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A review by ashley_mrose530
The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm not really sure where to even start with this book.....
Okay I guess I'll start by saying I did have fun with this one. I thought the premise was interesting and it kept me fascinated throughout which is all that I really look for in a book. I thought it was a cool world and interesting magic system with the nightmares rolling in with the mist in the forest. I also liked seeing the chemistry build between Winnie and Jay and I think they could be a really great couple in the coming books.
But there were some pretty major flaws I think. The first thing I have to mention, which I already mentioned in my reading journal after starting this book on Tuesday, is the sheer amount of onomatopoeia in this book is astronomical and wholly unnecessary. I don't think I've ever read a young adult book with that much onomatopoeia in my life and none of it added anything to the story or character development. I could see it being a tool if the main character was neurodivergent and those sounds bothered/interested her but I don't think that was the case here at all. It was very much put in just for the sake of it for some reason and every time it took me out of the reading experience.
And the plot is just very predictable unfortunately. I'll start with the obvious. This might be a spoiler but it hasn't actually been revealed if I'm right or not so there's your warning. Jay is either the Whisperer or the werewolf. It's actually painful how obvious this is. I'm having a hard time deciding which one I think he is because the Whisperer came and saved her after every bind she got into in the forest but that would be more surprising than the werewolf who also saved her life at the waterfall scene at the very end. The Whisperer would make for the more interesting surprise but with the predictability level we're at, he's probably going to be the werewolf.
But that wasn't the only thing that was predictable. I knew right away that her father was going to turn out to be framed or innocent. Now this isn't proven yet, he's only claimed to be framed, but still. It's almost exactly how every story like this goes. The main character hates their loved one because they betrayed them and everyone else but as they learn more about what happened, they come to realize that maybe their loved one was actually innocent. So they help their loved one prove their innocence to everyone else and then everyone lives happily ever after. Very cookie-cutter stuff and I can see this series following that same pattern.
But despite the predictability, I was still interested in the story and the characters and I wanted to keep reading so that was what increased the rating for me. I do want to read the next book to see if my suspicions are confirmed.
Okay I guess I'll start by saying I did have fun with this one. I thought the premise was interesting and it kept me fascinated throughout which is all that I really look for in a book. I thought it was a cool world and interesting magic system with the nightmares rolling in with the mist in the forest. I also liked seeing the chemistry build between Winnie and Jay and I think they could be a really great couple in the coming books.
But there were some pretty major flaws I think. The first thing I have to mention, which I already mentioned in my reading journal after starting this book on Tuesday, is the sheer amount of onomatopoeia in this book is astronomical and wholly unnecessary. I don't think I've ever read a young adult book with that much onomatopoeia in my life and none of it added anything to the story or character development. I could see it being a tool if the main character was neurodivergent and those sounds bothered/interested her but I don't think that was the case here at all. It was very much put in just for the sake of it for some reason and every time it took me out of the reading experience.
And the plot is just very predictable unfortunately. I'll start with the obvious. This might be a spoiler but it hasn't actually been revealed if I'm right or not so there's your warning. Jay is either the Whisperer or the werewolf. It's actually painful how obvious this is. I'm having a hard time deciding which one I think he is because the Whisperer came and saved her after every bind she got into in the forest but that would be more surprising than the werewolf who also saved her life at the waterfall scene at the very end. The Whisperer would make for the more interesting surprise but with the predictability level we're at, he's probably going to be the werewolf.
But that wasn't the only thing that was predictable.
But despite the predictability, I was still interested in the story and the characters and I wanted to keep reading so that was what increased the rating for me. I do want to read the next book to see if my suspicions are confirmed.