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Radiant
Mary is part Vietnamese. Carter is a complete jerk. Normally, they don't talk much. But when Mary's in an accident on the way to school one morning, Carter nearly dies saving her life. The doctors say his chances of living are slim, and Mary's feeling the full weight of survivor's guilt. However, Carter's back at school in a matter of days, as if nothing had happened. Although, he is a little "glitchy," and he's developed a sudden and intense interest in Mary. She thinks he's suffering from major brain trauma from the accident. Or that he's been possessed.
As it so happens, Carter really is possessed. And the thing controlling him is having the time of its life learning to be human. Featuring a diverse cast of characters, RADIANT is a funny "paranormal-lite" story about being human, being in love, and being healed.
As it so happens, Carter really is possessed. And the thing controlling him is having the time of its life learning to be human. Featuring a diverse cast of characters, RADIANT is a funny "paranormal-lite" story about being human, being in love, and being healed.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 12, 2013
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February 23, 2013I received an e-copy of this book from the author for possible review.
There were a lot of things I enjoyed about Radiant. Mary is a main character I hadn't seen before. Her mother's family is Vietnamese, and both Mary's mother and grandmother are a huge part of her life. I really enjoyed learning about these three generations of her family. Mary is also an artist with an interest in astronomy, and loves to look at the sky through a telescope on the roof of her building. She's seventeen, but her voice felt younger than that to me, more like a tween. She's not your typical snarky, rebellious teen. She's quite earnest, and struggles a little academically, but is obviously smart.
Mary doesn't have a ton of friends at school. So when her popular classmate Carter not only saves her life, but starts following her around like a lost puppy, she's confused and curious. Carter's friends seem to write off his weird behavior as a result of his near-death experience, but Mary has a bunch of different theories about what might have happened to him and starts investigating. Post-accident, Carter comes off sort of like an even more robotic Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory.While I liked this part of the book, it did feel a little long -- we're kept in the dark for a long time about exactly what the deal with is new Carter and the tension begins to wane a bit. On the plus side, this new Carter and Mary began to seem like two quirky people who were perfect for each other.
By the end of the book, all is revealed and a several other sub-plots and secondary characters-- Mary's missing father, the murder of a woman in the neighborhood, and a weird janitor -- are all neatly wrapped up. Though I felt that a lot of the action was loaded into the last few chapters, I thought that the author did an excellent job tying a bunch of seemingly disparate plot elements together in a way that made complete sense.
To me, Radiant had a sweet -- if slightly young for YA -- voice and romance, a twist that kept me guessing, and a slight drag in the pacing that was redeemed by a well-crafted ending. If this sounds like something you'd enjoy, definitely give Radiant a try.
Read more reviews on my blog, YA Romantics!
There were a lot of things I enjoyed about Radiant. Mary is a main character I hadn't seen before. Her mother's family is Vietnamese, and both Mary's mother and grandmother are a huge part of her life. I really enjoyed learning about these three generations of her family. Mary is also an artist with an interest in astronomy, and loves to look at the sky through a telescope on the roof of her building. She's seventeen, but her voice felt younger than that to me, more like a tween. She's not your typical snarky, rebellious teen. She's quite earnest, and struggles a little academically, but is obviously smart.
Mary doesn't have a ton of friends at school. So when her popular classmate Carter not only saves her life, but starts following her around like a lost puppy, she's confused and curious. Carter's friends seem to write off his weird behavior as a result of his near-death experience, but Mary has a bunch of different theories about what might have happened to him and starts investigating. Post-accident, Carter comes off sort of like an even more robotic Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory.While I liked this part of the book, it did feel a little long -- we're kept in the dark for a long time about exactly what the deal with is new Carter and the tension begins to wane a bit. On the plus side, this new Carter and Mary began to seem like two quirky people who were perfect for each other.
By the end of the book, all is revealed and a several other sub-plots and secondary characters-- Mary's missing father, the murder of a woman in the neighborhood, and a weird janitor -- are all neatly wrapped up. Though I felt that a lot of the action was loaded into the last few chapters, I thought that the author did an excellent job tying a bunch of seemingly disparate plot elements together in a way that made complete sense.
