The Luminaries

Ages 13 to 18

A haunting and high-octane contemporary fantasy from bestselling author Susan Dennard, The Luminaries is an instant New York Times bestseller, a Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Pick, an Indigo Best Teen Book of 2022, a Junior Library Guild Pick, an Indie Next Pick, and a Goodreads Most Anticipated YA Book.

Hemlock Falls isn’t like other towns. It’s not on a map, cell phones don’t work there, and you might find a ghost-deer grazing at midnight. It’s also inhabited by the Luminaries, an ancient order charged with guarding the nearby forest. Each night, when nightmares rise, only the Luminaries stand between humanity and these monsters bent on devastation—one clan for each night of the week. Fourteen orders around the globe.

Winnie (of the Wednesday clan) desperately wants to reclaim her family’s standing within the Luminaries. In the four years since her dad was caught as a witch, her family has lived as outcasts. Winnie’s solution? Pass the hunter trials. Then her family will be welcomed in again.

During the first trial, however, Winnie is severely outmatched by the forest’s nightmares. So when a new, unknown monster slaughters a banshee and everyone assumes Winnie did the slaughtering, she doesn’t correct them. Realizing she will never survive the final two trials, Winnie seeks help from her gorgeous ex-friend, Jay Friday, who is no longer a baby-faced boy but the best hunter in Hemlock Falls.

As Winnie’s lies start to pile up around her and bodies start to pile up from the new nightmare, she must protect Hemlock Falls, protect her family’s new status, and protect her heart from a former friend with brutal secrets of his own.

About the Author

Susan Dennard is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series (now in development for TV from the Jim Henson Company), the Something Strange and Deadly series, in addition to short fiction published online. She also runs the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits and Daydreamers. When not writing or teaching writing, she can be found rolling the dice as a Dungeon Master or mashing buttons on one of her way too many consoles.

Originally from Georgia, Dennard earned advanced degrees in marine ecology and statistics while also traveling the world. She now lives near Lake Michigan with her French husband, très mignonne daughter, and a veritable zoo of aging pets.