The Luminaries Spiral-Bound | 2022-11-01

Susan Dennard

★★★☆☆+ from 1,001 to 10,000 ratings

$23.39 - Free Shipping
A brand new contemporary fantasy world from the New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series, Susan Dennard.

Hemlock Falls isn't like other towns. It's not on a map, cell phones don't work there, and you might find a ghost-deer grazing at midnight. It's also inhabited by the Luminaries, an ancient order charged with guarding the nearby forest. Each night, when nightmares rise, only the Luminaries stand between humanity and these monsters bent on devastation--one clan for each night of the week. Fourteen orders around the globe.

Winnie (of the Wednesday clan) desperately wants to reclaim her family's standing within the Luminaries. In the four years since her dad was caught as a witch, her family has lived as outcasts. Winnie's solution? Pass the hunter trials. Then her family will be welcomed in again.


During the first trial, however, Winnie is severely outmatched by the forest's nightmares. So when a new, unknown monster slaughters a banshee and everyone assumes Winnie did the slaughtering, she doesn't correct them. Realizing she will never survive the final two trials, Winnie seeks help from her gorgeous ex-friend, Jay Friday, who is no longer a baby-faced boy but the best hunter in Hemlock Falls.

As Winnie's lies start to pile up around her and bodies start to pile up from the new nightmare, she must protect Hemlock Falls, protect her family's new status, and protect her heart from a former friend with brutal secrets of his own.

Publisher: Macmillan
Original Binding: Hardcover with dust jacket
Pages: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1250194040
Item Weight: 1.1 lbs
Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
Customer Reviews: 3 out of 5 stars 1,001 to 10,000 ratings
"Will draw you in and leave you begging for more. Rich with tension, atmosphere, and finesse, you'll want to get lost in the world of The Luminaries again and again."--Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Shadow & Bone and Ninth House

"I lost myself from page one in Hemlock Falls and its deadly forest, as vicious as it is inescapably alluring. Winnie Wednesday is the sort of outcast-turned-monster-hunter you can't help loving and rooting for."--Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gilded

"Readers will want to don a motorcycle jacket and join the nightmare hunt."--Kirkus Review

"Enthralling from the first page, The Luminaries lures you into a misty darkness rife with thrills and romance. Living nightmares may stalk across the pages, but this book is a paranormal fantasy dream. The forest calls, and you will love every second of devouring its mysteries."--Alexandra Bracken, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lore

"Dennard's newest begins with a triumphant success, heralding her third sensational series filled with delectable worldbuilding and dynamic characters."--Buzzfeed

"The Luminaries is exactly the thrilling, dangerous, heart-pounding fantasy I needed, with an incredibly original world and a heroine who knows and fights for her worth. Prepare yourself accordingly--I devoured this in a single sitting."--Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Skyhunter

"Dennard's newest is overflowing with action, adventure, and mystery with a sprinkling of romance that will keep readers turning the page."--Booklist

"The Luminaries is your next obsession. Part family drama, part fantasy procedural, part helpful guide to monster hunting, all with a dash of romantic tension--this book is all my favorite things combined."--Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

"A richly realized tale about monster hunters that explores family, community, and a whole lot of female rage."--Paste

"In The Luminaries, bestselling author Susan Dennard kicks off a darkly magical, action-packed new series and introduces a mysterious world filled with monsters. . . . Plenty of gasp-inducing thrills, monstrous gore and empathetic soul-searching--plus a little tentative flirting--bring The Luminaries to a satisfying conclusion."--BookPage

"The Luminaries is a chilling, gripping contemporary fantasy. . . . readers can only hope that the nightmares induced by The Luminaries will be vanquished by someone as brave and real as Winnie Wednesday."--Shelf Awareness, STARRED review

Susan Dennard is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series (now in development for TV from the Jim Henson Company), the Something Strange and Deadly series, in addition to short fiction published online. She also runs the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits and Daydreamers. When not writing or teaching writing, she can be found rolling the dice as a Dungeon Master or mashing buttons on one of her way too many consoles.

Originally from Georgia, Dennard earned advanced degrees in marine ecology and statistics while also traveling the world. She now lives near Lake Michigan with her French husband, très mignonne daughter, and a veritable zoo of aging pets.