Unfortunately this never came near its mark for me. The world building, characters, and overall plot were lacking in-depth information that would have made the interesting premise into something worth while. I felt like so little was shared about what exactly the Luminaries are and their purpose, that I couldn't help rooting for the monsters. The history, motivation, and nemesis of the group was very surface level . The MC, Winnie, came off as a bit sheltered and all I could focus on was her clicking her teeth constantly.
The audio for the book was overall enjoyable and I liked the narrative style.

So this one was very interesting... Initially it was a little overwhelming how much info was being thrown at me at once, but as the story developed, it was easy to settle in. The body of this book was all positive - character development, world building, setting descriptions, ect...! Then the end, just kind of ended... it wasn't a bad ending (like many books with an abrupt ending), but it seemed to set this up to be the first in a series. I'm not sure if that was the author's plan - to leave that as an option - but it seemed abrupt. Overall would recommend!

Thank you to Net Galley and the author and publisher for an advanced copy to review!

The audiobook for this was soooo good! the narration is great and totally gives off the cryptic and mystic vibes. 10/10!

Thank you Net Galley for the audiobook!
Loved the spooky elements of this book. It is a great combo of YA and horror, creating a wonderfully spooky tale perfect for Halloween. It felt very fast-paced and I enjoyed how the book wrapped up. Can't wait for the next book!

I like where Dennard was heading with this novel. There is a town where many of the mythical monsters of our stories rise from the depths of a forest. Luminaries fight back these beasts and protect the world from them. Winnie wants to be a Luminary but needs to pass three trials and shirk the outcast title branded on her family since her father was ousted as a witch and traitor.

This was a fast paced YA read. The world building is fairly minimal and the background isn't as in-depth as I like. Definitely could use more history in places. The character depth was surface level but it didn't take away from anything critical. Some of the scenes and the way they are handled felt far-fetched depending on how you read them into the plot. However, I found myself so wrapped up in the trials, the mysterious monster and Winnie's father that the missing or off elements blended into the intrigue.

This does end with a lot of unanswered questions. I don't find that to be a bad thing though. I ended up enjoying this one overall. I had the ability to listen on audio from Macmillan. Caitlin Davies did a good job with making the narrative exciting and hyped at the right moments. I liked her as the voice of Winnie and her distinction between the other characters. I'd recommend the audio version to those wondering on format. I'm looking forward to more and I hope more monsters appear in the next book. Now those cliffhangers... Lets just say I have theories!!!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Thank you to the author, Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the exciting world of Hemlock Falls. I was immediately hooked on this book. This book left me wanting more! I love how descriptive Dennard is in her writing. You feel like you are there with Winnie as she is going on her trials. The monsters come alive in your head and are so terrifying. I love that are main character has glasses. I also love the friendships that are developing. There is a little bit of a mystery you find out about as you keep reading. I am looking forward to finding out what happens to Winnie in the next book. I recommend this fun exciting read.

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard is a YA fantasy novel with horror elements and the first book in a new series. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at a little under ten hours and is narrated by Caitlin Davies. We follow our main character with a solo third-person point-of-view.

Hemlock Falls isn't your typical rural town. The city is protected by the Luminaries, an ancient order that saves the world every night by killing the monsters that appear in the surrounding forest. Winnie Wednesday's family was shunned after her father was exposed as a witch and a traitor years before. To get her family back into their good graces, she decides to take on the sometimes-deadly Luminary hunter trials on her sixteenth birthday. But she might need a bit of help in training from her ex-best friend Jay Friday, aka the resident bad boy.

When I started reading this book, I wasn't aware it was the start of a new series, so please keep that in mind if you're like me and like to binge series. I do plan to continue with the series, as the world seems pretty cool and I have a few theories I'd like to see if I'm correct about.

I'm still a little confused on how the monsters here are formed, and on the "big bad" Dianas--a group of witches who appear to be the mortal enemies of the Luminaries. I'm guessing we'll get more information about those things in later installments of the series.

The pacing goes at a good clip, so if you're looking for some YA to scratch a thriller itch, this could satisfy that craving for you. There's also a wee bit of romance to curb that want as well.

