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A review by pankadoll
Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman
3.0
Strange book. There are some great details: Persephone's relationship with mortal woman is the most precious part of the plot, her dialogs with Charon are beautifully written, and the beginning explains her reasons to run really well. It's all important for the lore building and possible conflicts that may arise in this story, if you desire to expand it from the little information we know, sure, but (!)
Did the author want to write Hades at all? We are told they are in love, we don't see it, we don't see them interacting much, it's impossible to understand why she is so enamored with him, as he is practically absent. And when he is there, it's not like he respects her. It becomes the more palpable the more Persephone thinks about Demeter. The comparison of mother and husband is a silver lining, and well, in the end the few facts that are given to readers indicate that they are not so different. Why she is so eager to be with him is a mystery.
Demeter's change of heart in the final chapters is suspicious as well. I don't see how she would be so stubborn before, and so quickly persuaded after.
So, it's worth to read for the goddess-human friendship thing, or as coming of age story (probably), or as a guide how to not raise a child, it's not good as a romance, because there is none.
Did the author want to write Hades at all? We are told they are in love, we don't see it, we don't see them interacting much, it's impossible to understand why she is so enamored with him, as he is practically absent. And when he is there, it's not like he respects her. It becomes the more palpable the more Persephone thinks about Demeter. The comparison of mother and husband is a silver lining, and well, in the end the few facts that are given to readers indicate that they are not so different. Why she is so eager to be with him is a mystery.
Demeter's change of heart in the final chapters is suspicious as well. I don't see how she would be so stubborn before, and so quickly persuaded after.
So, it's worth to read for the goddess-human friendship thing, or as coming of age story (probably), or as a guide how to not raise a child, it's not good as a romance, because there is none.