4.5/5⭐️

I enjoyed this so much! For a teen fantasy series, this was just so much fun. Plus, it only really hit me during this book that all the events of the 3 books takes place over the span of just a couple months. There was just such a whirlwind of tension and danger and “what will happen next” that it’s hard to believe that it occurred over a short period of time! I’m so glad that they finally got a happy ending but I’m so intrigued to see where it will go from here. I definitely have the sense that there’s either going to be more books after this or there will be a sequel series set in the same world. All in all, this is a great book for spooky season!

Thank you so much to Tor Publishing Group, specifically the NetGalley team, for sending me an ARC of The Whispering Night. And thank you to Susan Dennard for writing this book and the whole Luminaries series!

To say this book had me gagged is an understatement. It was such an emotional rollercoaster and a great conclusion to this amazing series. I was so pleased with the ending, the whole plot. Just everything about it I loved. The pacing was great. The characters were great. I love Winnie and Jay together. This book has so many twists and turns, and it kept me on my feet. I was also absolutely in love with the writing. The narrator is as witty as Winnie. I adored how certain phrases kept popping up throughout the book. The repetition was just such a great device. It made things feel so haunting, which is the perfect vibe for this book and this series in general. Susan Dennard is a phenomenal writer. I will absolutely be pushing for my library to add not only The Whispering Night but the whole Luminaries series.

The third book in the series is typically better than the second, which holds true for this series. The book begins on a positive note: Winnie is friends with Erica again, they aren’t hunting the werewolf, and she and Jay might be figuring out their relationship. But soon everything changes when Winnie is given an honor she doesn’t want, putting her in the public eye, which leads to an unwelcome confrontation with a Diana. As Winnie continues to search for her missing father, she finds out more about her family history and the feud between the Dianas and the Luminaries. This was an action packed ending to the trilogy, and if you were on the fence because of book 2, read this one to finish the series.

Before I get into the review, a thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Tor Teen for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Whispering Night is the third book in the Luminaries series. In this series, we follow Winnie whose family got outcast from their secret society of nightmare hunters four years ago when it was found that her father was practicing magic. Now, as Winnie's 16th birthday approaches, she has a plan for getting back into the Luminaries' good graces. But as more information comes out Winnie realizes all may not be what it seems. It's really hard to give a description for this third novel since so much has happened in the series. But I think this is such a fun and quick read for Fantasy fans. The Whispering Night comes out on November 19th and is available for preorder now.

There is just something about Hemlock Falls that draws me in. From the spirit that sleeps in the woods around Hemlock Falls to the Nightmares it creates each night: there's just something so atmospheric and wonderful about this world. I also really enjoy the characters and how real they feel. They're silly or weird or make mistakes but they're all just doing their best in a world that can definitely feel like it's out to get them. We also have teenagers who just feel so absolutely teenage. They're not the most eloquent and they make decisions without thinking it all the way through, but there's an earnestness that just leaps off the page. Winnie is a character who you just. have to root for. She get caught up in this thing that's way too big for her to handle and she makes some mistakes and falls into some traps, but she does her best for this situation that she finds herself in and I just had to root for her the whole way.

I will say that this one was much longer than the other two books in the series which felt like it threw off the pace a bit for me. It's not that I wouldn't approve of a longer Luminaries book (hi, have you met me? I'm the girl who once complained that a 750 page novel wasn't long enough). I think it made it feel like there was so much left to wrap up the story that there was no choice but to make this the longest book in the series. The first two books were under 300 pages while this one almost hits the 400 page mark. I think if some of the things that got introduced in this book were originally placed in book two and then expanded upon in this book then it would have made the overall flow fit better.

Overall, this was a 4 star series for me so I highly recommend it. I've been reading it as the books have been coming out, but it would be so easy to marathon the whole series and just get lost in the world of the Luminaries. I think Fantasy/Speculative Fiction fans would like this one. Especially if they're in the YA/New Adult age range. Such a fun read for me.

