When Winnie Wednesday’s family is exiled as a result of her father being revealed as a traitor and spy, she knows her chances of joining the Luminaries are all but lost. Winnie will stop at nothing to take the Luminary hunter trials even if it means disobeying those in charge. On her sixteenth birthday, Winnie enters the forest alone and confronts the terrors lurking amongst the trees. By sheer luck, she survives the first trial but, must seek help from an estranged friend, Jay Friday,

Dennard explains in her acknowledgements how this story evolved from a sort of “choose your own adventure” on Twitter to a full-fledged novel which only makes me appreciate this story even more.

I am a fan of Dennard’s Witchlands series so I came into this expecting excellent worldbuilding and this definitely delivered. The Luminaries is definitely an easier story to digest than the Witchlands books in the Witchlands series are. Primarily because this story is only told solely from Winnie’s point of view, it also helps that there is a smaller cast of characters, and the story only takes place in one town. This story also unravels at a quicker pace. I felt like I had just cracked open the first page, blinked and the book was over.

The forest was full of the things staring in your nightmares and things that your nightmares haven’t even dreamt of yet. I have zero interest in being a Luminary but I liked Winnie’s determination and love a good underdog story, so I was willing to support her efforts. Winnie’s journey is one that explores change. She fights for her family to regain everything they lost but learns that along the way her family has changed and picking up where they left off might not be so easy or really what they want anymore.

This novel is definitely a set-up for future things to come. There is a lot that was left unanswered and I think a lot more story to be told and, I for one, can’t wait to read it!

Thank you to Tor Teen for providing an advanced reading copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Winnie Wednesday lives in the tiny town of Hemlock Falls. You can’t find it on a map and outsiders never find their way to the town. The town is populated almost entirely by seven clans who protect the larger world from the nightmares that spawn in the forest each night. Each night, one clan sends hunters (or luminaries) into the forest to keep the monsters under control. Winnie wants nothing more than to become a hunter, but ever since her father disgraced the family, she and her mom and brother have been outcasts. When Winnie gets the chance to prove her mettle, she finds a danger far greater than she could ever have imagined.

The Luminaries is a fast-paced, action-packed start of a fantasy series that I can’t wait to share with my students. I’ve already pressed my copy into the hands of my 14-year-old and and hoping they start reading it soon! I recommend The Luminaries for grades 7+; this would be a great addition to all middle and high school libraries. Hand this to fans of The Hunger Games, Fablehaven, Legendborn, or All of Us Villains.

As other reviews may mention, the Luminaries started as a Twitter Choose Your Own Adventure story lasting 6 months. Susan Dennard has taken the heart of that adventure and turned it into something even better. Atmospheric, intense, creative, mysterious; this book has all the markings of a Susan Dennard novel, with a little dash of creepiness thrown in. You root for Winnie Wednesday, even as she doubts herself. It is about trying as hard as one can to achieve ones goals, no matter how many setbacks you have, but also knowing when to ask for help. The only unfortunate thing about this book, is that Book 2 will not be immediately published afterwards.

I would love to immerse myself into this book, but don't forget, the forest is dangerous for a Luminary untrained...

I devoured this book! And I cannot wait for the sequel. I have so many questions and predictions. Winnie is a likeable and strong character, and the forest imagery with the nightmares is vivid and original. Romance, loyalty, action... a broken friendship. Great tropes for YA. My students will love this one.

*Netgalley provided me this book in exchange for an honest opinion.*
This book was such an amazing read. I absolutely adored this one. It's world, it's atmosphere, the characters and the plot everything felt so unique and well thought out. This book was so good I kind of feel bad reading it because there's no second part of this book. This one hasn't even released yet! Oh my god, waiting for the second book will be torture! I usually don't like YA books but this one changed my mind.
The book had a spooky kind of element which I loved. The forest and its 'nightmares' were so interesting. The characters were so mysterious and intriguing. All of this made this an unputdownable read.
I definitely recommend this book, if you like YA fiction, spooky vibe kinda books and a well narrated plot.

I really loved The Luminaries. This is a super fun and interesting new fantasy series by Susan Dennard. I also loved her Truthwitch series so I had high expectations going into this book and I'm so glad that it met those expectations. Following Winnie, we learn about the society of the Luminaries who guard the world from Nightmares, creatures like manticores and werewolves and so much more. Winnie is a young girl who dreams of joining the Luminaries groups of hunters who go into the woods to hunt down the Nightmares but has to face a lot of push back after her father was discovered to be a traitor, leaving the rest of the family behind to face a new, harsh life as outcasts in their society. I really loved Winnie as a main character, she isn't perfect and badass immediately but she really grows into her own and learns to trust her own instincts throughout the story. I'm interested to see where this series will go but I do admit I wish there had been a bigger and more exciting climax at the end of the story to wrap everything up.

not my fvaourite book, i didn't love the characters and didn't feel connected to them. probably wouldn't read this book again.

