
Member Reviews

The Whispering Night is a full throttle, action-packed book, filled with more surprises and even more Nightmares than before. Winnie now knows about the truth about the Whisperer and the werewolf, but not how to keep Hemlock Falls safe from the encroaching Dianas and the Whisperer. It doesn’t help that the town is more focused on the Nightmare Masquerade than anything else. Without giving much away, The Whispering Night is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, readers uncovering all the secrets of Hemlock Falls and watching as Winnie trusts her instincts and follows them to save her town.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy for this review. All opinions are my own.

The third and final (question mark!?) book in the Luminaries series is fast paced and action-centered. Immediately following the events in book two, Winnie doesn't have much time to figure out what is going on with the large number of Diana's in Hemlock Falls. Everyone is continuing to believe her act about what happened on her trial and now, what happened in the woods. Her and Jay's relationship grows deeper, but can they trust Erica - who chose to be a Diana?

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I am obsessed with this trilogy, and this book was SUCH a great conclusion. There was a ton of action and I feel like the whole arc wrapped up really nicely. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

A massive thank you to Tor for allowing me to read and review this title.
The Whispering Night is the third and final instalment of the Luminaries series by Susan Dennard. I have been following along since before the beginning of this series, when Susan Dennard was posting prompts for the audience to choose on Twitter. And since she is also one of my favourite authors, I could not wait to get into this book and catch up with all the characters again.
Since this is the final book, I'll try to keep the review as spoiler free as possible. We pick up with Winnie after she learns the secrets that her childhood friends have been keeping from her, and we see her trying to mend the bonds with these friends. But the Dianas are not done with their meddling. One of them manages to find Winnie and give her a task, or else everyone she loves will be in danger.
Still seeking answers to how and why her dad became entangled with the Dianas, Winnie must trust her instincts and her newly mended friendship with Erica Thursday to try and stop what's coming. And the forest is also growing restless...
I absolutely loved this series. It's quite different from Dennard's Truthwitch series, but it has its own atmosphere that draws the reader in. It's especially fitting as a Halloween read, as all the monsters and the misty, dark forest are described so vividly.
The characters in this series have grown so much, especially when realising how important friendships can be, and that a support structure can make or break you as a person. I love that this was one of the major focuses of the series. Winnie being an outsider at the start, trying to find who she can trust as she slowly starts to gain her status in the town back from her family's scandal.
There are a few loose strings that weren't fully wrapped up, but in general I am quite happy with how it ended. I would highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a fun, monster hunting series about friendships and redemption. And of course, I look forward to seeing if Susan Dennard will be releasing more books in this universe! Once a #DenNerd, always a #DenNerd!

The Whispering Night was in my top five anticipated reads this year and, while I’m sad to leave these characters, I’m happy with the way their journey ends.
Reviewing book three in a series is difficult without giving away spoilers, so this will be brief. Winnie believes her life has finally settled down and is back on track. She and Jay are together, no one’s hunting the werewolf, and her friendship with Erica isn’t quite as shaky as it was. She should have known not to get too comfortable.
New foes arrive, and when shocking secrets involving her own family come to light, Winnie digs deeper. Family has always been her first priority, and she’s determined to learn more about what happened to her father. As with the prior books in this series, I love Winnie’s very logical approach to problem solving and the way she stays true to herself rather than cave to the expectations of others. Her growth over the course of the series is outstanding, and I felt a kind of parental pride for her by the end.
Quick pacing, loads of action, and extremely high stakes make for a compelling read. Recommended for readers who enjoy urban fantasy, a slow-burn romance, and characters that steal your heart.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Whispering Night is the conclusion to Susan Dennard's Luminaries series. Things are looking up for Winnie Wednesday; she is back in the Luminaries, is at a good spot in her (sort-of) friendship with Erica, and she and Jay Friday are finally solid in their relationship. But Winnie is still seeking the truth about what happened to her father. The week of the Nightmare Masquarade arrives, where all things Luminaries are celebrated. Luminaries from around the world come to Hemlock Falls for the celebration. But as the celebration begins, things begin to unravel. Winnie is approached by a masked Diana, who gives her an impossible task. Winnie soon finds herself digging even more into the history of the Diana's in Hemlock Falls and how they are connected to her father's disappearance. But as she does so, Winnie discovers information about her family and friends that could change things forever.
The Whispering Night is a great conclusion to the Luminaries series. Dennard's playful, yet suspensful writing style really shines through. We see Winnie, Erica, and Jay's characters grow and come to life even more as their relationships and loyalties are tested. The creatures of the forest are just as haunting as in the first two books, and Dennard's descriptions draw you right into their world. The Whispering Night wraps up this series with a nice bow.

