The Whispering Night by Jessica Townsend is the highly anticipated and thrilling conclusion to the Luminaries trilogy, delivering a pulse-pounding, swoon-worthy finale that fans have been eagerly awaiting.

Winnie Wednesday’s life seems to be on track. Hemlock Falls is no longer hunting the werewolf, she and Erica Thursday are starting to forge a fragile but meaningful friendship, and Winnie’s relationship with Jay Friday has finally settled into something solid. Just when it appears everything is falling into place, the Nightmare Masquerade—an annual week-long celebration of all things Luminary—arrives in the small town, bringing with it not only long-awaited visitors but also uninvited guests. Among them is a masked Diana, who tasks Winnie with an impossible mission that puts everyone she loves at risk.

As Winnie battles new enemies, old mysteries continue to resurface. Her missing father seems to be somehow connected to her search for hidden witches, and as she delves deeper into the long-standing war between the Luminaries and the Dianas, Winnie uncovers shocking secrets within her own family. The line between loyalty and betrayal becomes increasingly blurred as she realises that family and foes may not be so different after all.

This final instalment in the trilogy is a masterclass in suspense, with nonstop action and brilliantly original twists that keep readers hooked from start to finish. The dynamic between Winnie and Erica takes centre stage, as the two friends team up to solve the mystery of Erica's sister’s death and the role Winnie’s father played in it. The pace is relentless, with thrilling chase scenes and encounters with bizarre creatures, but the true joy of this book lies in the slow unravelling of the characters' complex relationships and the answers they discover along the way.

The Whispering Night is one of the most satisfying conclusions to a trilogy I’ve encountered in a long time. The world-building is rich and immersive, with the haunting atmosphere of the mist-covered forests and the intriguing witchy society of the Dianas leaving a lasting impression. While I’m sad to see this captivating world come to an end, the potential for future spinoffs is endless. The possibility of exploring other Luminary societies or even delving into the world of the Dianas has me hopeful for more stories to come. I can only hope that Jessica Townsend will one day collaborate with a visual artist to bring The Nightmare Compendium to life, as I would buy that reference book in a heartbeat.

As much as this book ties up the trilogy beautifully, I find myself unwilling to say goodbye to this world.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Susan Dennard’s The Whispering Night is an emotional and gripping finale that brings this beloved series to a close in spectacular fashion. The story wraps up the characters’ journeys with heart and just enough twists to keep you on edge. Dennard’s writing is as vivid and atmospheric as ever, pulling you into a world filled with danger, mystery, and heart While a few plot threads could have used a bit more time, the ending makes this a deeply satisfying conclusion that fans will love.

The conclusion to The Luminaries series this book had higher stakes, more mysteries and lots of new creatures! Questions that arise in books 1 and 2 were finally answered and I really enjoyed learning more of the mythology, especially about the Dianas!

I would have loved more time focused on Jay however the romance between Jay and Winnie was adorable and I loved Winnie’s relationships with her friends. Each character has complex mysteries surrounding them and I loved diving further into the triangle of Erica, Winnie and Jay.

This was a high paced read filled with mystery, friendship and monsters and I would highly recommend
for any urban fantasy lovers!

I was really excited for the release of this book, having enjoyed both the prior two Luminaries instalments, and desperately wanting answers to the long running questions that had been set up and drawn out.

Thankfully, we finally got the answers to all the questions!! It was a wild ride with some unexpected twists, some I have guessed, and some really fun drama filled moments.

However, it is unfortunate as I did not love this book as much as I had hoped or expected to :( I’m really not sure what it was, but whereas I remember being sucked in to the story previously, this one felt like it took me forever to read and get invested in to.

All in all, it was a good ending to the trilogy but not a strong book overall.

I'm incredibly grateful for allowing to read this whole trilogy.
When The Luminaries came out you allowed me early access and I was so happy because it sounded so promising and it really was. I entered a really unique world and was mesmerized, I just wanted to continue. Then you allowed me, once again, early access to The Hunting Moon and it continued the patterned of unique world building in monsters and a lot of revelations were made.
I just finished The Whispering Night and I'm so happy I've read this trilogy. As I said above, the world building is so different (from the names of the clans, to the unique monsters and powers, so many unique traits from fantasies I usually read), it had so many twists and revelations I didn't see coming and I my jaw dropped.
I think this was a great ending for a great trilogy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - such a fun YA fantasy with great characters and a good storyline!!

I really enjoyed this book and series and loved getting another chance to delve into the world of Winnie and her renewed friendship with Erica.

With adventure and mystery this book kept me hooked and constantly needing to find out more. With plot twists and clues throughout it kept the book engaging and interesting.

This was a perfect conclusion to this series! I really enjoyed this series.

The characters are so strong and are multidimensional giving great depth to the story. Winnie’s character has developed lots over the series and I enjoyed reading about her strong character who is smart and able to handle a lot of difficult situations that she is thrown into.

The writing style allows the book to flow really well and kept me interested throughout. It is quite fast paced keeping the storyline flowing and preventing me from feeling bogged down in the middle like some books.

Thank you to netgalley, Susan Dennard and Daphne press for this ARC.

I love Jay Friday!

Back in Hemlock Falls with Winnie Wednesday and we continue with the mystery of the Diana's, the Nightmares and the Luminaries.

I dont want to say much about the plot but I will say this is a fun, fast paced and solid conclusion!

𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝑬𝒎𝒐𝒋𝒊𝒔:🌙🐺🗝️🥷🧙🏻🌫️🐦‍⬛
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒕: A great conclusion to a fabulously atmospheric YA Paranormal Fantasy Trilogy.
𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕:
🧡Supernatural creatures and monsters
🌙 Monster Hunters & Witches
🧡Mystery and Secrets
🌙Reminiscent of Paranormal YA from the 2010’s
🧡An interesting world and a unique blend of Urban and Paranormal Fantasy with hints of gothic horror
🌙Coming of age with a hint of slow burn romance that develops throughout the series

𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘:
This was a really good conclusion to what’s been an enjoyable trilogy. The book continued to be a good pace, easy to read and interesting, building on and keeping the vibes of the previous books. I still love Jay (“Ahhh Jay”) and enjoyed seeing how Winnie’s character had grown. I felt satisfied by the ending with almost every thread tied off neatly and coming together(although there was a couple of little bits left loose or open to interpretation which keeps with the atmosphere and vibe of the series but have been bothering my brain ever since I read it because I like to know EVERYTHING).

I’ve really enjoyed reading this series as a whole: it has felt engaging, exciting and fresh with the right balance of mystery and secrets that have had me theorising and guessing without being too obvious. I’ve loved the chilling atmosphere, the way the forest is almost a character of its own and all the different nightmares/creatures/supernatural beings that are sprinkled throughout with various and rich lore behind them.

One of my favourite things has been the way each book uses something from within the narrative to immerse you into it and convey the passage of time in an interesting way (Nightmare Compendium Pages/Testing Reports/ Winnie’s Itinerary). There are also beautiful illustrations to accompany compendium pages so it’s easy to visualise the monsters Winnie learns about and faces in the series.

𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.✨ (4.5⭐️)

I adored the other books in the series so I was ready to be blown away by this and I 100% was! It felt like a fantastic way to end and loved how everything came together at the end.

The Whispering Night is a good conclusion to The Luminaries trilogy!

The book felt too long though, I think it's due to the number of public events Winnie has to attend - it felt quite repetitive and seemed like a bit of time wasting. The pace of the story could've been a lot faster, the danger is definitely there but it didn't feel like it because of how slowly everything was happening.

I really like the world and the characters, it feels like classic YA and is something I can imagine a lot of younger teens enjoying.

I want to express my gratitude to Daphne Press for providing access to this ARC. Throughout my reading experience, I had a lovely encounter with Winnie, which added depth to the story. "The Whispering Night" serves as a fantastic conclusion to "The Luminaries" series, escalating the stakes and unveiling new secrets that kept me engaged. I particularly enjoyed how the plot points from previous books seamlessly connected, and I appreciated the additional insights into the enigmatic Dianas, which enriched the overall narrative. Any fan of the series need to read this one

Such a fun installment of the series! I really loved this book, I’m planning on treating myself to the illuminate edition of this book to match my copies of the 1st and 2nd book.
Thank you for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

This book was stunning. It was everything I wanted the end of this series to be, which makes me equal parts happy and sad. I’m so sad the series is over but I’m so happy that I got to experience this magical series.

I loved how we got to learn more about the Dianas in this book and how they fit in the world. Their story definitely makes you see that the world isn’t black and white.

It made me love so many of our characters more than I already did. This did mean that my heart felt like it was breaking at points but then got put back together again. I just loved how Winnie has grown so much during this series and I’m hoping that at some point maybe we’ll get to dive into the world of Hemlock Falls again.

If you love YA fantasy with a pinch of horror to go with it, then this is a series you have to pick up! You won’t regret it!

I did a genuine happy dance when I was approved to read this ARC. This finale gives you everything. More of Winnie being our lovable reluctant hero, more of Jay, more Erica, more monsters and more mystery.

The ending to this gives me hope that there will be further books set in this world, but I liked how the trilogy wrapped up.

I couldn't put this down and would highly recommend this series to anyone wanting a fantasy YA read set in a more urban environment.

The Whispering Nightis a perfect conclusion to The Luminaries series. As the stakes get higher, new secrets and intrigues are revealed. I loved how different bits of information we collected in previous books started to fit together like puzzle pieces throughout this novel. I also loved learning more about the mysterious Dianas.

In this novel, the Luminaries from around the world arrive at Hemlock Falls to join the Nightmare Masquerade. Winnie is forced to participate in many social events, leading to some hilarious situations. Once again, the nightmare of the forest night is contrasted by school, family and friendships during the day. There are some exciting scenes, filled with action and fast-paced, but there are also shopping trips with friends and emotional conversations. I learned to love both halves of Winnie’s life equally. Also, the romantic subplot is swoon-worthy.

Winnie Wednesday has had a hell of couple of weeks! The finale of this incredible trilogy did not disappoint, and I’m ready to reread all of them again.

I love that Winnie spent this book figuring everything out following the last book, and trying to reassess everything she thought she knew about the people she thought she knew. I especially enjoyed the fresh perspective on some of the nightmares and that when Winnie actually spent time near them she was able to prove here hypotheses about them instead of the many assumptions that have been treated as fact.

I did have a few issues with pacing in this book, mainly because with it only taking a place over a few days, some of those days did drag, the less eventful (but still very eventful) days that were heavy on exposition did make me put it down a few times. That’s not to say that it wasn’t important information because getting towards the end it all suddenly becomes so very important!

Things look on the up for Winnie. She knows where she stands with Jay, and is tentatively friends with Erica again. But now luminaries from all over are coming to Hemlock falls, and bringing with them lies, secrets and trouble. And somehow, Winnie and her missing father are at the centre of it all.
Who can you trust, and whos telling the truth?

I really enjoyed this series and the pacing throughout all three books is excellent. It keeps you going along while still giving you a good feel for the atmosphere of the town and the people in it. This book is no exception to that, and the mysteries are spread throughout keeping those pages turning.
I can’t say too much without giving away major spoilers, but it came to a very satisfying conclusion and answered all those questions that had built up. I also liked that even with it being the final book in the series, we still got good character growth anf got to know more characters and how their stories fitted into the bigger plot.
Definitely a trilogy worth the read and a very strong conclusion

The Whispering Night is the conclusion to Susan Dennard’s Luminaries trilogy, and it offers a satisfying denouement to all the events. The stakes are at an all-time high as Winnie, Jay and Erica face off against a powerful Diana.
I loved how the relationships among the trio of Witch, Wednesday and werewolf evolved and how each of them had a crucial part to play in this conclusion. Winnie has definitely matured in her approach, and the anger she carried towards the luminaries for excluding her family has mellowed. Having faced down nightmares in the first two books, she is ready to go head to head with a masked Diana this time around. I enjoyed the action-packed scenes, and overall felt that this tied off any loose threads.

After discovering the luminaries series earlier this year and being reminded of one of my favourite tv shows (Buffy), I was so excited for the final installment

While I enjoyed this book I don't think it lived up to the others, it felt overcomplicated/under explained. It's never really explained how Winnie comes to the conclusions that lead her to the ending. I wish Jay had had a bigger part in it and the reconciliation with Erica was explored more

Three and a half I enjoyed this trilogy but honestly enjoyed the second episode more. This certainly has all the answers the reader wants and yet I wasn't quite convinced. I am happy Winnie gets vindicated and obviously works out what spells have caused so much confusion but for this reader this did drag at times.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair