writeronherway's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
metaphorsandmisc's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.25
katymat18's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
SUSAN!! I have so many questions after that finale and I’m going to need you to remedy them. All in all this was a great sequel, I’m so excited for more!
jedijake's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
csevet's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i like this series. the books are by no means good, but they're fun, easy reads, and they are good enough that being a fun easy read carries them. tragically i must now wait for the final one.
jasarahines's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
zoekatereads's review against another edition
3.0
Culture runs thicker than blood.
Thank you NetGalley and Daphne Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
The Hunting Moon is the sequel to [b:The Luminaries|60188249|The Luminaries (The Luminaries, #1)|Susan Dennard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645897825l/60188249._SY75_.jpg|91169117] which follows Winnie Wednesday as she tries to find her place amongst the Luminaries after her family was welcomed back into the community after being exiled.
Winnie, now known as The Girl Who Got Bitten (much to her frustration), is navigating life following the events at the end of book one. Still feeling very much alone with her knowledge of the Whisperer and trying to decipher the clues her father left her, Winnie is on a mission to get answers. The only person who can help her is Jay Friday, and that's just complicated.
This is a really interesting YA fantasy/supernatural/paranormal series. I love the idea of the Luminaries and what the order does. The second book picks up immediately where book one left off and we're thrown straight into following Winnie and she searches for answers to everything that is revealed in the first book.
It was interesting to see Winnie navigating the trauma of the events of book one, and how while she got everything she thought she wanted, she still feels something is wrong.
I really enjoy the the setting of this book. It's a great blend of mysterious small town and the supernatural, and everyday life just fits in amongst the horror. It was nice to see Winnie beginning to understand how the Luminary community copes with everything they see as she is processing what she has been through.
Similarly to The Luminaries, I struggled a little with the pacing and was waiting for it to pick up. I did however thoroughly enjoy it once it did pick up! There were some really nice clues in the writing for what may or may not be revealed towards the end of the book, while slightly predictable it was still fun.
Like book one, I was just wishing for a bit more. I thought we would learn a little more than we did about things that were revealed in the first book, but it was nice to have some of the major plot elements revealed. Some of the reveals did feel a bit sudden, or I wasn't quite sure how we got there.
Very interested to see where this goes. Thank you again to NetGalley and Daphne Press for the arc.
Thank you NetGalley and Daphne Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
The Hunting Moon is the sequel to [b:The Luminaries|60188249|The Luminaries (The Luminaries, #1)|Susan Dennard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645897825l/60188249._SY75_.jpg|91169117] which follows Winnie Wednesday as she tries to find her place amongst the Luminaries after her family was welcomed back into the community after being exiled.
Winnie, now known as The Girl Who Got Bitten (much to her frustration), is navigating life following the events at the end of book one. Still feeling very much alone with her knowledge of the Whisperer and trying to decipher the clues her father left her, Winnie is on a mission to get answers. The only person who can help her is Jay Friday, and that's just complicated.
This is a really interesting YA fantasy/supernatural/paranormal series. I love the idea of the Luminaries and what the order does. The second book picks up immediately where book one left off and we're thrown straight into following Winnie and she searches for answers to everything that is revealed in the first book.
It was interesting to see Winnie navigating the trauma of the events of book one, and how while she got everything she thought she wanted, she still feels something is wrong.
I really enjoy the the setting of this book. It's a great blend of mysterious small town and the supernatural, and everyday life just fits in amongst the horror. It was nice to see Winnie beginning to understand how the Luminary community copes with everything they see as she is processing what she has been through.
Similarly to The Luminaries, I struggled a little with the pacing and was waiting for it to pick up. I did however thoroughly enjoy it once it did pick up! There were some really nice clues in the writing for what may or may not be revealed towards the end of the book, while slightly predictable it was still fun.
Like book one, I was just wishing for a bit more. I thought we would learn a little more than we did about things that were revealed in the first book, but it was nice to have some of the major plot elements revealed. Some of the reveals did feel a bit sudden, or I wasn't quite sure how we got there.