This series has been one of the stranger reading journeys. I really struggled to enjoy the first book, so much so that I had mentally written off the idea of continuing the series altogether. But then I received an ARC for the sequel and thought I’d give it a second chance. While it still wasn’t my favorite, it was also a marked improvement on the first. And, well, here we are, finishing off the trilogy with the release of the third book! And, to continue the trend, I think this one was the strongest of the lot!
Part of the strength of this one comes down to the fact that it is benefitting from all of the leg work done in the first two books. Here, the romance has been thoroughly explored and established, with Winnie and Jay feeling fairly sure of one another. This allows the love story to playout in a supporting role, there as a minor subplot and to bring some heart and humor to the story, but without needing to get bogged down in too much drama or angst.
Further, much of the world-building has been done. Not only are readers familiar with this world, but the first two books set up a number of secrets and reveals that could be finally explored in this last installment, giving this book all of the payoff that was sometimes lacking in the first two books. Further, the action was markedly increased in this book. I’d say there is about twice as much action here than in the second book, perhaps even more. Again, because we don’t need to spend as much time with the drama of the romance, the plot is allowed free reign to run wild!
I also feel like Dennard’s writing style is benefitted most with this more plot-forward type of storytelling. Much of my frustration from the first book (and even the second a little) had to do with the characterization and the drama that played out in these aspects. She also did a good job wrapping up dangling mysteries from way back in the first book, and, for the most part, I think all of these revelations and resolutions landed well.
Overall, this was a very satisfying end to a roller-coaster ride of a trilogy. Now that it is wrapped up, and wrapped up well, I’d definitely feel more confident recommending it to teen readers. I do think it lands solidly in YA, however, and isn’t necessarily one of those YA novels that has great cross-over appeal to adult readers. Nothing wrong with that! But it is worth noting since many adult fantasy fans also check out YA titles.
Rating 8: Full of action and suspense, this book serves as a solid ending to the trilogy, stabilizing the entire series into a worthwhile endeavor for YA readers!
Link will go live on The Library Ladies blog on Nov. 22

This was a strong conclusion to the Luminaries series, it had that feel that I was looking for and does a great job in finishing this story and had that writing style that I was expecting. Susan Dennard was able to weave a great writing style and that the characters were everything that I wanted. I can’t wait to read more from Susan Dennard and was invested in what was going on.

This might be my most anticipated book of the year, and I’m grateful to have read it early. Writing this review has been really hard for me because I've struggled to find the words that truly capture my thoughts and feelings. I've been a fan of Susan Dennard and her books for years, and watching her growth as an author has been incredible. She has a remarkable ability to make you feel as though you're right there in the story with Winnie, battling the nightmares.
This is such a satisfying conclusion to the series! It picks up just one week after the events of the previous book, immediately immersing us back into the world of the Luminaries. The last book left us with a lot of unanswered questions, and those mysteries are front and center in this one. The story is filled with twists and turns and plenty of revelations. The pacing is quick and action-packed without feeling overwhelming. The last 30% of the book was a roller coaster, and I loved every second of it.
The character development throughout the series was very enjoyable, especially Winnie. She has come a long way from the girl we met in the first book. I absolutely adore the cast of characters. Winnie and Jay have my heart and soul. Watching their growth over the series was a true highlight. All the other characters were equally fantastic. My only complaint is that I wished we had seen a bit more of the twins and Fatima in this book. But I understand why Winnie didn’t seek them out or involve them in the dangers she faced.
This book delivers an exhilarating and heartfelt finale that ties up loose ends while keeping readers on the edge of their seats. There were so many Easter eggs for the original twitter poll! And I think some references to Supernatural. I'm not sure if these were intentional but I was very happy to see them!
Thank you so much to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for an early copy in exchange for an honest review

This wrapped up the Luminaries series so nicely! I love that we finally got the answers we've been dying for and the ending gave me the warm fuzzies.
This whole series has been an enjoyable ride.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the advanced copy!

I had to quit this one. I absolutely loved the beginning of this series, but I realized that what was holding my interest was the monsters and forest, and I was reading it in SPITE of the teenage drama. I think I’m just too old for this honestly. If high school me were reading this, I would love it. But I’m 35 and it’s just too young.

