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The Luminaries #1
The Luminaries
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.
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.
294 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2022
About the author
Susan Dennard
20 books9,063 followersSusan Dennard is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series (now in development for TV from the Jim Henson Company), and the Something Strange and Deadly series, in addition to various other fiction published online.
Before becoming an author, she got to travel the world with her M.Sc. in marine biology. She also runs the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits and Daydreamers. When not writing or teaching writing, she can be found rolling the dice as a Dungeon Master or mashing buttons on one of her way too many consoles.
You can learn more about Susan on her website, blog, newsletter, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Before becoming an author, she got to travel the world with her M.Sc. in marine biology. She also runs the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits and Daydreamers. When not writing or teaching writing, she can be found rolling the dice as a Dungeon Master or mashing buttons on one of her way too many consoles.
You can learn more about Susan on her website, blog, newsletter, Twitter, or Pinterest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,428 reviews
August 11, 2022
I can't remember when was the last time when I read a book in which the whole plot was 100% equal to what was written in the blurb and nothing more. There was no surprise there, no resolution to any of the plot threads and the whole story was blatantly predictable and painfully dull.
We know that the main character has to go through three trials to become a hunter... and she does exactly that. And that's when the book abruptly ends, leaving no hooks to convince me that I should read a sequel. I'm actually baffled by it's poor structure, because I understand that there might be books where I don't like characters or plot, but I can't recall an example of a book where there is no resolution whatsoever, and the time I invested in the story seems completely wasted. There are several main plots within the book apart from the trials: the love story, main love interest true identity, Dad's betrayal or this new type of monster that all adults seem to deliberately ignore, but none of it (maybe apart from Dad's plot) is resolved in any way, even a little, and just keep hanging there in the void.
Also we don't learn much about Luminaries as an organization, so the world building here is very poor. And we learn even less about the main antagonists, the Dianas, who are described only as "those bad guys that want to take over the world" and that's it.
All in all a very disappointing read.
We know that the main character has to go through three trials to become a hunter... and she does exactly that. And that's when the book abruptly ends, leaving no hooks to convince me that I should read a sequel. I'm actually baffled by it's poor structure, because I understand that there might be books where I don't like characters or plot, but I can't recall an example of a book where there is no resolution whatsoever, and the time I invested in the story seems completely wasted. There are several main plots within the book apart from the trials: the love story, main love interest true identity, Dad's betrayal or this new type of monster that all adults seem to deliberately ignore, but none of it (maybe apart from Dad's plot) is resolved in any way, even a little, and just keep hanging there in the void.
Also we don't learn much about Luminaries as an organization, so the world building here is very poor. And we learn even less about the main antagonists, the Dianas, who are described only as "those bad guys that want to take over the world" and that's it.
All in all a very disappointing read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2022
DNF @ 60%
Buckle in, because this is going to get ruthless.
The premise was interesting, as was the idea of groups of people defined by the days of the week. But unfortunately that's where the good things I have to say ends.
There was so much telling vs showing, which is surprising because this is a well-established author and not a debut. Although maybe the problem is a lack of a good editor (I'll get into specifics later). Either way, it honestly makes me tentative about reading the Truthwitch series.
Onto the characters. Winnie is the most bland piece of white bread I have ever met. She has no personality and is incredibly passive. Which is so frustrating to read about a main character where everything happens to them vs. them taking action consistently. I honestly wish this book was about her brother and his boyfriend instead because they were the only characters I cared about. There was more spark between them in a single line than there was in the whole book between Jay and Winnie. I also think it's also pretty obvious that Jay is a werewolf. I'm not marking it a spoiler because it wasn't actually confirmed yet, but I've been positive since the 20% mark. He literally referred to himself a nightmare. Winnie is frustratingly dumb for not even having a suspicion yet more than halfway through the book.
Now onto a pet peeve of mine, that admittedly isn't the worst thing, but it still belongs on this list of sins. I hate books that pretend like some "normal" people can't *physically* lie. Everybody can lie. Especially a 16 year old. Unless there’s a fantastical reason they can’t (ie faeries), it's a ridiculous plot device meant to make the reader think the main character is a good person. Like grow up Winnie, you know damn well you know how to lie.
My biggest gripe though has to be the writing. I know I touched on it earlier, but I have to get into specifics because it blows my mind how poorly written this comes across.
First of all, can we please leave the onomatopoeia for middle grade and children's books! There is no reason why a book with a 16 year old protagonist (for which you would assume the target demographic is older teens) should have onomatopoeia. Let me give you a taste of what I had to put up with:
And it's already happened multiple times.
Finally. I have to end with the *clicking* because it's making me feel like I'm going insane. Winnie’s teeth “click” ALL THE TIME. It’s also seemingly outside her control- almost like a shiver but with her teeth. It's not chattering because it's never associated with the cold, but I have no clue what it is supposed to mean. Probably that she’s part beetle or cicada. If not, I think she needs to see a doctor.
Do me a favor, and note how its repeated again and again in close proximity to when it was last said. (I stopped counting after 100 pages but it continues to be mentioned at this same frequency if not more frequent.)
"Her front teeth click together as she drives" (pg 3)
"She studies the map, her front teeth clicking" (pg 6)
"She deflates; Winnie's front teeth start clicking" (pg 16)
"Winnie clicks her front teeth in triple time" (pg 29)
"Her heart is thundering, her teeth are clicking" (pg 31)
"And Winnie stares, with clicking teeth, at the misty brown river" (pg 48)
"Winnie gulps. Her teeth start clicking" (pg 53)
"Winnie's teeth start clicking" (pg 59)
"Her front teeth click silently" (pg 65)
"or the click- click- click of her teeth" (pg 75)
"her teeth click" (pg 76)
"Her teeth start clicking too" (pg 87)
"pulsing the tires in time to her clicking front teeth" (pg 90)
You cannot convince me this book had an editor.
P.s. this book is kind of reminiscent of Skyward by Brandon Sanderson: our main character is a teen girl who's father is a traitor, and their entire community harshly shuns their entire family for it. Their mom has to work overtime with food to make ends meet. There's trials to become a monster hunter, and they both get denied from even taking the test at first because of their dad. A big difference between these two books being that I actually enjoyed Skyward.
Buckle in, because this is going to get ruthless.
The premise was interesting, as was the idea of groups of people defined by the days of the week. But unfortunately that's where the good things I have to say ends.
There was so much telling vs showing, which is surprising because this is a well-established author and not a debut. Although maybe the problem is a lack of a good editor (I'll get into specifics later). Either way, it honestly makes me tentative about reading the Truthwitch series.
Onto the characters. Winnie is the most bland piece of white bread I have ever met. She has no personality and is incredibly passive. Which is so frustrating to read about a main character where everything happens to them vs. them taking action consistently. I honestly wish this book was about her brother and his boyfriend instead because they were the only characters I cared about. There was more spark between them in a single line than there was in the whole book between Jay and Winnie. I also think it's also pretty obvious that Jay is a werewolf. I'm not marking it a spoiler because it wasn't actually confirmed yet, but I've been positive since the 20% mark. He literally referred to himself a nightmare. Winnie is frustratingly dumb for not even having a suspicion yet more than halfway through the book.
Now onto a pet peeve of mine, that admittedly isn't the worst thing, but it still belongs on this list of sins. I hate books that pretend like some "normal" people can't *physically* lie. Everybody can lie. Especially a 16 year old. Unless there’s a fantastical reason they can’t (ie faeries), it's a ridiculous plot device meant to make the reader think the main character is a good person. Like grow up Winnie, you know damn well you know how to lie.
My biggest gripe though has to be the writing. I know I touched on it earlier, but I have to get into specifics because it blows my mind how poorly written this comes across.
First of all, can we please leave the onomatopoeia for middle grade and children's books! There is no reason why a book with a 16 year old protagonist (for which you would assume the target demographic is older teens) should have onomatopoeia. Let me give you a taste of what I had to put up with:
"Darian opens the vest in a rriiiiippp! of Velcro"
"She hauls it out of her backpack. Rrrrippp, rrrrripppp. Velcro opens. Krrr, krrrr. Velcro closes."
And it's already happened multiple times.
