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ariadnelake's review
2.0
It was okay, but I didn't really like it...
I've read a few Hades Persephone books and this one just wasn't right for me.
You see Whitman takes you back to when it happened, with all nature and that stuff...
It's just I prefer something set nowadays...
Like [b:Abandon|9397967|Abandon (Abandon Trilogy, #1)|Meg Cabot|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1324767084s/9397967.jpg|11351526], or [b:Everneath|9413044|Everneath (Everneath, #1)|Brodi Ashton|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340210035s/9413044.jpg|14297146], or [b:The Goddess Test|9681214|The Goddess Test (Goddess Test, #1)|Aimee Carter|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327891211s/9681214.jpg|14569146]...
I've read a few Hades Persephone books and this one just wasn't right for me.
You see Whitman takes you back to when it happened, with all nature and that stuff...
It's just I prefer something set nowadays...
Like [b:Abandon|9397967|Abandon (Abandon Trilogy, #1)|Meg Cabot|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1324767084s/9397967.jpg|11351526], or [b:Everneath|9413044|Everneath (Everneath, #1)|Brodi Ashton|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340210035s/9413044.jpg|14297146], or [b:The Goddess Test|9681214|The Goddess Test (Goddess Test, #1)|Aimee Carter|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327891211s/9681214.jpg|14569146]...
ibeeeg's review
4.0
Full Review:
http://ibeeeg.blogspot.com/2009/06/radiant-darkness-by-emily-whitman.html
Right from the opening...right from the prologue I was captured.
The first person point-of-view is spell-binding as the story is told in a quick and smooth pace.
Radiant Darkness is of finding where your gifts lie, finding strength within yourself and finding love. This retelling of Persephone and Hades was a very enjoyable read.
The "voice" of Persephone took us from a girl who was searching for meaning and purpose to a person who knows herself-her purpose.
The "voice" of Persephone let me, the reader, know how she was swept off of her feet-how deeply Hades effected her.
The author kept to the major details surrounding Persephone, Demeter and Hades, however, she added some twists and turns of her own. I must admit, I prefer the author's upbeat and positive bent on the story. Happily, I have found that I now appreciate the Greek Myth far greater than I did before the reading of Radiant Darkness.
Radiant Darkness simply is a magical, wonderful and enjoyable story.
http://ibeeeg.blogspot.com/2009/06/radiant-darkness-by-emily-whitman.html
Right from the opening...right from the prologue I was captured.
The first person point-of-view is spell-binding as the story is told in a quick and smooth pace.
Radiant Darkness is of finding where your gifts lie, finding strength within yourself and finding love. This retelling of Persephone and Hades was a very enjoyable read.
The "voice" of Persephone took us from a girl who was searching for meaning and purpose to a person who knows herself-her purpose.
The "voice" of Persephone let me, the reader, know how she was swept off of her feet-how deeply Hades effected her.
The author kept to the major details surrounding Persephone, Demeter and Hades, however, she added some twists and turns of her own. I must admit, I prefer the author's upbeat and positive bent on the story. Happily, I have found that I now appreciate the Greek Myth far greater than I did before the reading of Radiant Darkness.
Radiant Darkness simply is a magical, wonderful and enjoyable story.
bres's review
3.0
Hardly Any Dialogue
I liked it, it was nice. But there was hardly any dialogue between Persephone and Hades. I wish I saw more of them .
I liked it, it was nice. But there was hardly any dialogue between Persephone and Hades. I wish I saw more of them .
sparklingadventurer's review
4.0
I liked this reimagined version of the "Rape of Persephone" myth. The writing was very poetic and nice to read.
kbeddes's review
4.0
Genre: retold myths, romance
Summary: Persephone suffers under the thumb of a overprotective mother, Demeter. Persephone falls in love with the God of the Underworld, Hades and must convince her mother to let her live her own life.
Response: I loved this book because it retold the myth of Hades and Persephone the right way. I like to think that Persephone liked Hades, that Hades isn't such a bad guy, he just got the short end of the stick. I appreciated the author's imagery and play with the myth. It was a delightful read.
Summary: Persephone suffers under the thumb of a overprotective mother, Demeter. Persephone falls in love with the God of the Underworld, Hades and must convince her mother to let her live her own life.
Response: I loved this book because it retold the myth of Hades and Persephone the right way. I like to think that Persephone liked Hades, that Hades isn't such a bad guy, he just got the short end of the stick. I appreciated the author's imagery and play with the myth. It was a delightful read.
estefanialmelo's review
2.0
I like the idea of retelling this story... and I found that I liked how the author changed the original myth. The fact that Persephone chose to go with Hades was really nice. The writing wasn't impressive, but it was a good read.
greenbeanteenqueen's review
4.0
The story of Persephone is one of my favorite's in mythology. So when I first heard about this book I knew I had to read it. I was so excited about it, I even did a happy dance in my office when I got it! Emily Whitman's retelling does not disappoint! Radiant Darkness has it all-a strict overbearing mom, a rebellious daughter, a forbidden romance, sacrifice and heartbreak. What teen couldn't relate to something on that list?
Ms. Whitman does a great job of turning the familiar story on it's head and adding new layers. Persephone is believable and readers will find her relatable, despite her mythical background. I loved that she starts as just a normal girl, who’s even a little klutzy! Her transformation throughout is beautifully written and I was cheering for Persephone along her journey.
I also enjoyed reading about Persephone's relationship with a human woman, Melita, who she meets in the underworld. Melita's ideas and influences on Persephone added to Persephone's overall character and made her seem more human.
I do wish there would have been a little more with Hades and Persephone and their budding relationship. At times I wasn't sure if I was supposed to like Hades or not, so more interaction from him would have been nice. What was there between the two I did like for the most part though, and Hades grew on me in the end.
Overall, this was an enchanting debut and I'm sure readers who enjoy mythology or fairy tales will want to pick this one up.
Ms. Whitman does a great job of turning the familiar story on it's head and adding new layers. Persephone is believable and readers will find her relatable, despite her mythical background. I loved that she starts as just a normal girl, who’s even a little klutzy! Her transformation throughout is beautifully written and I was cheering for Persephone along her journey.
I also enjoyed reading about Persephone's relationship with a human woman, Melita, who she meets in the underworld. Melita's ideas and influences on Persephone added to Persephone's overall character and made her seem more human.
I do wish there would have been a little more with Hades and Persephone and their budding relationship. At times I wasn't sure if I was supposed to like Hades or not, so more interaction from him would have been nice. What was there between the two I did like for the most part though, and Hades grew on me in the end.
Overall, this was an enchanting debut and I'm sure readers who enjoy mythology or fairy tales will want to pick this one up.
isthataufo's review
1.0
i reallyyy love greek mythology based books but i didnt really enjoy this one.
the romance in it didn't seem natural to me?? in the beginning when persephone and hades first meet it starts out really nice and I wish that the author kept that build up of their friendship but as soon as persephone goes to the underworld it all kind of stops and suddenly they're in love?? what?? anyways thats basically all i have to say about it. (all this is purposefully in lower case and stuff im too lazy to capitalize everything)
the romance in it didn't seem natural to me?? in the beginning when persephone and hades first meet it starts out really nice and I wish that the author kept that build up of their friendship but as soon as persephone goes to the underworld it all kind of stops and suddenly they're in love?? what?? anyways thats basically all i have to say about it. (all this is purposefully in lower case and stuff im too lazy to capitalize everything)
seemeghanread's review
3.0
A neat take on the myth of Hades and Persephone. Anyone who likes Greek mythology should check this book out.