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Luminosity #2
Radiance
Radiance takes place immediately after the events of the first book, and centers on the half-vampire, Elspeth. After her family is torn asunder by the Voltauri, she grows up with Mama in a very nomadic existence, never staying long enough to put down roots, or to attract notice. Things get complicated once the pair run into old friends and enemies.
504 pages, ebook
First published November 8, 2010
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66 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 5, 2013
No. Just no.
Elspeth (which, by the way, is only barely better than Reneesme as a name) is a much better narrator than Bella, because at least she's likable and Alicorn manages to convey her character growth throughout the novel.
The problem is that for pages, and pages, and pages nothing happens plot wise. The characters go here. Then the characters go there. Then the cast is shuffled a little and the go somewhere else. They get caught and go to Volterra. They stay there. And stay there. And stay there. They escape and get capture again. And stay there. And stay. And there. They escape again and talk, talk, and talk some more. They move, and they talk. And plan. Plan. Plan. Talk. Plan. Talk. Talk. Move. Then the final confrontation comes around and happens mostly offscreen. And then the new regime seamlessly moves in. The end.
Unfortunately, for al the talking everyone does, nothing particularly interesting is discussed besides various characters and their powers, with an exceeding amount of flashbacks thrown in. Some of the flashback scenes are actually good and I particularly liked Marcus' depression and its solution, the characterization of Chelsea, and the tragic story arc involving Dimitri, who I actually felt deeply sorry for, since for all her negating, fighting and escaping Allirea apparently never really bothered to explain to him that mate bonds DON'T work on half-vampires.
I understand Allirea's pain and despair, but according to Word of God (both SMeyer and Alicorn) vampires, once changed, have no possibility of physical, mental, or character development (except that they can apparently fall in love and produce sperm) and therefore most of them live in state of perpetual post-adolescence, which might well explain Dimitri's naive and single-minded belief in the concept that "girls like to be chased". He'll never change, so he'll never grow tired of chasing Allirea. Why should he think she'd grow tired of her little game of running away?? Furthermore, vampires exist with the full knowledge that if they ever find their mate, their everlasting love and devotion will be instantly reciprocated... or at least, as soon as their human mate is changed. How could Dimitri have been expected to known any better??!!
That's about the extent of thought-provoking issues the story offers, for all that it's supposed to be filled with deep, self-aware, complicated characters who do nothing but talk.
The whole reason I discovered Alicorn's fanfiction was that LUMINOSITY was mentioned in a blog of in-depth discussion about Twilight as specifically dealing with, among other things, the problematic aspects of imprinting, and how the Reneesme-equivalent questioned it and dealt with it. Elspeth angsts about it for a total of probably three pages and she still ends up putting Jacob above everything else as the novel progresses. Chelsea might have snipped away all her non-wolf relationships, but her attitude towards Jake doesn't change after her deprogramming, and strangest of all, the possibility of a relationship between her and Cody, heavily hinted at when they meet, and made to seem one of the reasons why he leaves, never surfaces again. Also, the squick element of a mature 16 years old falling for a technical 5 years old is handwaved by the characters themselves.
Deeply disappointing.
But when the novel completely looses it is when no one (NO ONE!!) thinks to question the fact that Bella, solely responsible for everything horrible that happens throughout both stories, just reappears out of nowhere, having done nothing at all for months, failing even at bettering her own shield magic, while her five years old daughter basically managed to become all-powerful in the same timeframe, and declares that of course she'll be the one to fill the power vacuum and become The One and Only Golden Empress Regnant.
Most of the people involved with the attack on the Volturi didn't even have anything against the Vulturi and had very few problems following their rules while they guaranteed a steady dose of do whatever you want and drink whatever you feel like. Why they would suddenly teem up against them in order to give power to a single individual who has an impressive record for disaster and who will henceforth force them to eat the equivalent of dirt, is beyond me.
