The Luminaries
By: Susan Dennard
Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)
Winnie Wednesday's family has suffered a fall from grace. At one time her mother was the Lead Hunter for the entirety of the Wednesday clan; that was until it was discovered that Winnie's father was a spy. Now Winnie's mom works two jobs to make ends meet and her brother is nothing more than a gofer for the President of the Luminaries.
Winnie has a plan to restore her families reputation. In the month of her sixteenth birthday she has the right to enter the trials to become a Hunter. It won't be an easy feat, the woods around Hemlock Falls are filled with deadly creatures known as 'Nightmares'. Even the most experienced Hunters are risking their lives when entering the forest after dark. Winnie has not had the benefit of training but she is confident she will be successful. Her first night in the woods she encounters a creature never seen or heard of before but no one in Hemlock Falls will believe her. If that wasn't enough for Winnie to deal with she is attempting to rebuild old friendships with friends who seem to be keeping secrets of their own.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an honest review.
I absolutely loved Winnie Wednesday, her caring brother, and her quirky mom! School in Hemlock Falls is so unique; half regular classes and half hunter training. Winnie is so relatable I couldn't help but feel deeply for her plight as well as anger for those that mistreated her and her family the past four years.
In the afterword of the book, Dennard shares a most interesting story about the origins of the Luminaries. Apparently the base idea developed from a series of posts, reader driven via polls. Dennard weaves into her story a perfect mix of everyday fantasy creatures, such as werewolf and banshees, with her own unique and original beings. Her characters are wonderfully developed, the backstory has great depth, and there is an element of mystery that keeps you guessing what will happen next. I am excited to visit Hemlock Falls and spend more time with Winnie in the second installment.
The Luminaries is due to release November 8, 2022. You can preorder your copy now...
No comments:
Post a Comment