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endiatris29's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
elliecaitlin16's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thesimplereader's review
3.0
3.5 ⭐️
I loved the world, Winnie, her family... and Jay. This felt like The Hunger Games meets Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them!
That being said... I did not love the 3rd person or writing style. It felt choppy and disconnected. I would love to see it all through Winnie and Jay's POVs.
I loved the world, Winnie, her family... and Jay. This felt like The Hunger Games meets Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them!
That being said... I did not love the 3rd person or writing style. It felt choppy and disconnected. I would love to see it all through Winnie and Jay's POVs.
amyjayexo's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
actuallycandy's review
4.0
A small town surrounded by nightmares, the residents hunt them by night. Until, an unknown nightmare starts to reveal itself to the girl who cries wolf.
This single POV YA fantasy follows a 16 year old girl called Winnie Wednesday as she strives to become a hunter and join the luminaries in Hemlock Falls. Her family outcasted by the clans 4 years ago, it is up to Winnie to save her family from the crimes of her father.
I have been picking up a lot more YA fantasy books so that I have an array of TBR books for my daughter when she is older. This is definitely one to add to the list.
Plot - The story follows a heroine who strives to liberate her family from the crimes of her father. The story follows her struggles after being an outcast for 4 years and the impact of the trails to win society's favour. Winnie is a typical teenager who second guesses all her choices. Some may find her doubtful nature unbearable, but I did find her inquisitive nature endearing. The book has a sprinkle of mystery and intrigue but not much character building.
Romance - There is some romantic tension but nothing is solidified in this story. Just an inkling of a potential budding romance and that is all. Therefore, there is no spice. Perfect recommendation for tweens so far unless you are against violence (killing of nightmares)
The world building is unique enough to keep you engaged. The structure is basically multiple safe zones with factions or clans within them. Each area is run by councils and information is shared across the globe about nightmare types, their nature and information on how to kill them. It does not go deeper then that, which is expected for a YA story.
Pros - Interesting fantasy element, likeable characters and a sprinkle of mystery
Cons - Lacks character building, limited world building and no memorable side character relationships
This single POV YA fantasy follows a 16 year old girl called Winnie Wednesday as she strives to become a hunter and join the luminaries in Hemlock Falls. Her family outcasted by the clans 4 years ago, it is up to Winnie to save her family from the crimes of her father.
I have been picking up a lot more YA fantasy books so that I have an array of TBR books for my daughter when she is older. This is definitely one to add to the list.
Plot - The story follows a heroine who strives to liberate her family from the crimes of her father. The story follows her struggles after being an outcast for 4 years and the impact of the trails to win society's favour. Winnie is a typical teenager who second guesses all her choices. Some may find her doubtful nature unbearable, but I did find her inquisitive nature endearing. The book has a sprinkle of mystery and intrigue but not much character building.
Romance - There is some romantic tension but nothing is solidified in this story. Just an inkling of a potential budding romance and that is all. Therefore, there is no spice. Perfect recommendation for tweens so far unless you are against violence (killing of nightmares)
The world building is unique enough to keep you engaged. The structure is basically multiple safe zones with factions or clans within them. Each area is run by councils and information is shared across the globe about nightmare types, their nature and information on how to kill them. It does not go deeper then that, which is expected for a YA story.
Pros - Interesting fantasy element, likeable characters and a sprinkle of mystery
Cons - Lacks character building, limited world building and no memorable side character relationships
cateasp's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
molliewallace337's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dana_yamaguchi's review against another edition
2.0
“Death is a part of life in Hemlock Falls. It’s a part of life beside the forest.
You lose your family, you lose your friends, you lose yourself.”
-Winnie Wednesday, from The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
You lose your family, you lose your friends, you lose yourself.”
-Winnie Wednesday, from The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
kayla_prrson's review
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
fartandsoul's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
I enjoyed this! I think it's a nice little YA moment. I did my usual tag-team of audiobook and physical book and this time preferred the physical book—I just got more into it that way. I found the audiobook narrator kind of annoying in terms of how she did the voices.
As for the book itself, it was a fun concept! I was rooting for Winnie, and I definitely wanted to see what happened next. There were some great moments of figurative language, especially one that stood out comparing Jay to winter (maybe his eyes, if I'm remembering correctly). I thought the plot elements wove together well at the end, and the Whisperer in particular was a cool creative monster.
My critiques—I didn't love the days-of-the-week last names, it felt a little corny, and the side characters were underdeveloped. They seemed more like props for Winnie than true characters in themselves, even the ones who were integral to the main story. The twins in particular bothered me because they seemed so one-dimensional. The author was clearly working hard to make the cast diverse, which I appreciated, but since the side characters were so flat the diversity seemed extra tokenized.
Despite that, I'm still going to pick up the next one! I'm definitely curious and would recommend this to a younger teen.
As for the book itself, it was a fun concept! I was rooting for Winnie, and I definitely wanted to see what happened next. There were some great moments of figurative language, especially one that stood out comparing Jay to winter (maybe his eyes, if I'm remembering correctly). I thought the plot elements wove together well at the end, and the Whisperer in particular was a cool creative monster.
My critiques—I didn't love the days-of-the-week last names, it felt a little corny, and the side characters were underdeveloped. They seemed more like props for Winnie than true characters in themselves, even the ones who were integral to the main story. The twins in particular bothered me because they seemed so one-dimensional. The author was clearly working hard to make the cast diverse, which I appreciated, but since the side characters were so flat the diversity seemed extra tokenized.
Despite that, I'm still going to pick up the next one! I'm definitely curious and would recommend this to a younger teen.