The conclusion to this wonderful YA dark naturalism fantasy has arrived. The Whispering Night by Susan Dennard, third and final of the Luminaries trilogy, brings all the threads together and delivers in an intense, action-packed, quick-paced gut punch of a novel. The magic of The Luminaries and the tensions of The Hunting Party collide in The Whispering Night and make for an ending you don’t want to miss.

NOTE: If you have not read The Luminaries and The Hunting Moon please skip the blurb, if not the entire blog post. This is a YA supernatural/paranormal fantasy series that I highly recommend you check out if you are into YA Fantasy, especially those set in a more dark naturalism setting (think woods at night, isolated town, folklore creatures lurking in the shadows). This blogpost will spoil details from the first two books and I wouldn’t want you to learn anything too early if you decide to pick up the series (please do pick up the series).

The forest is more dangerous than ever in this highly-anticipated, pulse-pounding, and swoon-worthy conclusion to the bestselling Luminaries trilogy. Winnie Wednesday’s future is looking bright. Hemlock Falls is no longer hunting the werewolf, she and Erica Thursday are tentative friends, and Winnie finally knows exactly where she stands with Jay Friday. With everything finally on track, Winnie is looking forward to the Nightmare Masquerade, a week-long celebration of all things Luminary. But as Luminaries from across the world flock to the small town, uninvited guests also arrive. Winnie is confronted by a masked Diana and charged with an impossible task—one that threatens everything and everyone Winnie loves. As Winnie fights to stop new enemies before time runs out, old mysteries won’t stop intruding. Her missing father is somehow entangled with her search for hidden witches, and as Winnie digs deeper into the long-standing war between the Luminaries and the Dianas, she discovers rifts within her own family she never could have imagined. What does loyalty mean when family and enemies look the same?

It has been some time since I read The Hunting Party, and I forgot what kind of narrative style and voice the series contains. I appreciate the strong YA voice and style that comes through with Winnie’s perpsecitve as it works well for the story world, the setting, and plot trajectory, and the characters. The writing style and quips are very YA with the one-liners and the protagonist’s thoughts and general observations. The Whispering Night does have that step up in tension, action, and conflict that I was looking for in The Hunting Party. I do wish there was more of that tone and atmosphere from The Luminaries as that dark naturalism folklore fantasy vibe really hooked me in, and to an extent there is more of that in The Whispering Night, especially with the illustrations we see throughout the book.

Overall, The Whispering Night is a worthwhile conclusion to this entertaining, dark naturalism fantasy series. I have yet to find another series that does this dark folklore supernatural fantasy vibe quite like The Luminaries – before you say it, One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns have the dark fantasy element of this locked down, but not the monsters and supernatural beasts that I am talking about. What’s more, The Whispering Night brings another layer of magic and conflict into this world, one that is exciting and raises the stakes in a very serious, personal way. I highly recommend The Luminaries, The Hunting Party, and The Whispering Night to you YA supernatural fantasy readers out there, and in doing so I hope the YA dark naturalism vibes find there way into more books.