To me, Radiant had a sweet -- if slightly young for YA -- voice and romance, a twist that kept me guessing, and a slight drag in the pacing that was redeemed by a well-crafted ending. If this sounds like something you'd enjoy, definitely give Radiant a try.
Read more reviews on my blog, YA Romantics!
February 6, 2013
To see my full review:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
This is just an absolutely adorable read! It’s a great YA and MG novel, one you could read with your children, or recommend to them, knowing it’s clean, well written, and all around entertaining. I really enjoyed it, especially as I learned what is possessing Carter, and why. I just found the whole premise of the novel to be ingenious and fun, a lighthearted read that I didn’t want to end. This is a warm and funny tale that you don’t want to miss!
Mary is a great character; she’s vivid, real, and very well fleshed out. I loved her many quirks, and the fact that she is really close to her grandmother is just awesome. I really enjoy reading novels in which positive teenager-adult relationships exist, and Radiant certainly delivers in this aspect. While Mary doesn’t necessarily tell her family everything going on in her life, she does spend time with her family, mainly her grandmother, and I loved that she even brought Carter along to dinners and visits. I don’t tend to come across many novels where the families are closely knit, and it’s refreshing to see such tenderness, love, and trust. I also liked it because I, personally, could easily relate. Mary is the same way with her grandmother as I was with mine growing up, and this helped me easily connect with Mary on a deeper level.
Carter, like Mary, is also a great character. I really enjoyed the humor Daley evokes as Carter’s possessor attempts to learn what it means to be truly human. It’s natural for us, but just think, if we were to attempt to imitate another creature, how horribly would we flounder? Watching the story unfold, we see Carter make many a mistake that leaves Mary scratching her head and wondering just how unscathed he really came out of the accident, or if he’s even Carter at all. It was a lot of fun to see Mary trying to piece everything together, and I loved the ease with which Carter told her when she finally just asked. Trust is key in this story, and I loved every minute of it.
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
This is just an absolutely adorable read! It’s a great YA and MG novel, one you could read with your children, or recommend to them, knowing it’s clean, well written, and all around entertaining. I really enjoyed it, especially as I learned what is possessing Carter, and why. I just found the whole premise of the novel to be ingenious and fun, a lighthearted read that I didn’t want to end. This is a warm and funny tale that you don’t want to miss!
Mary is a great character; she’s vivid, real, and very well fleshed out. I loved her many quirks, and the fact that she is really close to her grandmother is just awesome. I really enjoy reading novels in which positive teenager-adult relationships exist, and Radiant certainly delivers in this aspect. While Mary doesn’t necessarily tell her family everything going on in her life, she does spend time with her family, mainly her grandmother, and I loved that she even brought Carter along to dinners and visits. I don’t tend to come across many novels where the families are closely knit, and it’s refreshing to see such tenderness, love, and trust. I also liked it because I, personally, could easily relate. Mary is the same way with her grandmother as I was with mine growing up, and this helped me easily connect with Mary on a deeper level.
Carter, like Mary, is also a great character. I really enjoyed the humor Daley evokes as Carter’s possessor attempts to learn what it means to be truly human. It’s natural for us, but just think, if we were to attempt to imitate another creature, how horribly would we flounder? Watching the story unfold, we see Carter make many a mistake that leaves Mary scratching her head and wondering just how unscathed he really came out of the accident, or if he’s even Carter at all. It was a lot of fun to see Mary trying to piece everything together, and I loved the ease with which Carter told her when she finally just asked. Trust is key in this story, and I loved every minute of it.
March 25, 2013
The easiest, fastest, and best way to sum up this book is that it's brilliant and you should just read it now. That's if you want to just get the quick summary done right away and skip all the rest that follows here. I really enjoyed reading this book and think that many others will as well.
Now for the little bit longer reason for why it's so good. The author has a wonderful writing style that flows easily and gracefully from one word to the next. She keeps the story going without any bumps and keeps the reader interested at all points in the story. Right when you think you know the big secrets of the book, you find out you really don't know at all. This book has a lot of twists and turns in it and will keep you guessing right up until the end.
