The parts I enjoyed the most were when Winnie was in the forest coming across harpies and banshees. For a monster hunter type book though this did not happen often enough for me to fully enjoy the book.

The ending also left something to be desired. So many questions as to why Jay is so shifty (I have my theories). Or really who are the Diana’s and why are they hated to much. The whole plot of this book being driven by Winnie’s lie is resolved in 1 line in a conversation. Maybe the intent was to leave the reader wanting more and for their questions to be answered in later books. But it left me unfulfilled and unlikely to pick up the sequel.

I wasn't totally certain I was going to enjoy this one in the beginning. I've read and watched my fair share of YA with themes of inner turmoil, loss, outsider conflicts, and mysterious schools and warrior groups, we all have by now. However, this one was engaging, gothic, and unique in spite of fitting in with some of the well trodden paths of YA- in fact, I think part of the charm here might be the fact it pulls you in with some of that comfortable feeling of the known and then snares you with the whispering you hadn't quite realized was there until it fully came forward and showed itself after you let the woods and the fog get the better of you. It's a bit like walking out into your yard and realizing it had been overtaken by an enchanted forest that starts just beyond your door and finding yourself distracted by the realization just long enough for the vines to overgrow the door and seal you in. What choice do you have, now that you're here, but to make your way through and see where it takes you?

With loyalty and bravery an outcast fights to regain her place amongst her people. At the same time she begins to see the wrongs and injustices in her culture that made her mother, brother and herself outcasts in the fist place. Young adults will. enjoy the fast paced plot of this fantasy novel. They will also enjoy another tough, monster fighting heroine,

This one was just not for me. I didn't really enjoy this authors witch series because it was it was very repetitive. This one was just boring and the writing felt way off and stilted. I did read the ending of this one and I have to say that this one had a lot of issues with the way that it was written. The ending just ends with no closer and with no reason for me to pick up book two when it comes out. I think that it would have been better if some of the things would have been a twist or something. It was just very point for point that was in the synopsis. Which just made this one very lack luster. It needed more to really get to the reader and make it interesting.

Susan Dennard never disappoints! Her writing is beautiful and I loved the world building of this book as well as the characters!

It's been a long time since I've read a fantasy like The Luminaries, but clearly, I should be reading them more, based on how much fun I had with this. The Luminaries is a YA fantasy that takes place in modern times, in a small town that borders a forest full of deadly monsters. Our main character is Winnie, whose family has been outcast from the group of elite monster hunters that run the town after her dad was revealed to be a traitor. This is a story of Winnie proving herself, and proving she can be a hunter. It's not anything really unique, but it felt like a warm hug to me. I love stories like this, and the small-town vibes reminded me of The Devouring Gray and Sarah Rees Brennan's Unspoken series.

I think what drew me to this is how much I love fantasy stories like this, that take place in the real world and magical creatures are the norm. Susan Dennard's writing was accessible but often lovely and descriptive. Winnie is an easy character to root for, despite her bad choices. And there's a good amount of mystery in this, that I wish we got more answers to but makes me excited to read the next book whenever it comes out. Also, love the romance I see developing, and love the family dynamic. I am definitely going to suggest this for our library collection, and recommend it to fans of Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.

Susan Dennard definitely has an complex world. The very opening builds the mystery of Winnie Wednesday and Hemlock Falls, pulling you in immediately. The world is intriguing with some truly thoughtful details on the various families and how the world works, how the Luminaries function and why Winnie is attempting what seems like the impossible. Even better the various mysteries keep you hooked throughout the novel.

I liked Winnie’s personality, her fight, her struggles and her romance with Jay. While the romance and all of her struggles are not resolved, I liked that we got both some moments of inner conflict as well as external struggle she faces in the trials. The fantasy and romance elements are engaging and well written. My only issue is that I would have preferred a more solid ending to some of the mysteries but since this is clearly book one in a series, I can appreciate the open ended elements. I love the complex world and look forward to the next, hoping that it will bring some more elements to fruition.