Finally. I have to end with the *clicking* because it's making me feel like I'm going insane. Winnie’s teeth “click” ALL THE TIME. It’s also seemingly outside her control- almost like a shiver but with her teeth. It's not chattering because it's never associated with the cold, but I have no clue what it is supposed to mean. Probably that she’s part beetle or cicada. If not, I think she needs to see a doctor.
Do me a favor, and note how its repeated again and again in close proximity to when it was last said. (I stopped counting after 100 pages but it continues to be mentioned at this same frequency if not more frequent.)
"Her front teeth click together as she drives" (pg 3)
"She studies the map, her front teeth clicking" (pg 6)
"She deflates; Winnie's front teeth start clicking" (pg 16)
"Winnie clicks her front teeth in triple time" (pg 29)
"Her heart is thundering, her teeth are clicking" (pg 31)
"And Winnie stares, with clicking teeth, at the misty brown river" (pg 48)
"Winnie gulps. Her teeth start clicking" (pg 53)
"Winnie's teeth start clicking" (pg 59)
"Her front teeth click silently" (pg 65)
"or the click- click- click of her teeth" (pg 75)
"her teeth click" (pg 76)
"Her teeth start clicking too" (pg 87)
"pulsing the tires in time to her clicking front teeth" (pg 90)
You cannot convince me this book had an editor.
P.s. this book is kind of reminiscent of Skyward by Brandon Sanderson: our main character is a teen girl who's father is a traitor, and their entire community harshly shuns their entire family for it. Their mom has to work overtime with food to make ends meet. There's trials to become a monster hunter, and they both get denied from even taking the test at first because of their dad. A big difference between these two books being that I actually enjoyed Skyward.
November 4, 2022
A fun, fast-paced supernatural mystery with lots of monsters and a bit of romance!
I'm a huge fan of Susan's Witchlands series, and this is a definite change of pace. Single POV, short chapters, very much a page-turner, and a fantasy set in our contemporary world instead of an entirely different one. You can really see the author's background in biological sciences shine through here with the detailed descriptions of various monsters. And it was fun to get a heroine who wears glasses where the glasses actually matter to the plot!
Winnie Wednesday is a Luminary- a secretive group of people who protect humanity from the monsters created by the nightmares of these spirits. Note that this part of the world-building is cool, but I wanted more information. Knowing Susan, I'm sure SHE knows a lot more, but I wish the reader was let in a bit further in book one. Winnie's family are outcasts because her father was discovered to be secretly helping the Dianas (villainous witches we don't learn too much about, but definitively enemies of the Luminaries). Winnie is determined to complete the Hunter trials and win back her family's respect in their society. And of course there is a boy...
This is a fun book that you will finish quickly and be left wanting more. I think my biggest complaint is that I wanted a few more answers than we got in this installment. The ending feels a little abrupt and wasn't as satisfying as I might have liked. Yes, you get a full story arc with the three trials, but the mystery elements feel a bit too drawn out. That said, I trust Susan has plans to answer all of those questions and has left plenty of clues, so I look forward to book 2! I easily could have read more and flew through this. If the Witchlands books were too dense and complex for you, this is a very accessible option to pick up instead. The audio narration is excellent and does a great job with spooky vibes in the forest. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
I'm a huge fan of Susan's Witchlands series, and this is a definite change of pace. Single POV, short chapters, very much a page-turner, and a fantasy set in our contemporary world instead of an entirely different one. You can really see the author's background in biological sciences shine through here with the detailed descriptions of various monsters. And it was fun to get a heroine who wears glasses where the glasses actually matter to the plot!
Winnie Wednesday is a Luminary- a secretive group of people who protect humanity from the monsters created by the nightmares of these spirits. Note that this part of the world-building is cool, but I wanted more information. Knowing Susan, I'm sure SHE knows a lot more, but I wish the reader was let in a bit further in book one. Winnie's family are outcasts because her father was discovered to be secretly helping the Dianas (villainous witches we don't learn too much about, but definitively enemies of the Luminaries). Winnie is determined to complete the Hunter trials and win back her family's respect in their society. And of course there is a boy...
This is a fun book that you will finish quickly and be left wanting more. I think my biggest complaint is that I wanted a few more answers than we got in this installment. The ending feels a little abrupt and wasn't as satisfying as I might have liked. Yes, you get a full story arc with the three trials, but the mystery elements feel a bit too drawn out. That said, I trust Susan has plans to answer all of those questions and has left plenty of clues, so I look forward to book 2! I easily could have read more and flew through this. If the Witchlands books were too dense and complex for you, this is a very accessible option to pick up instead. The audio narration is excellent and does a great job with spooky vibes in the forest. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
April 27, 2023
Happy release day!
Thanks to Goodreads for a giveaway copy to review in advance! The Luminaries drops November 1st and was a fun throwback to some of its YA precursors. It was a little hit and miss but I give this one 3.5 stars rounded up, as it improves as it finds its feet.
As one familiar with Dennard's Witchlands series and disappointed by the most recent installment, I was excited to see a change of pace in this supernatural throwback to pre-2010 YA vibes. I participated a bit in the Twitter choose your adventure event a couple years ago and the story was alluring. In this finished product, the worldbuilding was not entirely coherent for me and there were other issues, but there were also enough redemptive choices made to make me binge the latter half in one night.
The Luminaries are a global secret society of monster hunters, responsible for nightly purgings of regions affected by "spirits" that manifest Nightmares, AKA all sorts of monsters, by night. A supernatural fog rises, signalling the influx of creatures for the night, and rises again at dawn to signify it's done. Winnie Wednesday's region has limited the spirit's reach to a forest in the area, warded to contain everything; hunters go in nightly to kill things. Luminaries all have a day of the week as a surname, representing their clan and roles; some are the weapons designers, some run logistics, some are the really martial soldier sorts. Normal people, very few of whom live in the town to keep them away from any renegade monsters, are called "Nons" like a sort of muggle/mundane. If you're wondering, yes, there are some quite info dumpy passages, but they felt necessary and were woven in as well as they could be, I thought.
Winnie's father did something that left him on the run and rendered the entire remaining family persona non grata in the town, lowering their social and economic statuses greatly. I found this part extremely offputting, as does our main character; people treat her family as exiled traitors until she attempts the hunter trials, and then they flip on a dime and treat them all like long-lost friends. It's weird, and to compound the discomfort, Winnie's blatant poverty and emotional trauma were very on-page.
The book is structured very "like it says on the tin"; the blurbs mention Winnie going through the trials to become a proper hunter, and she does just that, checks boxes, and then the book ends. What frustrated me most was it felt as if the plot opened its mouth, prepared to make several different revelations that were then stifled, a really transparent lead-in for more books. Makes sense, but it also rendered it less unsatisfying. I would have liked more romance, or emotionl support for Winnie, but the whole thing with Winnie's remaining family being "cancelled" within the town stymies most of that, as she spends most of the book without many friends or confidantes.
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. It also reads quite young at times, and Winnie's narration summons some really cringeworthy similes at times. But a dark forest filled with monsters, a nerdy character riding her bike around and constantly adjusting her glasses, and a hot boy with secrets of his own who agrees to help train her all gave the story some really vintage paranormal YA ambience. And like with Dennard's other work, I found the prose really easy to breeze through once I got going. She's also written another lovable outcast romantic interest, something she's great at. The romance, when it does appear in tiny blips, has a whole hunter/monster vibe that I was absolutely living for. I need another book for more of that.
The world is delightfully diverse, both the humans and the monsters on the page. There are traditionals like basilisks and kelpies and werewolves (YAY), but there are unique creatures to the world like the vampiric arachnid Vampira, and a strange new creature only Winnie spots throughout the story and is constantly gaslighted about. Winnie herself is highly relatable in a few specific ways, as she exhibits many signs of high anxiety and panic attacks throughout the story, even displaying nervous physical habits that strongly resembled stims or a tactile OCD.
I think overall I enjoyed more than I didn't, and therefore my rating's a little above middle road. I'd like to see where this goes.
Thanks to Goodreads for a giveaway copy to review in advance! The Luminaries drops November 1st and was a fun throwback to some of its YA precursors. It was a little hit and miss but I give this one 3.5 stars rounded up, as it improves as it finds its feet.