If you dislike repetitious sounds, I want to briefly mention that several characters--including our main character--seem to have a habit of them. Our main character clicks her teeth together, which makes me worry for her dental bills, and another character consistently blows bubbles with bubble gum. I'm guessing these were supposed to be quirks for the characters, or maybe signs of OCD/stims? That's unclear, though.

Tropes in this book include: supernatural creatures, nerdy FMC, FMC with glasses, outsider

CW: body horror, death, murder, gaslighting, abandonment, anxiety, panic attacks

The publisher provided a audio ARC of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read/listen to this book in advance and sorry it took me so long to finish.

This series is going to be a read and reread and reread again for me. Well as long as I don't have to hear about clicking teeth so many times in the rest of it. Good God, I took a break because I wanted to scream every time her teeth started clicking. WHAT EVEN IS THAT ACTION?!

Anyway, Winnie Wednesday and her family are being shut out of the Luminaries for 10 years because Winnie's dad was found to be a traitor. Now Winnie is turning 16 and can compete in the Luminary Hunter trials in hopes to bring her remaining family back into the fold before the 10 year shun is over. Winnie is being helped/trained by her former best friend Jay <spoiler> (who really just needs to speak up about his feelings already) </spoiler> in order to complete the three trials. There are shadows and monsters and secrets all over the place in this book.

It's absolutely worth the read.

#NetGalley
#MacmillanAudio
#TheLuminaries
#SusanDennard
#YAFantasy

I thought this was a pretty decent fantasy read. I listened to the audiobook in just one sitting.

I liked many elements of this. The descriptions of the forest and the main character’s training were my favorite parts of the story. I like that she asks important questions and is a very determined young woman.

The monsters and nightmares were def creative and intriguing. The story overall gives me Hunger Games + Percy Jackson + Divergent. I always love a world where there’s divided, almost faction-like groups.

The world building needed some improvement in my opinion. We don’t get a whole lot of knowledge about the enemy - a group our main character’s father abandoned them for. I also feel like more background around the competition could have helped build suspense. The monsters are pretty well covered, but I also needed more to understand why children rather than adults compete.

This is a great set up for a second book. I feel like there is enough unanswered questions that I’d like to see what comes next. I also suspect this will be in a certain special edition book box for the month of November.

I really really really wanted to love this. However the world building fell short and I feel like too much was wrapped up at the end for me to care about a second book. I did enjoy the characters and all the different monsters they discovered. I think the fact that this was such a short read really hurt it, just not enough pages to get in all the detail I would have liked to see.

WTF Susan....... making me want to through my book.... i just need to know things and now i have to wait until the second book!!!!!

I have not read anything by Susan yet but i do have the witchland series that now after this i can not wait to dive in.

I devoured the shit out of this book, i mean anytime i was not reading this all i wanted to do was read it. I loved the forest, the family aspect, the adventure and even the little hint at romance but most of all the fact that Winnie Wedensday is a badass glasses wearing women.

This was a fun, fast-paced page turner full of supernatural mystery and a hint of romance. I was fortunate enough to receive a digital copy of the audiobook thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, and I thought the narrator did a phenomenal job. I flew through this book, and I absolutely cannot wait until book 2

I found this one difficult to get through. The only reason I finished it was because I was listening to the audio version and the narrator was decent. The world-building was weak and the plot did not live up to my expectations. The characters were mildly interesting but not particularly well-developed.

