Author: Mara Rutherford
Publication Date: 5 October 2021
Publisher: Inkyard
Page Count: 384
Reading Method: Physical ARC [Thank you to the publisher!]
Dates Read: Sep 30 – Oct 2
Synopsis:
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.
Review:
I was so stoked when this showed up on my doorstep. The cover alone was enough to make me swoon! And special shout out to Inkyard for the amazing PR box filled with beautiful goodies! This story has magic, adventure, friends to lovers, family and loss and self-discovery – it’s got just a little bit of everything that makes a story special.
Liora has been hiding her light magic from for as long as she can remember for fear of being discovered by the evil warlock Darius. Darius has a reputation for rounding up witches and exploiting their magic for the gain of the kingdom. Through a series of unbelievable misfortunes, Liora’s sister ends up at the castle and Liora finds herself on a mission to save the kingdom from Darius’ endless darkness.
Liora is a strong lead character. She doesn’t hesitate to take action to protect her family, Evran, or her kingdom. Though she has spent most of her life hiding, yet has wisdom beyond her years and is a pillar of strength for her family. Like anybody, she has her flaws and self-doubts, but doesn’t allow any of that to stop her from accomplishing her goals. Liora brings light to all she touches and manages to make friends and bring joy to those around her.
Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and love interest, is a bit of a dud. He’s alright, but I just don’t ever feel super connected to him and struggled to find myself believing in their relationship. He’s got his own demons to face, but we really don’t see much of it, which makes it difficult to share those experiences with him and feel any sort of attachment to him. I would like to have seen more from Evran and his relationship with Liora. At no point did I see enough evidence to prove they were actually in love and meant to be together.
Darius proved to be far more interesting, as villains typically are. As Darius and Liora grow closer on their journey, we start to understand more of how he came to be who he is today. And though we have a better understanding of his past by the end of the story, is that enough to redeem him of all the darkness in his past?
The plot of Luminous was intriguing, the pacing was excellent, and there are enough surprises along the way to keep me engaged. By the end, I felt content with the way that everything worked out. Rutherford’s writing is excellent. I wouldn’t say I loved Luminous as much as I loved Crown of Coral and Pearl, but it was a solid read that was easy to get lost in.
