Amazing as always. Love the author. Love the writing. Love the story. Super fun and addictive. This author has always been someone I have purchased from so I’m so glad I was able to read this in advance.

Oh, the Luminaries series, my beloved. I have been feral, waiting for the release of The Whispering Night by Susan Dennard, the final (for now?) installment in her paranormal YA series. So much was happening at all times and we learned more about the world, along with some extra background building. This was so close to perfect, stumbling just a little toward the end.

With how spread out each book is, it’s hard to remember that all of this is taking place within a 1-3 month period. I know I didn’t remember until Winnie mentioned it at one point. And damn, that’s just so much to have to deal with in such a short period of time as a barely 16 year old. This is basically just a Winnie struggle book. Struggling to balance school and life and luminary responsibilities. Struggling to find peace between her boyfriend and her former best friend. Struggling with being the only one to know about The Whisperer. I think, because of these struggles, book out of the three is the one that felt the most YA to me. Juveniles will relate to this need to solve everything on their own and having to figure out how to live life, solve problems, while having the troubles of maintaining a school presence. All I could think was forget school, tell an adult!

The relationships were interesting. I love that we get Jay and Winnie comfortable with each other, with being affectionate and together. But, here’s the thing. The friendship between Winnie and Erica, I just couldn’t see what was worth salvaging. Especially as we get further into the book, it left me thinking Winnie deserved so much better. Sometimes, friendships aren’t meant to be forever. Sometimes, the hurt is too deep and you need to stand up for yourself. Erica dropped Winnie so easily, unlike Jay who struggled with it and had a valid reason. And Winnie simply shrugs it off and welcomes her back. And continues to welcome her back no matter how many times she’s hurt by it. Winnie’s brother also made my list. Winnie took it upon herself to do anything she could to bring her family back into good standing but Darian is content to put his family on the back burner, put Winnie through trauma and troubles so long as he keeps his entry level assistant job. It feels like so many people in this book let Winnie down (except Jay, you keep staying the shining star you are Jay Friday.) But it makes me sad because it’s framed that Winnie’s loyalty is such a great thing but it feels like it just ends up hurting her when the loyalty isn’t repaid. The loyalty should have been toward Britta and Emma and Fatima, who were by Winnie’s side even during her banishment.

Plot wise, it feels like there are so many strands working against and with one another. It makes everything feel chaotic and frenetic, but ultimately satisfying. Most things (that I can recall at least) are answered or resolved. But, it’s one of these resolutions that resulted in such a heavy disappointment to me that I had to knock a half star off the review. It felt like a cop out – not what happened but how it was written, how it was described (or not described more like.) Winnie may not have had the words for it, but we still should have gotten them.

All of that to say, The Whispering Night by Susan Dennard is an enjoyable conclusion to her Luminaries trilogy. I didn’t think this review would be so long, but I guess I had a lot of thoughts and though it sounds negative, it’s only because I feel so strongly protective over Winnie and this series. I’m glad it ended here, simply because the realities of Winnie and Jay remaining happily ever after into adulthood seems farfetched. Not because of them, but because of how life tends to be. It would be interesting to see if we get a new book in this universe, who it focuses on and what more we’ll learn and see.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

i loved seeing all the plot threads come together. I do think the ending was a bit rushed (but maybe i was just jealous becuase I wanted more time with these people!) spinoff WHEN

10/10 found family <3

I got the book in my hands and I could go back to part of the story that I loved. I was happy to see a almost W.T.F. back together. I appreciate that it wasn't only on her love for her best friend, but ratter on the mystery and where the story stand at the new ''nightmare''. I will miss Winnie, if I could have a anthology of the serie I would be sooooo happy!

I am very thankful to have been gifted a copy of this book; however, at this point this book will be moving to my DNF shelf. It sounds like something I would have really enjoyed, and will happily come back and re-review once I am in a better mindset for the book. I will need to get the second book as well once I have a chance.

The final book in the trilogy and it did not disappoint. I'm in denial that this story is over and I'm not getting any more Winnie and Ugh Jay. I thoroughly enjoyed this world and the monster like creatures. This was a fun and wild ride.

I really tried giving this trilogy a chance but I think it was hard for me to get through this because I always hoped there would be more romance within but I feel like this just fell flat for me.

The third and final installment of The Luminaries series finds our heroine, Winnie Wednesday, getting ready for the Nightmare Masquerade.

Winnie is still playing referee between Jay and Erica who are still at odds with each other on whether or not they are trustworthy. One being a werewolf and the other a witch (Diana), Winnie needs them to play nicely and work together so they can figure out what happened to Erica's sister and Winnie's dad.

As the Nightmare Masquerade week begins, Winnie is approached by a masked Diana and faced with an impossible task. If she fails this it could mean the end for all three of the young friends. How do all of the clues add up? How can they all make it out of this alive?

A wonderful conclusion to this three book series!

DNF at 44%.

I thought I was strong enough to finish this trilogy, but I was wrong. The first was fine, the second felt like filler, and this third feels pointless. The writing choices have actually made me question if I ever want to read this author again. So many words used are just odd, and she seems to pick a theme that threads through that just ... is so awkward. Last one was tectonic plates, this seemed to be "hope is the thing with feathers." Said repeatedly for reasons I don't get. I also simply hate Winnie's voice. Being in her head actually hurt mine.

Every book in this series just got better! I completely devoured this book, and while I am sad it’s over and I’ll miss Winnie Wednesday, Jay Friday and the rest of the gang, I thought it all came to a beautiful conclusion and all my questions were answered!

The writing voice in this series took me a bit of time to get into and adjust to, but by The Whispering Night I didn’t even notice in anymore.

Nothing but good things to say about this ya fantasy book and I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I did!!

