3 fascinating stars

This was such an interesting book!! The world-building was brilliant – no info-dumping but also minimal confusion, which is such a fine line. It was also a really unique world, with the fascinating concept of different places on the globe becoming populated with a wide variety of unique monsters, come night. Not only did this introduce a broad selection of both traditional and uncommon monsters, it also initiated some racial representation, which I thought was really cleverly done.

“That’s why we’re called the Luminaries, Winnie: we are lanterns the forest can never snuff out.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)

Winnie was definitely a powerful character. She’s not the most gentle, instead she had a bit of a chip on her shoulder, absolutely valid given her family’s brutal exile from the hunters, for something that wasn’t their fault. But her development and her portrayal were both highly impressive and added so much flavour to the story, which I really enjoyed. We need more characters like Winnie, determined and brimming with rage.

“You either trust the forest or you don’t, Winnie. You have to make up your mind.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)

Jay was… not quite as impactful, in my opinion. Though his character was interesting, causing me to come up with a VARIETY of theories – each more ridiculous than the last – we never really found out the answers to the questions he dragged up. While this may be because his mysteries will later be revealed in the rest of the series, I couldn’t help but just feel a mixture of confusion and a bit of apathy for Jay, and I wish that we knew a bit more about him.

And the romance was very much a slow-burn, and not particularly present in this book – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, the fantasy aspects and hunter trials added enough entertainment.

All in all, I’m glad I read this, and I think I might end up continuing the series just because it was such an interesting and unique world! Plus Winnie 🥰. Thank you so much to the author, publisher (Daphne Press) and NetGalley for the ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

The Luminaries is really interesting, I enjoyed the story overall and I want to read the sequel. I read this in a couple of sittings, it held my attention well and I loved the addition of pages from the Nightmare Compendium.

I liked Winnie's character, she was very headstrong and went after what she wanted. Jay is suitably mysterious, I do have a theory about him so I'm interested to see if that comes true in the next book.

The writing is good, it's very YA but that's the age range it's aimed at, I would've devoured this as a teen and I think that feeling is what made it such an easy read. My main issue is the amount of times Winnie's teeth clicked, I get that it was some sort of nervous reaction but it was a bit much being told it every other page.

The world-building was lacking a bit for me, the whole setting is a very isolated town but there's no real reason given for why it's the way it is - there's just a town with monsters in the forest.

I would've liked more outside input, maybe someone wandering in or some sort of on-page conflict with the Dianas. The whole book revolved around Winnie completing the trials and it wasn't quite enough for me, although there were things set up for the next book which I'm intrigued about - there are definitely a lot of questions left open.

I was a bit hesitant when requesting this book from NetGalley, as I've not read any of Dennard's previous work, so had no frame of reference for writing style and have seen a lot of incredibly hyped reviews from readers with ARC copies online - I was worried that my expectations would be too high and I'd be let down.

That was a completely unfounded worry, and was alleviated within just a few chapters. This is definitely an easy read, perfect for readers who are starting to enter the fantasy genre. The world building is decent (especially as it's building on environments that we're already familiar with), and introduces you to a fairly large array of monsters and characters. I think a little more backstory could have been helpful, as some elements did feel as though it was assumed you would just know the history of something.
As typical for a fantasy read, the first part of the book is slower paced, but it does pick up.

I did find the main character a bit lackluster and difficult to fully relate too - this did act as a mild barrier to my engagement with the story. I generally find it easier to invest in a character when they are actively doing something and their personality shines through. While there were elements of this, for the most part it felt like Winnie was just along for the ride; a jarring feeling when she's the main character and we're following her story! The actual world and story did make up for this in a lot of ways, but it's still something to keep in mind if you pick this up,

This was overall a three and a half star read for me, but with the preface that I think the series will have an overall higher score. I think there were elements within this book that will be tied up or fleshed out in later books, and am excited to read the next part of the story.

I read this initially through NetGalley as an ARC I requested, and my views and opinions are my own and unbiased. Once published, I intend on adding this to my physical book shelf as I think it will be well worth a re-read when the whole series or sequel is out.

Unfortunately this was, for me personally, a case where the cover convinced me I’d love it but the content didn’t live up to my expectations. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and didn’t feel the storyline was gripping.

I am interested to see where this series goes, despite some pretty shaky worldbuilding at the start (we don't know anything about who the enemies of the Luminaries are apart from being bad guys, so I couldn't really connect with any aspect of the story that dealt with this). I'm not familiar with Susan Dennard's work at all, I have never read any of the Witchlands series, but I am interested in reading more from this author now!

This book is pretty much what you get on the cover, there's not really any deviations from that plot set out in the blurb, so if you're looking for an easy, first foray into YA fantasy, this might be a good one to go for. However, for me, I prefer a book to be a bit surprising and not be exactly what it says on the tin, so I did find that it was quite predictable.

The plot of this book is fun, I loved the spooky forest filled with monsters every night, and I thought that the variety of monsters was really cool - you have werewolves and banshees but you also have ghost-deer and vampira and something... new, and I loved those scenes that were set in the forest. I just wish that there had been more of these scenes because I didn't really care that much for the scenes that weren't in the forest.

There's a lot of plot threads to tie up in the next book, so I would be interested in picking the next one up, but I hope that we get a lot more worldbuilding rather than kind of stumbling through a lot of this book with no idea of what was being talked about.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review*

I really liked this book. Maybe because I'm biased due to the fact that Susan Dennard is my favorite author. The world building was excellent as always, and the characters were really fun to see them developing. The beginning was a little slow for my taste, but other than that it was really good. I think this book was a great start for Daphne Press, and I can't wait to see what they will do next. Also, I CAN'T WAIT for book No 2 in this wonderful story that is The Luminaries.

2.5 ⭐️ (only for the plot)

Thank you NetGalley and Daphne Press for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own!

I was really excited to read this book by Susan Dennard, an already established author thanks to the saga The Witchlands. Unfortunately I was disappointed mainly because of the flat characters. Having not yet read anything by the author I expected more, I really think this book is not for me and I'm sorry because the premises were good and the plot seemed very interesting.

The protagonist Willie lives in a very particular and exclusive city surrounded by a forest where monsters come to life every night. They are called the Nightmares and the purpose of the inhabitants of the town is to hunt them every night.
But Willi is an Outcast so she can't take part in the nightlife and all her peers avoid her. But when the opportunity arises to revive her family name, she won't hesitate to do everything to re-enter in the society of the Luminaries.

First of all, I've never been able to identify myself with the protagonist Winnie and for me this is a big minus as I haven't been able to fully immerse myself in the story.
Also throughout the book she kept unzipping her jacket and clicking her teeth.
I understand that probably these are tics but repeating it so many times is annoying. I think the editor could have done a better job.
Plus most of the other characters are flat and very little described.

A second problem is that seeing the protagonist pass the tests for become a hunter should give me satisfaction but unfortunately I found the book a bit boring.

Instead, I liked the fact that the book is a bit splatter and the I liked illustrations of the monsters manual.
But other than that I don't know if I would recommend it, perhaps only to those who already know Susan Dennard's writing style.

Winnie Wednesday is an outcast who wants nothing more than to become a hunter like her family/ancestors once were. We follow her as she fights for her place in the village she’s grown up in her entire life and wow is it a fight!
Monsters galore and I LOVE the characters! I really enjoyed the world building in this first book and already cannot wait for the next instalment 💕

I really wanted to like this one but sadly it fell flat. The MC Winnie is too passive and has no personality, everything happens to her as opposed to her doing something. Tying in with that is the writing-also flat with no tension/suspense for a supernatural fantasy about hunting dangerous creatures. The story was more telling than showing which I hate. The world building is almost non existent so I just had zero motivation to continue this book.

It had a great premise but the execution was poorly done. I know it’s book one of a series so maybe that’s why there is so few answers to the world, the nightmares, and the Luminaries vs Dianas but the first book should build up something to make me want to continue. Based on other reviews it won’t get much better for me, so I’m DNFing at 135 pages

Reading this book was so much fun! In one night, I tore through the pages in an effort to discover what was actually happening in Hemlock Falls. The romance, too! I'm eager to find out what happens next in the story.

Loved the world building in this, but the character building fell a bit flat which brings its score down a bit.

DNF at 30%
Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I wasn't a fan of the writing, the characters or the world building and while the premise is interesting, I really struggled with the way this was executed.

A wonderfully written dark tale, full of monsters and intrigue.

Hemlock Falls isn’t like other towns. Home to a secret order of monster hunters, they keep the town and the world safe from the monsters that dwell in the surrounding forest.

For Winnie Wednesday, her dream of training to be a Luminaire is no more, after her family was exiled. But a fluke disaster in the forest means her and her family are now back in the fold and Winnie can take the tests to become what she’s always wished for. But not all monsters dwell in the forest and not all of them can be slayed.

Winnie Wednesday has been ostracised by the community of monster hunters she grew up in, after her father was revealed as a traitor to their cause. However, Winnie is determined to win her way back into the Luminaries by passing their coming-of-age monster hunting trial.

The world building is interesting. I very much enjoyed the idea of monster-hunting clans fighting in a nightmare forest, and the whole premise of the Luminary organisation was intriguing. Also, there were some interesting subplots, such as Wednesday’s dad’s betrayal and the mystery monster in the forest, which I enjoyed. The pacing of the story is good, but the way it is structured does make it a little predictable. Unfortunately, I never felt fully immersed in the story, and didn’t really feel engaged with any of the characters, except for Winnie, as the supporting cast all seemed a little two-dimensional.

This had a bit of a slow start, but once things started picking up I really enjoyed it! It was very action-packed which I enjoyed massively. The world was immersive and the storyline was utterly captivating. I can’t wait to read the second book!

There was a lot of words for not a lot happening, but I didn't hate it? In fact I'm really looking forward to the next one!

This was a joy, and I can wait until the next instalment. A family cut off from there secret society of hunters, left out to fend for themselves because of the Fathers traitorous actions. Through luck they fight there way back into the society but there is much more at play. Fantastic

There is so much I enjoyed about this book I hardly know where to start. Winnie is a teenage outcast (literally) in the town she grew up in where clans for each day of the week are tasked with keeping nightmares at bay. She attempts to restore her family’s good standing by completing the Hunter trials she every Luminary is entitled to attempt the month of their 16th birthday. The world building is fantastic and I loved the clan system. The trope of battling to survive and the sprinkling of past friends to enemies to potential future lovers is just enough that I can’t wait to see what happens with these characters in the future. What a great start to my reading year! Highly recommend for all fantasy fans out there.

The Luminaries follows Winnie as she tries to take the hunter trials and become a nightmare hunter despite her family being outcasts after it was discovered her dad was a traitor.

I loved this one, it was fast paced and hard to put down! Winnie is determined to prove herself and her fascination with nightmares meant we got great descriptions of them! I also loved the inclusion of illustrations of some the nightmares so that we got a feel for the compendium Winnie is so captivated by. Her and Jay are a new favourite couple as they are so cute and I immediately want to read more about them.

Although it's set in our world it could've had a bit more worldbuilding but that's only a minor thing and I still understood everything that was going on. There were lots of little references to the original twitter thread which I took part in so it was really nice finally seeing it as an actual book, especially since I fell in love with these characters back then! I definitely recommend this one for a quick fun read!

I will admit I had a bit of a rocky start with this book. Is it a new firm favourite, no, is it enjoyable? Yes it is. Is there anything different about it that wowed me? No not really.

I did struggle to read this one and it took me far longer than I thought it would. I can't quite pinpoint why I couldn't get on with it. The writing style is ok, it didn't blow me away. The Characters are ok, I think over time they will develop and I will like them more but for me this book just didn't hit all the high points I love in these types of books.

So lets start the book is definitely in the YA category, it follows Winnie Wednesday just turned 16 and all she wants is to be a Hunter like her mother was, and her grandmother and great-grandmother. She wants to do her family proud especially after her family have been disowned from what her father has done. She has been ignored, ridiculed and picked on by others. She has been alone for four years but now she is 16 she can complete the Hunter trials and get her family back where they need to be.

We have Winnie completing Hunter trials, we have Werewolves, Vampires, the love interest (yes we all think that he needs to kiss Winnie) so all things that would hook you in as a reader of fantasy books. This book definitely felt like it poured a little bit of Hunger Games, A Deadly Education, and all the other Chosen One and all the others too.

This book and series definitely has premise and I hope that I am proven wrong and I fall in love with book two, especially after the cliff-hanger (which I guessed). Can definitely see it getting more action packed and the slow burn romance being more prominent as well as a secret or two that a couple of the characters have come to life.