I enjoyed the conclusion to this triology. It is an appropriate YA book, and I can’t wait to recommend it to my students who like fantasy.

I gave the second book in this series 4.25 stars and I think this one matches that.
We start off right where the second one left off. We learn Jay is a werewolf and Erica is kind of a Diana. After Winnie wins the Midnight Crown for the upcoming festivities, she meets the masked Diana crow who gives her an impossible task to complete.
My favorite thing about these book is how alone Winnie starts out and how she realizes that even through her banishment, she had people who cared about her and after her banishment was over, she could let people in who stopped talking to her, because they were just following ruled drilled into them. Bretta, Emma and Fatima were such a supportive group of girls and even when Winnie had to figure things out with Jay and Erica, they were still there for her. Winnie and Jay's relationship was never really the focus of any part of the book, but it was a constant thing and it was obvious that the feelings were big. I also love Winnie's relationship with her mom and brother Darian. They were all each other had for 4 years and it's obvious that bond became so strong.
The pacing of this book was kind of fast, slow, fast, slow. When there was a lull, it always picked back up when it felt like it needed to. We really do get most if not all of our answers by the end of this book. There is a strong possibility of someone being a crow (the actual animal, not the crow-masked Diana) and the way this ties everything together at the end is perfect.
While these books are told from Winnie's POV, there are flashbacks and snippets from others here and there. There is one snippet at the end of this one that would make a perfect lead-in to another series or a spin off that would be so fun to read about!

Not my favorite novel of this series and not exactly how I imagined the events of this book would go/flow, but in all I was simply satisfied with the story. I do not know if the author is planning to continue the world of Hemlock Falls with nightmares and hunters, but I sure hope she does. If so, I might like to see another Luminaries town. I just feel like maybe Hemlock Falls has seen its natural conclusion. I do see that she might have set it up to continue following Winnie and Jay, but I do think this last installment wasn't quite as interesting as the first two.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, & Tor Publishing Group for the eARC! I was simply entertained!! :-)

First off, as with the other two installments the world in which Dennard has created is breathtaking. I love the idea and the characters, and its the first time since reading Harry Potter that I feel an author has succeeded in building a world that exists within our own that feels believable. For that reason, I will continue to recommend this series to all my YA reading patrons/book clubbers. As for rating the story, I only gave this particular installment a 3.5 star. The story and the characters didn't flow for me as they had in the last two; the characters almost felt out of character, if you know what I mean. Winnie has never exactly been confident, but with everything she has survived and endured in a short period of time, I felt she needed to be bolder...especially when it came to Erika, the higher ranking Luminaries, and the Diana's. Each book was able to show progression of Winnie and her journey of self-discovery, but this one felt like she wobbled a lot. It just made it hard to push through in some parts of the book. Neither did this novel have much of what I loved best about the series--the nightmares.
I was also a bit let down on the reveal of the mystery behind her father's disappearance and what happened to Jenna. There wasn't a twist a was hoping for or a revelation I hadn't been able to guess after book 1. It was just an okay wrap up to a much heavier build. I felt a bit let down. Also the last scene was super cheesy... very cute though for the younger YA readers.
I would recommend this to any reader, no matter age, who likes books that center around friendship, loyalty, PG romance, and self-discovery.

No Regrets!!!!

**3.5 STARS**

Content Warning: violence

I have finally finished this series! Here is the last book in the trilogy and here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ Winnie and Erica work together finally which was nice to see. Winnie is thrown into the spotlight in this book and I liked that for her. There is more growth for her character.

+ I think a lot of questions were answered especially about the Dianas. There was a lot of action too but mostly in the second half.

+ When Jay was in the book, I thought he and Winnie were the sweetest couple. I just wish there was more of them but I know she had to have her personal journey.

Dislikes:

~ I felt this one was slow in the first half, kind of like book two, and then it picks up. But it took me awhile to get into this one, unfortunately. This one is mostly mystery in the beginning and just not something that was hooking me.

~ Jay mostly appears in the second half, which again, I wish he was there throughout the book. I was missing him and Winnie together.

