Ashley Carter's Reviews > The Luminaries

SUMMARY: The book starts off with Winnie and her family being shunned by their town; they are completely ignored— unless they are being made fun of. We soon find out that the reason they are shunned is because Winnie’s father was a spy for another clan, and because they were associated with him, they were equally as guilty.

Winnie is tired of being made fun of, tired of not being able to see her old friends, and tired of doing “corpse duty”— cleanup of dead nightmares and non’s in the morning after a hunt. She’s found a loophole in the Luminaries bylaw; though she’s an outcast, she can enter the trials on her birthday; however, she only gets one shot to not only change her life, but her families as well.

REVIEW: Without giving away spoilers, I will say that this book kept me engaged and entertained. I loved the dark ambiance of this story, the relationships between Winnie and her peers, the vivid descriptions, and I love that this book ended in a way that it seems there were be a sequel coming. If you’re looking for a one-off spooky/dark read with closure, this isn’t it; however, if you’re looking for a quick, fun, dark academia type book that will lead into a series, I think this is worth a read. I do wish that the book had illustrations/drawings of these “nightmares” (ex. Winnie’s drawings, from the compendium, etc), but I’m also a sucker for anything illustrated. 🤣🙈

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5