Novella Review: Radiant

Radiant (Unearthly #2.5)

By: Cynthia Hand

Published By: HarperTeen Impulse

Publication Date: December 4, 2012

Page Count: 94

Buy it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Source: Purchased by Reviewer

Audience: Young Adult - Fantasy

Review of Unearthly

Review of Hallowed

Radiant is a good addition to the Unearthly series. It takes place after the events of Hallowed and bridges to the next release, Boundless. In Radiant, Clara and Angela are spending the summer in Rome, with Angela’s extended family. Clara is still very much recovering from the traumas she suffered at the end of Hallowed, and Jeffrey is nowhere to be seen. She is grieving and needs something to take her mind off her troubles.

 

Angela comes through with a very strange reaction to a mysterious man on the train one day, which Clara immediately works out is the man Angela fell in love with the previous summer, although Angela says nothing. What follows is a little sneaking around by Angela, and then a rather satisfying character reveal. I won’t spoil it at all by naming the guy, but he really adds to the story, and pushes the world of Angel Bloods out a little for Clara... she learns a little more, and makes a few more realizations.

 

I liked that we got to understand Angela more through Radiant. She has always been the sort of character that demands information from Clara without revealing much herself, but now I feel like I understand her a lot more.

 

I read this novella in a quite short time, but I think that fans of this excellent series won’t be disappointed if they invest in Radiant – I certainly wasn’t at all!

Summary:

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand comes a riveting original novella (available only as an ebook) set in the world of the Unearthly series.

Clara is desperate to get away—from the memories that haunt her in Wyoming and the visions of a future she isn't ready to face—and spending the summer in Italy with her best friend, Angela, should be the perfect escape. . . .

For as long as she can remember, Angela has been told that love is dangerous, that she must always guard her heart. But when she met a mysterious guy in Italy two years ago she was determined to be with him, no matter the costs. Now she must decide whether she can trust Clara with her secret, or if telling her the truth will risk everything she cares about.

Alternating between Angela and Clara's perspectives, Radiant chronicles the unforgettable summer that will test the bounds of their friendship and change their lives forever.