Final Thoughts:

I loved book one of this series, but by this third book, I feel like I aged out of the series? If that makes sense. I do think the people who loved books one and two will love this third book! It’s a great conclusion.

I couldn't wait for this third and final book in the trilogy . I am grateful for the review copies I received an Ebook and an audiobook. I often read then listen to books I really enjoy. Thank you publishers and Netgalley
The last book had me sitting on edge, thankfully this one pulled me off and gave me some answers I was craving. Fantastic ending ! There were lots of little bits that I missed on my first read that I picked up through the audiobook. I recommend this audiobook highly the narration is fantastic !
Winnie and Jay, she grew up a lot in this series as does their relationship. It’s nice to have a couple you can believe in.
The Diana’s well there is a story you’ve got to read. We find out some really interesting history on them and a couple twisted twists !
What happened to Winnie’s father ? What was the real story. It’s in this book, read it. You’ll have a good time finding out.

I have been waiting for the conclusion for this series and it did not disappoint!!! I love the easy grace with which the story has unfolded and the twists and turns along the way!!! Winnie Wednesday will forever have a place in my favorite book list!

A fabulous conclusion to the Luminaries trilogy. Things get explosive as Winnie, Erica and Jay try to uncover what is happening in Hemlock Falls, Will Winnie finally figure out her dad's mystery? Will her mother get to be a hunter again? and what will she wear to the Nightmare Masquerade. All will be revealed.

Amazing book. Love the character development and plot line will definitely recommend to friends and family

I am always nervous for book 3 of a trilogy, as I don’t want to be left unsatisfied. Thankfully, The Whispering Night was not that book for me. All of the things I loved about the first two books (mystery, adventure, suspense, and a boy named Jay) are here. This book started off quickly and never really slowed down. There were a lot of questions about who Winnie could actually trust, along with people who never let her down (said boy named Jay). We finally learn what happened 4 years ago and get to see Winnie use her intellect to solve the mysteries. There are a few things I am not 100% sure got resolved, but I feel like that keeps the door open for future books in the Luminaries/Diana universe. Overall, I am really glad I read this series and am so glad Winnie gets the ending she gets in this book.

Series Info/Source: This is the 3rd (and final) book in The Luminaries trilogy. I got this on ebook from NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: This book had a lot of the same issues as the second book in the series. The beginning is slow, and then there is almost too much action in the second half. I don't think I fully understood what happened at the end, and it left me feeling fairly unsatisfied. I guess it wrapped the story up fine but the pacing was just so all over the place.

Winnie and Hemlock Falls are looking forward to the Midnight Masquerade, a celebratios that will have Luminaries world-wide visiting Hemlock Falls. However, Winnie is getting pulled into more and more secrets around the battle between the Luminaries and the Dianas. Some of these secrets are leading back to the disappearance of her father.

The first half of this book is flat out boring. Winnie is getting pulled into a number of responsibilities for the Midnight Masquerade that have her attending different random events. To add to this, she is re-starting her hunter training. There is a whole lot of things going nowhere for the first half of the book. Then, for the second half, Winnie starts to uncover from more secrets around the Dianas and things get very fast-paced.

I almost stopped reading this about 30% of the way in, I was just so bored with it. A lot of people complimented the amazing ending, so I decided to stick with it. The ending was incredibly action-packed but it also felt so action-packed that it was scattered. The ending ties up the series fine, but overall I could have done without reading this book. I am still not sure I completely understand what happened and why despite reading some of the chapters over multiple times. It all seemed a bit forced and contrived to me.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this wrapped up the series but I didn't really enjoy the journey. The pacing of this final book was incredibly slow to start and then too fast and contrived at the ending. Dennard has been very hit and miss for me lately. I loved her Something Strange and Deadly series. I started reading Witchlands and thought the first couple books were okay but then started to find them very boring. Same with this series; I loved the first book but then started to lose interest in the second book. I guess if you loved the second book in the series, you will probably love this one as well. I plan to take a break from Dennard for now.

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.