I'm not going to give anything away about the storyline because I think you just need to read this one for yourself so that you can get sucked into the story and see how it turns out for yourself but I will say that it was really nice to touch on different cultures, well written characters that you find yourself truly caring about, an extremely unique storyline that takes you on a one of a kind journey, an emotional roller coaster, and a story you don't want to put down until the very end and when you do, you just want to read more. This book has it all.
Now for the little bit longer reason for why it's so good. The author has a wonderful writing style that flows easily and gracefully from one word to the next. She keeps the story going without any bumps and keeps the reader interested at all points in the story. Right when you think you know the big secrets of the book, you find out you really don't know at all. This book has a lot of twists and turns in it and will keep you guessing right up until the end.
I'm not going to give anything away about the storyline because I think you just need to read this one for yourself so that you can get sucked into the story and see how it turns out for yourself but I will say that it was really nice to touch on different cultures, well written characters that you find yourself truly caring about, an extremely unique storyline that takes you on a one of a kind journey, an emotional roller coaster, and a story you don't want to put down until the very end and when you do, you just want to read more. This book has it all.
February 16, 2013
Technically this was more of a 3 star read but I just had so much fun reading it I'm bumping to 4. This was such a cute, adorable and ridiculous at times read. It had a little of everything.
Both Mary and Phos had this child-like innocence which is what made it so much fun to read. Seeing the world through their eyes was a nice treat. I got a bit frustrated at times with Mary with her attitude towards some people, but I understood why she thought it even if I didn't quite agree with it. The beauty of it is that Phos is there to make her see the other perspective and open up her eyes.
The relationships whether they be romantic, familial, or just friendship, where all nicely done. It really showed their strengths and weaknesses and growth between the characters.
The paranormal aspect of the book was at times (towards the end) quite cliched, but hell the story itself was too much fun to really care about that by then. I thought the whole story behind the Radiants was interesting and quite believable. The ending was very bittersweet but appropiate.
All in all, if you are looking for a cute fun read with a bit of a paranormal aspect thrown in, then I recommend this one.
Both Mary and Phos had this child-like innocence which is what made it so much fun to read. Seeing the world through their eyes was a nice treat. I got a bit frustrated at times with Mary with her attitude towards some people, but I understood why she thought it even if I didn't quite agree with it. The beauty of it is that Phos is there to make her see the other perspective and open up her eyes.
The relationships whether they be romantic, familial, or just friendship, where all nicely done. It really showed their strengths and weaknesses and growth between the characters.
The paranormal aspect of the book was at times (towards the end) quite cliched, but hell the story itself was too much fun to really care about that by then. I thought the whole story behind the Radiants was interesting and quite believable. The ending was very bittersweet but appropiate.
All in all, if you are looking for a cute fun read with a bit of a paranormal aspect thrown in, then I recommend this one.
February 10, 2013
This book made for a quick read. It was a romance with a bit of mystery and sci-fi involved.
The writing is simple and easy to read and understand. The characters are well etched and you can identify with them.
The story is not just about romance, there’s a bit of mystery involved that sparks interest and questions until it is revealed. And even after the revelation, one waits for what will happen next.
The book does make you think on a couple of important issues that get sidelined by our daily busy life. Don’t get me wrong. It’s neither preachy nor a story with a moral. It’s just a book that ends up giving a lot of important life lessons without even making you feel it did that.
The plot is new, the story simple and it makes for a good read overall.
The writing is simple and easy to read and understand. The characters are well etched and you can identify with them.
The story is not just about romance, there’s a bit of mystery involved that sparks interest and questions until it is revealed. And even after the revelation, one waits for what will happen next.
The book does make you think on a couple of important issues that get sidelined by our daily busy life. Don’t get me wrong. It’s neither preachy nor a story with a moral. It’s just a book that ends up giving a lot of important life lessons without even making you feel it did that.
The plot is new, the story simple and it makes for a good read overall.
June 16, 2014
Radiant is cute and fluffy, an enjoyable if ultimately forgettable read. I'm a bit surprised by the high rating on this, but to each their own and Daley isn't a bad writer, just one I won't remember much past writing this review. The story overflows with cliches and is fairly predictable, but if you're looking for a light beach read, this is a good bet.
