Home » Fiction Book Reviews » Review : The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

Review : The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

I’m delighted to be sharing my thoughts about The Luminaries by Susan Dennard.

Jera’s Jamboree receives payments for affiliate advertising. This is at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As a Cratejoy affiliate I earn if you click on a link and shop from my link. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Daphne Press (7 Mar. 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1837840008
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1837840007

Hemlock Falls isn’t like other towns. You won’t find it on a map, your phone won’t work here, and the forest outside town might just kill you…

Winnie Wednesday wants nothing more than to join the Luminaries, the ancient order that protects Winnie’s town―and the rest of humanity―from the monsters and nightmares that rise in the forest of Hemlock Falls every night. Ever since her father was exposed as a witch and a traitor, Winnie and her family have been shunned. But on her sixteenth birthday, she can take the deadly Luminary hunter trials and prove herself true and loyal―and restore her family’s good name. Or die trying.

But in order to survive, Winnie must enlist the help of the one person who can help her train: Jay Friday, resident bad boy and Winnie’s ex-best friend. While Jay might be the most promising new hunter in Hemlock Falls, he also seems to know more about the nightmares of the forest than he should. Together, he and Winnie will discover a danger lurking in the forest no one in Hemlock Falls is prepared for.

Not all monsters can be slain, and not all nightmares are confined to the dark.

Book Review

I loved everything about The Luminaries and was so involved in this world that as soon as it ended, I wanted more and knew I would miss Winnie (and yay, there is more – a trilogy with the sequel The Hunting Moon coming out November!).

Something I wanted to mention straight off the bat, although Winnie is 16 I think everyone will be able to identify with her experiences (some of which happen no matter how old you are!).  Don’t let her age put you off.

It can be difficult for me to feel a connection with characters in a 3rd person narrative but it works really well in this story. 

Winnie is a fab character.  Her experiences from being shunned to being in the limelight makes her question things she wouldn’t have thought of before.  Even though she wanted to belong to her clan again, this quick shift shows her how false people are.  Instead of following blindly, she’s developing her own ways of thinking.  I loved her idiosyncrasies!  Her lack of confidence is endearing and her strength in the forest is inspiring. 

The action is heart pounding!  The first trial left me wanting more (but of course fits into the story perfectly), the second ramps it up but OMG, the third!  I felt fearful and scared for Winnie but most of all, I felt alive from bursts of adrenaline.  These trials were so visual for me – I was fascinated with the nightmares and monsters.

It’s clear from being in the forest that not all is how it should be.  And with no one taking any notice of what Winnie is trying to tell them (apart from Marco and Lizzie), the council are definitely hiding something …

There are a couple more interesting threads in the story (it’s not all fighting monsters).

Romance. The spark of emotion between Winnie and Jay is at first subtle.  One scene at the party was quite electric (even though it was innocent).  I’m looking forward to seeing where this romance goes.

Jay’s otherworldly character is portrayed so well.  I’m excited for when his purpose is revealed (and what it actually is)!

Intrigue. As well as ‘the Whisperer’ there’s intrigue with Winnie’s dad that comes quite close to the end of the story and left me wanting to know so much more.  There are more clues to come for Winnie to work out, I’m sure.

Talking about clues, I felt that our attention was drawn to the same thing a couple of times that I can only think means monsters aren’t only in the forest …  and this clue tells us who and what it is.  I could be wrong but I have a feeling I’m right!  There’s no other reason for this ‘throwaway’ observation to be in the story.

I loved the clans and the estates (each have a different purpose and their own motto) although I do agree with Winnie’s dad – humans can’t be pigeonholed so neatly. However it’s got to be said, Thursday fits me very well :)) 

The Luminaries is fascinating.  The world building is brilliant, the pace is just right and the plot is unique.  One of my top reads this year.

Highly recommended!

PS Join the Luminerds for all sorts of extras (I have!)

Pages in the mindfulness activities printable workbook

About the Author

Susan Dennard is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series (now in development for TV from the Jim Henson Company). She also runs the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits and Daydreamers. When not writing or teaching writing, she can be found rolling the dice as a Dungeon Master or mashing buttons on one of her many consoles. Tweets @stdennard

Leave a comment