I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard Series: The Luminaries #2
Published by Tor Teen on November 7 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Young adult
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: The mysteries pile up in this solid sequel to The Luminaries, with even more impressive world building.
“You either trust the forest or you don’t.”
Please note: spoilers ahead for the first book in the series
I struggled a bit with The Luminaries, but I’m happy to say I ended up enjoying The Hunting Moon more, even though I still had a few issues. I loved being back in Susan Dennard’s imaginative world, where deadly creatures called nightmares roam the forests at night, and a group of monster hunters called Luminaries are tasked with keeping them from leaving the forest and making their way into the human world.
Normally I would do a more in depth story recap, but I want to keep it as brief as possible to avoid spoilers. The story picks up ten days after the dramatic events at the end of The Luminaries. There is a hunt going on for the werewolf who bit Winnie in the forest and supposedly killed one of the hunters. But Winnie doesn’t believe Grayson Friday was killed by the werewolf, so she sets off to prove it, while also continuing to follow the breadcrumbs her father left behind. She’s desperate to prove him innocent, and she’s trying to figure out why the Dianas keep turning up in her investigation.
Meanwhile, Winnie is trying to fit in with the other Luminaries, since she officially completed her trials and is now a hunter. She and her mother are anxiously awaiting the official word that their family is no longer outcast, and Winnie is also dealing with her unresolved feelings for Jay Friday. It’s a lot, especially when Winnie saw something impossible in the forest and no one will believe her.
My favorite parts of The Hunting Moon revolve around Winnie trying to solve the mystery of what happened to her father. Winnie isn’t a perfect character by any means (more on that later), but she is tenacious and has a head for following clues, plus she’s obsessed with facts, and in this story she makes use of the Venn diagram and detailed lists to make sense of those clues. Through Winnie’s efforts, we learn a lot more about the Dianas (witches who are now the enemies of the Luminaries), but there are still lots of secrets surrounding them. Dennard teases out her information slowly, which I have to admit was frustrating at times, but it definitely kept the tension high. This is such a complex, rich world, although I’m impatient to learn even more than Dennard reveals in this book.
I also enjoyed the slow burn romance between Jay and Winnie, which is hinted at in book one and expanded upon here. There are a few big secrets between the two, which of course get in the way at times, but I liked the way the author handled their relationship in general.
I did find the beginning of the book to be rather slow at times, and if you’re looking for more of the exciting action and fight scenes between Luminaries and nightmares, you won’t find a lot of that here. Instead, Dennard creates tension by drawing out her secrets, like what really happened to Winnie’s father? Who killed Grayson? What do the Dianas have to do with Winnie and her family being cast out of the Luminaries four years ago? Even as Winnie gets closer to the truth, the questions seem to multiply. I’m not sure how long this series is going to be, but I feel there are a lot of unanswered questions still to be addressed. Also, I wanted to mention that in the beginning, the characters are excited about the upcoming Masquerade, and I thought for sure the climax would involve that event. But it never happens! I guess the author is planning on carrying it over to the next book, which I thought was a little strange. Did anyone else notice that?
As for Winnie, she still grated on me a bit. In my review of The Luminaries, I complained about her “teeth clicking,” and unfortunately she’s still doing it here, although not quite as much. She’s also constantly having trouble with her glasses. They seem to always be falling off, or they are so smeared she can’t see out of them. After several of these “glasses” descriptions, I was kind of over it. I realize the author is trying to establish her personality, but it just made her seem goofy.
The last twenty percent of the story is where the pace really picks up, and Dennard leaves her readers with a thrilling conclusion. There’s no way I’m missing the next book in the series, because I have so many questions. Hopefully the author will take pity on her readers and wrap everything up in book three!
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
The teeth clicking and the trouble with her glasses falling off would bother me too. One or twice of this happening would be fine, I guess but not “several” times, right? 😛
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…First Line Friday & The Friday 56: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
It’s pretty repetitive, lol.
The glasses thing would really annoy me! I haven’t read The Luminaries — I know a lot of people loved it, but I never felt drawn to it. Your review makes this one sound interesting (especially the ending)… so the books go on my “maybe eventually” pile. Great review!
I need to know how everything ends now, so obviously these books work for me on a certain level:-)
A great review, Tammy. I’m glad you enjoyed the book, overall and I completely agree that the pacing is far slower than The Luminaries, though the mystery seems to just increase. As for Winnie’s teeth clicking – I was hoping Dennard would let that annoying habit fade away and was disappointed when it surfaced again, though it was a relief to note that the teeth didn’t click nearly as often:). As for the glasses… I thought that worked quite well. I HATE wearing mine with a passion, but I’ve only been doing so for the last ten years when my longsightedness started failing. Himself has been wearing them since he was 13 and he ends up having all sorts of adventures with them. And he isn’t allowed to drive a train unless he has a spare set with him. But I guess if you’re a glasses wearer who is more up-together, then having them go AWOL at crucial times would annoy you.
I can see how the glasses thing would resonate with you:-) I guess for me it was just a little too much.
It says something that you’re looking forward to the next book despite the various quirks or issues with the first two. And I like that you enjoyed the second book more than the first. Here’s hoping that trend continues.
The story is actually very good, it’s just some of the author’s writing quirks that rubbed me the wrong way.
Teeth clicking?! The detail about the glasses if it’s more than a passing observation could get a bit annoying too. That aside I do like the sound of this so might have to add the first book to my TBR list. 😀
It is a fun series despite my issues, but it’s YA so keep that in mind:-)
Great review, Tammy. I’m actually curious about the teeth clicking and glasses thing now. Wondering if it will annoy me too. It’s funny sometimes what makes me most curious to read a book. LOL
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I’m not sure those things bug other people, but they really stood out for me, lol.
The slower pace didn’t deter me. I still adored that one as much as the first! I can’t wait for the sequel!
I’m glad you loved it so much! I’m excited for the next book too.
Yes! The teeth clicking thing was so weird to me as well! And now that you point out the glasses thing, I did notice that a bunch in this one too. But I did enjoy it, and am glad you did for the most part as well. Great review!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Release Blitz Review: My Darling Bride by Ilsa Madden-Mills
Thanks Lisa! It’s a fun series even with issues, and I can’t wait for book three:-)
LOL seriously what is up with that teeth clicking, right? I keep thinking it’s a hunter thing, and thought maybe we get some revelation into her weird behavior this book, but nope. This one had bridge book all over it for me, but I’m not missing the third one either.
I’ve missed out on this one and these days once I’m behind I’ve finally come to a place where I just know there’s no way I’m catching up. Happy to see that you’re happy enough with the series to check out the final instalment – clicking teeth and annoying glasses notwithstanding.
Lynn 😀