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.

Short and Sweet Review

Things are looking up for Winnie Wednesday, Erica Thursday is her friend again, and the werewolf is no longer being hunted so Jay is safe. Because everything is going so well Winnie is looking forward to the Nightmare Masquerade, which celebrates all things Luminaries and has Luminaries from all over the world come to Hemlock falls. When Winnie is confronted by a Diana and given a task that seems impossible and will threaten her family and friends, Winnie has no choice but to stop new enemies before time runs out.

The Whispering Night is the final book in The Luminaries trilogy. I thought this book was a great conclusion to the series as a lot of things were answered and over the course of three books we see character growth from Winnie. The Nightmare Masquerade is happening and during this event Winnie encounters a Diana who wants Winnie to complete a task and the only way Winnie is going to be successful is if she goes through all of the clues her father left her. Winnie is helped by Jay and Erica but sometimes it’s hard to know who she can actually trust. I don’t want to include any spoilers but I did love how everything was wrapped up so nicely and how all the questions readers might have had from the first two books were answered. It was also interesting to see how many Dianas have actually been around Winnie her whole life. I love the setting of Hemlock Falls, a small town with some paranormal activity.

Overall, I loved this series! We have a main character who showed her strength and becoming a town legend after her family was ostracized and she really climbed her way back to the top. My favorite thing about this series is how the mystery spans over three books but we always got a little closer to solving it. The ending was great and it will leave readers satisfied.

This was such a great conclusion! I loved the romance, the friendships and the plot was action packed and exciting! Will be recommending this trilogy to everyone and adding it to our library for sure!

The Whispering Night
by Susan Dennard
The Luminaries #3
YA Fantasy Urban
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Nov 19, 2024
Tor Publishing Group
Ages: 14+

Winnie is back in the Luminaries, she is close with her friends and even closer with Jay, plus it seems as if everyone believes the werewolf is gone, but the Whisperer is still roaming the forest and only a few people believe her.

But now there's the week long celebration called the Nightmare Masquerade where Luminaries from around the globe will be visiting, including the uninvited Dianas, and one confronts Winnie, threatening her to do worse things to those she loves than the spell she cast upon Winnie, which stops her from telling others.

Winnie sorts through the clues, including those her father left because she knew the Diana's threat was more of a promise, and then there was still the Whisper in the forest.


The third and final book of the series was great. I don't want to give out any major spoilers, but it did come to a nice conclusion, and while there needed to be more re-capping of the first two books and a few of the characters and monsters needed a little more love, it still moved along at a great pace and didn't ramble on too much. I did like how Winnie's habit of reciting facts about the monsters was used.

Not a lot of violence, gore, or adult content, so it's suitable for readers fourteen and older.

3 Stars

Winnie believes that her life is finally ready to settle down, but that all changes at the Nightmare Masquerade. This week-long celebration brings Luminaries from everywhere together, but when unwelcome guests also arrive, Winnie’s life is turned upside down … again. Winnie has a new group of enemies she must overcome and time is not on her side. What dark secrets will be uncovered?

The Whispering Night is the third book in The Luminaries series. This dark fantasy was just as enjoyable as the first two volumes and readers will quickly fall into the newest adventure. Character development and world building was complete in the other books, so please read them first to enjoy this experience. Readers will easily see themselves (and their family) in the characters and they may even get a better understanding too. The Whispering Night was a great conclusion to this trilogy.

“Okay, Winona.” I’m really going to miss Winnie Wednesday’s world. The book starts off slow but when Susan Dennard puts the pedal to the metal, it’s action non-stop. The Whispering Night is a fantastic closure to The Luminaries trilogy. ARC provided by Tor Teen via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is phenomenal and such a wonderful conclusion to the trilogy. It has a great mix of coming-of-age, rekindling past friendships, romance, family, and suspense. Susan Dennard does a remarkable job of setting the scene and making a realistic community. I loved it.

Thank you to Tor Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on the third and final book in The Luminaries trilogy. The first part of this book was a bit slow, and I found myself wanting more action. However, once the action started it did not stop. The end of the book was a bit chaotic and hard to keep track of, but I do think that the book was tied up nicely. We got some long-awaited answers, but I am curious if there will be a spin-off series.

Winnie's teeth clicked, like a lot.

The Whispering Night continues Winnie Wednesday's saga in Hemlock Falls. After learning Jay's secret and discovering that there are, in fact, Diana's in Hemlock Falls, Winnie Wednesday teams up with the original WTF group, determined to figure out what happened to Erica Thursday's sister and Winnie's dad.

This book is action-packed from the very first chapter and a gripping installment of the incredible world that Susan Dennard has created. I found myself spellbound by the rich history she created. The nightmares and whole premise of the compendium are incredible, but the entire ecosystem she's built of this lifeforce is such good storytelling.