The one thing going against the Vulturi is Aro's cruelty and willingness to keep powerful witches imprisoned and in pieces to take advantage of their powers. Of course, this all scenario was fabricated to justify the coup, as there's no indication in the original material that this is actually happening (actually, there's no indication at all that ANYONE in the vampire world would be willing to go against the Vulturi anyways... it takes A LOT for Carlisle to even convince a few friends to just stand witness). Then again, the main reason why Aro is doing this is to appease Addy, who knows his secret, is useful, and loves playing with other people's powers. Besides keeping Addy happy, the Vulturi don't really seem to be using all those powers that much. Caius was very right in thinking that by eliminating Addy, most of their problems with probable rebels would have been solved.
And wouldn't you know it, Addy is the new Empress Regent right hand woman.
No one questions it. No one is bothered about it. Everyone is just happy to help and give up human blood for good. And Bella reigns happily ever after, lording over everyone and happily force feeding any opinion she might ever have on anyone in the world ever. I wouldn't be surprised if Charlie suddenly woke up changed at one point in the not so distant future. For his own good, of course.
The only way this all scenario might be saved is if we found out that the author was really pulling our leg the whole time and this was nothing but a reenactment of Tudor history. Where Aro is Henry VIII and Bella's Bloody Mary (minus the blood, I guess... but then again Mary didn't bleed her victims to death... she, wait for it!!, burned them... go figure!!).
If that's the case, I'm happy to await the sequel where Elspeth/Elisabeth realizes her mother is an asshole and takes over once and for all.
Elspeth (which, by the way, is only barely better than Reneesme as a name) is a much better narrator than Bella, because at least she's likable and Alicorn manages to convey her character growth throughout the novel.
The problem is that for pages, and pages, and pages nothing happens plot wise. The characters go here. Then the characters go there. Then the cast is shuffled a little and the go somewhere else. They get caught and go to Volterra. They stay there. And stay there. And stay there. They escape and get capture again. And stay there. And stay. And there. They escape again and talk, talk, and talk some more. They move, and they talk. And plan. Plan. Plan. Talk. Plan. Talk. Talk. Move. Then the final confrontation comes around and happens mostly offscreen. And then the new regime seamlessly moves in. The end.
Unfortunately, for al the talking everyone does, nothing particularly interesting is discussed besides various characters and their powers, with an exceeding amount of flashbacks thrown in. Some of the flashback scenes are actually good and I particularly liked Marcus' depression and its solution, the characterization of Chelsea, and the tragic story arc involving Dimitri, who I actually felt deeply sorry for, since for all her negating, fighting and escaping Allirea apparently never really bothered to explain to him that mate bonds DON'T work on half-vampires.
I understand Allirea's pain and despair, but according to Word of God (both SMeyer and Alicorn) vampires, once changed, have no possibility of physical, mental, or character development (except that they can apparently fall in love and produce sperm) and therefore most of them live in state of perpetual post-adolescence, which might well explain Dimitri's naive and single-minded belief in the concept that "girls like to be chased". He'll never change, so he'll never grow tired of chasing Allirea. Why should he think she'd grow tired of her little game of running away?? Furthermore, vampires exist with the full knowledge that if they ever find their mate, their everlasting love and devotion will be instantly reciprocated... or at least, as soon as their human mate is changed. How could Dimitri have been expected to known any better??!!
That's about the extent of thought-provoking issues the story offers, for all that it's supposed to be filled with deep, self-aware, complicated characters who do nothing but talk.
The whole reason I discovered Alicorn's fanfiction was that LUMINOSITY was mentioned in a blog of in-depth discussion about Twilight as specifically dealing with, among other things, the problematic aspects of imprinting, and how the Reneesme-equivalent questioned it and dealt with it. Elspeth angsts about it for a total of probably three pages and she still ends up putting Jacob above everything else as the novel progresses. Chelsea might have snipped away all her non-wolf relationships, but her attitude towards Jake doesn't change after her deprogramming, and strangest of all, the possibility of a relationship between her and Cody, heavily hinted at when they meet, and made to seem one of the reasons why he leaves, never surfaces again. Also, the squick element of a mature 16 years old falling for a technical 5 years old is handwaved by the characters themselves.
Deeply disappointing.
