Review Detail

The Luminaries are back in THE WHISPERING NIGHT, the third and final book, by Susan Dennard. The novel starts with Winnie Wednesday on top of the world. Jay Friday is her boyfriend, she has a group of friends she can count on, and with all her good work, her family is steps away from being fully reintegrated into society. However, Winnie is unaware that what was set in motion four years ago has come back around for completion: a foreign Diana has infiltrated Hemlock Falls with plans to destroy the town once and for all. The deeper Winnie gets sucked into the Diana’s plotting, the more she starts connecting all the unexplained events from the past, and the more she has to lose.

I’ve said it before, but Dennard's worldbuilding in this series is fantastic. She’s visually painted this place and all its people so well, in addition to creating the culture and customs. I can totally imagine this story as a movie or TV show, because Dennard has a distinct skill for putting the reader right in the action – and this book has a lot of action, especially in the second half. Like Winnie, we as the readers get to figure out what’s happening right alongside of her, with the added pressure of the clock winding down.

I do wish that we had some more Winnie and Jay moments in the first half of the book, and while Dennard fits so much information in this third installment -- and miraculously manages to tie up so many loose ends -- I still have so much more that I want to see explored. For instance, I’d really like to meet Winnie’s grandma. I’d love to know more about Jay’s parents. I’d love to have some chapters from Jay’s perspective. I’d be curious to see what happens next for everyone. In other words, this book doesn’t feel like the end, and I’d love to read more.

Overall, THE WHISPERING NIGHT is a solid read that closes out a fun and inventive series. Anyone who likes to dive into fantastical trilogies should really enjoy this book, and hopefully, there will be more to come!