Radiance - A Review

Radiance - Alyson Noel (shelf awareness)

Product Details

• Pub. Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Square Fish
• Format: Paperback, 192pp
• Sales Rank: 1,475
• Age Range: Young Adult

• ISBN-13: 9780312629175
• ISBN: 0312629176

Synopsis

Riley Bloom has let her sister and crossed the bridge into the afterlife-a place called Here, where time is always Now. She has picked up where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice neighborhood. When she's summoned before The Council, she learns that the afterlife isn't just an eternity of leisure. She's been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a possibly cute, seemingly nerdy boy who's definitely hiding something. They return to earth together for Riley's first assignment, a Radiant Boy who's been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of what was before he me Riley...

My Thoughts:

I got to say I enjoyed this way more than the Immortal series. Unlike Ever, I find Riley like able and a real treat to watch as her story unfolds. Even though she's not of our world anymore, I find that Riley still faces all the uncertainties most preteens face and I liked that aspect.

Bodhi is an intriguing guy and I'm not sure we've seen all there is to him yet but I look forward to seeing his character more in future books. Buttercup is just awesome and I like how Alyson kept the dog included in the story with Riley. It definitely added that little extra something special to the book.

I think this is a great start to a new series of books aimed towards the younger YA area and plan on passing this on to my 12 year old to read.

Author's Website: Alyson Noel