But when the novel completely looses it is when no one (NO ONE!!) thinks to question the fact that Bella, solely responsible for everything horrible that happens throughout both stories, just reappears out of nowhere, having done nothing at all for months, failing even at bettering her own shield magic, while her five years old daughter basically managed to become all-powerful in the same timeframe, and declares that of course she'll be the one to fill the power vacuum and become The One and Only Golden Empress Regnant.
Most of the people involved with the attack on the Volturi didn't even have anything against the Vulturi and had very few problems following their rules while they guaranteed a steady dose of do whatever you want and drink whatever you feel like. Why they would suddenly teem up against them in order to give power to a single individual who has an impressive record for disaster and who will henceforth force them to eat the equivalent of dirt, is beyond me.
The one thing going against the Vulturi is Aro's cruelty and willingness to keep powerful witches imprisoned and in pieces to take advantage of their powers. Of course, this all scenario was fabricated to justify the coup, as there's no indication in the original material that this is actually happening (actually, there's no indication at all that ANYONE in the vampire world would be willing to go against the Vulturi anyways... it takes A LOT for Carlisle to even convince a few friends to just stand witness). Then again, the main reason why Aro is doing this is to appease Addy, who knows his secret, is useful, and loves playing with other people's powers. Besides keeping Addy happy, the Vulturi don't really seem to be using all those powers that much. Caius was very right in thinking that by eliminating Addy, most of their problems with probable rebels would have been solved.
And wouldn't you know it, Addy is the new Empress Regent right hand woman.
No one questions it. No one is bothered about it. Everyone is just happy to help and give up human blood for good. And Bella reigns happily ever after, lording over everyone and happily force feeding any opinion she might ever have on anyone in the world ever. I wouldn't be surprised if Charlie suddenly woke up changed at one point in the not so distant future. For his own good, of course.
The only way this all scenario might be saved is if we found out that the author was really pulling our leg the whole time and this was nothing but a reenactment of Tudor history. Where Aro is Henry VIII and Bella's Bloody Mary (minus the blood, I guess... but then again Mary didn't bleed her victims to death... she, wait for it!!, burned them... go figure!!).
If that's the case, I'm happy to await the sequel where Elspeth/Elisabeth realizes her mother is an asshole and takes over once and for all.
December 15, 2021
If you've read Luminosity and liked it, then read this. Period. Alicorn's series is definitely some of the best hard fantasy I've ever read, fanfiction or not.
Spoilers are ahead, so if you haven't read Radiance yet, please cease reading this review.
Elspeth's story is amazing. While Alicorn does resort to a few subtle jabs at Meyer's canonical version, mostly this book goes through events that hardly resemble canon at all -- yet at the same time, everything is easily recognizable to fans of Twilight. Somehow, Alicorn has created a world of drama, intrigue, action, philosophy, and romance that far exceeds anything written by Meyer, yet using only the tools Meyer created in the Twilight universe.
Radiance does far more than just continue the story of Luminosity; it pushes the story forward in ways that readers will probably not expect. Of special interest is how Siobhan is portrayed in Alicorn's version of the story; while many characters are explored much more thoroughly than in Meyer's version, Siobhan's is perhaps the best example of how a throwaway power in the original books is considered quite extraordinary in a rational reading of events.
This series -- and this book in particular -- is definitely a must read.
Spoilers are ahead, so if you haven't read Radiance yet, please cease reading this review.
Elspeth's story is amazing. While Alicorn does resort to a few subtle jabs at Meyer's canonical version, mostly this book goes through events that hardly resemble canon at all -- yet at the same time, everything is easily recognizable to fans of Twilight. Somehow, Alicorn has created a world of drama, intrigue, action, philosophy, and romance that far exceeds anything written by Meyer, yet using only the tools Meyer created in the Twilight universe.
Radiance does far more than just continue the story of Luminosity; it pushes the story forward in ways that readers will probably not expect. Of special interest is how Siobhan is portrayed in Alicorn's version of the story; while many characters are explored much more thoroughly than in Meyer's version, Siobhan's is perhaps the best example of how a throwaway power in the original books is considered quite extraordinary in a rational reading of events.
This series -- and this book in particular -- is definitely a must read.
July 12, 2017
everything terrible about the original series, is removed and made so much better. the way the author should have done it in the first place. couldn't put it down.
August 16, 2015
This sucker was long; written well, but long. Here's a long review in return.
This book is written from Elspeth's point of view. Elspeth is the new Renesmee. Her new name is just about as bad as the original, so no points scored there.
My main complaint with the previous book was that Alicorn, in correcting Bella's faults and writing technically more correctly as well, left out a lot of the emotion / passion / feeling that existed (however flawed) in Stephenie Meyer's original works.
I like Elspeth in spite of her name (I liked her more than her parents), but we lose even more of the emotional aspect thanks to Chelsea shenanigans.
This results in even LESS of an emotional connection than we had in the previous book.
Since Alicorn's weakness (in my humble opinion) seems to be a lack of emotional writing, however cool it was to make Chelsea a bigger threat (and that was pretty cool) it made it even more difficult for the reader to care about any of the characters or any of their relationships.
As to the length of the book, there was an awful lot of sitting around and planning done by the characters. I get it, this is what a rational person would do. They would discuss every possible angle and person and strength and weakness ad nauseam before making a move as immense as , and some of it was interesting. But it did make up the bulk of the book, and parts felt very slow because of it.
It was a little odd, how Bella She hasn't even completely mastered her power by the end of the book, and she sweeps in with some pretty new and radical ideas for the bulk of the vampire population that I would think might cause major riots. I rather wanted the original stars to come out on top so I accepted it, but it can be difficult to suspend reality for it in truth -- especially with everyone's relationships irrevocably damaged by Chelsea and an overall lack of emotional connection to the reader.
Let's talk about some of the good stuff. I love, love, love what the author did with Marcus's storyline. It's brilliant, and I loved how much MORE she made of what was a fairly laughable "power" in the original series. Chelsea's too, as I said was very interesting, and how the author demonstrates how Chelsea and Marcus together were extremely important to the Volturi super power. I liked the history building and background she shows us for even minor characters. I enjoyed how much more of a threat she made the Volturi as a whole, one not so easily cowed by a simple, non-violent stand-off as in the original series. That .
The author worked hard to remove some of the squick factor from the imprinting thing, and she does a pretty good job of it. Since we get a front row seat to how the wolves really think via Edward / Aro / Elspeth / Whatshername-who-copies-powers, and they specifically address the impossibility of inappropriate non-romantic feelings, it does make it a little easier to swallow (though full disclosure it didn't bother me much in the originals because I just didn't overthink it on my first harried read-through).
The resurrection story lines were a bit weird, but I have to give her props for Didyme's story. It was a bit far fetched, but it was really touching. This demonstrates the type of emotion the rest of the book sorely wanted.
In all, it's interesting if a bit long, and if you read the first one you should like the resolution. If you liked the original series, even with some qualms, you should find the background insight into the supporting characters worth your time; the author's talent really shines there.
This book is written from Elspeth's point of view. Elspeth is the new Renesmee. Her new name is just about as bad as the original, so no points scored there.
My main complaint with the previous book was that Alicorn, in correcting Bella's faults and writing technically more correctly as well, left out a lot of the emotion / passion / feeling that existed (however flawed) in Stephenie Meyer's original works.
I like Elspeth in spite of her name (I liked her more than her parents), but we lose even more of the emotional aspect thanks to Chelsea shenanigans.
This results in even LESS of an emotional connection than we had in the previous book.
Since Alicorn's weakness (in my humble opinion) seems to be a lack of emotional writing, however cool it was to make Chelsea a bigger threat (and that was pretty cool) it made it even more difficult for the reader to care about any of the characters or any of their relationships.
As to the length of the book, there was an awful lot of sitting around and planning done by the characters. I get it, this is what a rational person would do. They would discuss every possible angle and person and strength and weakness ad nauseam before making a move as immense as , and some of it was interesting. But it did make up the bulk of the book, and parts felt very slow because of it.
