My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Title: The Hunting Moon (#2)
Author: Susan Dennard
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 11/07/23
Publisher: Tor Teen
Categories: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Series, Mystery, Contemporary
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Tor Teen for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
The highly anticipated sequel to The Luminaries by New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard.
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.
Content Warning: violence
I loved the first book of The Luminaries because Winnie’s test to become a luminary made this book exciting. This sequel felt slower and a little more like a filler.
I did love that Jay and Winnie’s relationship gets somewhat resolved, but it’s slow to get there. There is some complicated feelings between them and some things that has to be said out loud but I was happy that there was progress between them because I just want them together.
Winnie is trying to figure out clues maybe her dad has left her but it’s a challenge for her. And the community is still looking for the werewolf, while Winnie still is insisting there is a Whisperer creature on the loose. Her family has now earned their right to come back into the fold and she doesn’t want to jeopardize anything but when she finds out something about Jay, she puts everything on the line.
The first half is slow, but the second half picks up and just as I was invested in the story it ends abruptly. I was actually shocked that it was over. But I did enjoy the second half of the book more than the first.
I probably went in with high expectations because I loved book one. I did enjoy some parts of it but it does slow down and becomes more of a mystery with Winnie trying to put all the clues together.
Tropes: slow burn romance, friends to lovers
Why you should read it:
- you enjoyed book one, but this one is more of a mystery and slower
- Winnie and Jay’s angsty romance
- a few things happen, but at the end
Why you might not want to read it:
- abrupt ending and shorter than I expected, wanted more
My Thoughts:
I had high expectations which this sequel didn’t quite meet mostly because mysteries are too slow for me and this becomes a mystery that Winnie is trying to solve. It’s definitely not a high stakes challenge anymore for her. I did love that FINALLY she and Jay make some headway into their slow burn romance, because it was frustrating seeing these two not being able to communicate. I’ll definitely read book three after that ending – but I do wish the ending wasn’t so abrupt and the book was longer.
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