Radiant Darkness

May 11, 2009
In Whitman's debut, a retelling of the Persephone myth, Persephone feels trapped by her overbearing mother, Demeter (“Mrs. Even-the-grain-greets-me-with-lowered-head”), who wants to keep Persephone a child forever, confined in a “world devoid of men.” When Hades lands his chariot in her valley, Persephone is immediately attracted to him and after a brief courtship, she chooses to be his bride and queen of the underworld. Persephone is a relatable character—her first appearance as queen has her tripping in front of the entire court. Though Hades calls her powerful and she does have an impressive ability to grow plants, Persephone's relationship with him is very much that of the child bride, with Hades protecting her from knowing of the damage her mother is inflicting on earth and his allowing her to make policy changes in the underworld, rather than her doing so of her own accord. Her attempt to stop her mother's destruction has Persephone relying on those more powerful than her, in this case Zeus. Persephone's narration entertains, but overall the story does not give readers an especially strong heroine or the resonance of the original myth. Ages 14–up.

August 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-Whitman has cleverly fit an ancient story into a trendy modern formulaa beautiful, innocent, privileged girl (Persephone) meets a powerful, wealthy bad boy (Hades). In this retelling of the myth, Persephone falls head over heels for Hades and willingly leaves her overbearing mother to become queen of the underworld. 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. Though the author perhaps tries a bit too hard to use metaphor and symbolism ensconced in flowery language, there is an interesting story here; the hints at Persephone's lusty relationship with Hades, combined with the contemporary tone of her first-person narrative, will capture some readers. An endnote gives an overview of the original tale, which may lead to exploration of this and other Greek myths. Purchase where alternative chick-lit is popular."Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canada"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2009
Grades 9-12 In her debut offering, Whitman shapes the Greek myth of Persephone into a steamy coming-of-age novel laced with feminist sensibilities. The original myths violent abduction, in which Hades snatches an innocent maiden and carries her off to the Underworld, becomes a voluntary act of passionate desire in this retelling. The teenage daughter of the earth goddess Demeter, Persephone is bored with life in her mothers restricted, all-female realm: The only men I see are painted on vases. Then Hades appears in a secluded meadow, and the two begin a secret, chaste courtship that leads to Persephones willful elopement. After seasons in the Underworld, Persephone boldly stands up to Hades, Zeus, and Demeter and arranges her seasonal rotation between earth and the Underworld. Whitman amplifies both the heady romance and earth-goddess themes with poetic, sensual descriptions of natures intoxicating fertility; and 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
This book re-envisions the mythical Rape of Persephone as a romance--and an escape from a controlling mother. Playing fast and loose with myth and history alike, Whitman oversimplifies everything from maternal overprotectiveness to marital conflict to godly machinations. The power of the myth shines through nonetheless, and Persephone's need to forge her own path should resonate with teens.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)