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.

There were a lot of aspects of this book that I really enjoyed, but there were definitely others that I could have done without. I thought the world of Hemlock Falls and the Forest were interesting and nicely fleshed out, while still leaving enough to be discovered in later books. I enjoyed Winnie as a protagonist for the most part. She was resourceful and brave and had a dedication to her family that we don't often see in YA books. I also liked that her mother was very much present throughout the story and knew all of the dangerous things Winnie was up to - this was another way in which the world played well into the plot. With all of that being said, I do think that the book relied too heavily on tropes at times that bogged down the pacing and there were too many plot threads left untied for the ending to feel satisfying for me.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I went into this book not knowing much and found myself pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it!

While I am not normally the biggest fan of fantasies set in the modern world, I found myself struggling to tear myself way from this book!

The Luminaries is such a unique storyline, full of monsters and hunting and an eerie forest!  I loved finding about the hustory and lore of the Luminaries and I cannot wait to find out more in the next book!

This book is a must read if you are a fan of monsters and hunter trials!

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC.

This was an interesting read.
It’s clearly outside of my comfort genre and what I’m used to read and I think it was a bit hard to keep me addicted to the story.
It has a nice pace but there were some confusing and boring parts that I could’ve gone by without.
The ending was pretty cool and I’m wondering if it will be enough to make me read the next one.

The worldbuilding is at times very handwavey and I could go on all day wondering at how they have these "secret towns" run by them, how it all really works. The world is delightfully diverse, both the humans and the monsters on the page.

And the romance was very much a slow-burn, and not particularly present in this book – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, the fantasy aspects and hunter trials added enough entertainment.

It's fun and refreshing, but also meaningful with easy metaphors and emotions that cut so deep. This is a fun book that you will finish quickly and be left wanting more. I easily could have read more and flew through this.

No, just no, I don't even know what to write, how to review this, I do not know a single character's name even though I finished it 2 minutes ago, I have no idea what happened except there's some weird ass forest.

Thank you NetGalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

I love the atmosphere of this book - dark forest, an eerie vibe and monsters - oh my!

Fast-paced, supernatural elements and many questions that need answers sum up my experience with this supernatural story.

I picked up this book a bit hesitantly as my previous reading by this author wasn’t great (the writing style in another series was not for me sadly) but I’m very glad I did.

Overall, it was a very YA read (as intended) and did not require too much concentration to turn the pages and contemplate the open-ended storylines!

Assuming this is a series (I hope), I look forward to picking up the next instalment!

I truly got lost in this book. The characters are wonderfully written. Winnie especially spoke to me, very relatable and real. The plot and world building are very well done. I am so excited for a sequel.

It’s giving unfiltered, apocalyptic weirdness. A heartwarming story focusing on situational impacts to relationships. This is a very fun read and gives the reader space to take a critical look at the society we live in, without inflicting existential dread. It’s definitely a fun take on doomsdayers and goes a long way in humanizing a group often depicted as an unwell oddity. The book was slow in places, and the plot lacked direction at times, leaving a lot of questions unanswered.

The Luminaries had promising bones, but I found the characters and relationships equally bland. Winnie is a standard-issue female YA protagonist. Jay is a standard-issue sad boy with a heart of gold. Everyone else barely gets enough 'screen time' to register as a character. The romance is dry and chemistry-less. The Luminaries has a cool magic school/monster hunter thing going on, but it spends so much time outside of its own lore and completely focused on Winnie feeling like an outsider that all of the fun and unique qualities this book could have had don't make the cut.

The Luminaries is a fun and unique YA read that had me feeling like it was a cross of the Hunger-Games-magical-dome experience combined with the tv show Stranger Things! Right from the start you can’t help but root for the quirky and loveable Wednesday Winona Wednesday (her legal name lol!) and want her to ‘win’ and regain her family’s reputation after they were outcasted years previous. The teenage characters are all loveable in their own way touching on the popular and the not popular. I also got a big kick out of the Wednesday’s clan character being a bear and the line “You’re a bear Winnie” - we love Winnie the Pooh bear in my house!