This is a good story. It’s unique in many ways and definitely well written. I wasn’t sure what I would think of it since as of late I’ve been mostly reading thrillers or holiday books since it’s November but I was definitely happy with this detour from my current usual.
Winnie Wendesay just wants to join the Luminaries. The Luminaries are an ancient order that is devoted to saving the town of Hemlock Farms, a town you won’t find on a map, if you stumble upon it you’ll learn no phones will work, and there may just be a forest filled of things that just want to kill you. The Luminaries also may just be protecting all of humanity along the way. You see, there are monsters in the forest that rise every night.
Winnie and her family have been shunned ever since her father was exposed as a witch and traitor. However, on the sixteenth birthday she will be allowed to take the deadly Luminary hunter trials where she is determined to prove that she is true and loyal and restore her family’s good name, or die trying.
In order to survive though, Winnie finds that she is going to need some help so she enlists the help of one person, maybe the only one person, who can help her train: Jay Friday. Jay is pretty much the resident bad boy and her ex-best friend. She soon learns that not only is Jay the most promising hunter in all of Hemlock farms, he also seems to know way more about the nightmares living in the forest than he should. Soon the two discover that something darker than anyone ever thought possible is lurking in the forest…
Glasses, glasses, glasses, glasses. Probably the only complaint/criticism I have for the entire book! Not to give you a spoiler here but the main character, Winnie, wears glasses. If you forget you’ll be reminded every other page (or so it feels). I thought early on she got new glasses but apparently they were never fitted because she’s constantly pushing them up on her face and you get to know about it every single time. Now, if she’s not doing that, someone else is doing something with them or something is bumping them, etc. It gets a little tedious at times. Still, when that’s the only thing that you didn’t like about a book, that’s really not much of anything.
All that aside, this book is just fun. There aren’t really a lot of predictable things but one or two you’ll see coming but instead of ruining the story because you figured a thing or two out it only adds to the story because of what you pick up along the way. This was a great story and I’ll looking forward to seeing what comes next!!
Give it a go, this is a good one.

I received a copy of the audio book (from NetGalley, thank you so much!!) that I used along with the book. The narrator is fantastic and makes the book really come alive.

"You either trust the forest or you don't."

Winnie is 16 years old and wants to prove herself and redeem her family's reputation by participating in the Hunter Trials. There are three trials in the forest where she has to survive against "nightmares" which are mythical monsters like Banshees, Harpies, Werewolves, Basilisks, and Manticores.

This was an entertaining YA fantasy novel and enjoyed all of the monsters Winnie had to fight. It has a strong young female MC and a love interest, I imagine that relationship will be further developed as the series continues.

As far as world-building, I thought there was more to be desired. The characters and monsters were well described but the atmosphere wasn't built up to par. I also wish more time was spent on Winnie's mother and her history. Hopefully the next books dive in deeper into the past (with the revelation about Winnie's dad I'd assume they will).

This was an excellent book and I am eagerly waiting for the next one! I loved how Winnie grew throughout the book! I told a friend that Winnie and Jay best be end game! I loved all of the different dynamics between the hunter families. I would highly recommend this book!

This is the first book I've read by this author and it was pretty enjoyable. I really liked how she easily described the monsters throughout the book so that I could truly picture each in my head. (Some authors can get too overly descriptive and lose me along the way). My only complaint is that sometimes the writing felt a little juvenile, leading me into more middle grade story feels than YA.

The narrator did a fantastic job keeping up with the pace of the story. Wonderful job there!

I think the series has a lot of potential and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story of Winnie will head. I will also be checking out more of Ms. Dennard's work between now and then!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this! This was a really interesting world that was built and, while there was a bunch of different things going on, it didn't feel overwhelming though things did move pretty fast. It was nice that some things got resolved but the bigger plot points will continue on in the series to connect everything. The thoughts and growth of the characters was really enjoyable as well. I am excited for the next in the series and to keep reading!

I really enjoyed the narrator too. She brought a lot of emotion to the reading and really pulled me into the story. I swear I have heard her voice before but she doesn't seem to have read any of the audiobooks I have heard.

I was able to get an ARC of this audiobook (ALC? 😂) from NetGalley, thanks!

This is a fun YA fantasy, the world is unique and interesting and the story progresses a lot like you would expect. Not a lot gets resolved in the end and is definitely a lot of set up for more in the series.

I did enjoy it, it was quick and a unique concept while also using tropes found in lots of YA fantasy.

The narrator, Caitlin Davies, is one I’ve listened to many times before and I really enjoy their style. It did take me a while to get acclimated to their narrating style but I think they do a great job.

Overall, it was a pretty average read for me but I am looking forward to seeing where the story goes. Also, I absolutely love the cover.

Honestly, this was just okay. I was initially intrigued by the synopsis, but what you read is what you get. This book had the potential to really be great but it just skims the surface. I wanted so much more depth and world building especially since there’s a forest of nightmares. Alas, this just left me wanting, and not in a good way.