The Whispering Night is the final book in The Luminaries trilogy, and it was the finale I needed it to be. This book was everything I hoped for and more. It was an absolutely satisfying conclusion while still leaving the door cracked for future spin offs. I loved that Dennard managed to still keep readers on their toes while dropping mind blowing revelation after mind blowing revelation. I’m impressed by the number of twists and turns this book took while still being satisfying. The plot pacing will have you dreading having to put the book down because it’s so fast and amped up with action. The tension is palpable and will leave you on the edge of your seat hoping the characters survive. I read this via ebook and audiobook, and I can’t recommend the audio enough. Caitlin Davies was amazing in her role. You could easily feel Winnie’s emotions in Davies’s narration from her excitement to panic. It was an amazing performance worthy of this series conclusion.

Great conclusion to the trilogy! Gets fully going by 50% and does Not Stop! Satisfying wrap ups of all the important things while leaving a bit open :)

This was a really great conclusion to the trilogy. I did find each book became less interesting and more predictable as the series went on. That being said, it was still fun and interesting. I really love her writing style and how each book we get more and more information and the character arcs are really complex.

With The Whispering Night, it’s hard to look at it as a separate book, because the entire focus builds from events and revelations from the prior books. It moves at a blistering pace, dropping readers in head first, and refreshing yourself on the prior books before you start isn’t a bad idea because there’s a lot going on!
The Whispering Night also picks up after some heavy revelations from book two, and it’s hard to feel optimistic about the future for Winnie, Jay, and the others we’ve come to know from Hemlock Falls. It’s clear that there are so many ways things could go horribly wrong. In fact, there are actually so many known and potential threats present, it’s enough to make you short circuit. And that seems to be happening to Winnie at times, because she has things coming at her from all sides, and it starts to feel like no place is safe. I was stressed out for her.
Now, the final book in a trilogy or series always presents challenges for authors. Many strive to tie up all the loose ends left from prior books to give the readers resolution. And there’s a lot of pressure to meet reader expectations based on their reception to the prior books in the series. I want to avoid spoilers, so I’ll just make a few notes.
There were some things I suspected. There were some things I wondered about. And there were some things I hoped to see resolved. The ending verified some suspicions, answered some lingering questions, and resolved some issues from the prior books.
However, Dennard was brave enough to leave some questions unanswered. Now, some may not like that, and that’s fair. Others may love it. What I noted was that Dennard left a teaser there, about the potential for more in the Luminaries universe, potentially in other parts of the world. Perhaps it will amount to nothing more than a way to invite readers to imagine what could happen, or perhaps that’s a solid hint that there’s more to come from Luminaries outside Hemlock Falls. I hope that’s the case, because I don’t feel ready to let go of this world.
There were a few plot points where I had to suspend disbelief, but I really only have one complaint about The Whispering Night. In the prior books, the forest was really a character. It was a commanding presence that affected the tone and tension within the stories. In The Whispering Night, circumstances keep us out of the forest for much of the book, and although we eventually get there, I did miss it in the first half. Still, this was entertaining and a satisfying resolution to a series I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. 4.25 stars.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This 3rd installment was just as exciting if not more exciting than the first two books. Dennard writes so vividly that I felt like I was right beside Winnie racing through the forest and battling the Nightmares with her. I enjoyed the rekindling of friendships and seeing the new friendships develop. Lots of questions are answered, BUT the last few lines makes me wonder could there be more??? We will be purchasing this book for our high school library.

