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Radiants #1
Radiants
DeDe Mercer is a Radiant who can control other people’s thoughts, make them do what she wants. For years she’s controlled her power, keeping her secret, never using it on anyone— until the day she had no choice. Now the government is after her, after her brother, too, because he’ll come into his power before long. The Department of Energy, the Defense Intelligence Agency, Homeland Security— they all want her, and they’re willing to do anything, hurt anyone, kill if necessary, to make her their weapon. But DeDe has had enough. They think she’s a weapon? Fine. They’re about to find out how right they are."Reads like a cross between Stranger Things and Sense 8. Unique plot and engaging cast of characters. Radiants is a fun ride that grabbed me and didn't let go. Looking forward to the next book!" — Patricia Briggs, #1NYT best selling author of the Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega books“[RADIANTS is] controversial, nail-biting, edge-of-my-seat excitement.”—Faith Hunter, NYT and USA Today bestselling author of the Jane Yellowrock series“As gripping as its ideas about selfhood, identity and privacy are urgent, RADIANTS is a psychological thrill-ride through dangers physical and conceptual. Serious fun. ”— AJ Hartley, NY Times bestselling author of IMPERVIOUS and STEEPLEJACKAuthor David B. Coe is the award-winning author of more than two dozen novels and as many short stories, spanning historical fiction, epic fantasy, contemporary fantasy, and the occasional media tie-in. His novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages. He lives with his family in the mountains of Appalachia.
325 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2021
8 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
David B. Coe
66 books260 followersDavid B. Coe is an author of fantasy novels and short stories. He lives with his wife, Nancy Berner, and their two daughters on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.
He has begun writing a new historical fantasy series under the pen name D.B. Jackson. The first one is titled Thieftaker, published in 2012.
He has begun writing a new historical fantasy series under the pen name D.B. Jackson. The first one is titled Thieftaker, published in 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 30, 2021
3.5 stars. I liked the characters, or at least appreciated them (some are terrible people). The main character (the only one written in first person) is the girl we first meet. The other point of view characters are told in third person, and they're quite an assortment. I dislike when writers use so many, but that's just me. I'd recommend this to any teen reader, but particularly queer teens. Understated representation, I love to see it.
There's one timeline flaw that I noticed, the rest of the plot hangs together pretty well. Some parts were a little boring for me, but I am not a Young Adult, the target audience, so I just skimmed a bit here & there. I don't regret reading it, which is very important! I liked how embedded in the world the powers were, how each action had consequences, and I liked the best how the kids reasoned their way through each problem.
Given that federal agents are often armed, there is on-page violence. But the kids do as little as they can get away with, aware of consequences.
There's one timeline flaw that I noticed, the rest of the plot hangs together pretty well. Some parts were a little boring for me, but I am not a Young Adult, the target audience, so I just skimmed a bit here & there. I don't regret reading it, which is very important! I liked how embedded in the world the powers were, how each action had consequences, and I liked the best how the kids reasoned their way through each problem.
Given that federal agents are often armed, there is on-page violence. But the kids do as little as they can get away with, aware of consequences.
February 4, 2022
Long one of my favorite authors, Coe's latest is a modern day, supernatural thriller. A fraction of the world's population develop superhuman abilities (levitation, electrical manipulation, etc.) during adolescence, similar to X-Men except without every power being unique to the individual. Generally, they can only use their powers for about 60-90 seconds. Called Radiants, the existence of these people is mostly a secret to the world at large. But governments worldwide covet them.
DeDe Mercer, our main character, has the ability to enter someone's mind, to read their thoughts and even control them. This makes her exceptionally rare and powerful. Still in high school, she uses these powers to defend and protect her nonbinary best friend (and crush), Kyle, from an unjust punishment. Soon after she talks about her powers with a colleague of her late father, DeDe, her 12 year old brother, Miles, and their mother are pursued by multiple branches of the US government, all of whom want to study DeDe and force her to use her powers for their benefit (interrogation, treaty negotiation, etc.). Some of their pursuers could care less who they harm, so long as they get DeDe under their control.
What follows is an engaging, YA thriller across the Pacific Northwest. At its core is this lovely family unit doing anything they can to stay together. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who finds the premise interesting.
DeDe Mercer, our main character, has the ability to enter someone's mind, to read their thoughts and even control them. This makes her exceptionally rare and powerful. Still in high school, she uses these powers to defend and protect her nonbinary best friend (and crush), Kyle, from an unjust punishment. Soon after she talks about her powers with a colleague of her late father, DeDe, her 12 year old brother, Miles, and their mother are pursued by multiple branches of the US government, all of whom want to study DeDe and force her to use her powers for their benefit (interrogation, treaty negotiation, etc.). Some of their pursuers could care less who they harm, so long as they get DeDe under their control.
What follows is an engaging, YA thriller across the Pacific Northwest. At its core is this lovely family unit doing anything they can to stay together. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who finds the premise interesting.