Thank you to Netgally for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I honestly enjoyed this book so much, it's been ages since a YA Fantasy has gripped me so thoroughly. Atmospheric settings, monster hunters, a mystery killer creature, and broken family dynamics, what's there not to love?
This is the first in a duology and I need the second book asap!!! The first installment covered a decent amount of creature and hunter lore, which I appreciated tons. Character development, plotting, and pace were suburb. It really has set itself up for so much more in the second book.
It's going to be a long wait for the next installment which has me slightly broken. But all good things come to those who wait, right?

Haven't had a "one more chapter" book in a long time. So I did stay up a little late to read this one. I'm all in for the series; it's a well crafted story with a lot of depths to explore. Winnie is a good lead character and the struggle with the clan, her family and the way of life is well constructed. Now we have met Jay, we need more Erica time. I need to understand more of what happened, what's a Diana, the deal with Jenna, what Mario really knows and just so many questions! I'm glad the Banshee venom that went off in the first act shows back up in the third. Don't know why but I was watching Harry Potter knowledge with the descriptions here. It felt a little like walking back in time with that trip (ahh we were so innocent then) so I'm eager to see if the clans align like Houses do and what it all means!

I really liked this book and the world that are just like our world, it just happens to also have different kinds of monsters. I feel that I get a pretty good picture of the world, even though the main focus of the story is the struggle and emotions Winnie has to deal with when she is trying to restore the relationship with her former relatives and friends.
It is fast pasted story that honestly leaves me with more questions than answers. I want to know more about the world, about Winnie’s father and how everything come together. The second book can’t come soon enough.

Susan Dennard’s The Luminaries is absolutely a five-star read. This book hit the ground running and never looked back. Enter the world of The Luminaries and you will never want to leave!

Winnie Wednesday and her family are outcasts from The Luminaries because of her father’s betrayal. She will do almost anything she can to get back into the fold, including going into the Hunter Trials despite not having trained in four years. Luminaries protect the world from nightmares dreamed up by magical spirits that inhabit certain areas in the world. Winnie comes from a long line of strong Luminaries and it pains her greatly to be shunned and ridiculed by everyone, including her own aunt.

Dennard explains the magical system for the book in such a fabulous way. The book starts with Winnie and some other teenagers on nightmare corpse duty, cleaning up after the hunters that have been killing nightmares in the forest. It was a perfect introduction to the world of the Luminaries and really set up for the rest of the story well. The pacing and introduction of characters flowed perfectly through the book. The character relationships felt genuine, especially the pain Winnie feels between herself and her former best friends. There are a few storylines woven throughout the book. This is the first in a series, so even though most of them weren’t wrapped up by the end, it didn’t end in a cliff-hanger, for which I’m thankful. I really look forward to the sequel(s) and being wrapped back up in the world of the Luminaries.

The Luminaries is the first book in a new YA fantasy series by Susan Dennerd (author of the Witch lands series). Set in Hemlock Falls this story follows Winnie Wednesday on the day of her 16th birthday where she enters the deadly hunter trials. Because in Hemlock Falls nightmares are real and only the hunters - the Luminaries - can stop them from spreading to the outside world. Winnie Wednesday wants nothing more than to reclaim her family name after her family is shunned when her father is outed as a witch. She enlists the help of former best friend and badboy, Jay Friday, because she is woefully unprepared. But Winnie will have to face more than just her fears if she even wants to survive.

I became a fan of Susan Dennard's earlier this year at YALLWEST when I went to a panel she was moderating. I loved how she explained her writing process and when I heard about her upcoming novel I immediately added it to my TBR. Imagine my surprise when I got an arc of it through Netgalley!

The novel opens up straight away introducing the reader to Hemlock Falls and the eerie woods. I believe this was a perfect introduction and set the mood wonderfully! Winnie's motivations are at the forefront of this novel and propel the story forward. She's an easy character to understand and side with and I loved her! Sometimes urban fantasy is hard to understand but Dennard blends the real world and the fantasy world of this novel nicely and it makes perfect sense to the reader. I think the only things I was confused about were things that hadn't happened yet, things that the reader is supposed to wonder about!

As most YA novel, there was a sprinkle of romance, and I mean how could there not be? I love it though and the subplot of romance in this novel did not distract from the main story, if anything it enchanced it. I'm excited to see where this romance plot goes in the series!

Overall, I think the Luminaries is a very strong start to this new series and I can't wait for book 2! I'd recommend this novel to anyone with a taste for the dark side of fantasy but still wants it to be set in a modern world.


Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for a review copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This was really fun, I love the setting and the characters, very intrigued what each character will be like as we get to know them better. The monsters are very cool and I loved that the main character sketches them so that we get even more detail of the monsters' appearance as her drawings are described. Action movies quickly and we're left on a bit of a cliff hanger, can't wait for book 2 and what might happen between two characters!

A wonderful combination of mystery and adventure with a touch of fantasy in this fiest book of a new series from the Witchlands author. A fabulously enjoyable read

The monsters are very vivid. The way Winnie describes the Whisperer is incredibly easy to picture, the various, somewhat nonsensical adjectives help with the very creepy vibes of this mysterious nightmare. It’s a little gory sometimes, but not in a sickening way. Just in a, this happens everyday and we’re used to it kind of way.

I can’t believe the Luminaries allow Winnie and her family to stay, and even bear the last name of one of their clans, but shun them so much. Why are the twins so accepting of Winnie but no one else is? How can everyone just have dropped Winnie’s entire family like that and still claim to love them later? I suppose being a Luminary is a lifestyle, one Winnie is addicted to, feels comfortable in. She can’t imagine doing anything else but being a hunter.

The drama! Where is Winnie’s father? What happened to him? Who are these Dianas and why are they so bad? What does the wider world know about Luminaries? Who is the werewolf and what happened seventeen years ago when there was a werewolf attack? These plots were well woven together and I wanted to keep reading every time I had to put the book down. There wasn’t a single boring moment, even when Winnie was talking about school or eating dinner with her mom. Some topics deserve more depth and I hope to see that in future books in the series. I felt like Winnie’s father was pushed aside

The teeth clicking thing bothered me way too much. It distracted from the narrative more than saying something like she chewed her lip or gnashed her teeth. Saying her teeth clicked just felt incredibly awkward. Of course, this is such a small issue and does not deter from the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

The Luminaries was a solid teenage underdog story with light fantasy. Easy to follow story with good pacing. The world building could have used just a couple more details. Incredible such a intriguing story came from a twitter thread, really the only negative I have is that I could have used just a little bit more world building. It was unclear if this was an alternate universe of secret society within our word which ended up being somewhat distracting.

A fresh take on a world where modern sensibilities and magic meet up.

Dennard delivers another fantastic cast filled with characters you want to root for, none more so than the protagonist Winnie Wednesday. The normal teen issues of crushes, losing friends, and clashing with family are all juxtaposed gorgeously against a mystical world filled with spirits, hunters, and more than enough danger to spare.

This book feels like the best kind of paranormal fantasy, as if the author just opened a door to let us see into a world that already exists alongside our own.

The first book in The Luminaries Series shows off Winnie learning to find her place, and try to prove herself as a hunter, while also asking questions about her history and father that aren’t answered by the time the first novel closes.

It gave me a solid start to the story, but left me craving more **Immediately** (which is what I love in a series opened tbh). And I cannot wait to see where it goes next.

The luminaries is undoubtedly one of my favourite books of the year! I went into high expectations knowing that I’ve read her books in the past. But this seriously blew me away so much more than I was expecting. Everything - from the development of the characters to the overall vibe and setting of this book, this was no doubt in my mind that I would become obsessed with this book. 5/5 stars for this book , it was just so good and worked so well for me!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Luminaries tells the story of Winnie Wednesday who is turning 16 and qualifies to become a hunter for the group, but has to overcome the disgrace that her family has faced for the last four years after her father was found to be a traitor. The description had me completely interested between a slightly weird town, a forest with monsters akin like vampires, basilisks, and banshees, and a main character trying to prove herself to a town who has shunned her. The story for me fell a little flat though. It was highly readable and the story moved fast, but it doesn't give you a lot of background on who The Luminaries are as well as the opposing Dianas and why they are doing what they're doing.

I did have to remind myself that this was a YA story and not an adult read, but this definitely skewed a bit more juvenile when compared to other YA that I read. It does set up a lot for a continuation of the story depending and I'd probably keep reading it out of curiosity to see what happens next and see how things are revealed.

Winnie Wednesday and her family are in disgrace after her father is caught spying for the Dianas, the enemies of the Luminaries. Winnie wants to enter the hunter trials to take up her family's long legacy and a Luminary hunter -- but will she make it?

I really enjoyed The Luminaries, a confection of YA fantasy with an intriguing and original concept and a lovely main character in Winnie Wednesday. I loved how the fantasy elements were interwoven with the more grounded, realistic parts of the story. This was such a delightful read, and beautifully written, and I hope that Susan Dennard gives us more stories in this world.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for giving me a free advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.