As a science teacher by day, I appreciated all the scientific explanations and loved how Dennard seamlessly integrated science into fantasy.

I'm always a harsh critic of the third book in a trilogy, but I have to say this story's loose ends were tied in a seamless bow, with a satisfying ending and the seeds for more.

PLEASE LET THERE BE MORE.

Overall. Very enjoyable read. It's one of my top favorite new fantasy series.

Witches, Werewolves, and Hunters oh my! What an incredible ending to an amazing series. From the very first book, Susan Dennard had me hooked with her unique story that takes place in the fantasy realm. A group of hunters who's job it is to keep monsters, known as nightmares, from infiltrating the greater society. Making matters more complicated, the Hunters must also fight against a group of witches, called Diana's, who are using their magical powers to release an evil being.

Winnie Wednesday's family had been shunned from the Luminary society for the past four years due to her father being an accused Diana. Her mom lost her job and standing in the Hunter community and Winnie lost her two best friends, Erica and Jay. But, in the past month things have turned around. After proving herself in the Hunter trials, Winnie, her mom and brother are slowly being allowed back. Having found a box of birthday cards sent from her father, Winnie is convinced the cards are filled with clues and coded messages that will help her to prove his innocence. Following her father's clues has forced Winnie to dive deep into Luminary society, uncovering a number of large secrets. With the Nightmare Masquerade, a weeks long celebration set to take place in Hemlock Falls, Winnie hopes to bring her investigation to a close. Unfortunately, the masquerade only compounds Winnie's troubles and makes matters more complicated.

As this last installment of the Luminaries came closer and closer to it's ending I kept looking for clues to a potential spin-off. I really liked Winnie who was quirky and only desired to be taken back by her old friends and accepted within the Luminary society. Winnie doesn't really have the athletic qualities one would expect a Hunter to possess but somehow she managed to make it all work. I enjoyed the world in which the story took place. Dennard developed a rather large number of original creatures each with unique features and back stories. In the end, the morale of the entire series is one that the greater world could learn from: there is one world with many different beings and creatures living in it, at the end of the day we should all learn to work together for the greater good.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5/5⭐️

I enjoyed this so much! For a teen fantasy series, this was just so much fun. Plus, it only really hit me during this book that all the events of the 3 books takes place over the span of just a couple months. There was just such a whirlwind of tension and danger and “what will happen next” that it’s hard to believe that it occurred over a short period of time! I’m so glad that they finally got a happy ending but I’m so intrigued to see where it will go from here. I definitely have the sense that there’s either going to be more books after this or there will be a sequel series set in the same world. All in all, this is a great book for spooky season!

Thank you so much to Tor Publishing Group, specifically the NetGalley team, for sending me an ARC of The Whispering Night. And thank you to Susan Dennard for writing this book and the whole Luminaries series!

To say this book had me gagged is an understatement. It was such an emotional rollercoaster and a great conclusion to this amazing series. I was so pleased with the ending, the whole plot. Just everything about it I loved. The pacing was great. The characters were great. I love Winnie and Jay together. This book has so many twists and turns, and it kept me on my feet. I was also absolutely in love with the writing. The narrator is as witty as Winnie. I adored how certain phrases kept popping up throughout the book. The repetition was just such a great device. It made things feel so haunting, which is the perfect vibe for this book and this series in general. Susan Dennard is a phenomenal writer. I will absolutely be pushing for my library to add not only The Whispering Night but the whole Luminaries series.

The third book in the series is typically better than the second, which holds true for this series. The book begins on a positive note: Winnie is friends with Erica again, they aren’t hunting the werewolf, and she and Jay might be figuring out their relationship. But soon everything changes when Winnie is given an honor she doesn’t want, putting her in the public eye, which leads to an unwelcome confrontation with a Diana. As Winnie continues to search for her missing father, she finds out more about her family history and the feud between the Dianas and the Luminaries. This was an action packed ending to the trilogy, and if you were on the fence because of book 2, read this one to finish the series.

Before I get into the review, a thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Tor Teen for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Whispering Night is the third book in the Luminaries series. In this series, we follow Winnie whose family got outcast from their secret society of nightmare hunters four years ago when it was found that her father was practicing magic. Now, as Winnie's 16th birthday approaches, she has a plan for getting back into the Luminaries' good graces. But as more information comes out Winnie realizes all may not be what it seems. It's really hard to give a description for this third novel since so much has happened in the series. But I think this is such a fun and quick read for Fantasy fans. The Whispering Night comes out on November 19th and is available for preorder now.

There is just something about Hemlock Falls that draws me in. From the spirit that sleeps in the woods around Hemlock Falls to the Nightmares it creates each night: there's just something so atmospheric and wonderful about this world. I also really enjoy the characters and how real they feel. They're silly or weird or make mistakes but they're all just doing their best in a world that can definitely feel like it's out to get them. We also have teenagers who just feel so absolutely teenage. They're not the most eloquent and they make decisions without thinking it all the way through, but there's an earnestness that just leaps off the page. Winnie is a character who you just. have to root for. She get caught up in this thing that's way too big for her to handle and she makes some mistakes and falls into some traps, but she does her best for this situation that she finds herself in and I just had to root for her the whole way.

I will say that this one was much longer than the other two books in the series which felt like it threw off the pace a bit for me. It's not that I wouldn't approve of a longer Luminaries book (hi, have you met me? I'm the girl who once complained that a 750 page novel wasn't long enough). I think it made it feel like there was so much left to wrap up the story that there was no choice but to make this the longest book in the series. The first two books were under 300 pages while this one almost hits the 400 page mark. I think if some of the things that got introduced in this book were originally placed in book two and then expanded upon in this book then it would have made the overall flow fit better.

Overall, this was a 4 star series for me so I highly recommend it. I've been reading it as the books have been coming out, but it would be so easy to marathon the whole series and just get lost in the world of the Luminaries. I think Fantasy/Speculative Fiction fans would like this one. Especially if they're in the YA/New Adult age range. Such a fun read for me.

I enjoyed the conclusion to this triology. It is an appropriate YA book, and I can’t wait to recommend it to my students who like fantasy.

I gave the second book in this series 4.25 stars and I think this one matches that.
We start off right where the second one left off. We learn Jay is a werewolf and Erica is kind of a Diana. After Winnie wins the Midnight Crown for the upcoming festivities, she meets the masked Diana crow who gives her an impossible task to complete.
My favorite thing about these book is how alone Winnie starts out and how she realizes that even through her banishment, she had people who cared about her and after her banishment was over, she could let people in who stopped talking to her, because they were just following ruled drilled into them. Bretta, Emma and Fatima were such a supportive group of girls and even when Winnie had to figure things out with Jay and Erica, they were still there for her. Winnie and Jay's relationship was never really the focus of any part of the book, but it was a constant thing and it was obvious that the feelings were big. I also love Winnie's relationship with her mom and brother Darian. They were all each other had for 4 years and it's obvious that bond became so strong.
The pacing of this book was kind of fast, slow, fast, slow. When there was a lull, it always picked back up when it felt like it needed to. We really do get most if not all of our answers by the end of this book. There is a strong possibility of someone being a crow (the actual animal, not the crow-masked Diana) and the way this ties everything together at the end is perfect.
While these books are told from Winnie's POV, there are flashbacks and snippets from others here and there. There is one snippet at the end of this one that would make a perfect lead-in to another series or a spin off that would be so fun to read about!

Not my favorite novel of this series and not exactly how I imagined the events of this book would go/flow, but in all I was simply satisfied with the story. I do not know if the author is planning to continue the world of Hemlock Falls with nightmares and hunters, but I sure hope she does. If so, I might like to see another Luminaries town. I just feel like maybe Hemlock Falls has seen its natural conclusion. I do see that she might have set it up to continue following Winnie and Jay, but I do think this last installment wasn't quite as interesting as the first two.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, & Tor Publishing Group for the eARC! I was simply entertained!! :-)

First off, as with the other two installments the world in which Dennard has created is breathtaking. I love the idea and the characters, and its the first time since reading Harry Potter that I feel an author has succeeded in building a world that exists within our own that feels believable. For that reason, I will continue to recommend this series to all my YA reading patrons/book clubbers. As for rating the story, I only gave this particular installment a 3.5 star. The story and the characters didn't flow for me as they had in the last two; the characters almost felt out of character, if you know what I mean. Winnie has never exactly been confident, but with everything she has survived and endured in a short period of time, I felt she needed to be bolder...especially when it came to Erika, the higher ranking Luminaries, and the Diana's. Each book was able to show progression of Winnie and her journey of self-discovery, but this one felt like she wobbled a lot. It just made it hard to push through in some parts of the book. Neither did this novel have much of what I loved best about the series--the nightmares.
I was also a bit let down on the reveal of the mystery behind her father's disappearance and what happened to Jenna. There wasn't a twist a was hoping for or a revelation I hadn't been able to guess after book 1. It was just an okay wrap up to a much heavier build. I felt a bit let down. Also the last scene was super cheesy... very cute though for the younger YA readers.
I would recommend this to any reader, no matter age, who likes books that center around friendship, loyalty, PG romance, and self-discovery.

No Regrets!!!!