Thanks NetGalley and Tor Teen for the arc, all thoughts are mine!

The whole series was so good! Loved every minute of the story throughout the entire series. The book seems be different enough from other romantsy books and held my attention the entire time. Would highly recommend

Honestly this was a good ending, the plot was really interesting and surprising but I kind of lost interest in the story. I read The Luminaries when it came out and I used to live YA fantasy but as I grew older I feel like now I’m not the right target for these kind of stories. I do still feel like this is a very good YA fantasy series and would recommend it to anyone loving this genre but it’s not me anymore.

The Whispering Night by Susan Dennard is a YA fantasy with horror elements and the final book in The Luminaries trilogy.

Each book in this trilogy got better and better for me. The pacing really worked for me here, and I also really enjoyed the stakes. The worldbuilding is excellent, especially the various creatures we are introduced to throughout the three books.

I really liked Winnie as a main character, especially how she leaned into her book smarts even if she wasn't the strongest, physically. Her growth arc across the trilogy was pretty well done.

I thought this installment was a great final entry for the series, but it still left enough of a window open for other books in this universe. I really appreciated how many questions got answered for us.

I'm so happy I got the opportunity to read and review this book! I knew how popular The Luminaries series was, but receiving this book kicked me into gear to finally start the series and get on the hype train.

I've learned that Susan Dennard cannot write atmospheric prose like no other. She writes so vividly that it feels like you're running the forest, deke-ing in and out and battling the Nightmares alongside Winnie. I enjoyed seeing the culmination of the story and the character arcs. I love when you've got a fantastic set of characters and dynamic relationships amongst them. It was great to revisit that in a really exciting conclusion! I want to go back to the start again and read through - I need to experience that spooky forest thrill again!

Thank you to TorDotCom and Tor Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

One, not enough Winnie and Jay and that made me sad. Two, I feel like the plot went 60000 more directions and I kind of was....over it at some points? BUT I still love this series that beautifully makes a fantasy space in the middle of a town with a mysterious forest. I also liked how this brought more Luminaries from around the world, and how we find out there are MORE forests like the ones in Winnie's town. I think there is a lot of possible expansions that could happen with this series, especially since there are SO many loose ends left at the end of this book.

(4.25/5 stars)

The Whispering Night by Susan Dennard is a YA fantasy with horror elements and the final book in The Luminaries trilogy.

Each book in this trilogy got better and better for me. The pacing really worked for me here, and I also really enjoyed the stakes. The worldbuilding is cool, especially the various creatures. Due to reasons, Winnie often spouts quotes from The Compendium of

I really liked Winnie as a main character, especially how she leaned into her book smarts even if she wasn't the strongest, physically. Her growth arc across the trilogy was pretty well done.

I thought this installment was a great final entry for the series, but it still left enough of a window open for other books in this universe. I really appreciated how many questions got answered for us.

CW: body horror, death, abandonment, anxiety

In this third book of the Luminaries series, The Whispering Night, Susan Dennard has created an emotional and intense conclusion to Winnie’s story, with fast paced action and tons of intrigue and secrets revealed.
From the very beginning, the narrative jumps directly from the previous book into the search for answers and clues as to where the missing source is. Jay, Erica and Winnie are working together but new challenges arise for them all including the Diana’s. What makes this so exciting is the action and all three working together to resolve the impossible. I love how surprising the ending is and how joyful.
If you like young adult urban fantasy, this is well written with complex solutions and interesting outcomes. The characters are layered, the story is emotional and intense and the ending is one of the best I’ve seen, wrapping up things in Winnie’s world but leaving a dangling thread for the overall world. I certainly hope to see more from the world of the Luminaries.

In the conclusion to the “Luminaries” series, Winnie Wednesday’s life seems to be getting better. She’s moving forward in relationships with friends and her boyfriend, Jay. But there is a foe who is coming to town, a powerful member of the Dianas, rogue witches, who are feared by the group that is just coming to accept Winnie as one of their own, the Luminaries. Winnie must expose secrets from the past that involve her lost father, her family legacy, and cast doubt on whom she can trust.

The Whispering Night has intriguing worldbuilding, with different groups that include human monster hunters and witches and sorcerers, as well as a bestiary of creatures. Winnie’s internal narrative about the different species is a point of interest as the story goes along.The creatures were really intriguing and fun to learn about. Winnie is a likable main character–endearingly awkward, but determined to grow in her hunting skills, and very intelligent. Her commitment and caring for others is a strong point of this book. However, Jay, her emotionally tortured boyfriend is underutilized and isn’t in the story enough to be such an important character. Some secondary characters stand out, but others feel less developed. The forest is so well personified, it is a character in itself. On the other hand, the main villain exudes menace and a dark allure that makes readers want to learn more about them. It feels as though some plot points get introduced but don't seem to go anywhere, giving a feeling of lost potential. The narrative does not advance much at all until close to the climax, which is disappointing for a conclusion to a series. The pacing is unbalanced and requires commitment and trust from readers that something exciting will happen in the end. Fortunately, the climax is very compelling and features some beautiful, description writing that significantly improved the overall rating for this book. The author has a way with words when writing magic. Readers who are willing to invest in a story for a prolonged payoff will enjoy this modern fantasy full of fantastic creatures, dark magic, and strong relationship bonds.

I enjoyed this and thought it was a fitting conclusion to the series! I especially like how it was so obvious how Winnie changed and grew in confidence through the series, and it feels natural at the same time. I enjoyed confident Winnie and her take-no-shit attitude! And I also enjoyed how the outstanding mysteries were resolved (especially where Winnie was so convinced her dad was framed as a Diana but turns out he actually WAS a Diana). I did struggle at times with the writing style - it was repetitious on purpose, obviously, but I didn't always vibe with when and what things were repeated and it grated on me.