Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman

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. (Harpercollins.ca)

I fell completely in love with this novel. It captivated me within its first few pages and held me, spellbound, until the closing paragraph.

It was lovely to see how Whitman took the ancient myth of Persephone and Hades and turned it around to make it a story of love, strength, and independence. The author took the important details of the original story, such as the pomegranate seeds, and weaved them together beautifully to create a story that felt rich with history and legend.

I very much enjoyed the authors writing style, which often felt poetic. Descriptions were detailed and full of beautiful imagery. Whitmans words pulled me in, I wanted to turn my hands in the soil of the garden, and feel Hades' arms wrapped protectively around me.

All in all this was a wonderful debut novel, and I sincerely hope to read more from Emily Whitman in the future.