Description

He smiles. "Hello."

It's a deep voice. I can feel it reverberate in my chest and echo all the way down to my toes.

I know I should leave, but I don't want to. I want to keep my senses like this forever. I'm all eye, all ear, all skin.

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.

About the Author

Emily Whitman lives on a tree-lined street in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, two children, and a gray cat. Her earliest career goal was to be a professional whistler. In a more practical vein, she has worked in library reference, led storytimes, and written for educational publishers. This is her first novel.

Praise for Radiant Darkness…

"Whitman amplifies both the heady romance and Earth-goddess themes with poetic, sensual descriptions of nature's intoxicating fertility.she skillfully humanizes Persephone with archetypal scenes of mother-daughter tension. Many mortal teens will see themselves in the young goddess, as she realizes her own talents and strength and grows into herself."
-ALA Booklist

"There's originality and flair in the picture of a world where the gods have both the familiarity and star appeal of glossy media personalities, and Whitman makes Hades and Persephone (Hadephone? Persades?) a glam celebrity couple that everyone will want to read about."
-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Teens will likely relate to Persephone, who cannot stand the thought of spending eternity in the prison she feels her mother has constructed for her, and her transformation from girlish dreaminess to strong, thoughtful woman will resonate with them."
-School Library Journal