February 18, 2013
Radiant is a beautiful story that gripped my very soul. It is about what it means to truly be human. Not just on the surface, but deep down. Radiant was a story of substance that touched on the human capacity for love and experiencing the vast emotions of excitement, sorrow, hurt, humor, affection, and fear.
The story is told from Mary's point of view. One day, she is running late to school, and as she's running through the cross walk, and not paying attention to what she's doing, she get's hit by a car. She recognizes the driver in the car as Carter, a guy that attends her high school, and is popular, shallow, and materialistic. He is on the Varsity basketball team and has a reputation for womanizing, and being egotistical. What doesn't make sense to Mary, is that Carter swerved his car in front of a bus to save her life. After Mary is admitted to the hospital, she is informed that Carter died on the operating table, and is filled with sorrow and guilt for his passing. She asks to see Carter, and as she glances upon his lifeless body, he wakes up before her eyes. The doctor's cannot explain the phenomena of how Carter came back to life, and survived the crash. A few days later when Mary returns to school, she is shocked to find out that Carter returned the day after the accident, and since then he has made a dramatic transformation. Carter has now taken a significant interest in Mary, treats others with compassion and caring, speaks with extreme formality, walks funny, and is not the same person that he used to be. Mary starts to suspect that Carter is possessed, and let's just say things take a change for the more interesting. Radiant will grab you to the point where you will not want to put it down. In fact, if you're anything like me, Radiant will have you reading late into the night...
Ms. Daley is an extremely talented writer, and Radiant really opened my eyes to the difference between being alive and really living. Her book was more than a great story, it also had great life lessons as well. Lessons about transformation, cherishing the small moments in life that mean the most, approaching others by being open, and how important it is to forgive others. When we are able to forgive, a great burden is lifted from off of our shoulders. I adored the characters in Radiant. My favorite character was Mary's grandmother, Ba. She was such a wise, caring, compassionate, and funny lady. All of the characters, both primary and secondary, took on their own unique personalities in the story, and came to life before my very eyes. I grew attached reading about Mary, Carter, their school friends, friends in the community, Ba, Ba's friends at Agape, and Mary's mom. Radiant had such an interesting array of characters, that part of the appeal for me was learning about all of their unique personalities, stories, and experiences. The plot was highly entertaining, and I value the way Ms. Daley tells a story. Radiant took on a life of its own, and I was lucky to be a part of it. I laughed while listening to the retired folks tell stories during visiting hours at Agape, I got butterfly's as Mary and Carter experienced first love, and shed tears as some of the sadder moments in the story came to fruition.
I would highly recommend Radiant by Christina Daley. If you enjoy stories of substance, that make you think, and have an interesting as well as unique plot, then you will be entertained by this story. Radiant is a character driven story that contained a colorful cast of characters that you will never forget. I give Radiant 5 scorching shooting stars!
For more reviews go to http://www.abookishescape.com
The story is told from Mary's point of view. One day, she is running late to school, and as she's running through the cross walk, and not paying attention to what she's doing, she get's hit by a car. She recognizes the driver in the car as Carter, a guy that attends her high school, and is popular, shallow, and materialistic. He is on the Varsity basketball team and has a reputation for womanizing, and being egotistical. What doesn't make sense to Mary, is that Carter swerved his car in front of a bus to save her life. After Mary is admitted to the hospital, she is informed that Carter died on the operating table, and is filled with sorrow and guilt for his passing. She asks to see Carter, and as she glances upon his lifeless body, he wakes up before her eyes. The doctor's cannot explain the phenomena of how Carter came back to life, and survived the crash. A few days later when Mary returns to school, she is shocked to find out that Carter returned the day after the accident, and since then he has made a dramatic transformation. Carter has now taken a significant interest in Mary, treats others with compassion and caring, speaks with extreme formality, walks funny, and is not the same person that he used to be. Mary starts to suspect that Carter is possessed, and let's just say things take a change for the more interesting. Radiant will grab you to the point where you will not want to put it down. In fact, if you're anything like me, Radiant will have you reading late into the night...
Ms. Daley is an extremely talented writer, and Radiant really opened my eyes to the difference between being alive and really living. Her book was more than a great story, it also had great life lessons as well. Lessons about transformation, cherishing the small moments in life that mean the most, approaching others by being open, and how important it is to forgive others. When we are able to forgive, a great burden is lifted from off of our shoulders. I adored the characters in Radiant. My favorite character was Mary's grandmother, Ba. She was such a wise, caring, compassionate, and funny lady. All of the characters, both primary and secondary, took on their own unique personalities in the story, and came to life before my very eyes. I grew attached reading about Mary, Carter, their school friends, friends in the community, Ba, Ba's friends at Agape, and Mary's mom. Radiant had such an interesting array of characters, that part of the appeal for me was learning about all of their unique personalities, stories, and experiences. The plot was highly entertaining, and I value the way Ms. Daley tells a story. Radiant took on a life of its own, and I was lucky to be a part of it. I laughed while listening to the retired folks tell stories during visiting hours at Agape, I got butterfly's as Mary and Carter experienced first love, and shed tears as some of the sadder moments in the story came to fruition.
I would highly recommend Radiant by Christina Daley. If you enjoy stories of substance, that make you think, and have an interesting as well as unique plot, then you will be entertained by this story. Radiant is a character driven story that contained a colorful cast of characters that you will never forget. I give Radiant 5 scorching shooting stars!
For more reviews go to http://www.abookishescape.com
November 2, 2014
I was expecting a lot more from this book, but I was disappointed and a little upset that I spent $10 on it.
The writing is mediocre at best and hardly kept my attention. Mary is childish and Phos is cheesy male version of a Mary Sue. Their romance progressed without any development, and the story line wasn't intriguing. Also, I was a little turned off by the first line in the summary that states "Mary is part Vietnamese and Carter is a jerk" (or something along those lines) because Mary being part Vietnamese is only emphasized by the fact that she eats Vietnamese food and interacts with other Vietnamese people. There should have been more emphasis on things other than the superficial if her being part Vietnamese is so important. As for Carter, he isn't even really Carter, so whatever.
Mary seems like a very stupid character who showed no growth through the story. The way she approached the situation with Phos before she found out he was Phos was very strange and seemed unrealistic. It probably should have been amusing, but it was rather annoying. I also think there was some attempt to make Mary into a cool character since she's so great at art and seen as "unapproachable and intimidating" to others. It really didn't work for me. And Phos was just weird and way too perfect for me; he came off more cheesy than sweet.
This story was very blah to me, and I did not enjoy it the flat characters and boring plot. I'm sad to say I was excited for this book, spent money on it, and then took time to read it.
The writing is mediocre at best and hardly kept my attention. Mary is childish and Phos is cheesy male version of a Mary Sue. Their romance progressed without any development, and the story line wasn't intriguing. Also, I was a little turned off by the first line in the summary that states "Mary is part Vietnamese and Carter is a jerk" (or something along those lines) because Mary being part Vietnamese is only emphasized by the fact that she eats Vietnamese food and interacts with other Vietnamese people. There should have been more emphasis on things other than the superficial if her being part Vietnamese is so important. As for Carter, he isn't even really Carter, so whatever.
Mary seems like a very stupid character who showed no growth through the story. The way she approached the situation with Phos before she found out he was Phos was very strange and seemed unrealistic. It probably should have been amusing, but it was rather annoying. I also think there was some attempt to make Mary into a cool character since she's so great at art and seen as "unapproachable and intimidating" to others. It really didn't work for me. And Phos was just weird and way too perfect for me; he came off more cheesy than sweet.
This story was very blah to me, and I did not enjoy it the flat characters and boring plot. I'm sad to say I was excited for this book, spent money on it, and then took time to read it.