4/5 stars
Recommended if you like: secret societies, monster hunters, urban fantasy, paranormal
This review has been posted to Goodreads and Instagram as of 10/6 and will be posted to my review blog on 10/8.
This one picks up shortly after The Hunting Moon. Winnie and her family are officially Luminaries again (though her mom isn't allowed to hunt yet) and all the Luminary doors are open to Winnie and Darian. Despite this success, Winnie is pretty focused on figuring out what the Whisperer is and how to stop it. Thus far, only a handful of people really believe her, including Erica and Jay, who focus much more prominently in this book than in the previous ones. With their secrets shared between them, Winnie, Jay, and Erica work hard to figure out what is going on in Hemlock Falls and put a stop to it before the Whisperer destroys everything.
There are a lot of pieces to the big mystery that's been building since book 1. The basic questions being: What is the Whisperer and how is it stopped? And, where did Winnie's dad go and is her really a witch? If he isn't, who was the Diana four years ago? I actually really enjoyed how these puzzles played out in the book and how interconnected seemingly unrelated things turned out to be. The plot was particularly strong when it came to these things and I liked the twists and turns that happened.
Winnie's focus on the big picture and figuring it out with Jay and Erica did have her leaving her new friends--Fatima, Bretta, and Emma--a little ignored. I liked the other trio and wish we'd seen more of them in this book. As it is, Winnie spent most of her time with her 'old' friends and less time with her new ones, something she is rightly called out on. At the same time, while Winnie has some pretty big responsibilities on her shoulders, in some ways she felt much younger than in previous books, more like a middle schooler than a high schooler. It's particularly obvious when she's acting younger than her age when the rest of her peers are acting their age or older, so it definitely felt like a disconnect.
Another issue I had was that, in the first two books, Winnie wanted so badly to be a Luminary again but was also able to recognize the flaws in their society. It did create a bit of cognitive dissonance for her, and her family when they see it too, but I actually really appreciated a character in a secret society/culture recognizing the issues associated with it instead of just readily defending it at all costs. However, that awareness and critical thinking was completely missing from this book, to the point where I stopped several times throughout and wondered where that Winnie had gone. And there were definitely things in this book that should've triggered those thoughts/reactions in Winnie and her family. I wanted to see more come out of it and perhaps a bigger conversation about the Luminaries' blind spots, so it was disappointing to see those topics completely ignored.
Something I did like was getting to know more about the world of the Luminaries. In this book, something called the Nightmare Masquerade is taking place. This event brings Luminaries from across the world together for fun times and to showcase the strengths and innovations of the different families. Through this we get exposure to branches of the family from around the world. We also get a closer look at the Dianas (partly through the Masquerade and partly through Diana characters that we meet and get to know). I liked learning more about the global Luminaries, but I especially liked getting a more nuanced view of the Dianas. There are definitely Dianas who are terrible and up to no good, but we also get exposure to Dianas who quit or who genuinely believe in a more balanced view of things, which I appreciated.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I think the big mystery/puzzle was definitely a highlight of the book, but that characterization fell a little flat in some places. I will say that I did think this was a trilogy, and the summary still says it's the finale in the trilogy, but the book had an open ending that makes me feel like there will be more books, so I don't know what to make of that. If it is a trilogy, I'd have preferred something a little more closed for the ending.

This was such a fun conclusion the the Luminaries trilogy. Winnie has come a long way since the first book, and watching her grow anf flourish has been incredibly enjoyable. And telling off Jeremiah? Excellent!
Without giving anything away, the mystery of Winnie' s father, the fight with the Diana's and the conflict between Winnie and Erica are all tied up very satisfyingly.
My only frustration, was with Winnie's glasses. As a someone who has worn glasses since the age of 6, I have never experienced such frustrations as Winnie does! Are they just extremely ill fitting? Is she just that terribly klutzy (which doesn't track as she's not tripping over her own self all the time) Just... settle down about the glasses!
Thank you to Netgalley and TOR for the eARC.

I am so incredibly thankful that I have been able to read this series so early, every single book. I love it so much, especially as someone who took part in the OG choose your own adventure with Winnie and #UghJay on Twitter way back in 2019!!
This conclusion was such a ride, and there were so many points where I was cheering Winnie on! The lore was so put together and I just love this world in general.
I can’t wait to have a pretty book version to show off on my shelf, and this series will be one I recommend so much!

love this book, I love this series, it is one of my favorites and I will sing its praises. This book dropped us right back in the work of the Luminaries with Winnie and her friends. Winnie has grown so much as a character over the course of this trilogy, and I have really enjoyed it a lot, and the growth continued in this book. It’s always fantastic to see character growth, and for me it’s even more enjoyable when it is a YA character because they have so much promise and potential. Winnie certainly came into herself completely in this book. I loved how captivating and engaging this book was. I started it late one evening and reluctantly put it down only to sleep and work and picked it right back up the next day. I wish I would have been able to read it in one sitting, but I also didn’t want it to end because this is it, this is the final book. This book delivered everything that I was looking for in the course of this trilogy and wrapped things up nicely. The overarching plot lines between the books were finalized and all wrapped up nicely.
This is a trilogy you don’t want to miss. In this case I recommend reading them all in order because there is a lot of carry-over between each book and a lot of character growth you will want to witness. However, it’s three books and you really should do yourself a favor and read them all.