The Luminaries is a fantasy novel by Susan Dennard. It is the first book in the The Luminaries series, which blends elements of adventure, magic, and mystery. The book touches on themes of power, destiny, friendship, and self-discovery. It delves into what it means to grow up with great expectations and the pressure of shaping one’s own future in the face of overwhelming odds.
The story takes place in a world where The Luminaries, a secretive group of skilled individuals, use their magical abilities to protect the world from dark forces. The main protagonist, Ziva, is a young girl who is thrust into this world when she discovers her own latent magical abilities. As she trains to become one of The Luminaries, Ziva uncovers mysteries surrounding her past and the fate of the Luminaries themselves.
Ziva’s journey is complicated by the fact that she is not only learning how to control her powers but also facing the weight of prophecy and the role she may play in an impending conflict that could change the fate of the world. Along the way, she forges relationships with other members of the Luminaries, confronts dark forces, and unravels dangerous secrets.

This was okay. It was not perfect but I enjoyed it a lot. The writing was beautiful and it had a cool magic system

The concept for The Luminaries is an interesting one. An entire society that protects the world from the creatures that manifest in a spooky forest is an atmospheric treat. Winnie will do anything to lift the outcast status placed upon her and her family, including participating in the Hunter Trials. These trials are brutal and are the framework for this book.

I enjoyed this book, but it is not without flaws. Winnie clicks her teeth… a lot. It’s a pet peeve of mine, such repetitive actions in stories, but the rest is compelling enough that I can forgive it. I’m a sucker for slow burns and adored the interactions between Winnie and Ugh Jay.

I wanted to like this book so badly but I just couldn’t. The main character just got on my nerves and the story felt really slow paced to me. I was expecting more action.

I really enjoyed the witchlands series by the same author so I had a lot more hope for this one. But this one just fell flat for me. I won't be finishing the series.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

I really loved this book. I listened to it on audio and it was like being told a scary story, which was so cool. I love how there is this dark mist that brings about these nightmare creatures. It's such a cool concept. I really liked the characters. I do think there could be a stronger romance in this. It just wasn't that believable. I can't wait to read the next one!

Thank you for this ARC. Unfortunately, I've lost interest in this premise. I think it will do more harm if I read and do a review at this point. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.

Four stars for the portion of the book that I read. Currently putting this down, hoping to come back to it later

On the spectrum of YA, this is on the younger and safe side. So, if you like that then this is a great book that I'm sure many will love. This one just wasn't one for me.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

I've been looking for a paranormal book for a while now, one that is set in the real world but has a fascinating magic system. I've heard good things about the uniqueness of The Luminaries and I was so happy when it came in one of my Illumicrate boxes.

When I first started reading, I wasn't enjoying the book much in the first 50 pages. I was worried I would have to struggle to read and finish it but as I kept going, I started to breeze through and all of a sudden I read 100 pages in seemingly a blink.

I enjoyed all the characters. Winnie seemed so shy and sweet and I was cheering her on as she made her mark on the Luminaries. After her dad was outed as a Diana, the Luminaries's mortal enemy, Winnie's family was cast out, condemned, bullied and shunned. On her 16th birthday, she takes the chance to regain her family's honour and become a luminary herself. To do so, she needs to undertake a series of tests to protect the human world from the paranormal. With a mysterious new force killing the creatures in the forest, the stakes have become even higher for Winnie to become a luminary and survive the trials.

I enjoyed the story, love interest, Jay and the overall aesthetic of the story. There were times when I felt like the pacing was a little slow but all in all, I had so much fun reading this. I ended up reading the sequel straight after I finished this book and I cannot wait to read book three later this year.

I feel like the summary gave away most of the story, but it was still an enjoyable read overall. I really love the haunting cover.

Ugh, Jay! I followed this story from it's conception as a "Sooz your own adventure" and was so excited when it was published. I love Susan Dennard and her commitment to both craft and her audience. For that reason, I support the hell out of this book. This book was entertaining and enjoyable, with great call-backs to the original story on Twitter. While it is not my favorite book by this author, I am excited to see where the rest of the story takes us.

I was hooked on this book. The supernatural elements were interesting and the unravelling of the plot kept me invested in the characters. There was room for work on developing individual characters, but as this is the start of the series I am holding on to hope that we will get more insight in the future. I burned through this book so fast, and definitely would recommend it to those that enjoy supernatural mystery stories with a friends to enemies to possible lovers? I guess you will have to read to find out.

This book has been out for awhile now, and for some reason I never wrote a review for it. I remember having some trouble reading it - the pacing and plot just weren’t for me. I did enjoy the world building, but the rest was a bit tough for me to get through.

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

When I finished the book, my only thought was, HOW MUCH LONGER till book 2?! And WHY is it not out yet??? (All silly questions, obviously, but I couldn’t help myself.) The story sucked me in, and I did not want it to end. One of the things that I adore about Susan’s writing is how natural the words flow and how comfortable her worlds are. I know that Susan likes to put some hooks and red herrings in her books, so I am sure I probably missed a dozen of important clues (hence, the re-read is needed ASAP).

If you like awkward but fierce main female characters, broody and mysterious bad boys, and exquisite monster hunts - you need to dive into The Luminaries right now!

(The book was read and reviewed in 2022. I am not sure why it is showing as pending review here.)

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the opportunity to review this book. I really wanted to love this book. The premise was so interesting but the book itself falls flat of what I expected it to be. The writing was a bit sloppy and the characters lacked dimension.

Loved! Susan’s characters and worlds are so easy to fall into. I loved the mystery of what was out there but had no idea what it was. The mystery of her dad and vibe of the town. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

I wanted to love this one more than I did, look at that COVER! The cover definitely was part of the reason I was drawn to this book. I am sad to say it didn't capture me the way I wanted. I found myself wondering about other books and my focus wouldn't stay in the story.

I loved the idea of The Luminaries. The premise of hunters going into a forest every night to eliminate monsters plaguing the forest sounds so amazing as well as the trials the potential hunters have to go through. However, the story itself felt a little flat up until the final moments. I enjoyed the trials themselves and thought they were her most interesting elements of the book. Although, I felt like the plot needed to be teased out more between the big baddie in the forest and the big reveal in the final pages. I’m hoping it was intentionally vague to help set up the next book in the series. I did enjoy it enough to read the next one in the series and see where Dennard goes with the characters.

I’m beyond sad to say I didn’t enjoy this one. The writing and world is there, but the plot and pacing are rough.

There wasn’t enough that pulled me into rooting for Winnie and her family. The build up was weak and the fantasy drama fairly standard.

In a year of stand out fantasies, this one doesn’t stand out.

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this after multiple tries. I feel like I'm just not the target audience for this book. I do love the coverart and the plot sounded really interesting!