I had always liked the front cover of Radiance. It had always seemed so peaceful and angelic, like a place I wanted to live in. The book was short, but the plot could go on forever. I read the book in a couple hours without getting up from my seat, because it was so interesting. It is a spin-off series of the Immortals, which is about the main character’s sister.
Riley Bloom is an average twelve year old: she likes to goof off, and she wants to become thirteen. But her dreams of becoming thirteen are shattered because she dies in a car accident with her mother, father, and dog. Her older sister makes it out alive. Riley is taken to a place called the Here and Now, which is the afterlife. She is assigned the duty of bringing lingering souls off the earth plane into the afterlife where they belong.
My favorite character is her nerdy “guide” Bodhi, a fourteen year old boy who died about a decade before her. He shows her the ropes of the afterlife, and becomes her friend. He is really likeable and fun and he and Riley have a lot of fun.
A great scene was when Riley watched a bit of a replay of her life and was confronted by the council. She becomes very scared and realizes that as much as she pretended to dislike her older sister Ever, she was truly jealous of her, and wanted to be just like her.
If I were to change anything about the book, I would change the wording. Some of it was a little confusing and I had to go back a couple chapters. However, overall, the book was great and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a short fantasy read.
Ellie B