It was a little odd, how Bella She hasn't even completely mastered her power by the end of the book, and she sweeps in with some pretty new and radical ideas for the bulk of the vampire population that I would think might cause major riots. I rather wanted the original stars to come out on top so I accepted it, but it can be difficult to suspend reality for it in truth -- especially with everyone's relationships irrevocably damaged by Chelsea and an overall lack of emotional connection to the reader.
Let's talk about some of the good stuff. I love, love, love what the author did with Marcus's storyline. It's brilliant, and I loved how much MORE she made of what was a fairly laughable "power" in the original series. Chelsea's too, as I said was very interesting, and how the author demonstrates how Chelsea and Marcus together were extremely important to the Volturi super power. I liked the history building and background she shows us for even minor characters. I enjoyed how much more of a threat she made the Volturi as a whole, one not so easily cowed by a simple, non-violent stand-off as in the original series. That .
The author worked hard to remove some of the squick factor from the imprinting thing, and she does a pretty good job of it. Since we get a front row seat to how the wolves really think via Edward / Aro / Elspeth / Whatshername-who-copies-powers, and they specifically address the impossibility of inappropriate non-romantic feelings, it does make it a little easier to swallow (though full disclosure it didn't bother me much in the originals because I just didn't overthink it on my first harried read-through).
The resurrection story lines were a bit weird, but I have to give her props for Didyme's story. It was a bit far fetched, but it was really touching. This demonstrates the type of emotion the rest of the book sorely wanted.
In all, it's interesting if a bit long, and if you read the first one you should like the resolution. If you liked the original series, even with some qualms, you should find the background insight into the supporting characters worth your time; the author's talent really shines there.
February 17, 2012
This one is so much longer than Luminosity, and it takes proportionally longer to become engrossing, but once it does, it is far more addictive. Luminosity had a more traditional dramatic arc: long slow build-up, suspense plateau, sudden spike towards climax, and almost no denouement. Let's say that Luminosity best resembles the plot of Psychonauts, minus the happy resolution. This one, on the other hand, looks more like an entire TV series. One that runs for four seasons. Each one has its seasonal climax, but the action basically plateaus in between. In other words, Luminosity and Radiance together are four or five books, and contain as much plot as the entirety of the Twilight series.
As far as I know, the issues raised in this story are never broached so directly in any other story to date. Plot points include external manipulation of relationships (is one's innate love for one's parents at all justified?), external manipulation of memories (is that connection known as love a tie to a set of experiences or to a personality or more than that? does one's memories define one's personality or vice versa? can the two be dissociated?), and how to construct a system of incentives and disincentives to achieve a global goal under a given set of constraints (does allowing people to be saved from otherwise certain death through involuntary immortality incentivize harming people? where is the moral balance in enforcing a disincentivizes wrongdoing when the required punishment is certain to harm others?) among many others.
Be warned that no extant version of this tale contains a character list, and there are nearly as many minor characters as were in War and Peace. Reading will be greatly aided if you take notes as you read about who is related to whom in which way, and what powers which witches have and the constraints on those powers. If you come up with a good diagram of the cast, I'm sure the author would love to publish it with the text. I might even consider making one myself if someone could front me the notes so I don't have to reread this behemoth to write them up myself.
Anyway, yeah. Better than Luminosity, better than Twilight (duh), and better than HPMOR. Read it.
As far as I know, the issues raised in this story are never broached so directly in any other story to date. Plot points include external manipulation of relationships (is one's innate love for one's parents at all justified?), external manipulation of memories (is that connection known as love a tie to a set of experiences or to a personality or more than that? does one's memories define one's personality or vice versa? can the two be dissociated?), and how to construct a system of incentives and disincentives to achieve a global goal under a given set of constraints (does allowing people to be saved from otherwise certain death through involuntary immortality incentivize harming people? where is the moral balance in enforcing a disincentivizes wrongdoing when the required punishment is certain to harm others?) among many others.
Be warned that no extant version of this tale contains a character list, and there are nearly as many minor characters as were in War and Peace. Reading will be greatly aided if you take notes as you read about who is related to whom in which way, and what powers which witches have and the constraints on those powers. If you come up with a good diagram of the cast, I'm sure the author would love to publish it with the text. I might even consider making one myself if someone could front me the notes so I don't have to reread this behemoth to write them up myself.
