Thank you so much to the HTP Books and Inkyard Press team for having me on this tour. I’m excited to share my review with you all.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to HTP Books, Netgalley, Inkyard Press, and Mara Rutherford for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.
Shout out to Rutherford for writing such an immersive witchy novel just in time for Halloween! It’s definitely a mood booster during this season. Since this is also a standalone, it works out for not having to worry about when the next book is coming out, although when the book is great like this, you kind of want another book to come out so you can see what is going to happen next, you know?
I liked that we got to see how Liora deals with the journey that she embarks on, from having her father hide the family from Lord Daurius potentially using and torturing her for her magic. Especially since she has glowing skin… that would be a huge giveaway wouldn’t it? I also like that Rutherford made sure that the magic system wasn’t too convoluted so we don’t need multiple books to understand it fully. It was another great story from Rutherford and I’m curious to see what comes next.
Luminous
by Mara Rutherford
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Release Date: October 5, 2021
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy
Length: 384 pages
Amazon | B&N | BAM | IndieBound | Bookshop.org | AppleBooks | Google Play
From the author of Crown of Coral and Pearl comes an immersive new fantasy about a witch who must learn to harness her power—or risk losing her loved ones forever.
Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.
To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos—and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.
Mara Rutherford began her writing career as a journalist but quickly discovered she far preferred fantasy to reality. Originally from California, Mara has since lived all over the world with her marine-turned-diplomat husband. A triplet born on Leap Day, Mara holds a master’s degree in cultural studies from the University of London. When she’s not writing or chasing after her two sons, she can usually be found pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone, whether at a traditional Russian banya or an Incan archaeological site. Mara is a former Pitch Wars mentee and three-time mentor.
Sometimes Leelynn Reads 