As one familiar with Dennard's Witchlands series and disappointed by the most recent installment, I was excited to see a change of pace in this supernatural throwback to pre-2010 YA vibes. I participated a bit in the Twitter choose your adventure event a couple years ago and the story was alluring. In this finished product, the worldbuilding was not entirely coherent for me and there were other issues, but there were also enough redemptive choices made to make me binge the latter half in one night.
The Luminaries are a global secret society of monster hunters, responsible for nightly purgings of regions affected by "spirits" that manifest Nightmares, AKA all sorts of monsters, by night. A supernatural fog rises, signalling the influx of creatures for the night, and rises again at dawn to signify it's done. Winnie Wednesday's region has limited the spirit's reach to a forest in the area, warded to contain everything; hunters go in nightly to kill things. Luminaries all have a day of the week as a surname, representing their clan and roles; some are the weapons designers, some run logistics, some are the really martial soldier sorts. Normal people, very few of whom live in the town to keep them away from any renegade monsters, are called "Nons" like a sort of muggle/mundane. If you're wondering, yes, there are some quite info dumpy passages, but they felt necessary and were woven in as well as they could be, I thought.
Winnie's father did something that left him on the run and rendered the entire remaining family persona non grata in the town, lowering their social and economic statuses greatly. I found this part extremely offputting, as does our main character; people treat her family as exiled traitors until she attempts the hunter trials, and then they flip on a dime and treat them all like long-lost friends. It's weird, and to compound the discomfort, Winnie's blatant poverty and emotional trauma were very on-page.
The book is structured very "like it says on the tin"; the blurbs mention Winnie going through the trials to become a proper hunter, and she does just that, checks boxes, and then the book ends. What frustrated me most was it felt as if the plot opened its mouth, prepared to make several different revelations that were then stifled, a really transparent lead-in for more books. Makes sense, but it also rendered it less unsatisfying. I would have liked more romance, or emotionl support for Winnie, but the whole thing with Winnie's remaining family being "cancelled" within the town stymies most of that, as she spends most of the book without many friends or confidantes.
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. It also reads quite young at times, and Winnie's narration summons some really cringeworthy similes at times. But a dark forest filled with monsters, a nerdy character riding her bike around and constantly adjusting her glasses, and a hot boy with secrets of his own who agrees to help train her all gave the story some really vintage paranormal YA ambience. And like with Dennard's other work, I found the prose really easy to breeze through once I got going. She's also written another lovable outcast romantic interest, something she's great at. The romance, when it does appear in tiny blips, has a whole hunter/monster vibe that I was absolutely living for. I need another book for more of that.
The world is delightfully diverse, both the humans and the monsters on the page. There are traditionals like basilisks and kelpies and werewolves (YAY), but there are unique creatures to the world like the vampiric arachnid Vampira, and a strange new creature only Winnie spots throughout the story and is constantly gaslighted about. Winnie herself is highly relatable in a few specific ways, as she exhibits many signs of high anxiety and panic attacks throughout the story, even displaying nervous physical habits that strongly resembled stims or a tactile OCD.
I think overall I enjoyed more than I didn't, and therefore my rating's a little above middle road. I'd like to see where this goes.
July 28, 2023
“Culture runs deeper than blood. ”
Might well be, but this book was an uncultured mess…
I genuinely hate giving any book a one-star rating, but especially so when it’s an ARC and hasn’t even been released yet. However, with The Luminaries I cannot justify any other rating. This is the most superficial, bland and pointless book I’ve read in a long time.
Synopsis (as paraphrased from the backflap):
We follow 16-year old Winnie Wednesday, who lives in a mysterious, reclusive town, surrounded by monster-infested-woods and plagued by ancient family feuds and prejudices (think Four Paths from The Devouring Gray). Winnie wants to join the Luminaries, the ancient order of monster-hunters that protects humanity from the monsters and nightmares that rise in the forest every night. In order to do so, she must complete three deadly trials to prove her worth. Her competitor is a broodingly handsome bad-boy. They team up and a hate-to-love-romance ensues.
Have you read that synopsis? Great! You’ve read the entire book. Literally nothing else of interest happens and no more depth is reached within the following 300 pages.
Story: thin as a leaf.
Characters: flat as a doormat.
Worldbuilding: entirely unoriginal.
Romance: Twilight levels of cringe.
I’m reaching for something positive to mention within this review, but I’m stumped. I guess the book is visually beautiful. It has an eye-catching cover, beautiful character-headings and includes some illustrated compendium-pages depicting the monsters that roam the woods. Those were pretty cool. Other than that, I have little to say. I don’t expect a YA-paranormal fantasy to be a literary masterpiece, but this was offensively low-effort. This is my strongest DO-NOT-RECOMMEND out of any ARC I’ve read in a long time.
Many thanks regardless to Daphne Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Might well be, but this book was an uncultured mess…
I genuinely hate giving any book a one-star rating, but especially so when it’s an ARC and hasn’t even been released yet. However, with The Luminaries I cannot justify any other rating. This is the most superficial, bland and pointless book I’ve read in a long time.
Synopsis (as paraphrased from the backflap):
We follow 16-year old Winnie Wednesday, who lives in a mysterious, reclusive town, surrounded by monster-infested-woods and plagued by ancient family feuds and prejudices (think Four Paths from The Devouring Gray). Winnie wants to join the Luminaries, the ancient order of monster-hunters that protects humanity from the monsters and nightmares that rise in the forest every night. In order to do so, she must complete three deadly trials to prove her worth. Her competitor is a broodingly handsome bad-boy. They team up and a hate-to-love-romance ensues.
Have you read that synopsis? Great! You’ve read the entire book. Literally nothing else of interest happens and no more depth is reached within the following 300 pages.
Story: thin as a leaf.
Characters: flat as a doormat.
Worldbuilding: entirely unoriginal.
Romance: Twilight levels of cringe.
I’m reaching for something positive to mention within this review, but I’m stumped. I guess the book is visually beautiful. It has an eye-catching cover, beautiful character-headings and includes some illustrated compendium-pages depicting the monsters that roam the woods. Those were pretty cool. Other than that, I have little to say. I don’t expect a YA-paranormal fantasy to be a literary masterpiece, but this was offensively low-effort. This is my strongest DO-NOT-RECOMMEND out of any ARC I’ve read in a long time.
Many thanks regardless to Daphne Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
January 6, 2023
picked this up for the “small town that knows about fantastical beings” trope that I love so much (i.e. darkest part of the forest & enchantment of ravens) but it was a bit too contemporary for my taste.
something about hunting the entire monsters wiki page and going to high school art class was giving CW (and not in a good way)
I also don’t love when a book has the existence of EVERY fictional creature in it. I don’t want ONE forest to have vampires, werewolves, fairies, trolls, sprites, banshees, my ex boyfriend, your mom, AND my left tit in it; at least not with this little of worldbuilding. it just reads as messy & unpolished, in my opinion.
overall, classic basic YA fantasy that I will forget about in approximately 48 hours.
something about hunting the entire monsters wiki page and going to high school art class was giving CW (and not in a good way)
I also don’t love when a book has the existence of EVERY fictional creature in it. I don’t want ONE forest to have vampires, werewolves, fairies, trolls, sprites, banshees, my ex boyfriend, your mom, AND my left tit in it; at least not with this little of worldbuilding. it just reads as messy & unpolished, in my opinion.
overall, classic basic YA fantasy that I will forget about in approximately 48 hours.
November 19, 2022
LUMINARIES by Susan Dennard is an entertaining, captivating story about how one girl shoulders and finally contends with the heavy yoke 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, rises 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.
I listened to an audiobook, and the narrator, Kaitlyn Davies, was not my favorite for this manuscript. I've heard her work before and liked it; but she's breathy in the beginning of this one and I think it affects her articulation. Still a good audiobook, lots of fun and creepy as heck, I recommend it.
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
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, rises 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.
I listened to an audiobook, and the narrator, Kaitlyn Davies, was not my favorite for this manuscript. I've heard her work before and liked it; but she's breathy in the beginning of this one and I think it affects her articulation. Still a good audiobook, lots of fun and creepy as heck, I recommend it.
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
Read
May 8, 2022Loved this so very much. It is expertly plotted and paced, beautifully written, and damn near unputdownable. It also reminded me of YA of the 2010 era in the very best way. Put this on your TBRs!