Very interested to see where this goes. Thank you again to NetGalley and Daphne Press for the arc.
kommatator's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
booking_along's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
a good second book and a solidly good read.
okay look…. i don’t love this series -neither the first nor this second book will become an all time favorite must re-read as often as possible kind of a deal - BUT it’s still a solidly good series.
it defiantly reads more like a younger YA with how it’s written and how the entire book and the whole series is build plot wise.
if you are someone that reads a lot or adult fantasy - this series is a window with a enlargement section in regards to plot points. you see them coming from large distances so clearly as if you had neon signs pointing them out.
but again that’s not a bad thing!
even though it’s clear in book one what is happening with one of the characters as soon as they are introduced that is done up in this second book in the second half of it as if it’s this big secret big secret being finally revealed …. it was still fun to read.
i enjoyed the writing style and while Winnie herself is extremely whinny and self absorbed in not only herself and whats going on with herself and gets annoyed of something isn’t going as she deems it right… the rest of the characters are pretty good.
overall this entire book and the combined reading experience of book 1 and 2 are good.
they are fun and easy and quick to read. they take you on a little adventure and make it easy to just sink in and not think because everything in this series is so easy to see coming nothing needs to be thought though or is hard to remember.
i still wish we would get a better view into the world and how it all works with the monsters and this magic stuff and the hunter things and all of that it’s just never actually explained. neither is this whole last names are the days of the week stuff… i would love to get a better understanding of the whys in this book.
but it’s also not really necessary to just read this and like it.
so: good second book that drove the plot of the series forward, gave some “reveals” and with that clear answers and still left enough to make readers want to come back to book 3 -which i do hope will be the last and wrap this up because i don’t think more books than that could hold this story and plot because we know too little of the magical realism aspects to hold up more than 3 books.
all in all good read, good middle book and a nice read in itself.
if you enjoyed book one this one will be a good one for you.
and if you didn’t love book one -at least in this one winnie isn’t constantly clacking her teeth? nor are there as many “sound effects” moments in this which i know bothered a lot of other readers too.
also i think this series would be a nice bridge for younger YAs from contemporary to fantasy.
it had a bit of magic but still offers all the typical high school contemporary moments!
okay look…. i don’t love this series -neither the first nor this second book will become an all time favorite must re-read as often as possible kind of a deal - BUT it’s still a solidly good series.
it defiantly reads more like a younger YA with how it’s written and how the entire book and the whole series is build plot wise.
if you are someone that reads a lot or adult fantasy - this series is a window with a enlargement section in regards to plot points. you see them coming from large distances so clearly as if you had neon signs pointing them out.
but again that’s not a bad thing!
even though it’s clear in book one what is happening with one of the characters as soon as they are introduced that is done up in this second book in the second half of it as if it’s this big secret big secret being finally revealed …. it was still fun to read.
i enjoyed the writing style and while Winnie herself is extremely whinny and self absorbed in not only herself and whats going on with herself and gets annoyed of something isn’t going as she deems it right… the rest of the characters are pretty good.
overall this entire book and the combined reading experience of book 1 and 2 are good.
they are fun and easy and quick to read. they take you on a little adventure and make it easy to just sink in and not think because everything in this series is so easy to see coming nothing needs to be thought though or is hard to remember.
i still wish we would get a better view into the world and how it all works with the monsters and this magic stuff and the hunter things and all of that it’s just never actually explained. neither is this whole last names are the days of the week stuff… i would love to get a better understanding of the whys in this book.
but it’s also not really necessary to just read this and like it.
so: good second book that drove the plot of the series forward, gave some “reveals” and with that clear answers and still left enough to make readers want to come back to book 3 -which i do hope will be the last and wrap this up because i don’t think more books than that could hold this story and plot because we know too little of the magical realism aspects to hold up more than 3 books.
all in all good read, good middle book and a nice read in itself.
if you enjoyed book one this one will be a good one for you.
and if you didn’t love book one -at least in this one winnie isn’t constantly clacking her teeth? nor are there as many “sound effects” moments in this which i know bothered a lot of other readers too.
also i think this series would be a nice bridge for younger YAs from contemporary to fantasy.
it had a bit of magic but still offers all the typical high school contemporary moments!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
jennifer_fatula's review against another edition
4.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: November 7, 2023
4.5 stars rounded up.
I really love this world and characters that Dennard has created! This is a really solid second book in a trilogy that keeps the action and the pace moving right along (something a lot of second books can struggle with). I am so excited to see how this wraps up!
I also really love this narrator and I will definitely need to listen to the audio of the last book! She does a great job bringing their emotions to life and making you feel the atmosphere the writing is capturing.
Pub Date: November 7, 2023
4.5 stars rounded up.
I really love this world and characters that Dennard has created! This is a really solid second book in a trilogy that keeps the action and the pace moving right along (something a lot of second books can struggle with). I am so excited to see how this wraps up!
I also really love this narrator and I will definitely need to listen to the audio of the last book! She does a great job bringing their emotions to life and making you feel the atmosphere the writing is capturing.