*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of NETGALLEY arc The Hunting Moon – Book 2 of The Luminaries series by Susan Dennard #BrainfluffNETGALLEYbookreview #TheHuntingMoonbookreview

I’ve read and enjoyed The Luminaries – see my review. But I hadn’t appreciated at the time just how much this offering would stick in my memory. So when I saw the sequel on offer, it was a no-brainer that I’d go for a copy and was thrilled to get one.

BLURB: Winnie Wednesday has gotten everything she thought she wanted. She passed the deadly hunter trials, her family has been welcomed back into the Luminaries, and overnight, she has become a local celebrity.

The Girl Who Jumped. The Girl Who Got Bitten.

Unfortunately, it all feels wrong. For one, nobody will believe her about the new nightmare called the Whisperer that’s killing hunters each night. Everyone blames the werewolf, even though Winnie is certain the wolf is innocent. On top of that, following her dad’s convoluted clues about the Dianas, their magic, and what happened in Hemlock Falls four years ago is leaving her with more questions than answers.

Then to complicate it all, there is still only one person who can help her: Jay Friday, the boy with plenty of problems all his own. As bodies and secrets pile up around town, Winnie finds herself questioning what it means to be a true Wednesday and a true Luminary—and also where her fierce-hearted loyalties might ultimately have to lie.

REVIEW: I was especially delighted to get hold of a copy of The Hunting Moon, as The Luminaries proved to be a memorable read. I found myself thinking a lot about young Wednesday – but even more about the vivid and claustrophobic world Dennard has depicted with her magical forest inhabited by all sorts of lethal monsters. So I was eagerly anticipating this offering.

Has Dennard managed to keep the tension and excellent worldbuilding moving forward in The Hunting Moon? Yes, she has. Once again, I found myself right alongside Wednesday as she deals with the fallout from the night she nearly died. As a YA read, emotions are dialled up high and Wednesday is often ambushed by her conflicted reactions as she is confronted with a series of difficult revelations. While I’m far from being the target audience, overall I think Dennard successfully negotiates the fine line between Wednesday being a thoroughly sympathetic protagonist and becoming too whiny and indecisive to convincingly cope.

I found the world just as intriguing and vivid this second time around. The amazing creatures that inhabit the forest – along with those fabulous drawings – are a constant delight. And I liked that Wednesday is increasingly torn over the Luminaries’ automatic reflex to kill everything they label a monster. Her unfolding relationship with Jay works well, even though that isn’t the part of the story that particularly interests me. I also like that Wednesday hasn’t been somehow transformed into a superb hunter. She’s still struggling with her fitness and forest craft which puts her at risk at crucial moments. Especially as she also wears glasses…

The one grizzle I have, is that the pace dipped midway into the story. And that’s down to the continual repetitions. I’m aware there are a number of plot threads within the storyline. I’m also aware that Wednesday is wrestling with some decisions that will have a huge impact on her future – and probably the future of everyone in their community. But those repetitions did silt up the narrative drive and slow down the momentum at a time in the book when everything needed to keep moving forward.

That said, the pace picked up again in the final act. And while the revelation at the end of this book isn’t as shocking as the doozy at the end of The Luminaries – I was nevertheless glad to have my suspicions confirmed. All in all, this was another cracking read and I’m now waiting for the next slice of the adventure. Highly recommended for fans of YA fantasy full of dangerous monsters, a difficult family dynamic and a vivid landscape. While I obtained an arc of The Hunting Moon from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10