The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

From NYT bestselling author comes a haunting, high-octane contemporary fantasy for fans of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Winnie Wednesday fights to take the deadly Luminary hunter trials in Hemlock Falls’ nightmare-filled forest. 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 must enlist 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.

Fast paced, easy read, although I felt it ended a little abruptly. Looking forward to the next in the series.

The story started out promising, but it fell flat for me when I got to the middle. The ending wasn't any better for me, unfortunately.

DNF because I am sick of hearing about her “teeth clicking” and at 30 percent in I just don't give a flying fuck what happens for the rest of the book. Could have been awesome but nope. Just not good. Also, this quote, after earning what she wants most in life:

“Or rather, it's like the final adjustment on the eye doctor lens that makes the hot air balloon come into focus.”

Wtf.

I will try to keep it vague and not spoil anything BIG.

I was pretty surprised that I really liked this book. I loved how the author didn't make half of the book just about romance and kept the interesting story going. This is something I have been noticing with YA books, which is a pity since the plot gets so interesting, and they just disregard it and go with the path of romance...So I'm really glad the author (Susan Dennard) decided to continue the plot. Yes, there are some hints of someone liking someone, but it's verrrrrry light compared to other YA books.

I also wanted to mention that the author did an AMAZING job making the reader feel how the main character was feeling and what Winnie was thinking at that moment when faced with danger. Throughout the book, you will see Winnie get more confident about herself and learn more things about herself. She truly is amazing.

For those who are curious:
Winnie and her family are paying the price of her father's actions by being the outcasts in their society. Losing her friends, their clan's respect, and surviving off of two jobs her mother works. Wennie decided it was her turn to help change her family's fate. While trying to regain their reputation back as a Wednesday (tribe name), she will have to do this trial that may or may not kill her in hopes of having her family and her life back together. While doing the trial, she will discover hidden secrets and realizations and reconnect previous and new friendships. Will she be able to survive all three trials? Will she learn more about her dad and what he did? Who can she trust?