Item: The Hunting Moon
Author: Dani Young

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard
Series: The Luminaries #2
Published by Tor Teen on 11/7/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 292
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Winnie Wednesday has gotten everything she thought she wanted. She passed the deadly hunter trials, her family has been welcomed back into the Luminaries, and overnight, she has become a local celebrity.

The Girl Who Jumped. The Girl Who Got Bitten.

Unfortunately, it all feels wrong. For one, nobody will believe her about the new nightmare called the Whisperer that's killing hunters each night. Everyone blames the werewolf, even though Winnie is certain the wolf is innocent.

On top of that, following her dad's convoluted clues about the Dianas, their magic, and what happened in Hemlock Falls four years ago is leaving her with more questions than answers.

Then to complicate it all, there is still only one person who can help her: Jay Friday, the boy with plenty of problems all his own.

As bodies and secrets pile up around town, Winnie finds herself questioning what it means to be a true Wednesday and a true Luminary—and also where her fierce-hearted loyalties might ultimately have to lie.

Short and Sweet Review

After the events of the last book Winnie Wednesday is basically a local celebrity in Hemlock Falls. She’s known as the girl who jumped or the girl who got bitten. But Winnie doesn’t have time to think about that because the whisperer is still out there killing hunters, but everyone thinks it’s the werewolf and Winnie knows they’re wrong. She’s also dealing with the fact that her dad left her clues about what happened to him and things about the Dianas. Winnie is dealing with a lot but she doesn’t really have anyone she can trust except for Jay, even then she’s wondering if everything she did to become a luminary was worth it.

We’re back in Hemlock Falls and we follow Winnie try to adjust to everything happening around her. Winnie tries to put it past her that everyone seems to want to talk to her now because she has bigger issues to deal with. One of the lead hunters was recently killed and the people in Hemlock seem to think the werewolf did it but Winnie knows there’s something more dangerous out in the forest. Winnie also starts to find things her dad left behind and she needs someone she can trust so she confides in Jay. In this book we get a bit more history about Hemlock Falls and what it actually means to be a Luminary. I did like that we got to learn more about the Dianas but of course I wanted more I feel like we just got to the surface layer and there’s way more at stake than what we saw. The relationships in this book are great. We don’t see much of Winnie’s mom or Darian because they’re trying to make sure that they can keep from being outcasts again. Winnie’s friendships with Fatima, Bretta, and Emma really shine in this book, they’re there for Winnie and are like her support system. We also have Jay who is a romantic interest and he’s also a big support system. I love Jay, he’s making up for not being around the past four years but you can tell he’ll do anything to keep Winnie safe. The ending leaves you wanting more, because there’s more questions that have to be answered. We see Winnie discover that another character has ties to the Dianas and I’m ready to find out what they know.

The Hunting Moon, was a good sequel. This book had more investigating and I feel like because of Winnie’s new status she was able to do the investigating that she needed to do. I’m just looking forward to the next book to see what will happen next and to have more questions answered!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE LUMINARIES By Susan Dennard

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
Series: The Luminaries #1
Published by Tor Teen on 11/1/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Horror & Ghost Stories, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 291
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

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 enlists 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.

Short and Sweet Review

Winnie Wednesday lives in Hemlock Falls, an interesting town you won’t find on the maps and where the forest surrounding the town is filled with nightmares. After Winnie’s dad was found doing spells and associating with witches, Winnie, her brother Darian, and her mom have been exiled by the town. Now that Winnie is 16 she’s allowed to partake in the hunter trials and she’s hoping that this will be the first step in restoring her family’s status. Unfortunately, Winnie learns pretty fast that the forest is filled with a new kind of nightmare that no one is prepared for.

Winnie Wednesday has been exiled for the past four years, and now she has the chance to make up for her father’s mistakes by entering the hunter trials which consists of three different tasks. Winnie goes to the first trial and she ends up seeing a new kind of nightmare in the forest that most of the other hunters don’t know about. They end up calling this nightmare the whisperer and it has the ability to kill other nightmares in its vicinity, on that first trial it ends up killing a banshee and Winnie gets the credit for it. Winnie knows she should come clean but she just rolls with it and she also knows that if the whisperer is what she’s going to be dealing with she needs some serious help. Winnie asks Jay Friday her ex to help tutor her in everything she needs to know about killing nightmares and staying alive in the forest.

This is a fun world. I like that we follow Winnie through each of her trials and she’s an unlikely hero. Winnie isn’t someone who should be traversing the forest but she is. She’s also one of the few people who knows about the whisperer and is trying to make the other hunters aware which is harder said than done. I like how close knit Winnie and her brother and mom are, we also get an insight on how hard it was for all of them to be exiled. I liked learning about the forest and that the nightmares only come out when the sun goes down and are gone are sunrise. The atmosphere is creepy and it’s just strange that they all live in this town surrounded by this forest and they seem fine with it. Anyway I wanted to learn more about Winnie’s dad and his affiliation with the Dianas which are the witches. I feel like more things will be answered in the next book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found myself wanting more. I loved the short chapters and the pacing of the book. Winnie is a heroine who knows her strengths and she also knows that she shouldn’t be hunting nightmares but she’ll do it to keep people safe. I’m excited to see what will happen in the sequel!