September 15, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
This ended up being a fun and enjoyable ya fantasy!! 🥰🥰 Even tho i didn't absolutely love it and had some issues, I thought it was entertaining 🫶🫶
“That’s why we’re called the Luminaries, Winnie: we are lanterns the forest can never snuff out.”
The Luminaries follows our mc Winnie Wednesday who lives in the town of Hemlock Falls. Although Hemlock Falls appears normal, it is anything but- monsters called nightmares prowl the forest, preying on the human residents. To protect the town, the members of the Luminaries- an ancient order tasked with protecting everyone from the nightmares- hunt these monsters. In this order are seven clans, one for each day, who are responsible for hunting the monsters on their specific day. The mc Winnie has always wanted to join the Luminaries to become a hunter and restore her family's name after her dad was exposed as a traitor- but passing the trials will take everyone that she has. And there's a new monster prowling the forest....
I kinda picked this up on a whim mostly bc the cover really intrigued me- and I'm glad I gave it a try!! It could've been better, but I did enjoy it 💜💜
Starting with what I liked!! ✨️ I think the plot and writing were probably the strongest elements in here. I really enjoyed Susan Dennard's writing style- it was descriptive, but also super easy to read, which made the book go by pretty quickly. Her writing style was very entertaining to read. I also thought the plot was done really well- it was pretty fast-paced and had lots of action, which I enjoyed!! 💜 I really liked the trials aspect, and there was also a twist at the end which definitely caught me off guard 🫶🫶
I also thought the worldbuilding was executed well! I feel like it put a twist on popular fantasy elements and was quite unique, which i appreciated 🥰🥰
However, i did have a few issues with this book that prevented me from absolutely loving it 🫤 Those being:
➳ The characters- ngl they were pretty bland 😬😬 Our mc Winnie felt very flat to me and i feel like she didn't go through all that much development. Plus the side characters weren't that great either 🙈
➳ The romance- ... i'm sorry but it wasn't particularly good 🙈🙈 I will always prefer a fantasy with romance to one that doesn't have any, but if the romance isn't good then maybe don't include it..... The love interest, Jay, were kinda annoying and i didn't really feel any chemistry. So that was a bummer 🥲🥲
➳ This also felt very young? it was pretty juvenile for some reason and i just tend to prefer older ya books. that wasn't the book's fault but i just don't think the perfect target audience 🤷♀️🤷♀️
“You either trust the forest or you don't, Winnie.”
Overall, a pretty fun read!! 🥰🥰 I would recommend if you want:
✔ Trials
✔ Interesting world
✔ Enjoyable writing
✔ Fun ya fantasy
i dunno if I'm invested enough to pick up the second book when it comes out, but I still enjoyed this 💜
《 2023 Challenge: Book 112 of 110!! 》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I enjoyed this 💜💜 it was a pretty fun ya fantasy and while I did have some issues, but it was enjoyable overall 🥰🫶
RTC!
This ended up being a fun and enjoyable ya fantasy!! 🥰🥰 Even tho i didn't absolutely love it and had some issues, I thought it was entertaining 🫶🫶
“That’s why we’re called the Luminaries, Winnie: we are lanterns the forest can never snuff out.”
The Luminaries follows our mc Winnie Wednesday who lives in the town of Hemlock Falls. Although Hemlock Falls appears normal, it is anything but- monsters called nightmares prowl the forest, preying on the human residents. To protect the town, the members of the Luminaries- an ancient order tasked with protecting everyone from the nightmares- hunt these monsters. In this order are seven clans, one for each day, who are responsible for hunting the monsters on their specific day. The mc Winnie has always wanted to join the Luminaries to become a hunter and restore her family's name after her dad was exposed as a traitor- but passing the trials will take everyone that she has. And there's a new monster prowling the forest....
I kinda picked this up on a whim mostly bc the cover really intrigued me- and I'm glad I gave it a try!! It could've been better, but I did enjoy it 💜💜
Starting with what I liked!! ✨️ I think the plot and writing were probably the strongest elements in here. I really enjoyed Susan Dennard's writing style- it was descriptive, but also super easy to read, which made the book go by pretty quickly. Her writing style was very entertaining to read. I also thought the plot was done really well- it was pretty fast-paced and had lots of action, which I enjoyed!! 💜 I really liked the trials aspect, and there was also a twist at the end which definitely caught me off guard 🫶🫶
I also thought the worldbuilding was executed well! I feel like it put a twist on popular fantasy elements and was quite unique, which i appreciated 🥰🥰
However, i did have a few issues with this book that prevented me from absolutely loving it 🫤 Those being:
➳ The characters- ngl they were pretty bland 😬😬 Our mc Winnie felt very flat to me and i feel like she didn't go through all that much development. Plus the side characters weren't that great either 🙈
➳ The romance- ... i'm sorry but it wasn't particularly good 🙈🙈 I will always prefer a fantasy with romance to one that doesn't have any, but if the romance isn't good then maybe don't include it..... The love interest, Jay, were kinda annoying and i didn't really feel any chemistry. So that was a bummer 🥲🥲
➳ This also felt very young? it was pretty juvenile for some reason and i just tend to prefer older ya books. that wasn't the book's fault but i just don't think the perfect target audience 🤷♀️🤷♀️
“You either trust the forest or you don't, Winnie.”
Overall, a pretty fun read!! 🥰🥰 I would recommend if you want:
✔ Trials
✔ Interesting world
✔ Enjoyable writing
✔ Fun ya fantasy
i dunno if I'm invested enough to pick up the second book when it comes out, but I still enjoyed this 💜
《 2023 Challenge: Book 112 of 110!! 》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I enjoyed this 💜💜 it was a pretty fun ya fantasy and while I did have some issues, but it was enjoyable overall 🥰🫶
RTC!
March 16, 2023
*clicks teeth*
November 14, 2022
I listened to The Luminaries on audiobook and frequently checked just to see how much time I had left on this one.
The Luminaries had promising bones. Winnie is an outcast in a society that hunts and kills monsters. After her father betrayed the society, she is left on the edge of it, missing out on her coming of age moment where she too can become a hunter. So...she steals it. But in the forest Winnie finds something more dark and evil than the monsters they hunt.
So first off, a lot of real estate in this book is given to Winnie, reflecting on her dad and the fact that everyone hates her family. Like no joke, it's about 20% of the book MINIMUM. Externally, there is an even bigger focus on it, as most of Winnie's interactions with people are related to her hang-ups about her family's status. I've seen this concept executed pretty well and I am sad to say this is not one of those times. It's repetitive and boring.
The characters and relationships are 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 even register as a character. The romance is dry and chemistryless. There was a lot of opportunity to subvert tropes and expectations, but The Luminaries seems dead set on being a beat-for-beat expectation meet-er. None of these plot points will be unfamiliar if you've read just about any YA book in the last few years. The 'twists' really didn't do it for me either.
There are some great ideas going on here. 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. I MIGHT try book 2 if its conveniently accessible, but this was one of the bigger let downs of 2023 for me.
The Luminaries had promising bones. Winnie is an outcast in a society that hunts and kills monsters. After her father betrayed the society, she is left on the edge of it, missing out on her coming of age moment where she too can become a hunter. So...she steals it. But in the forest Winnie finds something more dark and evil than the monsters they hunt.
So first off, a lot of real estate in this book is given to Winnie, reflecting on her dad and the fact that everyone hates her family. Like no joke, it's about 20% of the book MINIMUM. Externally, there is an even bigger focus on it, as most of Winnie's interactions with people are related to her hang-ups about her family's status. I've seen this concept executed pretty well and I am sad to say this is not one of those times. It's repetitive and boring.
The characters and relationships are 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 even register as a character. The romance is dry and chemistryless. There was a lot of opportunity to subvert tropes and expectations, but The Luminaries seems dead set on being a beat-for-beat expectation meet-er. None of these plot points will be unfamiliar if you've read just about any YA book in the last few years. The 'twists' really didn't do it for me either.
There are some great ideas going on here. 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. I MIGHT try book 2 if its conveniently accessible, but this was one of the bigger let downs of 2023 for me.
November 1, 2022
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.
The notes and elements that made the Twitter adventure version thrive are all still there but it's an entirely different story and I'm truly in love. I cannot wait for everyone to read this because it's immediately become one of my all time favorites, and I NEED more people to shout about it with!!
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.
The notes and elements that made the Twitter adventure version thrive are all still there but it's an entirely different story and I'm truly in love. I cannot wait for everyone to read this because it's immediately become one of my all time favorites, and I NEED more people to shout about it with!!
October 2, 2023
this is your reminder to never let a man recommend you a book.
January 11, 2023
ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.
3 fascinating stars
This was such an interesting book!! The world-building was brilliant – no info-dumping but also minimal confusion, which is such a fine line. It was also a really unique world, with the fascinating concept of different places on the globe becoming populated with a wide variety of unique monsters, come night. Not only did this introduce a broad selection of both traditional and uncommon monsters, it also initiated some racial representation, which I thought was really cleverly done.
“That’s why we’re called the Luminaries, Winnie: we are lanterns the forest can never snuff out.”
Winnie was definitely a powerful character. She’s not the most gentle, instead she had a bit of a chip on her shoulder, absolutely valid given her family’s brutal exile from the hunters, for something that wasn’t their fault. But her development and her portrayal were both highly impressive and added so much flavour to the story, which I really enjoyed. We need more characters like Winnie, determined and brimming with rage.
“You either trust the forest or you don’t, Winnie. You have to make up your mind.”
Jay was… not quite as impactful, in my opinion. Though his character was interesting, causing me to come up with a VARIETY of theories – each more ridiculous than the last – we never really found out the answers to the questions he dragged up. While this may be because his mysteries will later be revealed in the rest of the series, I couldn’t help but just feel a mixture of confusion and a bit of apathy for Jay, and I wish that we knew a bit more about him.
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.
All in all, I’m glad I read this, and I think I might end up continuing the series just because it was such an interesting and unique world! Plus Winnie 🥰. Thank you so much to the author, publisher (Daphne Press) and NetGalley for the ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review.
*Quotes may not be in the published version of this novel, they were copied from the advanced reader’s edition.*
3 fascinating stars
This was such an interesting book!! The world-building was brilliant – no info-dumping but also minimal confusion, which is such a fine line. It was also a really unique world, with the fascinating concept of different places on the globe becoming populated with a wide variety of unique monsters, come night. Not only did this introduce a broad selection of both traditional and uncommon monsters, it also initiated some racial representation, which I thought was really cleverly done.
“That’s why we’re called the Luminaries, Winnie: we are lanterns the forest can never snuff out.”
Winnie was definitely a powerful character. She’s not the most gentle, instead she had a bit of a chip on her shoulder, absolutely valid given her family’s brutal exile from the hunters, for something that wasn’t their fault. But her development and her portrayal were both highly impressive and added so much flavour to the story, which I really enjoyed. We need more characters like Winnie, determined and brimming with rage.
“You either trust the forest or you don’t, Winnie. You have to make up your mind.”
Jay was… not quite as impactful, in my opinion. Though his character was interesting, causing me to come up with a VARIETY of theories – each more ridiculous than the last – we never really found out the answers to the questions he dragged up. While this may be because his mysteries will later be revealed in the rest of the series, I couldn’t help but just feel a mixture of confusion and a bit of apathy for Jay, and I wish that we knew a bit more about him.
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.
All in all, I’m glad I read this, and I think I might end up continuing the series just because it was such an interesting and unique world! Plus Winnie 🥰. Thank you so much to the author, publisher (Daphne Press) and NetGalley for the ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review.
*Quotes may not be in the published version of this novel, they were copied from the advanced reader’s edition.*
Read
February 27, 2023NO YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I LOVE WINNIE AND JAY SO MUCH 😭😭😭
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Buddy read with the lovely Sam!
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Buddy read with the lovely Sam!
March 5, 2023
I've jumped in this world as if I, too, was made for this! I loved the monsters, the mysteries and the back story of this outcast family and I really enjoyed discovering all the codes of this organization... the story is fast-paced and I've read it with impatience but... I don't understand the end... if it's not a serie, there's no way you can let the reader with so many open questions (and theories)!!!!
I give it 4 stars because there are some childish comments here and there I really felt had no place in the story... but overall that was a good read!!
Edit : I just saw the title was changed in book 1... so this is a serie!!! I will definitely read the sequel!!
I give it 4 stars because there are some childish comments here and there I really felt had no place in the story... but overall that was a good read!!
Edit : I just saw the title was changed in book 1... so this is a serie!!! I will definitely read the sequel!!
March 29, 2022
A masterclass in writing awkward idiots.
I received this ARC through participation on Susan's street team. Does that make me biased? Maybe a little. But it doesn't change how this is the first print book I have read with my eyeballs and finished in almost 6 months. And, honestly, I stayed up to finish it because I COULD NOT STOP.
I have struggled, hard, with reading during the pandemic. Almost everything has to come through my ears or I just can't endure. I went from 100+ books per year to just 26 last year. But if more of my books were written like this, paced like this, burned slow and ticked my own personal boxes like this, I wouldn't be in such a slump on my physical TBR.
Winnie Wednesday is on the fringe. Sure some people are nice to her, and a few are kind, but even kindness comes with suspicion. They aren't allowed to include her, she's an outcast. And that includes her childhood friends: Erika and Jay. Ugh, Jay!
When she finds a loophole in the rules that allows outcasts to take the hunter trials, Winnie has to try. What follows is as much about what isn't said as what is, and what is believed and what isn't.
I really loved this story. I'm hung over. I'm distraught that book 2 is not in my hands at this very moment. But I am also extremely thankful that I've found a book that is exactly what I need right now.
I received this ARC through participation on Susan's street team. Does that make me biased? Maybe a little. But it doesn't change how this is the first print book I have read with my eyeballs and finished in almost 6 months. And, honestly, I stayed up to finish it because I COULD NOT STOP.
I have struggled, hard, with reading during the pandemic. Almost everything has to come through my ears or I just can't endure. I went from 100+ books per year to just 26 last year. But if more of my books were written like this, paced like this, burned slow and ticked my own personal boxes like this, I wouldn't be in such a slump on my physical TBR.
Winnie Wednesday is on the fringe. Sure some people are nice to her, and a few are kind, but even kindness comes with suspicion. They aren't allowed to include her, she's an outcast. And that includes her childhood friends: Erika and Jay. Ugh, Jay!
When she finds a loophole in the rules that allows outcasts to take the hunter trials, Winnie has to try. What follows is as much about what isn't said as what is, and what is believed and what isn't.
I really loved this story. I'm hung over. I'm distraught that book 2 is not in my hands at this very moment. But I am also extremely thankful that I've found a book that is exactly what I need right now.
October 28, 2022
The Luminaries by Susan Dennard and how awful it was. No quotes today because there’s really nothing memorable.
This book was written like a lower ya novel marketed towards upper ya / adults. It is a very dark concept. Winnie’s family has been outcast and she must go through 3 life risking trials to better her families life.
This is the most repetitive book I have ever read. I found out it was written through Twitter polls, and she must have just written those down and then rewritten the same paragraph dozens of times. She clicked her teeth at least once every 2 pages, there was a swear jar mentioned 6-7 times that didn’t matter. She’s gifted a jacket in the first 10 pages and then every character asks her where she got it from. (Like 8 or 9 times, not at all relevant)
I feel like the plot was completely forgotten. There was a conflict, but no one cared. No one wanted to fix it. We got so many worthless scenes, like school, a party, training. The action scenes were so boring and made even worse by the main character spouting the same paragraphs and facts about the creatures the entire time.
Every single sentence start with Winnie, had Winnie in it, ended with Winnie, or mentioned her dad. Who abandoned her. And she hates her mom because she loved her dad. Do I know what her dad did? No. Do I have any information on this world? Nope. I know it has hemlock. I don’t know what nons are, and honestly I don’t know who the Luminaries are. There was zero explanation about things that actually mattered, but so much overexplaining about things that were unnecessary.
I loved Truthwitch and I was so excited to read this, just for it to make me mad and probably in a good book slump.
Don’t read this.
This book was written like a lower ya novel marketed towards upper ya / adults. It is a very dark concept. Winnie’s family has been outcast and she must go through 3 life risking trials to better her families life.
This is the most repetitive book I have ever read. I found out it was written through Twitter polls, and she must have just written those down and then rewritten the same paragraph dozens of times. She clicked her teeth at least once every 2 pages, there was a swear jar mentioned 6-7 times that didn’t matter. She’s gifted a jacket in the first 10 pages and then every character asks her where she got it from. (Like 8 or 9 times, not at all relevant)
I feel like the plot was completely forgotten. There was a conflict, but no one cared. No one wanted to fix it. We got so many worthless scenes, like school, a party, training. The action scenes were so boring and made even worse by the main character spouting the same paragraphs and facts about the creatures the entire time.
Every single sentence start with Winnie, had Winnie in it, ended with Winnie, or mentioned her dad. Who abandoned her. And she hates her mom because she loved her dad. Do I know what her dad did? No. Do I have any information on this world? Nope. I know it has hemlock. I don’t know what nons are, and honestly I don’t know who the Luminaries are. There was zero explanation about things that actually mattered, but so much overexplaining about things that were unnecessary.
I loved Truthwitch and I was so excited to read this, just for it to make me mad and probably in a good book slump.
Don’t read this.
July 1, 2023
I know this book has gotten a lot of hate for certain reasons, but I honestly didn’t mind it. Like Fourth Wing, I do wish the entire book wasn’t solely focused on training and trials until the real action begins. There is more focus placed on setting up all the mysteries in the plot and the world, so I do hope they’re answered in the next book. If not, I will come back and lower my rating for this book. 😬
April 23, 2024
౨ৎ 22/04/24
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ if your wondering why it took me so long is because I gave up so many times to the point where I just stopped reading.I really tried to give this book a go despite the bad reviews..but seriously they are all true :/
If u really want to read the book then just read the blurb trust me it is the whole plot and you won't miss out a thing.Don't waste your time just like I won't by writing a big beautiful review for this book.
If u think i'm being harsh..read the book yourself. Sorry not sorry
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ if your wondering why it took me so long is because I gave up so many times to the point where I just stopped reading.I really tried to give this book a go despite the bad reviews..but seriously they are all true :/
If u really want to read the book then just read the blurb trust me it is the whole plot and you won't miss out a thing.Don't waste your time just like I won't by writing a big beautiful review for this book.
If u think i'm being harsh..read the book yourself. Sorry not sorry
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
April 3, 2024
Le début était prometteur et l’univers est vraiment original et intéressant mais les longueurs m’ont beaucoup freinée. J’ai aussi trouvé que c’était un peu brouillon dans l’intrigue autant que dans le style d’écriture, et il ne se passe finalement pas grand chose dans tout le roman. Une lecture sympa mais sans plus du coup, je ne suis pas sûre que je lirai la suite… 🫢
January 22, 2023
BOOP!
Ugh, Jay!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Stars!
While this was fun and a fast read it definitely felt like a 300 page long introduction for things to come.
Ugh, Jay!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Stars!
While this was fun and a fast read it definitely felt like a 300 page long introduction for things to come.
December 20, 2023
This was so nostalgic for some reason!
I think if you’re a fan of classic YA paranormal/fantasy books, you’ll probably enjoy this one. There were lots of tropes and elements that were familiar, but not necessarily in a bad way. It reminded me a lot of the way I felt when I was just getting into the YA fantasy genre as a teen, which was really nice. I really enjoyed the mystery element and am hoping that it becomes even more prominent in book two.
Because this seemed so familiar, I do think that it needed certain elements to stand out to differentiate it from other works in the genre. And there were some, like the way the Luminaries (hunters of paranormal entities) were broken up into houses corresponding with different days of the week. However I was left with lots of questions surrounding these differentiating choices. Why different days of the week? Why couldn’t hunters “change” days if they resonated more with the motto of another? Why didn’t they all share resources? And many more. I also struggled with the many, many metaphors surrounding paranormal creatures (eg “she was swift as a vampira”).
Overall, I think this was a decent series opened with a nostalgic YA paranormal vibe that I hope gets even better in book two.
Cw: murder, bullying
—————————————
Thank you Tor Teen for sending me a copy!
I think if you’re a fan of classic YA paranormal/fantasy books, you’ll probably enjoy this one. There were lots of tropes and elements that were familiar, but not necessarily in a bad way. It reminded me a lot of the way I felt when I was just getting into the YA fantasy genre as a teen, which was really nice. I really enjoyed the mystery element and am hoping that it becomes even more prominent in book two.
Because this seemed so familiar, I do think that it needed certain elements to stand out to differentiate it from other works in the genre. And there were some, like the way the Luminaries (hunters of paranormal entities) were broken up into houses corresponding with different days of the week. However I was left with lots of questions surrounding these differentiating choices. Why different days of the week? Why couldn’t hunters “change” days if they resonated more with the motto of another? Why didn’t they all share resources? And many more. I also struggled with the many, many metaphors surrounding paranormal creatures (eg “she was swift as a vampira”).
Overall, I think this was a decent series opened with a nostalgic YA paranormal vibe that I hope gets even better in book two.
Cw: murder, bullying
—————————————
Thank you Tor Teen for sending me a copy!
June 27, 2023
This is my first Susan Dennard book and I must say after reading it that it's motivating me a lot to start reading Truthwitch which has been casually hanging out on my shelves for a few months by now.
This was a very pleasant, short and easily digestible YA fantasy with supernatural creatures, spooky forest vibes and just a sprinkle of romance (at least in the first one). The book does read a bit like a first in a series and doesn't tie up all loose ends at the end of it, not to mention there's also a bomb dropped at the end which... excuse me, I need answers, please. I have so many questions.
A quick run-down of the good and the bad:
➕Spooky forest vibes
➕Underdog lead character who is literally willing to die to improve her family's life
➕Mystery vibes too
➕Cute possible friends-to-not-friends-to-friends-to-lovers scenario
➕The nicest pair of twins I've ever come across and they better not turn backstabby
➖Self-doubting was a bit too much at times
➖We get it, he has nice thighs
Overall I give it a 4/5⭐ - it was a nice, fast-paced and enjoyable YA read!
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
This was a very pleasant, short and easily digestible YA fantasy with supernatural creatures, spooky forest vibes and just a sprinkle of romance (at least in the first one). The book does read a bit like a first in a series and doesn't tie up all loose ends at the end of it, not to mention there's also a bomb dropped at the end which... excuse me, I need answers, please. I have so many questions.
A quick run-down of the good and the bad:
➕Spooky forest vibes
➕Underdog lead character who is literally willing to die to improve her family's life
➕Mystery vibes too
➕Cute possible friends-to-not-friends-to-friends-to-lovers scenario
➕The nicest pair of twins I've ever come across and they better not turn backstabby
➖Self-doubting was a bit too much at times
➖We get it, he has nice thighs
Overall I give it a 4/5⭐ - it was a nice, fast-paced and enjoyable YA read!
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
October 16, 2023
Abgebrochen - leider sehr langweilig..schade um meine Illumicrate Edition :(
March 29, 2022
The Luminaries started as a choose your own adventure twitter story and has now become a separate wonderful book. The book follows Winnie, a teenager who has grown up in a town run by The Luminaries, a group of people who protect the wider world from the nightmares some forests produce. Her family used to be Luminary members in good standing, but after her father was caught as a Diana, their rival group, Winnie's family have been ostracized by the broader group. Winnie, who has not been able to formally train as a hunter, decides to enter the first trial anyway. Things escalate from here.
This book is truly an incredibly fun wild ride. I was absolutely thinking about this book whenever I wasn't able to read it. It takes place over about a week and has the fast pace and high action you would expect from a book that takes place over such a short amount of time. I absolutely loved the book.
My favorite aspect of this book was the way Dennard talks about community, family, and anger. Winnie is incredibly angry about the way her family has been treated, and she is especially jarred when people start to accept them back into the fold. Experiencing this with her is such a strong emotional core to the story. The dichotomy between wanting desperately to be a part of the group but also seeing the flaws in the group, seeing their failings, and being so angry about how they treated you and how they aren't actually facing their own wrongdoings. Winnie does not want to be treated poorly any longer, but she also wants the people who treated her poorly to actually say they did something wrong and not have them just start being nice to her.
I also liked that Dennard gave Winnie a group of girls who had been kind to her before, and now Winnie is able to actually let some of her walls down, and they are allowed to fully embrace her; Winnie has a really fun friend group. It is excellent to see Winnie want so deeply to be a good friend to people who were kind to her when no one else was. I especially liked how sweet it was that Winnie wanted to make sure she got her friends adequate birthday presents. I also loved the scene about 3/4 of the way through the book where they are just having fun. It was such a lovely moment to release tension and show a connection.
The world of this book is also so excellent. I loved the way the nightmare's existence in the forest impacted so much of the culture around the Luminaries but also just how interesting the lore was. I especially liked the way Dennard makes sure to highlight the global nature of the luminaries, she truly does a great job of making this a foundational and normal part of her world. These groups are all over the world, doing the same hard work of protecting people from the forests.
I really was impressed by the way Dennard wrote Winnie's relationship with the nightmares. She is afraid of them but she is also reverent of them just as much. It is a really interesting dichotomy being explored in this story. She is almost obsessed with the lore surrounding the nightmares, having an encyclopedic knowledge of the creatures she encounters. She is a delightful little nerd. But whenever she actually encounters these creatures herself she is completely awed by them, which almost seems to heighten the fear. I really loved the way her encounters with nightmares made her want to edit the book she learned this information from, it was such a fun way to engage with this world.
I think there are a lot of aspects of this story that people who really liked Cassandra Clare's books will immediately latch onto.
I have more to say about this book, but I think I am going to mull it over for a little bit and come back and expand. But basically, this book is action-packed and fun and I loved it.
This book is truly an incredibly fun wild ride. I was absolutely thinking about this book whenever I wasn't able to read it. It takes place over about a week and has the fast pace and high action you would expect from a book that takes place over such a short amount of time. I absolutely loved the book.
My favorite aspect of this book was the way Dennard talks about community, family, and anger. Winnie is incredibly angry about the way her family has been treated, and she is especially jarred when people start to accept them back into the fold. Experiencing this with her is such a strong emotional core to the story. The dichotomy between wanting desperately to be a part of the group but also seeing the flaws in the group, seeing their failings, and being so angry about how they treated you and how they aren't actually facing their own wrongdoings. Winnie does not want to be treated poorly any longer, but she also wants the people who treated her poorly to actually say they did something wrong and not have them just start being nice to her.
I also liked that Dennard gave Winnie a group of girls who had been kind to her before, and now Winnie is able to actually let some of her walls down, and they are allowed to fully embrace her; Winnie has a really fun friend group. It is excellent to see Winnie want so deeply to be a good friend to people who were kind to her when no one else was. I especially liked how sweet it was that Winnie wanted to make sure she got her friends adequate birthday presents. I also loved the scene about 3/4 of the way through the book where they are just having fun. It was such a lovely moment to release tension and show a connection.
The world of this book is also so excellent. I loved the way the nightmare's existence in the forest impacted so much of the culture around the Luminaries but also just how interesting the lore was. I especially liked the way Dennard makes sure to highlight the global nature of the luminaries, she truly does a great job of making this a foundational and normal part of her world. These groups are all over the world, doing the same hard work of protecting people from the forests.
I really was impressed by the way Dennard wrote Winnie's relationship with the nightmares. She is afraid of them but she is also reverent of them just as much. It is a really interesting dichotomy being explored in this story. She is almost obsessed with the lore surrounding the nightmares, having an encyclopedic knowledge of the creatures she encounters. She is a delightful little nerd. But whenever she actually encounters these creatures herself she is completely awed by them, which almost seems to heighten the fear. I really loved the way her encounters with nightmares made her want to edit the book she learned this information from, it was such a fun way to engage with this world.
I think there are a lot of aspects of this story that people who really liked Cassandra Clare's books will immediately latch onto.
I have more to say about this book, but I think I am going to mull it over for a little bit and come back and expand. But basically, this book is action-packed and fun and I loved it.
April 10, 2023
2.5 stars
Small towns filled with hunters, tasked with killing nightmarish monsters each night to keep the rest of the modern world safely unaware. A girl with a burning desire to belong. A boy with secrets. Welcome to the American branch of the Luminaries.
Concept: ★★★★
Pacing: ★★★
Enjoyment: ★★
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 is a teenager with a very abnormal life. For one thing, she lives in Hemlock Falls—a town filled with clans of hunters, all driven to fight the magical nightmares that plague their forests each night. Each day of the week has a clan, and each clan hunts the nightmares on their day of the week.
Except for Winnie Wednesday and her family. Because while they might be "Wednesdays" in name, the truth of the matter is... they're outcasts. So Winnie spends her days ignored, slighted, and mocked. It's not a good living. Her exiled father's one mistake costed her family's entire happiness, and now it's up to Winnie to redeem their name in the only way she knows how: by succeeding in the Hunter trials during the month of her sixteenth birthday.
But there's something stranger than usual afoot in the forests of Hemlock Falls... and Winnie's about to find herself right in the middle of it.
(Oh, and so will her ex-friend, Jay. The mysteriously handsome and aloof boy whom Winnie can't forgive—and yet can't forget.)
My thoughts:
Alright.... So I think I'm going to take this book as a sign. A sign that I, for some reason, do not vibe with Susan Dennard's stories. (I love her as a person and will continue to enjoy her on Twitter/etc.) This entire review needs to be taken with a grain of salt because I really should have stopped reading Dennard after I tried and failed to read the Witchlands series after multiple attempts. But that's neither here nor there, so let's talk about this book specifically.
Have you ever read a story that feels like you SHOULD totally love it, and yet it's like just outside of your reach in a frustrating manner? That was The Luminaries for me.
I loved the concept. That hooked me in from the start and continued to compel me throughout the reading experience. Each weekday clan with a motto, a cause, and some shady secrets? Sign me up! How interesting! The atmosphere and general sense of setting was darkly whimsical in the best way.
But... the story itself fell flat for me. The characters felt basic, like templates of the standard YA character tropes. The plot feel both too bogged down with weird details and yet so utterly vague on large concepts.
I also have one major issue, but it is a spoiler so I will keep it vague here for the purposes of this review: the town's reactions to Winnie's family? Made no sense? Literal adults, acting like that? Even family members? I just could NOT get into the logic of that.
Anyways, not one for me. Which is a bummer. HOWEVER, it seems like this author's logic flow and mine maybe are at odds, so it might just be me. Give this one a try if the description interests you!
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Small towns filled with hunters, tasked with killing nightmarish monsters each night to keep the rest of the modern world safely unaware. A girl with a burning desire to belong. A boy with secrets. Welcome to the American branch of the Luminaries.
Concept: ★★★★
Pacing: ★★★
Enjoyment: ★★
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 is a teenager with a very abnormal life. For one thing, she lives in Hemlock Falls—a town filled with clans of hunters, all driven to fight the magical nightmares that plague their forests each night. Each day of the week has a clan, and each clan hunts the nightmares on their day of the week.
Except for Winnie Wednesday and her family. Because while they might be "Wednesdays" in name, the truth of the matter is... they're outcasts. So Winnie spends her days ignored, slighted, and mocked. It's not a good living. Her exiled father's one mistake costed her family's entire happiness, and now it's up to Winnie to redeem their name in the only way she knows how: by succeeding in the Hunter trials during the month of her sixteenth birthday.
But there's something stranger than usual afoot in the forests of Hemlock Falls... and Winnie's about to find herself right in the middle of it.
(Oh, and so will her ex-friend, Jay. The mysteriously handsome and aloof boy whom Winnie can't forgive—and yet can't forget.)
My thoughts:
Alright.... So I think I'm going to take this book as a sign. A sign that I, for some reason, do not vibe with Susan Dennard's stories. (I love her as a person and will continue to enjoy her on Twitter/etc.) This entire review needs to be taken with a grain of salt because I really should have stopped reading Dennard after I tried and failed to read the Witchlands series after multiple attempts. But that's neither here nor there, so let's talk about this book specifically.
Have you ever read a story that feels like you SHOULD totally love it, and yet it's like just outside of your reach in a frustrating manner? That was The Luminaries for me.
I loved the concept. That hooked me in from the start and continued to compel me throughout the reading experience. Each weekday clan with a motto, a cause, and some shady secrets? Sign me up! How interesting! The atmosphere and general sense of setting was darkly whimsical in the best way.
But... the story itself fell flat for me. The characters felt basic, like templates of the standard YA character tropes. The plot feel both too bogged down with weird details and yet so utterly vague on large concepts.
I also have one major issue, but it is a spoiler so I will keep it vague here for the purposes of this review: the town's reactions to Winnie's family? Made no sense? Literal adults, acting like that? Even family members? I just could NOT get into the logic of that.
Anyways, not one for me. Which is a bummer. HOWEVER, it seems like this author's logic flow and mine maybe are at odds, so it might just be me. Give this one a try if the description interests you!
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September 7, 2023
I liked this upon finishing it five months ago . . . but I have since had almost everything about it fall out of my head. Had I written this review right after finishing like a good little reviewer, it would have been four stars, but I think the fact that it hasn't stuck with me and I had to look up so much in order to even write this paltry review is definitely working against the book, and I've bumped it down to 3.5 stars, rounded down, as a result.
Also I remembered while attempting to write this review that the author gave the MC a really annoying teeth clicking tic that is unexplained, which I hated, and also there were some really bad lines that were left in the book that really annoyed me (like the word "haha" actually in the MC's inner monologue; I almost died when I read it).
But ultimately it's the forgettability, and specifically the forgettability of the characters—not the worldbuilding, which I thought was really interesting.
So this is a YA fantasy about Winnie Wednesday, a former member of a group called The Luminaries, which is dedicated to hunting down nightmare creatures that spawn near weird giant spirit creatures (unclear where these come from so far) in specific geographical locations. Winnie's former group protects/patrols a forest I think somewhere in the northern US. She has wanted to be a hunter all her life, but four years before the start of the book, her dad is found to be a spy from a group called the Dianas, who are enemies of The Luminaries. As a result, her dad is forced to leave, and Winnie, her brother and mother are shunned from the rest of the group, essentially living as exiles in their own community.
It was actually this aspect of the book I found the most interesting. Winnie wants to take the Hunter trials (anyone can do this) so that her family will be welcomed back into the fold, but when she does succeed, she is surprised by her own feelings at actually being welcomed back. She is angry that now they are being talked to and treated as equals when they were ignored or worse for four years, and the reasoning behind this doesn't make sense to her. She is especially hurt that her two best friends dropped her from their lives as if their friendships meant nothing. This aspect was not dealt with in this book, but I'm hoping it will be in the next. I need people to be apologizing profusely to Winnie and her family for being huge dicks. Any community that practices shunning deserves to be examined in much greater detail.
The fantasy plot and what Dennard does with it isn't as interesting as it could have been, but I was very taken with the idea that these giant magical sleeping spirits come into being, and their dreams and nightmares are brought to life in these specific geographical areas. What a cool concept.
I will be reading the sequel, though, because literally as I was typing this I got an email notifying me I was approved for an audio ARC that I requested weeks ago. I hope it goes well!
[3.5 stars]
Also I remembered while attempting to write this review that the author gave the MC a really annoying teeth clicking tic that is unexplained, which I hated, and also there were some really bad lines that were left in the book that really annoyed me (like the word "haha" actually in the MC's inner monologue; I almost died when I read it).
But ultimately it's the forgettability, and specifically the forgettability of the characters—not the worldbuilding, which I thought was really interesting.
So this is a YA fantasy about Winnie Wednesday, a former member of a group called The Luminaries, which is dedicated to hunting down nightmare creatures that spawn near weird giant spirit creatures (unclear where these come from so far) in specific geographical locations. Winnie's former group protects/patrols a forest I think somewhere in the northern US. She has wanted to be a hunter all her life, but four years before the start of the book, her dad is found to be a spy from a group called the Dianas, who are enemies of The Luminaries. As a result, her dad is forced to leave, and Winnie, her brother and mother are shunned from the rest of the group, essentially living as exiles in their own community.
It was actually this aspect of the book I found the most interesting. Winnie wants to take the Hunter trials (anyone can do this) so that her family will be welcomed back into the fold, but when she does succeed, she is surprised by her own feelings at actually being welcomed back. She is angry that now they are being talked to and treated as equals when they were ignored or worse for four years, and the reasoning behind this doesn't make sense to her. She is especially hurt that her two best friends dropped her from their lives as if their friendships meant nothing. This aspect was not dealt with in this book, but I'm hoping it will be in the next. I need people to be apologizing profusely to Winnie and her family for being huge dicks. Any community that practices shunning deserves to be examined in much greater detail.
The fantasy plot and what Dennard does with it isn't as interesting as it could have been, but I was very taken with the idea that these giant magical sleeping spirits come into being, and their dreams and nightmares are brought to life in these specific geographical areas. What a cool concept.
I will be reading the sequel, though, because literally as I was typing this I got an email notifying me I was approved for an audio ARC that I requested weeks ago. I hope it goes well!
[3.5 stars]
December 28, 2022
Spooky forest vibes, 4/5⭐️
This book came in the November Illumicrate Monthly subscription book box and is definitely one of the prettiest additions Illumicrate has done all year round. I adore the end pages!
This urban fantasy is set in a world where monsters called nightmares come out of forests throughout the globe. Different branches of luminaries across different countries protect the world from these monsters and the Luminaries are specially trained in hunting them. I like a light fantasy and because it is only 300 pages it sets up really quickly so not too much heavy world-building. The writing is pretty decent but the pacing could be improved as there are some elements which leave room to be desired.
The plot follows our main girl Winnie Wednesday as she and her immediate family are branded as outcasts due to her father betraying the luminaries but still wanting to become a hunter for the luminaries. She wants to make her family proud and it's been her dream to do to become a hunter so she must take part in the trials which are quite dangerous. She recruits help from local bad boy Jay so she can be trained to be ready for the trials. Liked the training sequence of this book, it has a really lovely payoff although I did feel a bit unsettled about the lying aspect of this book maybe that was the point. The description of the monsters is menacing however the forest does reveals that it does have a lighter side to it hopefully in the next week we have explorations of different sides of the forest.
I loved Winnie. She was quite relatable and I love having the main character in a YA fantasy book finally wear glasses! Jay was alright- a bit boring and just kinda there. Maybe there may be more of him in the next book. All the other Luminaries really pissed me off as they go from being plain nasty to Winnie and her family to suddenly being friendly with little to no development or consequence other than Winnie's inner thoughts.
This book came in the November Illumicrate Monthly subscription book box and is definitely one of the prettiest additions Illumicrate has done all year round. I adore the end pages!
This urban fantasy is set in a world where monsters called nightmares come out of forests throughout the globe. Different branches of luminaries across different countries protect the world from these monsters and the Luminaries are specially trained in hunting them. I like a light fantasy and because it is only 300 pages it sets up really quickly so not too much heavy world-building. The writing is pretty decent but the pacing could be improved as there are some elements which leave room to be desired.
The plot follows our main girl Winnie Wednesday as she and her immediate family are branded as outcasts due to her father betraying the luminaries but still wanting to become a hunter for the luminaries. She wants to make her family proud and it's been her dream to do to become a hunter so she must take part in the trials which are quite dangerous. She recruits help from local bad boy Jay so she can be trained to be ready for the trials. Liked the training sequence of this book, it has a really lovely payoff although I did feel a bit unsettled about the lying aspect of this book maybe that was the point. The description of the monsters is menacing however the forest does reveals that it does have a lighter side to it hopefully in the next week we have explorations of different sides of the forest.
I loved Winnie. She was quite relatable and I love having the main character in a YA fantasy book finally wear glasses! Jay was alright- a bit boring and just kinda there. Maybe there may be more of him in the next book. All the other Luminaries really pissed me off as they go from being plain nasty to Winnie and her family to suddenly being friendly with little to no development or consequence other than Winnie's inner thoughts.
March 14, 2024
This is not a perfect book, in fact it may not even be a 4 star read, but I really enjoyed it. Lately, I've been feeling like many recently published books are a bit too similar for me to get properly immersed in them, but despite its use of popular tropes, The Luminaries felt unique. It has its flaws. The characters and their relationships can be a bit cliche, the exposition isn't always delivered well, and some aspects of the world building leave me with questions, but I still really enjoyed this book. This is mainly because of the setting. It's creepy, yet cozy, in a way that I love. And I also loved the plethora of monsters in this world. Overall, The Luminaries isn't a masterpiece, but I had a really great time with it.
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