| Title: Radiant Darkness |
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| Author: Emily Whitman |
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| Genre: Modern Retelling |
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| Publisher: Greenwillow Books |
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| Elements: Greek mythology |
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| Series: Stand alone |
Radiant Darkness is a retelling of the Greek myth of Persephone being kidnapped by Hades, Lord of the Underworld. I've always been a fan of fairy tales and myths being retold, but this one disappointed me greatly. It had a lot of chances to be explored to its full potential, yet time and time again the story just fizzled out.Persephone lives in the most gorgeous place in the world. But her mother's a goddess, as overprotective as she is powerful. Paradise has become a trap. Just when Persephone feels there's no chance of escaping the life that's been planned for her, a mysterious stranger arrives.
A stranger who promises something more—something dangerous and exciting—something that spurs Persephone to make a daring choice. A choice that could destroy all she's come to love, even the earth itself. In a land where a singing river can make you forget your very name, Persephone is forced to discover who—and what—she really is.
The main subplot of Persephone's relationship with her mother, the goddess Demeter underlies the story. Persephone has been living under the dominating Demeter's shadow for a long time, and her actions are more of a reaction as compared to a pro action. This could be a reason why she seems so innocent and downtrodden. However, her Mary Sue-ish tendencies just seem to encompass the story, and her naivete seems more like denial which took up more than half the book.
The supposed hero in this case in Hades. We're led to believe that he's the reason why Persephone chose to leave her home, but he's more of a caricature than a believable character, with little to no personality being shown. What is shown is his lust for Persephone, which is to be taken for lurrveee because that's what we're told.
While it is well written, that is one flaw which irritated me: that we're told what happens rather than shown. I would say that this is an easily forgettable story with a lackluster ending, but I'm still seething over the unrealised potential of the story.
I read this one halfway and then gave up. I agree that mainly it was because of the lack of personalities in the characters that threw me, though I did like some of the interesting issues the book brought up like how Hades convinced Persephone that they belong to each other.
ReplyDeleteYikes. I was really interested in this one because it deals with mythology but... lackluster ending? nonbelievable characters? I'm reconsidering now :/
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!
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