Another first time author for me! I was immediately drawn into the world created by Dennard. It was almost like a Divergent meets Vampire Academy meets Cabin in the Woods. Dennard doesn't have to explain the how of this world because it just is! The character development was great, I thought, and (while predictable) an intriguing and fascinating storyline. I will highly recommend this book and look forward to the next one.

I went into this book knowing nothing about the author or the story’s history on Twitter. I was just intrigued by the cover and the description because I typically enjoy a lot of the things this book has on the surface — YA paranormal fantasy with some creepy/spooky elements.

Unfortunately the actual book did not live up to my expectations. The plot is meager and predictable, the characters are generic with poorly explained motivations, and the world building is almost non-existent. The reader is just supposed to accept this world without any explanation as to why it exists the way it does. In short, nothing about this story felt well-developed, and it was very reminiscent of any generic YA fantasy novel from the early 2010s.

Maybe people who like the shot of nostalgia that comes from reading a book with that tone will enjoy it, but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you very much to the publishers for granting me access to this ARC in return for my honest review.

ARC review but these are my honest thoughts and opinions
I love Susan Dennard and this was one more great book by her. The story is interesting and compelling with the perfect amount of mystery and information drops. I can't wait to read it again when it releases and to read the next book in the series. I have so many theories about what is going on.

Super excited to finally read this as it's one of my most anticipated releases!!
I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Luminaries is a story about a small town that hunts nightmares. They are part of a larger global, but secret, community. The main character Winnie Wednesday and her mom and brother were outcast from the hunters because of something done by their dad, and the Wednesdays are doing what they can to make it back in the good graces of the town.

Overall I enjoyed this story and I hope there is a sequel because the cliffhanger really got me! I want to know more about what will happen to each of these characters. The various families in town have last names for the days of the week, which also correspond to their jobs and place in society. It was an interesting and unique concept which also seemed random and cool.

A few details did become annoying after being repeated constantly - in particular Winnie’s teeth clacking and how cold she was all the time (yet never wearing enough clothes).

I could have used more detail about Winnie’s dad’s story and the Dianas; they are more like a specter than any actual part of the story.
Ultimately a fun story that I hope will be continued in the future! Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

This was my first Susan Dennard book and I was very impressed with the world building. In Hemlock Falls, the spirit of the woods gives birth to new nightmares each night--nightmares that must be slain by the hunters--the Luminaries. Winnie's family received outcast status four years ago because her father was found to be working with the enemies of the Luminaries--the Dianas, witches who wish to use the power of the forest for their own purposes. Now, during the hunter trials that take place for each Luminary during the month of their sixteenth birthday, Winnie has a chance to bring her family back into the fold by proving herself and becoming a hunter. But when a strange new kind of nightmare appears to her on the night of her first trial, who will believe her?

Thoroughly enjoyed this and may pick up the second one (this is definitely a series starter!) My only complaint was that the author spends the novel laying clues down to the true nature of two of the characters. By the end of the book, it is pretty obvious who is what. Yet she doesn't reward the reader with the reveal, instead choosing to drag this particular story line into the next book. Rather than hook me, this actually made me less interested in continuing the series.

I received an ARC through NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge. All thoughts are my own personal opinion.

Winnie Wednesday and her family live as outcasts in Hemlock Falls due to her fathers' betrayal. So she decides to take part of the hunter exam to gain back her family's status. But during the exam she discovers a mysterious force.

The plot was enjoyable. It developed naturally and did not feel forced. The mood of the story suited the plot and helped create a creepy and mysterious atmosphere that contributed to the plot. The plot ended in a good note. The plot was at times a bit slow but it never staggered.

I felt like many of the side characters weren't really developed so the characters would blend together. They weren't fleshed out so it was hard to keep track of who was who and I would have to refer to notes when they were mentioned. The world building was also weak and felt like it was a second on third book in a series. Things are never explained but there is a lack of lore and the reader is just expected to accept things. For example, all the characters are put into clans named after the days of the week. Outsiders would have their names changed to a day of the week in the language from where they came from. But we never are told why the clans exist, or the process on who gets to go to what clan. It is implied there is an outside world but it never gets explained,

As far as a first book in a series I think it has a lot of potential to turn into something amazing, The plot was good and with a little more world building and character development it will be great. An enjoyable read and I will keep a look out for a sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and and MacMillan - Tor/Forge for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Rating: 4.5 stars, rounded up.

Since I absolutely love the Witchlands series, I was really looking forward to literally anything else Susan Dennard writes. I was especially excited when I saw that The Luminaries looked like it had spooky vibes, plus a monster-hunting secret society. And it definitely did not disappoint.

Winnie Wednesday and her family are exiles from the Luminaries, the group of people that are charged with controlling the monsters that are produced in the forest each night, because her father was found to be a traitor to the cause and part of a rival faction. Since Winnie found that she technically wasn't forbidden to participate in the hunter trials, she decides that is the best hope for her and her family. But what if there are things lurking in the forest that even the hunters don't know about?

This book definitely had the 'creepy' factor done really well. I especially liked the lore around the monsters. While they tend to be quite familiar and occur in other stories, that doesn't stop them from having neat twists and also still being absolutely terrifying. The suspense was amazing, and it was hard to predict what would happen next.

This isn't even published yet and I already can't wait for book two in the series.

The Luminaries is a fast paced coming of age tale with a twist, Winnie Wednesday is a nightmare hunter. Defending her town against evil is a full time job for the inhabitants of Hemlock Falls, whose clans have seen and killed every monster you can dream about, or have they? Winnie has seen something new, unlike anything spotted in the forest before. Can Jay Friday train her sufficiently to find out what this strange phenomenon is and stop it before it kills the clans of Hemlock Falls? A strong tale, atmospherically told.

Susan Dennard creates a fantasy world that is captivating in its eeriness. Who doesn't like a world in which there are monsters and hunters? These hunters, called Luminaries, are trained and vetted enabling them to enter the forest nightly to stop any monsters from crossing the boundaries and entering into the world. Very well-developed characters that grow and evolve as the plot unfolds in a mysterious emergence of unexplained incidences. You will find yourself entranced by the relationship between Winnie Wednesday and Jay Friday. Looking so forward to our coffee date at 3:00!

Such a unique story, I loved this book! The world was stunning with the forests and monsters, I loved Winnie and her friends and family. This book was a fun, crazy ride and I loved every bit of it.

After watching the amazing "choose your own adventure" version of this on Twitter, I couldn't wait for this book, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Great worldbuilding and fun characters. Ugh, Jay!

The characters were amazing. I loved the book creepy atmosphere and the detailed moster descriptions were on point. I admire winnie's determination to finish her goal, despite the towns harsh treatment towards her and her family. Would recommend

As always, reading a Susan Dennard book feels like a masterclass in writing. I was SO excited to get this arc because the story felt so different from anything I'd read from her before. I love that it started as a Twitter Choose Your Own Adventure story and you can definitely tell Dennard had fun writing it. The vibes! The comradery! The banter!

The worldbuilding was excellent (Susan Dennard is truly wonderful at craft), but I thought the character relationships really got to shine in this book. Winnie has a wonderful group of friends that support her throughout the book. There are some great scenes of the girls just hanging out and having fun that might feel slow anywhere else, but work in the context of this story because it gives us a chance to breathe and really dive into those character connections.

This was exactly what I needed to get back into fantasy!

Have not previously read anything by this author so I did not know what to expect, but I was totally captivated by this book and could not put it down

The characters were amazing. Plot was very well developed and and descriptive settings were exceptional. Susan is an amazing writer. I am currently following her on all my social media platforms as I do not want to miss book two!

Highly recommend.

Thank you, thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

I want to thank Netgalley for making it pot to read this masterpiece early. It really means a lot!

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard is something special. The original idea for this book was created on twitter as a choose your own adventure, where readers voted on polls and helped guide the story where they wanted. From that, the bones of this book were formed.

The Luminaries is written for that YA audience that loves monsters, hunters, forests, "urban" fantasy and redemption arcs. The story follows a character, Winnie, who belongs to a world where hunters live in clans near ancient spirits that dream up nightmares every night. The hunters are there to kill these monsters and keep the larger world safe.

Due to past events, Winnie, her mom and brother are outcasts from their clan. And Winnie hasn't been trained in hunting for the past 4 years. But hunting is all she wants to do. So she decides to attempt the hunter trials on her 16th birthday. This will help her family reclaim their spot in their society. But she gets a bit more than she bargained for when her trials start to bring more questions to light than anyone is willing to answer...

I would definitely recommend this for fans of Lore and of A Deadly Education. It has the same adrenaline rush, monster fights and just a smidge of old friendships being rekindled. I absolutely love Susan Dennard's writing and I am sure I will continue to love it for years to come! Cannot wait to see what else gets uncovered in the next one!

This was a fun read! It took me a little while to really get into it, but by about a third of the way in I was invested. If there's ever a sequel (which is definitely teased, given some plot elements that aren't wrapped up) I will read it. I will be recommending this book get added to my library collection.

A good book. I love the secret society, the monsters, and the fantays type elements in this book. It was a easy read, which gives it big points, because worlds building can sometimes be awufl, but this one was really well thought out. It also loves how it involves a coming of age type story that's not such a typical one you might read. The writing absolutely faboulous, and this book was overall, such a good read.

Word of advice: don't read this book if you are camping in a dark campground. Especially if there are no lights between your campsite and the bathroom. Inevitably you will need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. At that point, your flashlight will fail, the moon will go behind the clouds, and you will be forced to wander through the woods in complete darkness. Suddenly all the things that go bump in the night get... much... LOUDER!

I received a kindle copy of this book from Netgalley.

At the beginning of the book, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. This is one of my favorite genres but the author was new to me.

Susan Dennard is THE queen of figurative language and weaving it into her story. She makes the reader feel the emotions of not only the characters in the story- who are all either self-relatable or the classic "I know someone just like that"- but the passion Susan must have felt as she was writing this novel.

"The lyrics of her songs might be lost to time, but the ghost of the tunes never seem to fade."

The diction and syntax Susan Dennard used in that line are beautifully repeated throughout the entire book. This novel's plot is like the ultimate mixture of "Harry Potter" meets "Maze Runner" meets "Miss Peregrin's Peculiar Children".

The only thing I can even think to critique is the unanswered questions about Erica's family specifically. I'm sure Susan will incorporate the answers to those questions in the second book of the series but I feel like even giving more hints as to Erica's sister's relevance would have clarified some of the confusing content (don't want to specify as it is a spoiler).

I look forward to reading the second book and hope to see even more from this incredible author!