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

I received an ARC of this from Netgalley.

I really liked the conclusion to this series. I liked seeing what happened to the characters and I liked where it all left off. I do feel that the end was a little rushed in places. I can't say more without spoiling the end but I feel some of the relationships at the end could have been explored a little more. I read this book physically and found some of the continual counts, and the random creature explanations a little annoying which I didnt find with the audiobook.
Overall I think this is a great YA series with good world building, excellent monsters and a fun, if predictable plot in a lot of places. I would read more by the author.

Another series wraps up! I don't read much ya these days, but I have been enjoying The Luminaries series with each release. In it, we follow Winnie Wednesday, an outcast from The Luminaries through no fault of her own, who has fought to regain her place among her peers.
The Luminaries are an order that protects humanity from monsters that rise from the forest each night. In this third and final book, the stakes are higher than ever as Winnie comes face to face with the Diana's - the Luminaries' longstanding adversaries.

As always, Dennard's writing is very atmospheric. I listened to the first two on audio and can see that Caitlin Davies narrates this one too - I highly recommend the audio as she brings it totally alive.

I've really enjoyed seeing Winnie grow through this series. She is still a teenager and she has the angst of one, but she is much more confident about who she is in this instalment and as a result, she is more mature which I appreciated as someone who left my teens behind a long time ago!

The pacing in this book was a lot faster than we've had previously, at points almost chaotic. However, I think this is intentional, as it mirrors the chaos of the actual events that are unfolding and I followed everything just fine.

I liked that we learned more about the Luminary and Diana societies in this book, information that is integral to unravelling the plot and answering the questions lingering from the first two books.

This was a fun book, and a great conclusion to the trilogy. If you like the sound of pacy, action-packed paranormal fantasy with a dash of romance and some great, realistic younger characters then give The Luminaries a try!

Thank you to Daphne press and black crow pr for giving me an early e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Winnie and her companions return to Hemlock Falls forest, their werewolf hunting days behind them, and her relationship with Jay Friday is now clear. As the Nightmare Masquerade approaches, unexpected guests arrive, and Winnie faces a daunting challenge from a masked Diana, endangering everyone she holds dear.

I really enjoyed myself in the third and final instalment of this series, I loved being back with Winnie, Jay and Erica and discovering more about the creatures that roam the forest. I enjoyed the character growth and getting a lot of questions I had answered in this book. As well as finding out more about Erica as we haven’t had much of her in the past two books. In this instalment we also got to see Winnie and Jays relationship grow which was very cute and perfect for these two characters.

I listened to the audiobook for all three books in this series and the narrator was amazing and I found her voice very easy to listen to throughout the series.

This was a great conclusion to an amazing trilogy. If you enjoy a magical easy YA fantasy this is the series for you.

The one thing about reading a fair number of books a year (so far 212 and counting…) is that while I mostly thoroughly enjoy them – the majority don’t stick in my memory. Which hasn’t been the case with this particular series. Winnie Wednesday’s adventures in the forest surrounding Hemlock Falls has stayed with me for the duration, making this one of the most anticipated reads of the year. And we all know what often happens to highly anticipated reads – they slightly disappoint…

Not so The Whispering Night. Dennard manages to sustain the tension and claustrophobic sense of wrongness she so ably depicted in the previous two reads, The Luminaries and The Hunting Moon. The sense of danger is vividly described as the highly trained Hunters do their best to contain the monsters created within the forest and prevent them from breaking out and into the town. Whatever it takes. So there’s a high death toll while those from selected families hold the line. I really liked the fact that people dying before their time is a very big deal, which isn’t always the case in action-adventure tales with a significant body count.

I also enjoyed Winnie’s character progression. Her anger and bitterness at the way she’d been treated when her family was in disgrace has been gradually softening, mostly due to the warmth of new friendships she’s formed. Though her ability to sustain those friendships is tested, after years of coping with her problems all by herself. The action scenes are well handled – Winnie’s terror when facing life-shortening danger is now laced with the ability to think and act, which I appreciated, given just how much jeopardy she’s been confronting. But I also like how she remains sufficiently nerdy to examine the monsters and compare them with the information in the Compendium when coming face to face with them.

I also appreciated the family dynamic. Winnie’s relationship with her mother is warm and loving – which is unusual in YA fantasy adventures. As for the revelation of the exact nature of what danger is hanging over Hemlock Falls – the risk in cranking up the tension and emotion is that it falls a little flat. I’m pleased to report that’s not the case with The Whispering Night. There are two major action scenes which will stay in my memory for a long time. Meanwhile, the ending satisfactorily tied everything up – while still delivering more than a hint of future danger.

All in all, this is a thoroughly enjoyable page-turner that held me to the end. And while I was a bit sad to come to the end of my time alongside Winnie and that amazing forest – I was very pleased that Dennard managed to deliver a really good final instalment to a memorable, highly accomplished series. Highly recommended to fans of YA fantasy featuring monsters and a likeable teen protagonist. While I obtained an arc of The Whispering Night from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10

This series has been so much fun! The Whispering Night is the final book in The Luminaries trilogy. We follow Winnie Wednesday who lives in Hemlock Falls.

Set in an urban fantasy, Hemlock Falls is surrounded by woods that at nightfall is shrouded in a mist that bring life to nightmares. Ranging from werewolves to willow-wisp, to sirens, etc. on the 16th birthday, the teens of Hemlock Falls can enter into what is known as the Hunter’s Trials. A set of three deadly trials where teens are sent into the forest to fight these nightmares and their way through the night until the mist disappears and so do the nightmares.

4 years prior to Winnie’s 16th birthday, her dad was found to be a Diana. A witch that goes against the Luninaries belief system. Leaving his family and leaving them to deal with the shame and pain in his wake. Desperate to free her family of such judgement, Winnie enters herself into the Hunter’s Trials. While she makes her way through the trials, she uncovers more and more secrets of the community in which she belongs to.

I have fully enjoyed this series so much! I thought it was a lot of fun, and had some very ya horror elements. This series has made me intrigued by Susan’s other series and her upcoming series!

For those that need star rating, I’d give it a 4 🌟. I’ve tried to keep this review as spoiler free as I can.

The third and final book in The Luminaries trilogy is out (published on Nov. 19th) and of course I have already read it. I loved as much as I did the other too. This was the finale that I was hoping for. All my questions were answered and I was very satisfied with the ending.

In this book we learn more about the world and its lore and we get answers to questions that we had from the beginning. It is also more fast paced and action packed than the previous one. I loved our main characters even more and we see how they have grown as characters.

The Whispering Night is a captivating read for fans of young adult fantasy, particularly those who enjoy stories about loyalty, and the complexities of family relationships, as well as the thrill of magic, secret societies, and forbidden love.

The final book in The Illuminaries trilogy rounded this fantastic series off perfectly. This is that rare trilogy with no tricky middle book or disappointing ending, every book was a solid 5 stars for me.

I absolutely love the world of Hemlock Falls. This tight-knit community with the various clans and their differing skills and styles really had me gripped.

Winnie has been through a lot in a really short space of time, and the third book picks up immediately following the events of the second. Winnie is deep into the mystery now and there’s no way out but through as she works to figure out what happened to her father, and protect her family and friends.

We get a bit more romance in this book (ugh, Jay) and it is really lovely, but also not Winnie’s main driver, which I love.

Without giving anything away, this book wrapped up the plot beautifully. It was a very satisfying ending.

Susan Dennard has mentioned that she leaves herself little elements that could potentially become spin-off’s and I am holding onto the hope that there is some sort of spin-off to this series because I would love to see more of the world of The Illuminaries!

Forced to juggle a near-impossible search for Jenna Thursday's source in-between the mystery of her father's disappearance and keeping the Luminary eyes off her back, Winnie Wednesday is thrust into more and more perilous situations when secrets are revealed, hearts are betrayed and the people she loves are put in danger. This is a thrilling conclusion to the trilogy (even though it does leave some questions hanging...) that will leave fans satisfied.

The final book, and we see wedn on finding all the answers she's been seeking.
This final book was everything it needed to be. A satisfying ending!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a way to end what has been such an enjoyable series! I am sad to see it finish but I have adored every second of it. Watching Winnie on her journey of self discovery has been such a joy. She's such a fun character and watching her bloom has been an enjoyable experience. She stays true to herself, even when the people around her haven't which is a trait that I really appreciated. It has been a pleasure seeing her learn and grow throughout the trilogy.

The worldbuilding is one of my favourite parts of this series and each book has built on the last in an incredible way. I especially appreciated how realistic the nightmares came across from just their descriptions.

This book kept my attention from beginning to end, even parts that were slower in pace still left me wondering where the story was going to go. I really liked how this book tied everything up whilst also being full of intrigue to the very last page.

I've enjoyed all of the books in this YA urban fantasy trilogy - they are quick and easy reads with great spooky autumn vibes and slow burn romance. If the TV shows Teen Wolf and Grimm had a baby, it would be this.

🌲 YA spooky fantasy
🍁 Monster hunting teenagers
🍂 M/F romance
🍄 last in a trilogy

The series follows Winnie Wednesday who is a monster hunting teenager (aka Luminary) as she tries to protect her town of Hemlock Falls.

I liked Winnie's character development over the course of the book and her slow burn friends to lovers romance with Jay, her old best friend, was really good too. And when I say slow burn, I mean slow burn. Jay was one of the best bits of the book for me!

Blurb
The story follows Winnie Wednesday, a girl who lives in a town with a forest haunted by monsters. As a result they are all trained at a young age to fight and kill these monsters as hunters. The people who live in this town are called Luminaries and are divided into seven "families", each with a different purpose and with a surname for a different day of the week.
Winnie's father was a witch (called Dianas), the mortal enemy of the Luminaries, and when he was exposed four years ago, he fled and Winnie, her brother, and her mother were left behind and ostracised from Luminary society. Winnie is determined to change this by becoming a hunter so her family can be accepted again.
But with a deadly monsters, a werewolf walking amongst them, and Dianas on the loose, things are not as simple as they seem.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this conclusion to the series. Unfortunately, the pacing was a bit dragging at the start, and because of that, I was not hooked to the pages as I was for the other books in the series.
If you liked this series, you would really appreciate this conclusion.