May 21, 2014
I got this amazing book in the mail about a week ago. I started reading it as soon as I got it. At first I didn't think I was going to like it, but by the end of the book I was absolutely in love. For me the book played out like a movie in my head, I loved the story line and characters. Phos character was phenomenal, I loved the way he was so polite, sweet, and funny. I just wanted to hug him. By the time I read the last page I didn't want the story to end. I also loved the idea of translating and love reading about Mary and Phos adventures to different parts of the word, especially the rodeo. Mary's character was also one of my favorites. I feel like Mary and Phos really mixed well together. I also loved reading about all the places Phos took Mary to and all the things they did together. The unexpected parts of the books definitely kept me entertained. I loved the whole concept of this book and the idea of radiant's was something I really found interesting because it was something different from your usual alien or ghost. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I am so glad I kept reading.
February 14, 2013
I give it 3 stars but it's just only ok but to good to deserve only 2..
Age 13+ and well yes that shows but not necessarily in a bad way, it's a bit cute and sweet but I feel like the characters should have been 15 instead of 17 they felt a lot! younger then what they are supposed to be.
It started out cute but then it got a bit weird with the sci fi stuff and then it went down hill..this is not a HEA book just so you know, it's not a depressing end but still not a happy one..
I actually thought one of 3 things would happen at the end
but sadly non of the above happened
Age 13+ and well yes that shows but not necessarily in a bad way, it's a bit cute and sweet but I feel like the characters should have been 15 instead of 17 they felt a lot! younger then what they are supposed to be.
It started out cute but then it got a bit weird with the sci fi stuff and then it went down hill..this is not a HEA book just so you know, it's not a depressing end but still not a happy one..
I actually thought one of 3 things would happen at the end
but sadly non of the above happened
April 10, 2013
Radiant was an absolute pleasure to read. I quickly became captivated by Mary’s voice, a second generation Vietnamese-American girl, quiet, unassuming with a penchant for painting. Although the incident that drives the story at the beginning was a bit too pat—I would have appreciated a lengthier introduction—it’s quickly forgotten as you become drawn into the story of Mary’s life, her relationships with her family, her mostly solitary existence and the intrusion of the formerly rude, egotistical boy who saved her life.
Radiant is a story with a very strange and unique supernatural twist. It’s a love story that has a sweetness about it that will linger long after you read it. It also provides insights into the Vietnamese culture and how second generation immigrants bridge both worlds. But most of all it reflects the joys and difficulties of growing up and reaching out to others.
Radiant is a story with a very strange and unique supernatural twist. It’s a love story that has a sweetness about it that will linger long after you read it. It also provides insights into the Vietnamese culture and how second generation immigrants bridge both worlds. But most of all it reflects the joys and difficulties of growing up and reaching out to others.
May 22, 2014
I received a copy for review in return for giving my honest opinion/review! :)
At first, I was bored and thought this was another one of those typical teenage romance novels.
Girl gets in trouble -> boy saves the day -> they fall in love -> the end.
But Honestly, this book was NOT like this. Okay, the characters may have fallen in love, but it's an extraordinary relationship. All the way to the moment where Mary realized what's going on, I've been guessing with her as too what's going on with Carter. This had me swooning, after all when you think someone's possessed shouldn't they be a little bit more devious?
I doubt I have ever read a book that brought light to this idea of existence. It was amazing! Now if only there was a sequel, I would be a completely happy camper!
At first, I was bored and thought this was another one of those typical teenage romance novels.
Girl gets in trouble -> boy saves the day -> they fall in love -> the end.
But Honestly, this book was NOT like this. Okay, the characters may have fallen in love, but it's an extraordinary relationship. All the way to the moment where Mary realized what's going on, I've been guessing with her as too what's going on with Carter. This had me swooning, after all when you think someone's possessed shouldn't they be a little bit more devious?
I doubt I have ever read a book that brought light to this idea of existence. It was amazing! Now if only there was a sequel, I would be a completely happy camper!
February 22, 2013
This book is sooo interesting and original. The relationships displayed in the story really touch your heart. And the love story is fresh,innocent, and pure. Not filled with deceit and betrayal like most of todays love stories.
February 3, 2013
Full review to come
February 25, 2013
Really enjoyed this...although it kinda made me sad. But still a great read, full review soon (:
September 18, 2014
This book was very awesome. I like the paranormal and the romance part of the story the most.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews