What a roller coaster ride! This book was gogogo from page one.

Winnie is the daughter of a disgraced man who has left her, her brother and her mom shunned by their community. She is an outcast, picked on & bullied by her peers.

She had 2 best friends that were forced to shun her but Jay seems more ambivalent than a shunner.

Winnie wants to be one of the people who protect their city from the monsters in the forest. She’s seen one that no one else has & they don’t believe her,

On her 16th birthday she can participate in the Luminary trials. It’s the last chance for her and her family to be brought back into the community & Jay is there to help train her.

While this is YA, I really enjoyed it & finished it in one sitting.

I look forward to my special edition and future books in this series!!

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio, fantastically fun audiobook!!

Okay, I was simultaneously disappointed by this book and pleasantly surprised. We follow Winnie, labeled an outcast after her father was found spying on the Luminaries and feeding information to their enemies. She is determined to bring her and her family back into good standing with the rest of the Luminaries by completing the hunter trials for her sixteenth birthday. The only problem is, well, she is way behind on her training. Her only option (apparently) is Jay, her ex-best friend that ditched her the moment her family was labeled outcasts.

I feel like the description doesn't fully do the book's plot justice. While, yes, we do follow Winnie as she trains for the trails, it almost feels like the side plot of the book. I was disappointed that the trials ended up being so basic. I guess I was expecting more of a hunger-games style, while this felt more like...less threatening? Which is ironic considering the creatures in the forest are terrifying.
The real stars of the book were the mysteries (which still were underwhelming.) Winnie is looking into her dad's betrayal and a strange forest creature that no one else seems to come across, except for her. By the end of the book, the only thing we have are more clues, but it at least was fun to read about.

Winnie was a great MC, slightly awkward but with lots of determination, but I could not get a read on any of the other characters. Everyone else serves their purpose, and nothing else, which makes them come off as one-dimensional. Jay is the only other character we truly get to know. He is supposed to be the mysterious bad boy, who, unsurprisingly, plays the bass guitar, but he just came off as a loser. All the girls fawn over him, and I just could not see why. Winne and Jay's relationship was super odd. The fact that he ignored her for four years is just skipped over, or at least not acknowledged until the very end. There was no tension or spark of any kind, which I think is 100% Jay's fault. He had no personality besides being moody. Honestly, it did not make any sense why Winnie asked for his help in the first place, and why he said yes. I hope that in the next book there is some type of explanation.

The plot had potential; I just don't think it was marketed accurately. I hope we get some answers in the next book, and that Jay and Winnie's relationship ends up being slightly more exciting the second time around.

Fast pace story about a girl that needs to save her family after exile. She signs up for acadamy. Now different coincidence make her local hero. After becoming a hero community is welcoming her family back in community . She is still bitter thatvthey kicked her and is not sure if she can forgive them. She does not trust anyone in commjnity but she need extra help and only person she can thing about forgiving is her best friend. Can she forgive him of exiling her? Are all unexplained thing true coincidence or there is someghing more there ? If you liked Hunger Games this is perfect read. I finished it in one day. I cannot wait for next book.

This was a fast-paced adventure that pulls in familiar troupes that have done well in the YA fantasy genre…

…Dangerous trials that take place in a forest full of magical creatures

…A family dealing with a betrayal that made them an outcast and shunned in their community, but with true friends to help them along the way.

…Families are grouped by their personality and the work they are assigned reflects that (Think Hogwarts houses, Divergent Factions, Hunger Games districts, etc…)

…Magical abilities develop instinctually despite a lack of training.

On its own- this is a 4-star book. However, I give it 5 stars for the nostalgia I got from reading this. It felt like I was taken back to the magic of the early 2010's when I was reading books along with my kids and these troupes were everywhere.

This book put me in mind of books like Hunger Games, etc.

Loved the clans and the witches. It was very goth and the forest was creepy and perfect.

I won't like, Winnie annoyed me a little at first. But she grew on me and I found myself rooting for her as the book went on and as she fought hard for what should have been hears.

I enjoyed that it not only had monsters and such, but family and friendship issues and just life in general.

My only thing is I felt it ended in an odd spot. Hoping it gets wrapped up in book two.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for my advance listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars
I think this is my favorite fantasy book I've read this year! I've read so many fantasy books that it's almost starting to get hard to impress me with them, but this one really did! It was fresh and interesting and mysterious.
So basically everyone in this town is in a clan named for the days of the weeks. Our main character Winnie is a Wednesday. She wants more than anything to be a Luminary (hunters who guard the town from the nightmares that roam the forest at night), but 4 years earlier her father had been caught spying for an enemy. The whole family was sentenced to 10 years as outcasts (dad gets away) which means Winnie isn't technically allowed to do the trials to become a Luminary. She does them anyways. What she finds in the forest is something that no one believes and something much worse than anything else in there.
I liked the characters, but was much more drawn in by the atmosphere and plot. It was such a journey to see Winnie treated as an outcast and then becoming someone accepted despite not serving out the 10 years as an outcast. She really just wanted to make her mom proud. She had a great loyalty to her mom and honestly to the whole town even though she was an outcast. Winnie reconnects with her old friend (who stopped talking to her once she became an outcast) Jay Friday who helps her train for the trials. Jay was very mysterious, but also very transparent (to me) about his feelings for Winnie. There weren't too many other standout characters, I did like the twins who were the only ones nice to Winnie while she was an outcast.
Like I said, the plot and atmosphere were what really drew me into this book and hooked me. The forest was so creepy and when Winnie gets anxious, she runs through descriptions of the nightmares that live there. It was a great way to explain some of the scariest things that live there without it feeling like an info dump. You really got a feel for the way everyone lives in this town and can easily picture everything from the forest, to the mansions, to Winnie's house and everything in between.
The pacing was great. We get a little of Winnie's background before we jump into the trials and the trials themselves are spaced out perfectly. We get a lot of other story in between that always leads back to what's going to happen in the trials or something else important. Nothing felt unnecessary. There are some really big plot points that are carrying over into the next book(s), but enough answers that it felt like a good place to end book 1. The narrator did a really great job keeping the book feeling alive.
I already can't wait for book 2!

The Luminaries was an exciting read that ended satisfactorily while still leaving intriguing questions to be answered in the next book. Among other things, I loved the alliteration of the names and the social dynamics of being shunned for your parents' behavior. It all hints at some pretty dark secrets underlying the community of adults who have raised Winnie Wednesday. I will confidently recommend this book and I look forward to the next.

I first want to say I was given an ARC audio book!

The good: I LOVED this book! It was an easy read and was easy to jump in and out of. I loved the darker macabre elements of the book while still keeping it very much in the YA range. I also loved the relationships/lack there of the characters and the MC. This book book left me wanting wanting more and I was genuinely sad when it ended. I very much enjoyed it.

The not so good: I feel like it was pretty easy to guess what was going on, however you don't really know at the end of the book because there is no big reveal.

This was a great read, definitely pick it up!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

From the very first chapter, I was absolutely entranced by this book, and it never let me go in the just under 24 hours that I devoured it. It has the perfect creepy autumn feel for spooky season, and the way that it immerses you in the story is so authentic that it makes you feel like you're in the forest right next to Winnie.

The most random thing I really enjoyed about this was how often Winnie is fixing her glasses. It made me feel seen as a glasses-wearer and someone who is constantly pushing them up! But also I loved Winnie in general as she was so fierce and true to herself. It took her a bit to figure out who her true self is, and that's something I think she's going to continue to struggle with, but she is so relatable as she's working through that and it makes it much more enjoyable.

I do wish the plot twists that are coming were a bit less obvious, but I'm going to wait to make judgments until they are fully revealed. I love the way her dad's story is going to come into play so much more in the next book, and I can't wait to see that unfold.

If you're a fantasy lover looking for a spooky season read, be sure to get your hands on this one!

Thank you to Tor Teen and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC.

Secret society of nightmare hunters? What more could you ask for. This is a fantastic paranormal YA novel that sets you up for book 2 so well, I’m very excited to see how this series continues. Excellent pacing and interesting plot.

Winnie Wednesday's family were hunters in an ancient order until her father is found to be a traitor and the whole family was banished from the order. On Winnie's 16th birthday she decides to take the trials to prove herself a loyal hunter.

Winnie is part of the Luminaries- a group of people internationally who fight against creatures that threaten everyone. Though she's been person non-grata number 3 (after her mother and older brother) following her father's betrayal of their secret society. She's lived the last four years being an outcast, having no friends, being made fun of an mocked by every student (except a very few who just didn't stop the others and she saw that as a kindness and then literally two girls her age) her old best friends even writing her off. Meanwhile she's also been practicing the last four years- practicing for the trials. A test every Luminary takes at 16 to see if they can survive the life they are called to lead. It's three tests, and no second chances. And Winnie is going to participate, no matter what anyone says.

I loved this book. There's so many things I loved about it. First, I was a big fan and participant in the initial twitter thread that started the whole thing, even voted in the very first poll. It was so much fun, and the highlight of my day for months as I followed along. It helped me feel connected after I had recently moved to a new country, and discussing it with my local friends every day after voting helped us bond as well- starting so many conversations about reading preferences and the like. For that alone, I had been interested in this book when it was first announced. Seeing how it's been translated, seeing what's different, and wondering what will remain the same (side eying Erika's hands and Jay's shadiness) Also seeing all the moments that at least spiritually made it from the thread. It was so much fun to read again, and having read the thread there was an extra layer of excitement and analysis as I read.

There are some things that are very frustrating, like the council/people in charge being obtuse and unwilling to listen just for story sake and not because it makes any sense. They're the newest collection of Luminaries in the world, and know they have responsibilities, and yet are unwilling to even acknowledge their location might be forming its own location specific monster- despite knowing this was something that would eventually happen. And in fact regularly say things like "Its not in our list of known monsters so you must be wrong." While other issues (the whole community icing out children for their father's mistake but not outcasting the woman who vetting said father for instance) are also present within the world building and story telling, they also seem easily excused should more information come to light as more books are published. This oversight, however, seems like the kind of thing in a children's book- being a bad guy or a roadblock for no other reason than "because".

I also had an issue with how much this first book only established the world and general characters. It is, in every sense, the introduction. Except it's an entire book. Very few aspects are extrapolated upon, there's very little story progression or connection to further books beyond a couple lines in one of the very last scenes of the book. As though the fact it's a first in a series is only an after thought. It gives the book a very solid "stand-alone" vibe throughout. I was actually shocked when I realized I was over half way through the book, because so little had happened, while I had been entertained the entire time. It was all set-up, and entire book of just set-up. It was fun, like how getting ready with your friends before a night out is fun. But it's not the main event. I'll obviously have to wait until the series is complete to pass full judgement on this choice, but I have a feeling I won't find multiple books necessary story wise.

I know it sounds like I have a lot of negative things to say, but I honestly had so much fun reading this book, and finished it in under 24 hours. I loved seeing the characters again, in a new way, and I loved being able to get further immersed in this world than the original twitter thread originally allowed. It's so reminiscent of the old school early YA books I read as a teen myself, but with more modern sensibilities and less offensive stuff. If you love a good CW show, this is for sure the book for you.

Wow. I just... I can't stop thinking about this book.

I received an audiobook review copy from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review. And I loved every bit of this experience. Narrator Caitlin Davies knocked it out of the park!

I had been hearing about this book for what felt like years (not actually, but that's what it felt like because the hype from Dennard's fans is just that BIG) and despite trying and not quite connecting to her Witchlands Series, I really wanted to give this one a try. There's just a spark about Dennard that is undeniable and I knew she would hook me at some point. And boy did she with The Luminaries.

The story is laid out piece by piece. Never overwhelming with information dumps or world building. Like adding seasoning to a pot of stew over hours at a time. Sprinkle by sprinkle to let the flavor marinade. And this story is very unique!

We meet Winnie Wednesday (yeah, I said Wednesday, and it's glorious) and we learn quickly that she has a lot of pent of frustration about her situation in life. She dreams of being a true Luminary. A hunter of nightmares that dwell in the Hemlock Forrest, born from the dreams of the spirits that live there. Each night brings a fresh wave of nightmares for the weekday-clans to hunt and kill before the sun rises again. Winnie lives and breathes and pulsates with the desire to become a hunter of nightmares like her mom. Like her Aunt. Like her Grandma and family before her. It's in her blood. It's all Winnie has ever wanted. But surprise! Her and her brother and her mom are all outcasts due to her father betraying their family 4 years prior and betraying the Wednesday Clan to The Diana's.

The Diana's are a clan of witches who place familiars throughout the forrest and are the rivals to The Luminaries. We don't know a whole lot about these witches quite yet, but I have a feeling they are going to have a much larger role to play in book 2!

Because of Winnie's outcast social status, she lives on the fringe of society. Lesser. Lower. It almost reminded me of the cast-system in The Selection, but yet different. Through loopholes in the towns rules, Winnie has only one shot at becoming a hunter and slipping back into the town's graces--by competing in the Trials after her 16th birthday. This is a series of 3 separate trials all having to do with hunting nightmares, staying alive in the forrest, and a mysterious 3rd trial that no one is allowed to discuss.

There are several plot arcs happening thorughout the book. Winnie having no friends and no support leading to the discovery of herself and what she is capable of. A small whisper of a love interest that I hope Dennard fans into a much larger flame in book 2. Winnie unraveling secrets about her family and the nightmares she must kill in order to be welcomed back into Luminary Society. And more. I'll let you read the book to find out everything else.

This story is well crafted and it felt absolutely believeable. As if I could drive up into the north east and find a secret town with a hidden monster-killing agenda. It felt as if the characters were people I knew or wanted to know and could find them in any small town.

I adore Winnie. I adore "Ugh, Jay". And I really adored Winnie's new-found friends, the twins. I very much want to read on to figure out the answers to all the threads left open, and I think this first book is just a hint at whats to come.

This book felt nostalgic to me and yet wholly unique. It had the monster vibes from The Witcher, small-town secrets from Twilight (do not let that comparison deter you, it's just the town vibes), and the desire for knowledge from Sorcery of Thorns.

I'm fully committed to everything Dennard has to offer in this new series and I can't wait for more!

Winnie Wednesday is an outcast. She lives in Hemlock Falls, a town cut off from the technology of the rest of the world, and the home of the Luminaries. When the sun goes down, nightmares materialize in the forest, and Luminaries must hunt them down to keep the town safe. Winnie has wanted to be a hunter her whole life, but after her father is marked as a traitor, her family is shunned and kicked out of the society. But, now, Winnie has turned sixteen, and there is nothing in the rules that says she can’t compete in the hunter trials. She does.

Winnie is angry. It is her prevailing emotion throughout the book, even when she is sad or scared or enamored by her childhood friend, she defaults back to anger. It doesn’t make her the most likable character, but with so much unclear in the novel, it is sort of comforting to have at least her steady feelings to count on each chapter.

I had so many questions while reading this book. The world of Hemlock Falls is interesting and relatively originial, but I found myself wanting more explication. What is the whisperer? How does it look? Who is the werewolf? What is her dad trying to tell her? Why is witchcraft anathema? Why is Winnie and Jay’s romance burning so slowly? I really want to know the answers, but I found myself on tenterhooks at 90% into the audiobook trying to figure out if time was going to run out before I got the answer to any of them.

If you’re able to get caught up in a story even though there is a lot of ambiguity throughout, then this is a good one to try. It has elements of other novels I enjoy in the world building: secret society, good vs evil, monsters and hunters, mysterious bad boy with a heart of gold, and an angry heroine who is accidentally badass. While not all of my questions were answered, I was drawn in enough to guarantee my interest in reading book two.

I received an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Following Winnie Wednesday as an outcast for 10 years because her family has fallen from grace in the Luminaries ranks because her father was branded a traitor. He's fled but her and her brother and mother have stayed and weathered the punishment and snide comments. All while picking up the bodies....or what's left of them from the nightmares that lurk in Hemlock Falls forest.

But it's the month of her 16th birthday and she refuses to let her only opportunity to join in the Luminaries ranks pass just because her family is in exile.

So alone she ventures into the forest to hunt a nightmare.

.........

My thoughts.

It absolutely sucked me in what's not interesting about a forest that at night nightmares come alive, and can hunt you within the forest until the fog clears and the sun rises.

It absolutely hits the head of the nail about small communities and how people will flip the switch when it most benefits them.

My problem with the book first is my only Winnie clicks her teeth as a nervous tick through the whole book and I can mentally hear it and my brain can not stand the sound so repetitively.



Now spoilers and a theory



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The synopsis of the book gives most of the book away. Because Jay didn't really help her in his human form and seeing as the werewolf is everywhere she is in the trials it's very easy to pick up on that,

BUT

makes me think that while the Friday house is small most of them are werewolves. And I think that because they're the house that is usually bigger and more..... Fighters. Might be wrong on that account

But also her old friend..... How you not gonna notice bandaids!?! Knowing that's what your father was accused of.... Plus she knew what that locket was.

To be fair I was expecting a lot from this book, the summary sounded amazing and I’m expecting at least one copy in a book box later this year. I was thrilled to be able to snag an audio arc and absolutely tore through it.

I loved it. The world was not that unlike our own, and featured the big fancy houses and secret society tropes which I am absolutely a sucker for. The magic system was recognizable but also new! There are supernatural creatures but many of them are not presented how we typically see them, some were entirely new.

Another thing I’m a fan of, towns built around a secret, was also included in this book. Basically it was right up my alley. I am super excited to see if there is going to be a sequel because I do feel like it’s very open for one and a lot left unanswered and I for one need answers!!!

The main character is very well fleshed out with a great personality and shady parts of her history left unexplored. Many of the side characters are the same, which makes for a very interesting story, you keep waiting for more tidbits! I LOVE that. The mystery element is one of my favorites.

Our narrator was lovely and did a fantastic job of guiding us through the story. I have listened to books with her before and I was very excited to see she was chosen for this book! She made listening a complete joy as always.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advance review copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

The Luminaries is a new YA fantasy thriller series by Susan Dennard. Book one is set at the edge of a magical woods where nightmarish creatures threaten human existence every night. Thanks to the luminary clans that live at the edge of the woods, the hunters kill creatures every night to keep humans protected. However, a new nightmare has emerged and is more powerful than the other creatures, but the clans do not acknowledge its existence. How will the newly minted hunters survive?!

This was a fun read and I’m ready for book 2!

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

A forest of nightmares and a town unlike no other filled with The Luminaries, hunters, of said nightmares to protect normal people? Count me in!

This gave off some fun, nostalgic vibes with a spooky mystery woven brilliantly into it. The pacing and storyline were great as am introduction to this series. I'll be counting down the days until book two for sure.

While I figured out the shocker almost from the start, I have theories I can't wait to see unravel in the next book. I liked that it didn't wrap up all neat and tidy and that the mystery continues into the next in the series. It definitely works for me to keep me reading on.

This was cute. We have a normal teen who has been rejected by her community for the last four years due to something her dad did. She finds a way back into the fold and then things snowball for her. Meanwhile she has a cute boy she's hanging out with.
I listened to the audiobook and it was a pretty good performance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this free advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
The Luminaires hit the ground running from page one. The prose really brought the dark town to life and helped transport me right into the forest full of dangerous creatures. The plot was fast paced and captivating. The narrator fit this story really well. Listening to her read the book helped me feel a deeper connection to the characters. I loved Winnie Wednesday. She's a perfect YA heroine and her character growth was slow but very realistic. I adore that she actually has some flaws and weaknesses; it makes her even more relatable. I loved the action packed monster fights and the danger that little around every corner. The book leaves a lot of questions unanswered so I'll have to read the next book when it comes out. I'm dying to know what happens next.