October 25, 2021
Received as a review copy from NetGalley, this is an honest review. This is a brilliant story in how the author crafts the ability of just how different the characters are and celebrates it. DeDe never asked to have the ability to control people thoughts but she can and taps into her gift after witnessing school violence against her friend Kyle and the indifference of the school to care. Once her secret gets exposed, DeDe finds herself at a crossroads of who she can trust when it seems everyone around her only wants to exploit her ability. A harrowing, realistic journey of embracing what it means to an individual. Highly recommended.
November 7, 2021
Radiants are people with the right genetics that give them special powers that usually manifest around puberty or so. (Think X-MEN mutants). People with powers could be useful to the government and dangerous on their own. When 16-year-old DeDe uses her hidden power, everything goes sideways as agents from various agencies try to get their hands on her and her younger brother, Miles, because he might have the right genetics to eventually develop powers, too.
The two siblings are great characters. I really liked them. I also really liked DeDe's best friend, Kyle, who is nonbinary. They had a very strong relationship. I'm glad that DeDe's mom was as open-minded as DeDe.
The two siblings are great characters. I really liked them. I also really liked DeDe's best friend, Kyle, who is nonbinary. They had a very strong relationship. I'm glad that DeDe's mom was as open-minded as DeDe.
July 25, 2023
5.5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
DeDe Mercer is a normal teenage outcast with normal teenage problems. But for years, DeDe has been keeping a secret, a very powerful, dangerous secret. See, she can jump into the minds of others, controlling their thoughts and actions (for a short amount of time)—something that she’s kept under wraps since the very first day she used it.
That is, until the second time she used her power, and her world changed completely.
Now DeDe and her family are on the run from various government agencies competing to claim her power for their own. She discovers that she is what the world calls a “radiant”—someone with superhuman abilities—a talent she inherited from her late father. And something that the government believes will manifest in her brother as well.
But soon enough DeDe is sick of running. She wants her life and her family back—and she’s willing to do just about anything to get them.
—
Radiants is a decent enough supernatural thriller from an author busy exploring a number of new genres and ideas. But… it’s not his best pitch. I mean, it’s an alright read; a quickly moving story that remains interesting and entertaining throughout.
It’s just that… it’s not realistic. Like, at all.
Government agencies are all incompetent enough to be taken to school by a couple of teens. They’re filled with sadistic, sexist, psychopathic assholes, like some classic evil-villain henchmen: incompetent sadists. Now it’s not that I’m saying government agencies being dicks is unrealistic—I’m saying that government agencies being filled with overly sadistic murderers that are also horribly incompetent isn’t realistic.
The tropes—including terrible and incompetent government types—are all old and overused. Even though the story itself is entertaining enough, it’s nothing new. Radiants tries nothing new, and does none of it exceptionally well.
TL;DR
While Radiants is a new entry into the supernatural thriller genre, there’s not especially anything new about it. Old, overused tropes that every supernatural thriller is born with coupled with a decent plot, decent characters, and a decently entertaining story… I think you can see the problem here. The simple fact is that Radiants tries very little (if anything) new. It’s an alright read if you want to kill a few hours, but it’s not in any way inventive, instead falling back on the same uninspired tropes that the genre has sold for years. Nothing about Radiants upset me, instead I found it a bit of a middling read, with nothing to differentiate it from any of the other thousands of related stories. I would recommend this solely on its entertainment value, but not if you want anything new or different, unafraid to try and fail, or push the genre in any way or direction. A decently entertaining, if uninspired, read.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
DeDe Mercer is a normal teenage outcast with normal teenage problems. But for years, DeDe has been keeping a secret, a very powerful, dangerous secret. See, she can jump into the minds of others, controlling their thoughts and actions (for a short amount of time)—something that she’s kept under wraps since the very first day she used it.
That is, until the second time she used her power, and her world changed completely.
Now DeDe and her family are on the run from various government agencies competing to claim her power for their own. She discovers that she is what the world calls a “radiant”—someone with superhuman abilities—a talent she inherited from her late father. And something that the government believes will manifest in her brother as well.
But soon enough DeDe is sick of running. She wants her life and her family back—and she’s willing to do just about anything to get them.
—
Radiants is a decent enough supernatural thriller from an author busy exploring a number of new genres and ideas. But… it’s not his best pitch. I mean, it’s an alright read; a quickly moving story that remains interesting and entertaining throughout.
It’s just that… it’s not realistic. Like, at all.
Government agencies are all incompetent enough to be taken to school by a couple of teens. They’re filled with sadistic, sexist, psychopathic assholes, like some classic evil-villain henchmen: incompetent sadists. Now it’s not that I’m saying government agencies being dicks is unrealistic—I’m saying that government agencies being filled with overly sadistic murderers that are also horribly incompetent isn’t realistic.
The tropes—including terrible and incompetent government types—are all old and overused. Even though the story itself is entertaining enough, it’s nothing new. Radiants tries nothing new, and does none of it exceptionally well.
