The Reading Date

Radiance is a new stand-alone series centered on 12 year old Riley, a character we are introduced to in Evermore in the Immortals series. While the Immortals series is based around Riley’s older sister Ever, Riley takes center stage in the Radiance series.I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. This was a sweet, thoughtful, and refreshing story of Riley adjusting to the Afterlife. Riley is a typical tween (dead) girl who now has to prove herself in the afterlife with a job as a Soul Catcher. She has her dog Buttercup to keep her company as well as her mentor Bodhi to help her learn the ropes.Alyson Noel did a great job writing Riley and capturing her voice in a realistic way. Tweens should enjoy reading about Riley’s adventures, the supernatural mysteries, and the potential romance with Bodhi. In addition to the intended audience of middle grade readers, I think fans of the Immortals series will enjoy getting a peek into Riley’s world.I listened to the audiobook of Radiance and the voice actress nailed the voice of Riley. The audiobook was very entertaining. Overall this was a fast-paced and quick read, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book Shimmer due out March 15 2011.