A review by takarakei
The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25


  • 1st in a duology (second book out in Nov)
  • Monsters of all kinds (and amazing illustrations!)
  • Deadly competition/trials
  • Creepy and mysterious
  • School setting
  • Glimmers of a romance (Ex best friends)
    • Outcast girl who suddenly becomes popular
    • 'Slacker' boy that everyone crushes on but he only cares about working on his motorcycle
    • Yes they ride the motorcycle

The audiobook for this was fantastic, really enjoyed the narration! This gave me a bit of Scholomance vibes, even though they are VERY different series (and Scholomance is way better imo). Just similar in terms of the youth being in this insane situation (trials/being a hunter) that they might die in and have to like save everyone (aka the adults). It's a very quick read, but I also wasn't completely in love with the story and felt like things were just starting to get good when it ended. Feels a bit like it was written as one long book that got split into a duology instead of getting a good edit and remaining one longer or standard length fantasy book.

0/5 🌶️, but I think it will get somewhere (it is YA) in book 2.
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