The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

Pages: 336 

Publisher: Daphne Press 

Released: 26th of January 2023 

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.

What I Have to Say 

I'm not sure I can even put in to words how much I loved this book. It was everything. It was just different enough from other books in the genre to make it new and interesting, while also hitting that itch for a good monster hunter book. 

I didn't interact much with the twitter story that inspired this book, but I knew enough about it to get some of the references while still being surprised by the story. It's really nice to see it being made into a proper book like this as I found the twitter thread a bit difficult to keep up to date with. I love the idea that Dennard's readers inspired her and that this book is what came out of it. 

I think what really makes this book is the characters. Winnie just hits the spot for a YA protagonist, a brave underdog who's going to do her damn hardest to become a hunter. She is relatable, she is something to be idolised and she just feels special. With Jay there to be a bit of a love interest and a whole cast of background characters to make the society feel vibrant and interesting, we really have a great group of characters to follow. 

I can't wait to see what else comes out of this world next! 

(5 stars) 

My thanks got to Daphne Press and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review.