I have never read a book so intriguing and lacking in everything except atmosphere. I’m not going to lie. It was a struggle to finish. This book seemed like everything and nothing was happening simultaneously, nothing was resolved, and I honestly reads like the first half of a book, with the last 10% being the actual action. I don’t even know if I can describe the plot because there are so many different threads. Winnie and her family being outcasts, Winnie’s old friendships, the hunter trials, Winnie’s necklace, Winnie’s glasses, the monsters. I am really not sure what I just read. But it was atmospheric as hell and I really did feel immersed in the forest with the excessive details.

Secret societies, clans, sleeping Spirits and awakening Nightmares collide in this new urban fantasy from Daphne Press. Winnie has been on the outside of her secret small town of Luminaries since her father betrayed them. Shunned by the people she used to spend all her time with, from best friends to extended families, Winnie has one chance to get welcomed back- survive the hunter trials. Hunters are the lifeblood of the Luminaries, performing of the most important duties, killing the Nightmares that rise with the fog in the forest. Physical manifestations of sleeping Spirits that must be destroyed or kept within the boundary of the forest to protect the outside world. Now Winnie must survive three trials to be welcomed back unless she dies first.

The Luminaries, with it's attention to detail and lots of little clues, felt more like a set-up for the second instalment than an entire story arc in itself.

We were given crumbs from the start on what titbits were important but it's definitely a slightly frustrating slow burn, the reveals were small (there were no plot resolutions) and you end up with a lot more questions than answers. I will admit I think I fell prey to some early marketing that gave away a key plot point (that doesn't even happen, at least in this book) but I could see it building and got frustrated at waiting for this reveal that never came. Despite that, I do struggle with books that draw out twists or reveals when you can see where the author is heading anyway.

Yet, this isn't a short novella, it's a 300-page book but it reads with a focus on: this is Winnie's past, and this is her experience trying to pass the trials. It doesn't expand much further than the blurb, leaving a missing richness to the unfolding plot. There is so much potential and while I hated the drawn-out set-up, it does make me excited for the next instalment.

Additionally, the attention to detail came across in other ways, apart from just plot twist hints, that added depth to the characters. For example, I loved how Winnie had glasses (which you really don't see in many fantasy books), and the writing didn't skip on trying to battle Nightmares while navigating needing to see through a pair of lenses.

In general, the characters added a vivid colour against the backdrop that I loved. Winnie came across like a newly aged sixteen-year-old with a plan, flawed, young, untrained and running on adrenaline, hope and pure luck. I just wanted to simultaneously give her a high five and a hug. Like in real life, her goal to win the trials and bring her family back into the cultish fold of the Luminaries wasn’t exactly going to go to plan and as she gets deeper into the fold once again, it's with new eyes. There was a missed opportunity to explore the Luminaries in less info-dump detail and more psychological depth but again this just added to the overall set-up feeling, getting across the little details to explore in greater depth in book two.

Apart from Winnie, there was a whole host of interesting characters, from ex-best friends to new friends to shadowy members of this illusive secret society, and I definitely became invested in their actions and way too engrossed in what was going to happen next. I would characterise this as an easy read because of the characters and even though the focus was held primarily on the trials I still wanted to see how it played out and found myself not stopping for a break and just reading intensely for ages. I cannot deny that’s a sign of good writing.

Overall, I enjoyed it much more than I didn’t which is why it came out at 4 stars rather than my usual rating of 3 stars when a good book has set up feels. Also, Dennard has the obvious talent to create vivid characters and the imagination to dream up the Luminaries, so I’m interested and excited to see where she takes it. Also, I NEED ANSWERS.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC and audiobook.


Description from NetGalley:
Hemlock Falls isn't like other towns. You won't find it on a map, your phone won't work here, and the forest outside town might just kill you.

Winnie Wednesday wants nothing more than to join the Luminaries, the ancient order that protects Winnie's town—and the rest of humanity—from the monsters and nightmares that rise in the forest of Hemlock Falls every night.

Ever since her father was exposed as a witch and a traitor, Winnie and her family have been shunned. But on her sixteenth birthday, she can take the deadly Luminary hunter trials and prove herself true and loyal—and restore her family's good name. Or die trying.

But in order to survive, Winnie enlists the help of the one person who can help her train: Jay Friday, resident bad boy and Winnie’s ex-best friend. While Jay might be the most promising new hunter in Hemlock Falls, he also seems to know more about the nightmares of the forest than he should. Together, he and Winnie will discover a danger lurking in the forest no one in Hemlock Falls is prepared for.

Not all monsters can be slain, and not all nightmares are confined to the dark.

I thought that this was a good start to a series. There’s a lot going on in this book, and I’m left with a lot of questions that will probably be addressed in the next book. I felt like it did need some more background info or world building, though I guess this is more like an urban fantasy. Some of the characters feel flat, but maybe they’ll be fleshed out more in the future. I’ll probably pick up the sequel.

Overall: 3/5

I loved this book so much and I cannot wait to read the next one. Winnie is a great main character and I loved her personality. The writing is well done and I would recommend it to all of my friends!

LUMINARIES by Susan Dennard is an entertaining, captivating story about how one girl shoulders and finally contends with the heavy yolk of family legacy, while also literally fighting for her place in a world full of monsters. The creatures, as a collective, are rich and varied, representing a terrifying villain powerful enough to put pressure on the characters and the story itself.

The main character, Winnie, is the sort who is too worn out by life to stand up to the challenges represented by the book's conflict. She also changes and, inch by inch, roses above what holds her down, her and her whole family. I found Winnie deeply relatable, even heroic by the end of the book.

Besides Winnie though, I was a little disappointed with how Dennard developed the rest of the characters. Or rather, didn't develop them quite enough-- only the twins, Emma and Bretta, have the depth to make them interesting. Similarly, I felt that Dennard somewhat neglected the narrative in this book, likely as she planned to make this the first in a series and carry it forward. I would have enjoyed it more if it had been a bit more cohesive. Still a good book, lots of fun and creepy as heck, I recommend it.

If you feel like you've seen this review before, you probably did-- over on the audiobook! I had both formats of this book; both are excellent reading experiences, though I preferred the audiobook for this one. If you do choose the book, it's a fast read.

Rating 3.5 star rounded up
Finished November 2022
Listen to this book if you like:
🐲 YA Fantasy series
♟️ Dark academia
🎂 Coming of Age stories
👹 Monsters and monster hunting
👩‍👦 Family drama
🕶 Mean kid cliques

I loved this ARC! The Luminaries is atmospheric and spooky, with creative twists on mythical monsters. Beneath the fast-paced plot is a lot of heart, with a diverse cast of characters and early-2000s YA paranormal vibes. A perfect read for a gloomy November!

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard was everything I love in a contemporary fantasy. I am a big fan of Susan Dennard’s writing. I adore The Witchland series and The Luminaries did not disappoint me. I loved it the supernatural creatures and the spooky forest vibes. I adored our main characters Winnie and Jay. I can’t wait for the romance to beginning in the next installment. Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to receive an early copy. I am happy to say that I now own a physical copy for my collection.

This book is extremely unique and is bound to hook you from the very beginning. I really enjoyed the mythological creatures and the trials that the main character had to pass - I also really liked that the stakes were so high for her (either pass the trials & be reinvited into the luminaries or remain as outcast forever)
However, I do wish there was more. There were a lot of things I wish had gotten resolved & I felt like things were left up in the air- especially with a couple of the side characters. It feels like this book is building up to something big so I am hoping the sequel answers some of the questions I have!
Overall, this was entertaining and enjoyable & I am rooting for a certain potential romance 🤭

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Teen for the chance to read The Luminaries by Susan Dennard. It took a bit of time for me to get into the world of The Luminaries. I have not had the chance to read Dennard's Witchland series and wondered whether that was the reason, however, that wasn't a deterrent and I quickly was sucked up into this supernatural world where teens are trained to become monster hunters (and since I am watching reruns of Supernatural, this book fit right in!) Winnie has had a hard life since her family has been ostracized from the town because her father was accused of being a spy for the deadly witch society The Dianas (and didnt I just love this name!!!) Winnie takes all the crap thrown at her, vowing to become hunter, so that her family can rejoin society again. When a misunderstanding does exactly that, she struggles with continuing the lie, or telling the truth, and be right back where she started. This book was a quick read, and I loved the different take on the supernatural beings. The only issue I had was obvious plot threads were left hanging to be revealed in the next book, (although there was no cliffhanger). I would have liked a bit more in this book. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long for book 2! Totally recommend for teens, and those who are into YA urban fantasy.

What a book! I ate this up in one day. And whenever I had to pause, my head was still in the story.

I love Winnie’s tenacity. Knowing that she can’t wait out the 10 years of her family’s exile, she took things into her own hands.

Also loved how she was able to handle her newfound popularity and was able to reflect on how maybe not everyone had been nasty to her.

Her newly reestablished friendship with Jay had me gaga.

Very little time actually passes but a lot happens. Winnie goes through such an evolution as she gets through the hunter trials and in the end she proves to herself that she really does belong with the Luminaries.

The secret Winnie decoded has me reeling. I hope we get more info on Dianas in the next book. I’m also dying to know her reasoning for that setup of her old friends.

The way my expectations were not met. I'm so utterly underwhelmed by this book. I don't understand how so much can happen, but it amounts to nothing.
I thought about rating it lower, but the concept is really interesting and that alone kept me reading, even when the execution was honestly less than desirable.

I deeply enjoyed this book, it catches your attention early and holds it well throughout! It has a unique world structure that creates opportunities for conflict between the main characters and keeps you invested. This is a title that I'll definitely be recommending to other readers.

This was a great start to an interesting series! Fans of the Shadowhunters series will absolutely rave about this one I’m sure. I loved it and the characters. The happenstance that was Winnie becoming a Hunter, the little bits of romance… Loved it

Once again I let a pretty cover fool me into thinking that I needed to read a book…
Don’t get me wrong, this book wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t for me. It failed to keep me invested, and I feel like the characters were too young. This almost reminded me of a middle grade book (there’s nothing wrong with middle grade, but I wasn’t in the mood for the genre).
I did like the atmospheric setting though.
So overall, I didn’t hate The Luminaries, I just didn’t care about what was going on at all.

A few years ago I started reading The Witchlands series by Susan Dennard. It did not work for me at all. But never one to give up on an author for just one series I was very intrigued by The Luminaries. Luckily for me I really enjoyed this first installment.

Winnie Wednesday is an outcast in Hemlock Falls, the unique town that has Luminaries stand between the town and the nightmares that rise each night. Her father betrayed them to their enemies, and despite not knowing anything about this, their family become instand outcasts. Winnie isn't satisfied with that. She wants to become a luminaries hunter for the Wednesdays. But will the town except her as an outcast to the trials? And what happens when Winnie lets a lie slip about what really happens in the forest?

The Luminaries is a quick moving story that navigates us through the basic workings of Hemlock Falls and the Luminaries. It is very much an introductionary tale to a bigger story. And there is nothing wrong with that. We all need a story to start somewhere. My only complaint is that I would have liked just a bit more world building. A bit more on The Luminaries. A bit more on their rivalry with the Diana's. A bit more on Winnie's relationship with her father (and mother, and other relatives more the outcast).

Regardless of that, I enjoyed following Winnie around. She really believes she can be a hunter with barely any training (unlike the others). And when it hits that no, she really can't but a lie makes everyone believe she is amazing, well she just barrels on through. While mentally smacking herself for it along the way. But she is a teen. Just 16. It was all very fitting for her age and her personality really.

I also loved the emotions that barreled through this book with Winnie and her father. And Winnie and her family with the relatives that treated them like outcasts and then just acted as if none of that happened. It is an emotional whiplash and I felt that.

I've been a long time follower of Susan Dennard for her brilliant, accessible writing advice, but this is somehow the first book I've read from her--and it won't be the last. The pacing and plot were expertly executed, making it hard to put down for the whole wild ride. But it was also gorgeously written with moody, atmospheric prose! It sometimes feels rare to find an author who can balance that urgency within the structure and still pay attention to the art of the line level.

I also absolutely loved how Dennard dealt with the complicated feelings of belonging, within family, friends, and the community at large. It's such a poignant theme for anyone, but particularly for this age demographic.

I wanted to love this book so much more than I did. There was lots of potential and it’s a great set up for an interesting series, but on its own its a bit lacklustre.

Winnie was a great main character, she was such a badass and even though she didn’t look like the typical “badass main character” she totally had the attitude. I loved being in her head and watching her grow up.

The plot of the book was definitely interesting as well, the world that Susan created is very interesting and I loved exploring the world with Winnie. The storyline definitely takes on many twists and turns & keeps the reader engaged, however sometimes the descriptions got a little repetitive and I found myself skipping large chunks of descriptions.

I would have given this book 4 stars, if we got some questions answered by the end of the book. I think the whole point of this book was to introduce you to the world and to set up the rest of the series, so you’re left with a million unanswered questions, which didn’t sit well with me.

Overall, it’s an amazing concept and I really wanted to love this book more. I would like to keep reading the series as it comes out & will do my best to, but it won’t be at the top of my TBR.

I fell headfirst into the world of The Luminaries and I’m not sure when I will be recovering.

This is one of the best YA fantasies I have read in such a long time. The story is a slow burn with a slow unraveling of the world of The Luminaries told through Winnie’s trials but throughout there is the added mystery of Winnie’s familial past.

Her father was a traitor, and Winnie spends much of the novel remembering this and dealing with the consequences of someone else’s choices as her family is treated as outcasts.

I loved the worldbuilding, the rich vastness of the Forrest filled with nightmares that come out when the mist falls. I loved this secret world hidden amongst the world all of us live in and it was so original I couldn’t get enough of it.

I found myself second guessing my guesses as to where the story was going and I have read a TON of books and normally am good at feeling out story beats.

I cannot wait for book two, I absolutely loved this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Luminaries had some solid creepy vibes which drew me in. It was also a fast and easy read, I finished it over the course of a day or so. The premise of an outcast finding her way back into a society that had rejected her family, with monsters thrown in was really interesting. I also really love when a fantasy book has trials so that part really worked for me as well. Something about its vibe overall reminded me of the Hunger Games-era of YA fantasy, so fans of those books may like this! I can’t really pinpoint what it is that gave me that vibe.

What didn’t work for me was the lack of world building. It is an urban fantasy but it just somehow felt like some level of detail was missing. I think with a bit more world building this could have been a really great read. I also found the ending a bit abrupt, but yet somehow didn’t draw me into needing the next book.

Overall, I did enjoy the Luminaries, but it was not without its flaws. I think with some additional world building it could have hit 4 stars. I’m not really sure if I’ll read the next one or not, I guess we will see when the time comes!

⭐3.5/5 stars⭐

I love Susan Dennard's writing. While this story didn't appeal to me the same way that her Witchlands books do, I still loved the spooky vibes and the writing. Following a girl on a mission to redeem her family name, The Luminaries is a good monster hunter story. It had a few too many convenient plot devices for me, but the monsters were very spooky and the woods definitely felt like a character all on its own. Will be recommending this to my young adult readers for sure.