Teenage goddess Persephone lives in the loveliest vale created especially for her by her mother, Demeter, to protect her from the influences of men. But Persephone is not happy in her own little heaven. Demeter is belittling and babying, never allowing Persephone to attend any functions of mortal worship, always buying her toys that Persephone had loved as a child but now find childish.

One day, a dark and alluring stranger appears in the vale with his chariot. Persephone is imperceptibly drawn to this stranger, and even when he turns out to be Hades, powerful and feared king of the Underworld, she barely hesitates at his offer to be queen by his side for eternity. In Hades' Underworld Persephone assumes her queenly duties but also finds delight in her garden and observing the mortals. Her husband is not perfect, but she is happy.

But all is not right in the world. Demeter, grief-stricken and determined to get her daughter back in her "safety," ravages the world until Persephone cannot deny the fact that her mother is destroying the earth to get her back. Persephone must make a choice: will she remain in the Underworld where she is successful and happy, or will she right the wrongs that her leaving has created by returning to her mother?

RADIANT DARKNESS is like a lot of Greek myths and fairy tales: fascinating although perhaps not brilliantly written. The world where Persephone and her fellow gods, goddesses, and shades reside is alluring and inviting: descriptions of lush valley life and the hustle and bustle of a busy Underworld will make you, like me, long for somewhere on earth that's just as beautiful. Persephone is a surprisingly versatile character, really just a teenage girl who's trying to gain independence from her overbearing mother. Her conflict with Demeter, one that comes naturally with the territory of adolescence, is something we can all relate to.

However, I found RADIANT DARKNESS lacking in almost everything else. Besides for Persephone, none of the other characters--who were all fascinating characters that I would have loved to know more about--were solidly defined for me.

It's not a particularly brilliant written story--will probably appeal more to middle school mythology fans--but RADIANT DARKNESS still has its charm and its strength in its protagonist.

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Radiant Darkness is a retelling of the Greek myth about Hades and Persephone. Persephones mother, Demeter, is determined to make sure that Persephone stays a child forever. Every time Persephone wants to go with her mother to a festival or give away her dolls to the temple, her mother gets angry. Persephone never gets to leave her mothers vale. The most exciting thing that she does is visit her friends at another part of the vale.

One day, Persephone smells a flower that almost seems to beckon her. When she starts to follow the smell, she sees a path in the vale she has never seen before and goes down it. She eventually sees a man. This is the first man she has ever seen. When she tries to ask her mother about her father, Demeter usually says that is men are greedy and pointless, so Persephone decides not to tell her mother about what she saw. She quickly runs away before the man can see her.
She comes back to the part of the vale, but this time the man sees her.

After several meetings she realizes that the man is Hades.

I absolutely love Greek mythology especially the myth about Hades and Persephone. I've seen this book on Amazon quite a few times, and one day I finally ordered it. I really liked this book. I would have liked there to have been more of an emphasis on Persephones relationship with Persephone. The book seemed to focus more on Persephones desire to be an effective queen. I do like that her desire helped her grow as a person though. Anybody her likes books that are more based on the myth than a looser version will enjoy this book.

4/5 roses

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Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

Have you heard the story of Persephone, daughter of the goddess Demeter? She was kidnapped by Hades and forced to live in the underworld as his queen. But that's not the real story - and Persephone is going to set the record straight.

Demeter is strict - so much so that she keeps Persephone sheltered in a vale. Demeter doesn't seem to notice that Persephone is not a little girl anymore. And she never allows any men to visit. So when Hades finds his way into the vale, Persephone is intrigued.

The two begin secret meetings and soon a forbidden relationship forms. When Hades asks Persephone to join him in the underworld, she can't wait to escape. Little does she know that her small decision will have a large effect on Earth.

RADIANT DARKNESS is a fabulous retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone. The story has it all - a strict mom, a rebellious daughter, forbidden romance, sacrifice, and heartbreak!

Author Emily Whitman does a great job turning the familiar story on its head and adding new layers. Her writing is full of vivid details and her descriptions of the underworld and the vale were pure magic. 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.

Readers are sure to be enchanted by this thrilling debut!

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I love Greek myths, love re-tellings and LOVE this cover! However, I did NOT love this book. It was just ok. It took over 2/3 of the book for me to even like Persephone. She was very immature and self absorbed. I don't know that she really ever redeemed herself, but at least she finally clued in to what was going on. We had very little insight into any of the other characters as this book was told from first person, Persephone's view. I did find it interesting how Persephone explained away what was her reality (the standard myth.)

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