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.

This was such a fantastic ending to a story. I'm so sad to see these characters go, but I know this will definitely be a reread for me. I loved the nonstop adventure, the character growth, and wit among the characters. I can definitely see this branching off into another series, and will be crossing my fingers and toes for this to come true!

The conclusion to the Luminaries trilogy was a fun but also emotional journey. I laughed, I cried, it truly brought together all the plot points from the two previous books and answered all the questions the reader had. Of course, I absolutely loved being back in Winnie's pov, and follow her story. The stakes were higher than ever in the series, and it translated so well in the writing. The only thing perhaps is that I thought it dragged a little towards the end but it didn't hinder my overall enjoyment!

It was an overall great reading experience and I'm so glad I got to read this trilogy as it released!

This was an absolutely outstanding conclusion to this series. There's one thing about Sooz' books that I've come to understand. In the beginning, I'm always going to think it's predictable. There's always going to be some plot twist that I give a little side eye to and be like "yeah, we all clocked that several chapters ago." but that's never actually the plot twist for us. For the characters, yes. But there's always something buried much deeper in the plot that is the real mystery we're all trying to solve. This trilogy was no exception. There's something going on in the first book that we all guessed at that Winnie didn't learn until the second book. But when it comes down to it, this last book had so many mysteries being wrapped up from previous books and it was just done so well.

There's a chapter in this book, well a sub-part to a chapter (I believe it's 41 but I'm writing this review at work and don't have my book on me) and it was so heartbreaking and painful and yet somehow hopeful at the same time? We get a flashback and learn about something that we've been wondering about since book 1 and when I tell you I was in literal racking sobs... it was one of the hardest things I've read this year.

I loved seeing how everything in the Luminaries world wrapped up in this book. I love how friendship and trust played such an important role in the finale. So much good about this book. So much to love about the way Sooz writes. She continues to be the queen.

I’ve followed this series from the beginning, and wow, has it been a wild ride. I love Winnie Wednesday so much. She’s smart and artistic and deeply loves her family. The tension between her and Jay– so fun.

I wasn’t really sure at the end of the second book how the author was going to pull all the loose threads of the series together in this last book, but I think everything came together nicely. Through the whole series, there has been this fear of and undercurrent of a Diana plot, but I don’t think we really get to see that explode across the page until this final installment.

I was so ready. Or, at least, I thought I was. I had ideas about where the story would go, and I was right about a few things. But there were a lot of elements that surprised me, too. I like the way that Winnie’s community connections, even those she has felt distanced from, matter in the way that things play out. Her town feels like a small, close-knit community with rivalries, agendas, and politics. Those tensions feel very real. The loyalty beneath those tensions feels real, too.

I’m glad I stuck with this series all the way to the end. It was a lot of fun. Though the story is pretty high-stakes and serious, there’s a lot of humor between the lines or in the ways the characters relate to one another. I love that.

This is a great series for people who like a fantasy story that’s anchored in the real world with the addition of magic and monsters. Think, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare (but minus the are-they-or-arent-they-related component).

I feel so productive lately thanks to a few series I’ve either made progress on or finished up and The Luminaries trilogy has now come to an end. I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with how thoroughly engaging the plot remained throughout the trilogy and how consistent the tone and character voices felt. I feel like that’s so rare in any series, so I especially love that it’s a YA fantasy series that has me in such a chokehold.
The Whispering Night picks up right after the events of The Hunting Moon and Winnie Wednesday is kind of freaking out. She encounters a group of enemy witches (called Dianas) in the woods, someone might know her boyfriend is a werewolf, and she finally becomes a Luminary Hunter! It’s such a weird mixture of everything she’s ever wanted and everything she’s ever feared - such a conundrum! Either way, Winnie still needs to follow the rest of her father’s clues to prove that he wasn’t a Diana himself and was in fact framed and then she needs to find him. To top things off, it’s time for a huge gathering of Luminaries and this year the gathering is being hosted right in her hometown. There are so many new people and any of them could secretly be a Diana and the weird humming monster that might actually be a spell is still on the lam, so things are definitely NOT going to go wrong.
Winnie is a delightful character and I love her general optimism, her artistry, and her passion about the work the Luminaries do. I also love that this book does such a great job of balancing Winnie’s family, friend, and love interest connections with one another and Susan Dennard makes each feel equally important. I think the emphasis of strong friendships and family bonds in a story is wonderful, especially with the prevalence of romantasy where the love interest is the be all, end all. The little bits we get to see of Winnie’s training and classroom time are also quite fun, though so much of this installment focuses on her trying to get through a bunch of unwanted duties thanks to her new celebrity status for being bitten by a werewolf.
Overall, I thought this wrapped up all the plot lines in a really satisfying manner and answered all those burning questions I’ve had building up over the previous two books. With this being a series conclusion, I really don’t want to give a lot away (takes all the fun out of things!), but let me reassure you that the ending is quite action packed and has some really cool visuals! I would definitely recommend this series, especially for those of us millennials who really loved YA fantasy during the renaissance era, post-Twilight.