I found the world building right off the hop intriguing, and while we do get details and a bit of a story, I wanted much more world building and to really gain an understanding of the spirits and nightmares. The third person writing style was sometimes hard to focus on and annoyed me at times as well. I also felt in general most of the plot was actually written into the book synopsis on the back. I saw the one ‘reveal’ at the end coming from the beginning of the book and have an inkling of what’s to come in book 2.

I wasn’t sure how many starts I wanted to rate The Luminaries but I decided to go on the high side of rating, as ultimately, while I had a couple of thoughts that brought down the rating, it was a really fun read, and I’m excited to continue reading the series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Tor Teen, and Susan Dennard for the ARC copy to read and review. Receiving an ARC did not impact the rating and content of my review. 3.5 stars rounded up!

The Luminaries is book 1 of a YA sci-fi fantasy series. It gives pre-2010 vibes and stays true to the synopsis blurb. I could tell that the author is a fan of video games in the way the plot was structed, as well as the variety of creatures we are introduced to. The world building was dark and fun. The last half of this book had me on the edge of my seat! I stayed up all night to finish it. I just couldn’t put it down!!

Dennard does an excellent job building Winnie’s character. She is a believable and relatable MC. Winnie carries the weight of what her father did on her shoulders and feels it is her responsibility to redeem her family’s integrity in Luminary society. Her pain came through on every page and I really felt sympathy for her.

The way in which the townspeople treat her and her family when they have outcast status is really sad. But what is even more unsettling is how quickly their attitude could change. Understandably, Winnie struggles a great deal with this.

Winnie has anxious habits - clicking her teeth and adjusting her glasses constantly. These things make her come across as more human, but in the text, they were annoyingly repetitive.

The slow burn romance is sweet, but I was hoping for a little more communication and confrontation between Winnie and Jay. It’s clearly one of those long-drawn-out situations where feelings are still unrealized and nothing is communicated. It’s the kind that will infuriate the slow burn romance lovers in the best way. It felt like a romance that’s on the younger side of the YA genre (at this point).

I struggled with the world building a little bit at the beginning of the book. It didn’t make sense to me that this society would remain a secret in the modern-day world with the way people leak things on the internet. Especially when you have 16-year-olds with cell phones, hunting myth-like creatures. The Luminaries still have access to the internet and can even leave to go live their life on the outside (like to attend college). The book mentions that there are people responsible for policing this, but I wasn’t sold on it. I was hoping for more of an explanation. But once I decided to look past that, it was all good. I do hope we get some more details in the next book.

The last half of this book really had me hooked and was well done. With that said, I felt that it ended just when it was getting really good! We are left with so many loose ends and cliffhangers. I understand it’s a series, but I feel it could have been a few chapters longer.

Overall, thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend!! I will be pre-ordering book 2!!! I am now officially a #Luminerd!!!

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Susan Dennard for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The one thing I will warn about this book is don't read the synopsis before going into it, you will literally be spoiled for everything "big" that happens in this book. Luckily I never read the synopsis before starting a book but when I glanced it over afterwards, everything was there.

This is the first book I've read by Susan Dennard and I had pretty high hopes after hearing all the hype around her other books. This one just felt a little dull to me. I really didn't care for the main character Winnie, a lot of her actions and thoughts honestly grated my teeth (just like her teeth clicking was annoying) and how much she deceived everyone annoyed me as well.

This book also felt very poorly structured to me, I didn't feel like there was any resolution whatsoever and no cliffhangers to tempt me to read the next book. I'm honestly confused as to what the next book could even be about and I personally have no interest in continuing on with the sequel. Also, I'm the type of reader that needs some good world building to really get into the story and this book definitely lacked in that.

I was very interested in the story in the beginning, I was intrigued by the nightmares and how these young teenagers and adults are the hunters to keep this town safe. But I quickly started to lose interest with the lackluster details and overall not great visualization of the story. The only part I'm mildly interested in is finding out more about the Dad but other than that, I can't see myself picking up the sequel to this book and I'm also hesitant to read her other works if they're anything like this book was.

Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the copy for my review.