Its a nice Persephone retelling, but not anything that I would give up sleep for... ( )

This book was gorgeous. A beautiful retelling of the Persephone story. :) ( )

Retellings have always fascinated me, especially in the way of myths since so many of them seem to be told within so few pages. The myth of Persephone and Hades is rather popular, especially with the number of YA books that have pulled inspiration from their story. However, this is the first actual retelling I have read, and I have to say, it's good for readers to hear Persephone's voice. Most readers will know their story as Persephone being dragged down against her will into the Underworld by Hades in order to become his queen. Not so in this case.

Emily Whitman offers a different type of story in which the young spring goddess was stifled by her mother's constant sheltering. I really enjoyed this rendition of Persephone and how strong she became by the end of the story. It was troubling how she could not find her voice first with her overbearing mother, Demeter, and then with her (lovingly) possessive husband, Hades. Both of them felt they knew what was best for Persephone, though I have to say Demeter's overprotectiveness was far more trying than Hades' concern about her being taken from him.

Speaking of the god of the Underworld, I really wanted to see more of him in this story since the myth was originally called "Hades and Persephone." While I was a bit disappointed by this, I realize that this is Persephone's story, so her growth and development must be the focal point.

Overall, Radiant Darkness was an enjoyable retelling of a favorite myth that definitely puts the original story into a matter of perspective. Readers who enjoy Greek mythology should definitely add this one to their reading pile. ( )

I must say that I adored this book much more than I thought I would! I had no idea that it is about Hades and Persephone. I adored the storyline and the main character Persephone. It is so different than other books I've read. It is much more Greeky.

First off, I love that the story is told from Persephone point of view. I liked seeing things from her view than from the normal Hades point of view. I loved how the Ms.Whitman wrote the main character Persephone, so differently that what I've read before. Here she is, locked up from the world, hidden by her mother, talked down too like a child. Persephone yearned for a peace, a freedom she never thought she see. I like that Hades didn't just grab her. They had a secret love. He waited for her, asked for her choosing. He is a gentlemen.

As the story line begins to unfold, the reader sees the destruction of earth but also Persephone seeing things differently. She knew what her mother was doing and wanted to settled things once and for all. I adored how this story is really modernized but stays full of Greek Gods and Goddesses. Ms. Whitman keep the essence of a classic tale only making slight changes in it.

I loved this book! It really capture me in a way I didn't think it would. If you love Greek Gods and Goddesses, tales of Persephone and Hades, read this book. It is an intensely fast read that you can not get enough of. I loved the writing style and adored the characters! ( )

With all the paranormal books, all the romances with the mysterious bad boy who steals the innocent girl’s heart, I think I was expecting this to be similar. I mean, it’s Hades himself taking Persephone as his queen. How much more bad boy can you get? But I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn’t really about the romance between Hades and Persephone and how the story we hear in myths is wrong. Well, it is, but the romance part itself is not really the focus. Instead this is a story of Persephone discovering who she is and finding her voice.
To be honest, the romance left much to be desired. Everything is circumspect about their relationship. That’s fine in some respects (I’m not saying I need to know about everything in detail), but even the more chaste romantic developments – first words, first touch, first kiss – didn’t make much of an impression on me. I found myself just accepting that she liked him and moving on. In some books I would have a problem with that, but I didn’t take issue with it here.
Once Persephone is with Hades the underworld, it’s not exactly as she imagined it. Though she’s no longer under the control of her mother, who treated her like a child and wouldn’t acknowledge she was growing up, there’s just not much for her to do. This is the point where she begins to grow. She gets to decide what she enjoys, the things that are important to her. When word of devastation on earth reaches her, she questions it, but she doesn’t really try to do much about it. She is fairly passive in her interactions with Hades on the matter, and while this might bother some readers, I think it’s realistic for her character. She slowly builds into a stronger person as she becomes aware of who she is and who she wants to be. Once she finds something that is truly important to her, that’s when she becomes vocal and fights for her way.
In some ways this story seems to be more about the strained mother-daughter relationship between Demeter and Persephone than it is about the marriage between Hades and Persephone. I think that works in the sense that there is probably more familiarity with parental struggles than marriage among the target audience for YA. I had a slight issue with the way the resolution was presented in that it seemed a bit didactic, but there is truth in that storyline that is probably important to tell.
I think anyone familiar with the story of Persephone will appreciate the way Whitman basically turned that story on its head. Instead of a victim, we get to see Persephone as someone with a choice, and it is the strength she discovers as a result of those choices that make the story worth reading. ( )