The Whispering Night is the third and final installment in author Susan Denard's Luminaries series. Bad stuff is happening in Hemlock Falls. There are Diana's in the forest, two of them are dead, and one of them may have the answers as to what really happened to her father a few years ago that destroyed Winona Wednesday's family after he was accused of being one a Diana. Winnie, Erica Thursday, and Jay Friday have formed a tentative alliance to solve the mystery of what happened to Winnie's father and what led to the death of Erica's sister.

Things are still tense between them since Erica is training to be a Diana and trust is hard to come by, but Winnie is willing to give it a go despite Jay's reluctance, especially now that we know Jay's secret that could cost him everything. Meanwhile, the annual Nightmare Masquerade is on the horizon where all the clans from Hemlock and around the world get together for a big celebration. This year because of her recent actions after passing her hunter's tests, they have named Winnie their queen with the Midnight Crown.

So now her time becomes consumed with events leading up to the big celebration and trying to solve the mysteries currently haunting her and Erica. When a masked Diana makes her appearance known, she basically gives Winnie an ultimatum. It's pretty much the "or else" kind, so the danger factor really amps up at that point. Diana's mission is the overrun the world with nightmares, and claim spirit magic. The tension runs thick throughout this one as Winnie is low on options and time and not sure who she can trust, especially after Jay disappears after an encounter with a nightmare.

As Winnie fights to stop new enemies before time runs out, old mysteries won't stop intruding. Her missing father is somehow entangled with her search for hidden witches, and as Winnie digs deeper into the long-standing war between the Luminaries and the Dianas, she discovers rifts within her own family she never could have imagined and maybe once Winnie does find out the truth about her father, others will have to put their hatreds behind in order to save Hemlock from falling.

If you are able, please get the finished copy of this book and enjoy the illustrations that the author has provided. It's freaking amazing. So, I am happy with the ending. I am happy that the author doesn't leave any questions for readers to ponder like a previously read and reviewed book which left an ending that didn't make any sense. Although I would have liked to see more of Jay, you have to understand that he is under as much pressure as Winnie was. More so. I also liked the fact that after 4 years of being hated by Erica, they seem to have become close friends again. That's a good thing.

I loved this series' conclusion! The story is pretty fast-paced with a lot going on as Winnie is attempting to finally put all the clues together, which includes working with her ex-best friend Erica. The building for the whole series is excellent, and I loved every new bit of information.

I love the characters, Winnie's relationship with Jay is completely adorable, and I love her friends who always have her back.
Everything important was answered with a few things left unresolved, but the ending made it seem like we could be getting more from this world in the future. Which I will definitely be reading if that happens.

I really loved the first book. The second book was just ok. This book was just not for me.

It was boring and the plot was slow. Winnie was so annoying she’s always on the point of figuring something out and we get a monologue about it and then she loses it. All the time! Also we don’t get a lot of answers in this book like why Jenna was doing the spell. We learn she made some deal but we don’t know why or how or when. And the reasoning for why it had to be her to set the spell still isn’t believable.

Also the wrap up with her dad was annoying. This book could have been condensed along with book two for a full fledged duology for sure.

I do like Erica’s redemption arc although her deal with the bad Diana was never fully explained either.

Her dad was a crow and in his crow form which I called in book one. They are able to return him to his human self. No clue if Winnie and her mom’s no talking spells were ever undone. Also her grandmother Harriet apparently protected the locket and Winnie all along and is somehow tied to the bad Diana.

The spell needed to be completed by a nightmare/human (Jay) Erica and Winnie. A Diana and a luminary to restore balance to the forest. At its heart I guess the spell isn’t evil but for some reason the bad Diana still believes it is so confused about that. Also the nightmares that helped Winnie in the end were the spirits of the dead loved ones? I don’t remember that being explained. Like how? Why! Why do they choose certain forms?

How did the bad Diana even get in apparently it wasn’t the Tuesdays in cahoots. One of the turned Diana’s say that there was a practicing powerful Diana here that wasn’t Winnie’s dad so who is it? The doctor? Erica’s mom?

So many more questions. Seems like this series is continuing in some way and I don’t know if I’ll be continuing with it.

So behind on my reviews!

This book completes the Luminaries trilogy, and I think it is a strong finish. The Whispering Night just cemented how awesome Jay and Winnie are as characters for me, and I really enjoyed their story. All the loose ends, in my opinion, get tied together and answer many of my questions from the first two books. I also liked there is redemption for characters who needed a way.

Everything I could have ever hoped for to end this great series. Oh my god I have to reread the whole thing over because I don't want it to be over.

I’m not kidding when I say The Whispering Night might be the best book I’ve read all year. I am so happy with the ending I cannot even begin. I just haven't been this excited and happy about a series in so long and I'm so sad that it's over but elated on the high note it ended on. Man, if only you could see the grin on my face.

If you like fantasy, Magic gone wrong + right, a murder mystery, complex realistic characters who have wonderful organic growth then pls try the Luminaries Series by Susan Dennard. I cannot stop yapping about this enough. You will not be disappointed.

The Luminaries are back in THE WHISPERING NIGHT, the third and final book, by Susan Dennard. The novel starts with Winnie Wednesday on top of the world. Jay Friday is her boyfriend, she has a group of friends she can count on, and with all her good work, her family is steps away from being fully reintegrated into society. However, Winnie is unaware that what was set in motion four years ago has come back around for completion: a foreign Diana has infiltrated Hemlock Falls with plans to destroy the town once and for all. The deeper Winnie gets sucked into the Diana’s plotting, the more she starts connecting all the unexplained events from the past, and the more she has to lose.

I’ve said it before, but Dennard's worldbuilding in this series is fantastic. She’s visually painted this place and all its people so well, in addition to creating the culture and customs. I can totally imagine this story as a movie or TV show, because Dennard has a distinct skill for putting the reader right in the action – and this book has a lot of action, especially in the second half. Like Winnie, we as the readers get to figure out what’s happening right alongside of her, with the added pressure of the clock winding down.

I do wish that we had some more Winnie and Jay moments in the first half of the book, and while Dennard fits so much information in this third installment -- and miraculously manages to tie up so many loose ends -- I still have so much more that I want to see explored. For instance, I’d really like to meet Winnie’s grandma. I’d love to know more about Jay’s parents. I’d love to have some chapters from Jay’s perspective. I’d be curious to see what happens next for everyone. In other words, this book doesn’t feel like the end, and I’d love to read more.

Overall, THE WHISPERING NIGHT is a solid read that closes out a fun and inventive series. Anyone who likes to dive into fantastical trilogies should really enjoy this book, and hopefully, there will be more to come!

Winnie and Jay have only just gotten together when Jay has to sacrifice himself to the Whisperer to protect her. But Winnie barely has time to process, because she's been selected as the Midnight Crown and must attend approximately 4,000 public events. After meeting one of the Italian Luminaries who reveals herself to be a Diana, Winnie discovers that she's been put under a spell and can't tell anyone. All she can do is try to solve the mystery of her father, try to save Jay, and work with Erica to try to stop the Dianas.

I loved finally seeing everything come together! I was slightly confused by some of it but the ending explained it all. Finally we learned more about the Dianas and what their role in everything was, as well as how all of the mysterious events from four years ago tied together. The disappearance of Jay through most of the book made me sad, although I liked the development of Winnie and Erica's friendship, and the ending did make it all worth it. This was packed with lots of action and intrigue that made having binge-read this whole series a really good thing. Overall this was a series with some unique worldbuilding and a mystery with many twists.

The third book in the series, picking up where the previous books left off with Winnie finally getting together wither her childhood friend only to find out that he in fact does turn into a werewolf and that the town might be hunting him, all the while Winnie must find a way to solve all her father's clues and find out what he's been trying to tell her. Winnie is finally a Luminary... but that means she hunts Nightmares.... and her new boyfriend just happens to be the very Nightmare that the town is hunting. Winnie also happens to be cursed and can't tell anyone, things are not looking up for her but with the help of her new friends and old ones, maybe she'll finally be able to break the curse on herself and finally discover her father's secrets. This was a really fun read that wraps up the series well while also leaving room for potential other books to follow . I did love the relationship between Winnie and Jay the best in this one as they finally are on the same page with their feelings and are working together. The story has a nice pace to it and the mystery unravels in a good pace. I like the world that Susan has created and enjoyed the various characters and the different houses. I would absolutely read the next book if Susan were to write another one! This is a series I would definitely recommend for fantasy/paranormal romance lovers who like a small town mystery and adventure with a dash of romance!

This might be the time to be led back into the forest with me if you have read book 1 & 2, are desperate for answers, enjoy nightmares and monsters, secret societies, things that go bump in the night, and the tying up of loose ends of a series.

I’m not sure I will be able to fully explain how this book made me feel. That this was a YA series set on creating the idea of nightmare creatures within a forest and the concepts of secret societies held far away from the regular world is mind blowing to say the least. I LOVE eerie books, the feel and atmosphere that is created in the first 2 books and continued in this one to finish off the story kept me captivated.

My absolute favorite is how quirky Winnie is and that she is the epitome of how so many of us internalised our thoughts back in our teenage years. But most of all I loved that it’s was so uniquely done, the whole story and premise and although I’m sad to have the series end, I feel oddly satisfied and peaceful with how it all came together. A beautifully written final book for a beautiful series. .

Fantastic conclusion. A bit slow at first I’m not going to lie but the character arcs in this were fantastic. Seeing Erika morph was great and seeing Winnie become more confident made me so happy. She didn’t take a lot of BS and I appreciated that.

Oh, this was such a fantastic read, and such a great end to the series! So much came to a head, and I couldn't get enough, I had to see how it was all going to end! I've loved this series from the beginning, and I had such a great time with its end!

Winnie learned some pretty important facts in the previous book, about Jay and Ericka, and about her dad. But there's still so much unknown, like what happend with Erica's sister, and with Winnie's dad. Watching them investigate was just so thrilling to read!

That Winnie gets roped into the Nightmare Masquerade, playing off of her new-found fame, well, that is not a fun time for Winnie, not to mention who it puts in her orbit, which makes everything worse and on a schedule and countdown. Not the best place to be!

The way things ended, with the spirit of the forest, and the Dianas, has some possibilities that has me intrigued. I'm pretty sure that this is a trilogy, that this is the end of the series, which this book did a fantastic job with. But it might not be the end of the world, I would absolutely read more stories set in this world!

Also, that ending, with the art project, and she won the main prize, but anonymously, she'd submitted the running up pieces as well? If my math is correct, she submitted all but 1 of the entries, which is just hilarious to me!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Susan Dennard!

Book 3 (and the last one) of the Luminaries series does not disappoint. If, like me, you got totally hooked on the story of Winnie Wednesday and her fight to reclaim her family's place in Hemlock Falls, go grab yourself this book, hope for a rainy weekend, curl up and enjoy!

This is a terrific conclusion to the series. It rips along at a fabulous pace, and delivers all the answers readers have been waiting for. It picks up at the dramatic final scenes of The Hunting Moon, and pulls us into Winnie's chaos, and we are happy to go along. Winnie is still trying to convince people that there is something very, very wrong in Hemlock Falls and she can't figure out why no one wants to talk to her about what happened in the forest with the Dianas. Jay is, very definitely, what he is. And on top of it all, it's world-welcoming festival time in Hemlock Falls, and Winnie gets mysteriously tapped to be the queen of it all. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?

Winnie is an amazing character. She's got snark, brains, courage and loyalty like no one else. This book wraps up all those lingering questions, and lets Winnie be her best self. Your YA readers will love this. Moody northwest vibe, gorgeous mysterious bass players, super-cool badass fighters and incredibly detailed monsters - oh, yeah, you know you want this.

My only teeny tiny quibble - why did it take Winnie soooooo long to figure one key piece out, when I think the readers have known it for a while. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the e-arc.