RADIANT DARKNESS
EMILY WHITMAN
ISBN# 9780061724497
May 2009
Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing
www.harperteen.com
Trade paperback
$16.99 US/ $18.99 CAN
274 pages
Teen (14 and up)
Rating: 5 cups
Persephone is the daughter of the goddess, Demeter. A young lady controlled by her mother, she is eager to grow up and become a woman. When Persephone meets a man in the vale, she gains the chance to grow up.
As Lord of the Underworld, Hades, is a powerful god. He falls in love with Persephone fairly quickly and asks her to come away with him. He sees someone who can help him rule the Underworld and will have her at any cost.
This is Persephone’s story, and she wants to set the record straight. Most people believe Hades kidnapped Persephone and made her his queen. Persephone says that is not the case at all. She went into the Underworld with Hades of her own free will. Demeter is angry and begins to wreak havoc on Earth by not producing rain for the crops to grow. When Persephone hears of this, she becomes eager to return to Earth, if only to show her mother she is alive and well. She eats the pomegranate seeds to tie herself to Hades and the world they rule together.
This is an enlightening story. While I have always been an avid fan of the gods and goddesses of old, this is the one story which has always clung in the corners of my mind. This is a well-written piece. Persephone is brought to life in way which makes it possible for her to appear in the reader’s imagination. Emily Whitman has taken a myth and truly made it her own. It definitely gives one pause to consider the actual tale. I would highly recommend this book to anyone of any age who would like a new perspective on the original legend.
Kimberly
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
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