Normally I reread the first book so I can remember what is what, but this was such a unique story I had remembered a lot of what had happened in book one and the author was great at reminding us of past events without info dumping. So, really grateful for that.

Middle books are tough and if an author can pull it off where the middle book is is just as interesting and fast-paced and informative as the other books I think that author deserves a cookie and a gold star sticker. And if I could send them to Susan Dennard then I would because she nailed it with The Hunting Moon.

The story continues where we left off as Winnie questions everything (as she should) and gets some answers that just bring more questions and mystery! I feel like I can't say much more than that without spoiling book one. But the characters show growth that comes with growing up and I think they are all great and I can't wait to see what happens in book three: Out later this year! Is it October yet?

This series has made me fall in love with reading again. Beautifully written does not come close to describing how good this is. The characters, the plot, the development, everything is just perfect. I only wish I could write half as well as this.

The audiobooks for this series are just so good!
This one was such a delight and I was honestly so invested. I mean, I saw the "big" plot twist coming from book one, but it didn't take any of my enjoyment away.

I'm just really rooting for Winnie, Jay, and the rest of the crew and I'm very excited to see how everything concludes in book three!

Although I did enjoy reading this one, I unfortunately didn’t love it as much as I did with book one.

The storyline was still good and I did love the characters as I did in the luminaries, but I found myself struggling with this one and not wanting to pick it up. Maybe because it’s a little slower than my usual fast faced preference?

However, I did love returning to the creepy town of Hemlock and I did like the twist and I wasn’t expecting it to happen the way it did.

I will definitely be picking up book three at some point in the future, but maybe not rushing for it like I did this one.

The Hunting Moon is a fast-paced fantasy YA novel, the second book in a series about The Luminaries, a society bound to protect humanity from the monstrous nightmares that come to life in their forest every night. I love the world created by Susan Dennard, as it is detailed and filled with imaginative creatures. Winnie’s habit of repeating facts about the different kinds of nightmares, while stressed, makes it easy for the reader to learn more about them. This series needs a form of illustrated bestiary to come with it.

I reread The Luminaries before reaching for this book, and unfortunately, I considered lowering my rating. The world created by the author is incredible, but I believe the story could be improved by aiming the books at the older audience. There is too much contrast between the forest scenes, the importance of the Luminaries' mission and Winnie’s everyday school life problems, making them seem banal. If the characters were more mature, their struggles slightly different, and the atmosphere darker, this series could be phenomenal. Still, I think it will find faithful readers among the fans of YA fantasy.

Blog tour with Black Crow PR

http://ramblingmads.uk/2023/11/21/blog-tour-the-hunting-moon-susan-dennard/

Oh my GOD!!! What just happened? Its like a movie in a book that you can’t and don't want to pause. Like you need to continue Winnies journey to finally know what had happened and why! Like its needed as the air, no sleep not even a food can interfere in this! Hand down! I need all possible versions of tHe books! Thank you for chance to read this !!!

Although I did enjoy this book, I unfortunately didn’t love it as much as book one. The storyline was good and I still loved the characters, but I was a bit disappointed by it. Book one was very hard to put down and I couldn’t stop reading it, but I found myself struggling with this one and not wanting to pick it up. I liked the twist and I was surprised, and I will definitely read a book 3 if there is one. But this one just felt like it was missing something compared to book one. However, I do recommend this series, and I’m looking forward to reading more books from Susan Dennard in the future.

4.4⭐️

Thank you to Daphne Press and Netgalley for this eARC!

I’m really enjoying this series, despite the characters being younger than I usually read these days. Winnie’s relationships with other characters are really cute and refreshing to read (despite what had been happening to her family for the past four years).

I did pick up on the plots twists relatively early but I still enjoyed those theories being confirmed. I can’t wait for the next book to see what is going to happen!

A similar rating to The Luminaries, but really I felt a little let down by this one.

Maybe I wasn't in the right place to read this, but it felt liked it dragged whereas I speedily read the Luminaries like a guilty pleasure. Not much happened for a long time, given the abrupt cliffhanger in the first book, I thought that would be the focus for the second, but instead the book meandered into plot points and anxieties I thought that the first had already covered. It felt repetitive and only picked up again towards the end.

I think whether or not I read the third will depend on the size of my tbr when it's released, I want to know what happens, but I'm not super excited about it, unfortunately.

I was absolutely obsessed with luminaries and this book did not disappoint! The story progression and the characters growth throughout the series has been great! Super easy read and absolutely gripping I would recommend this series to any and everybody!

Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was the perfect sequel to the Luminaries. It answered a lot of questions I had while leaving plenty of things to continue for book 3.

Main tags
- YA
- Friends to Lovers(YA style)
- Monsters
- Secrets
- Paranormal
- Magic

This book had the perfect blend of plot points I could guess and some that came out of no where.

The romance in this book is super cute and awkward matching the ages of the characters well without it being cringy at all. Although this is more of a side plot to the story here.

The quote "You either trust the forest or you don’t." is going to stick with me for a while I think and I love Winnie even more in this book.
There are more secrets and puzzles in Winnies life and watching her navigate them in a normal way is refreshing and scary.

I cannot wait for book 3 I need to know what happens.

I'm glad I picked up this sequel, if only to find out what happened to the characters, but I can't say I feel particularly enticed to pick up the third book when it comes out. The first half of the book was quite slow and it didn't feel like a lot happened, although the second half did pick up. I think that perhaps I had just forgotten a lot from the first book - I couldn't remember the differences between Saturdays and Tuesdays and whoever. I just found myself losing interest and so therefore I can't see that I'll be picking up the third book (but we'll see!).

This was very predictable, yet I still absolutely adored it. I think this is the perfect teen fantasy for young teens, there's so many incredible fantastical creatures to learn about, a lovely slow romance, and a tense mystery to uncover. I can't wait for the next instalment.

This was such a fantastic follow up to Thr Luminaries. Picking up from the ending of book 2 we follow Winnie as she investigates the mysteries that came to light during book 1. Adding in more creatures, secrets, and the awkwardness of teenage friendships, and first loves. Susan Dennard has my heart with this series and I can't wait for book 3.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book suffers a little from second book syndrome - busy trying to set up for the concluding book but also having to have its own narrative. I also knew about one of the big twists from about halfway through the first book, so that was not a surprise at all! And the second one was fairly obvious from about halfway through this one. However, it was still an enjoyable read and I'm interested to see where the storyline with Winnie's father goes in the end.

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

I am obsessed with the lore and the world-building in this series, it has so much depth and you can tell the author has put a lot of effort and research into it. I loved learning about all the nightmare creatures and it was interesting to see new ones or learn more about those we had seen in the first book. We also discovered more about the Dianas (witches) and how their spells work which was super interesting too.

The plot was full of action and had plenty of plot twists (which I always love). And, like the first book, it was also fast-paced and engaging, with writing that’s easy to read but so descriptive that you become immersed in the world.

I love the main character Winnie and seeing her character growth over the two books has been wonderful. She is caring but determined and easy to root for and all the side characters are also well-developed too. There were hints of a romance in the first book which has become more of a main plot point in this one (which I loved).

And that ending left me with so many questions, I cannot wait for the next book!

I really liked the story I just didn’t realise how young the book felt overall but I did enjoy the unique take on the storyline, Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

For full review, please see @nice_to_read_ya

Book: The Hunting Moon
Author: Susan Dennard

The Hunting Moon is the second book in the Luminaries series by Susan Dennard. I found the first book to be not what I was expecting, but I liked it. I liked the concept. Unfortunately I felt like The Hunting Moon wasn't up to the same standard. If I'm being honest, not much happens in The Hunting Moon and it gets really repetitive. There are some lines and sayings that are repeated word for word 5 or more times. That being said, despite being at a slow pace, I do think this series is building up to what I hope is an epic finish so I will continue on to read on with the series and read book 3 (The Whispering Night) when it comes out in October to get the answers I am looking for. The set up is promising so fingers crossed! And don't let me deter you, this may just be your favourite read of 2024.


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This is such an exciting series. I loved the first book. It felt like slightly less was happening in this one. Book 2 is a little more of a 'placeholder' BUT I will definitely be buying Book 3