The Luminaries (series!): A book review

 The Luminaries

After endlessly searching in library shelves, I finally stumbled upon a good fantasy read. Nowadays, most YA is dark

romance, which is so boring. However, this 3 book series was sort of niche, without many fans, except for the sole exception of Reddit people a couple years back. The cover looked interesting, but I was more keen on finishing my manga's first before I read the book. Just for fun, I flipped the book open to the first page, and imagine my surprise as I was immediately drawn in to the atmospheric feel. 

The story takes place in a town near a forest, called Hemlock Falls. At first glance, it looks pretty normal, but if you look a little closer. . .

Hemlock Falls hides a dangerous secret, but it hides it well. Right next to the town, there was a mystical forest. At night, there were nightmares that'd roam the forests, looking to feast on humans. The nightmares came from a sleeping spirit, and every night, whatever nightmares the spirit dreamed of, came to life. Vamipiras, basilisks, kelpies, banshees, every monstrosity you could ever think of. And that's the reason the Luminary hunters were created, to keep the nightmares in the forest, and to make sure the sleeping spirit never, ever wakes up. And of course, the outside world cannot know about this. 

Winnie, the teenage protagonist, wants to get her family out of the outcast life, and restore honor. Her father had been caught doing magic, which only the Dianas (the Luminaries worst enemy) do. The Dianas want the opposite of the Luminaries, and Winnie and her family ended up being blamed for her father's actions. To restore honor, she must pass the grievous hunter trials, become a Hunter, and then ta-da! Everything's back to normal. Except, it isn't that easy. She must take help from her ex-best friend, who she hasn't talked to in 4 long years, and face ridicule from her classmates.

All in all, I'd say this read was for sure worth it ! A solid 5/5 from me. 

-bea!