TL;DR
While Radiants is a new entry into the supernatural thriller genre, there’s not especially anything new about it. Old, overused tropes that every supernatural thriller is born with coupled with a decent plot, decent characters, and a decently entertaining story… I think you can see the problem here. The simple fact is that Radiants tries very little (if anything) new. It’s an alright read if you want to kill a few hours, but it’s not in any way inventive, instead falling back on the same uninspired tropes that the genre has sold for years. Nothing about Radiants upset me, instead I found it a bit of a middling read, with nothing to differentiate it from any of the other thousands of related stories. I would recommend this solely on its entertainment value, but not if you want anything new or different, unafraid to try and fail, or push the genre in any way or direction. A decently entertaining, if uninspired, read.
October 19, 2021
I greatly enjoyed the Thieftaker series and was surprised to find this author had so many other books to explore. I don’t ordinarily read YA but decided to try this one and I am so glad I did. What a ride! The system of magic was intriguing and the characters rang pretty true despite the Mary Sue nature of the MC. The pacing was superb and I raced through the book. Transitions from third person to first were sometimes a little awkward, but generally speaking the writing was excellent. If the description resonates with you at all I can certainly recommend this one. And oh that cover!
November 26, 2024
2.5 Stars for me. The author has talent but ...
I should know better when it comes to reading/listening to YA stories published after 2020 so I will do my very best to avoid them. In the first 10 minutes of the story, the author had to show he was an all-inclusive writer by having a non-binary character who was mistreated by family and friends with the exception of the h. The author then goes down the path of a government filled with inept bad people. Our government is often inept but the majority are not trying to brutalize us.
I should know better when it comes to reading/listening to YA stories published after 2020 so I will do my very best to avoid them. In the first 10 minutes of the story, the author had to show he was an all-inclusive writer by having a non-binary character who was mistreated by family and friends with the exception of the h. The author then goes down the path of a government filled with inept bad people. Our government is often inept but the majority are not trying to brutalize us.
October 23, 2021
Intriguing, Unusual, and Thoroughly Enjoyable
"Radiants" is a story about people who have unusual abilities (in this story, two teenagers), and with their mother, struggle for freedom from various people, who want to control them. The numerous personalities are delightful or appalling, and the momentum is well paced. I especially enjoyed the resolutions. I look forward to future tales about Radiance should David B Coe write them.
"Radiants" is a story about people who have unusual abilities (in this story, two teenagers), and with their mother, struggle for freedom from various people, who want to control them. The numerous personalities are delightful or appalling, and the momentum is well paced. I especially enjoyed the resolutions. I look forward to future tales about Radiance should David B Coe write them.
December 6, 2021
Dede has a secret that she’s been keeping her whole life. After a traumatizing event, she’s successfully pushed down the part of her that makes her unique, that is, until now. See, Dede can force her own consciousness out of her body and into others, essentially turning them into a puppet. And she’s going to be learning to use it a lot, apparently.
Check out my full review here!
https://radioactivebookreviews.wordpr...
Check out my full review here!
https://radioactivebookreviews.wordpr...
May 22, 2022
The radiant gifts is a creative and quite different fantastical premise, and the story of two children discovering their radiant talents did hold my attention for the most part. I believe I prefer Coe’s other works over this one though. Maybe it’s due to the portrayal of such nasty individuals who seek to use DeDe and her brother in frightening ways. I’m sure if people truly existed with these gifts, the government would hasten to enlist them no matter the cost just as portrayed here.
November 6, 2021
This is a great book! Dede can control peoples thoughts, and one day she has to use her power, which sets off this thrill ride. It was a bit reminiscent of fire starter for me. There are various agencies that want to capture her and her brother. I was totally on Dede’s side the whole time! The story flows well, and the characters draw you in.
March 30, 2023
Radiants is an excellent thriller with young teenage NC’s fighting to escape from being captured and forced to work for government agencies with dark hidden agenda’s as DeeDee uses her powers and exposes herself as a valuable asset to be obtained at all costs. I really enjoyed the book and I look forward to continuing the series!
November 7, 2021
This went nowhere
I really wanted to like this book. A few of my fav. authors recommended. However, there was no plot, no character development. Just meh.
I really wanted to like this book. A few of my fav. authors recommended. However, there was no plot, no character development. Just meh.
February 6, 2022
4+
In spite of my not being able to forget how young the primaries were, I still very much enjoyed this book.
In spite of my not being able to forget how young the primaries were, I still very much enjoyed this book.
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March 30, 2022This YA sci-fi thriller was my most absorbing read of the year so far. I've already enjoyed some of the author's other books, which he wrote under the name D. B. Jackson. I'll be back for more.
June 7, 2022
could not put it down, fantastic story. hope to see more stories of other radiants in the future!!
August 14, 2024
Mediocre YA at best
August 7, 2023
A good book to read .
You are taken on a journey that will leave you wondering what will really going to happen. This was a different kind of book to read , the author did a great job with the book.
You are taken on a journey that will leave you wondering what will really going to happen. This was a different kind of book to read , the author did a great job with the book.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews