This had a lot of potential but it fell a little flat for me. It was cute and I liked it but it's not super memorable. The world building was weak and the pacing was a little off.

this was fine, which is sort of sad to say. Nothing about it particularly stood out to me, but I didn't exactly dislike anything about the book either. Its some pretty basic storytelling that gets the job done, but doesn't really offer anything more. The magic is there, but the world-building is pretty weak. the romance is there, but the chemistry isn't. The villain is there, but he isn't the villain the story is needing. I have a feeling I will easily forget this.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of Luminous!

It was a fun YA fantasy, but it wasn't great. It followed a kind of typical plotline of a character with a power who has to hide the power and then comes to learn things about it. The main character, Liora, was likable enough, but she didn't particularly stand out, and her love interest, Evran, didn't have much personality at all. The only character I actually liked was the villain, Darius, but even he read a bit flat to me. Unfortunately, while there were some good concepts here, there was nothing to make the book particularly stand out.

This was my first time reading Mara Rutherford, and I must say, it was a good introduction! The fantasy setting, the secret magic, and the sisterhood sold this book for me right off the bat. And the cover is beyond gorgeous!

This one was a miss for me as it reminded me of Shadow and Bone. Coincidentally, I'm probably one of the only people to dislike that story. However, if that is your jam- you'll like this.

Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of Luminous in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist

I loved Rutherford’s Crown of Coral and Pearl duology. The world building and the story itself were just wonderful. So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard Rutherford is publishing a new story. About magic. And witches. Yay!

Having read a few new releases this year, I’m starting to notice a… trend? A common thread? Not sure what to call it, but I’m starting to see some similarities in the publications.

It has come to my attention that the stories feel unfinished. Like the publications have been rushed.

Possibly because of the situation we are dealing with worldwide, publishers want to make sure the publication of books remains steady. It’s pure conjecture on my part. I’m just trying to make sense of it.

The Details

Anyway, Luminous isn’t the first story I thought felt unfinished. A quarter of the story is used to set up the plot, yet many details, such as the nature of the magic in this world, remain oddly vague.

The vagueness made it difficult to connect and imagine this world, which I thought had great potential to afford a reader to get completely engrossed in it.

The characters could have used a little more fleshing out. I know the protagonist is supposed to be naïve and inexperienced, but it just came across as annoying.

I think there is a fine line between naivete and that goody-two-shoes act that the protagonist kept slipping into from time to time.

The male characters in Luminous I could not stand at all. I thought they were all patronizing and full of themselves. Having one such character adds some depth to the story, but all of them just makes me curl my lip in displeasure.

I have to agree with a few reviews I read about Luminous, one character does remind one quite a bit of the Darkling from the The Shadow and Bone series. Was this intentional?

I wish the story had taken less time setting up the few details that were set up. The saying “show, don’t tell” comes to mind as I kept reading about the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings over and over again.

The Verdict

Overall, I am a little disappointed in this one. I had hoped for more depth, more action and more defined magic.

I would probably suggest it.

Bummed I didn’t love this one but the characters were just so bland and had zero personality or reasons for me to care. The plot wasn’t enough to keep me engaged and I just felt bored which is crazy because I loved the authors first two books but whatever.

This was a fun read! It reminded me a bit of Shadow and Bone in the sense that the baddie (Darius) wants Liora (MC) and says she’s like him. He takes her and her friends on a hunt for creatures he wants too.
The friends to lovers is so sweet! I love Evran! I liked the secrets of magic, and that witches have to hide, it brings an adrenaline fueled dynamic to it all! I also liked learning about magic and Liora’s powers as she herself learns. It made me feel more in tune with her! I liked that she wasn't perfect, she made mistakes.
It was left a bit open ended so I’d be curious about a possible sequel!

Mara Rutherford's newest fantasy novel, "Luminous," takes readers into a new world and magic system where Liora, a young witchling, has many powers such as the ability to glow. I wasn't sold immediately on the plot or premise, but Rutherford did well at creating her own magic system. I enjoyed these technical aspects more than the characters, which I felt were not thoroughly developed.

This was a great YA Fantasy novel, that I would definitely recommend trying!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Luminous is the story of a girl with a unique magic system, a fast-paced plot, and a friends-to-lovers romance.

Readers who enjoyed Woven in Moonlight will enjoy this novel.

This story takes us on the journey of Liora, a girl who was told to hide her "light" her whole life. Never truly understanding how she came to be or why she is deemed so "bad", we follow her through her own self-discovery. The more Liora accepts herself, the more powerful she becomes.

I enjoyed this novel, however, I didn't really buy the love connection with Evran (always had this feeling he was made by his mother and it didn't sit well). The ending almost makes it appear that a sequel is coming.

A good quick read. Very interesting premise not sure if i liked the delivery?
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

This book was good. I didn’t think anything was standout to me but I did enjoy it. I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the magic system.

My fave character was actually Darius. I don’t always love the villain but I liked that as the book goes on, we learn his back story. It made me more enthralled by him.

Is anyone else super excited for another Mara Rutherford novel? I first fell in love with her writing in Crown of Coral and Pearl, and here we are with a new world! Luminous is a new young adult novel, one that portrays a different world full of magic.

Ever since she was little, Liora was forced to hide. She hid from the world what made her so unique – her glow. Literally, her family feared what would happen to her if the king's warlock learned of her gift, which feels more like a curse.

When the whole world is turned upon its head, Liora must learn to embrace the magic deep within and find a way to save the day. Yet this will not be an easy or comfortable journey for her. Thankfully, she has allies to lend a hand.

"You were your own light in the darkness. You just needed to believe in yourself."

I honestly didn't know what to expect from Luminous. Thanks to the previous works I've read by Mara Rutherford, I knew that it would include an imaginative world with magic and lore. What I didn't know was how the main plot would evolve.

I will say that I was blown away by Luminous. It was absolutely a fun adventure worth reading, one that I thoroughly enjoyed. This was one of those books that was easy to picture an adaptation for. The characters and scenarios lend themselves so well to the big (or little) screen.

My one complaint about Luminous, if you can call it, is that many character relationships felt a little shallow. This is especially true earlier in the book. Many relationships were told, as opposed to shown, that sort of thing. It does get better with time, so I'm willing to be generous on this count.

Overall, I enjoyed Luminous. Part of me is sad that it is a standalone novel. I enjoyed the world (that I saw) and would have liked to see more of it. The rest of me is happy that the story ended at the right time, with a proper ending.

I enjoyed this story. I felt that it was a solid read, although it is lacking in some areas. I enjoyed the characters for the most part, although I felt that there were too many characters involved in the main story that it was hard to really get to know any of them very well. Even the main love interest was quite a mystery and we only learned the basics about him. That being said I loved how the antagonist was presented. He was definitely more morally grey then villain and it was easy to feel connected to him even though some of the things he was doing was atrocious. I loved that there were different aspects to the plotline as well, It seems that there was something for everyone. We had the small village, the big city, the traveling trope and even a dark magical realm to explore. I found that the ending was a bit rushed but there was also a twist in the plot that I did not see coming at all. I would say that this is a good, solid, enjoyable book. If you like friends to lovers romance, and a good magical plot then I would say to give this one a try. I would give this more of a 3.5 than a 3 star if I could. I just dont think it made it to a 4 star for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the published for this advanced copy in exchange for a review. I was actually supposed to read and review this for a blog tour, but my life is a mess and I completely forgot. So, here we are, better late than never they say, right?
This story follows Liora who is a witch. Her powers include glowing like a star (and more as we follow her journey in this story). She’s been kept hidden her whole life because there is a powerful mave, Darius, that seeks out other mages and kills them or makes them come work for him at the palace. One thing leads to another, and Liora is found out by Darius. But instead of taking Liora to the palace, he takes her younger sister, Mina, as leverage. This also leads to Liora taking an apprenticeship with her neighbor, the mother of the boy that Liora is in love with. Her neighbor is a weaver and she can weave things and make them come to life. This adds some complications to the story.
This was very much a story about Liora finding herself and learning about her power. Everything that happens plot wise in this book was so that Liora would use her magic in ways she’s never been able to and in turn, learn more about herself. I liked Liora. She was curious but cautious. She cares so much for her friends and family that she’s puts herself into danger for them. She just had a really big heart which we see by how she feels sympathy for Darius after she learns of how he came to be the way he is. Darius was definitely the most interesting character. He’s the villain of the story, and rightfully so, but as we get to know him from his sharing with Liora, his childhood was not an easy one. I thought his ending was a fitting one. But I did end up really liking him.
The magic was absolutely the best part of this story. Every mage has a different ability. Liora is basically a star. We see a mage that controls shadows, one that can teleport, another that can shapeshift, and one that can read minds and speak telepathically. I thought it was really interesting that no two mages had the same ability.
The romance was good. It’s the childhood friends to lovers trope, which is usually one of my favorites. And while I enjoyed them and was happy with how their story ended, I couldn’t help but hope for some romance with the villain.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The writing was good. It kept me interested and the story felt like it was moving right along even though things didn’t really get exciting until about halfway through. The characters were well developed and interesting. I just had a hard time feeling attached to them. This was a really unique and compelling standalone fantasy that I think many people will love.

Okay I'm only about 2/3 of the way through this but OMG

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Liora has spent her life hiding her magic from the world. Her skin glows, making her magic immediately recognizable. When Darius, a warlock who works for the King, arrives in town to hunt down mages, he finds Liora. Instead of taking Liora to the capital to work for him, he lets her work for a neighboring witch, and takes Liora’s younger sister instead. Then, Liora’s best friend and first love, Evran, disappears after her sister leaves. Darius has dangerous plans for the future of their kingdom. Liora will do anything to save her sister and Evran, even if it means giving in to Darius’s demands.

This was another great fantasy novel by Mara Rutherford. I liked how fast paced it was. There were a few times when the story was heading in a direction that I thought would lower the tension and slow down the story. However, those parts only lasted a chapter or two, so the story kept its fast pace.

There were a few surprising twists that I didn’t see coming. I had no idea where the story was going to end, and I was really shocked at the ending. I hope there will be a sequel because I want to know what will happen next!

Luminous is a great YA fantasy!

Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of the novel is intriguing but many of the conversations and descriptions lack real depth. The world is interesting and the characters are intriguing but were not gripping enough to keep the reader entertained.

Full review can be read here: https://twincitiesgeek.com/2021/11/luminous-shines-but-not-as-brightly-as-it-could-have/