Anyway, yeah. Better than Luminosity, better than Twilight (duh), and better than HPMOR. Read it.
July 19, 2021
Radiance is only Twilight fanfiction on a technicality; it's an entirely different story using the same universe's rules; borrowing characters (and inventing many new ones) with the same basic biographical outlines, but minus all the stalkery lovestruck idiot parts.
Very much like Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, it's an evangelical white transhumanist LessWrong-style exploration/deconstruction of an existing plot-holey fantasy universe. Unlike HPatMoR, characters are not constantly congratulating themselves for how amazing they are for having a basic grasp on logic and modern schooling and how unrealistically stupid everyone around them is, so I was definitely much less irked by this one. It's also less monologue-ridden, and more show-not-tell. Still, I found it much more entertaining as an AU concept than as a story.
There are a lot of cute tongue-in-cheek subversions and reexplorations of the original Twilight's shitty plot devices and unaddressed dei ex machina, particularly around magical superpowers. How would you effectively use the power of prescience to rapidly narrow probability spaces while making plans? How could seemingly harmless powers be creatively repurposed in a fight? How do you set up contingency plans given various enemy strengths and weaknesses?
If you like pondering what-ifs and uses of cool magical superpowers, or you were recently reminded of how annoying Twilight was, you will be entertained.
Very much like Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, it's an evangelical white transhumanist LessWrong-style exploration/deconstruction of an existing plot-holey fantasy universe. Unlike HPatMoR, characters are not constantly congratulating themselves for how amazing they are for having a basic grasp on logic and modern schooling and how unrealistically stupid everyone around them is, so I was definitely much less irked by this one. It's also less monologue-ridden, and more show-not-tell. Still, I found it much more entertaining as an AU concept than as a story.
There are a lot of cute tongue-in-cheek subversions and reexplorations of the original Twilight's shitty plot devices and unaddressed dei ex machina, particularly around magical superpowers. How would you effectively use the power of prescience to rapidly narrow probability spaces while making plans? How could seemingly harmless powers be creatively repurposed in a fight? How do you set up contingency plans given various enemy strengths and weaknesses?
If you like pondering what-ifs and uses of cool magical superpowers, or you were recently reminded of how annoying Twilight was, you will be entertained.
January 10, 2012
As good as Luminosity. Elspeth is in some ways more interesting than Bella, in that she starts the emotional development of a child, but the intelligence and body of a young woman. It brings up issues such as the nature of love - if love is imposed on you from an outside source, is it still good and worthwhile?
July 26, 2012
I can't believe how different this is from the actual Twilight series. The plot is completely unrecognizable regarding canon, but it's all for the better. It was also nice to have this entire book in Elspeth's point of view. I feel I can better relate to certain characters, this way.
All in all, this series is the best Twilight fan fiction I've read so far.
All in all, this series is the best Twilight fan fiction I've read so far.
July 2, 2017
_Radiance_ is the sequel to Luminosity, a re-imagining of the _Twilight_ series. Despite drawing on the characters and settings of the _Twilight_ series, _Luminosity_ appears to have rewritten enough of the events of the canon series that _Radiance_ is left with a great deal of freedom of movement, and the author makes good use of this, spinning her own plot to explore and destroy the original setting.
A core theme of _Radiance_ is a critical examination of the real-life implications of storybook love as a binding, unseverable connection which is formed at first sight and overrides all other loyalties. This concept was explored somewhat in _Luminosity_, but it really comes to the fore now. With all other relationships topped, characters are single-mindedly devoted to their soulmates, to the degree that a major chunk of battle planning is devoted to discovering whether opposing combatants can be neutralised by Cupid's arrows. The author doesn't flinch from exposing ugly possibilities, including such features as a grown werewolf whose soulmate is a toddler and an unavoidable tracker who rapes his soulmate because he cannot believe she means her protests.
The story begins somewhat shakily, with the new main character being introduced and then somewhat awkwardly flung into some fast-moving plot, whereby a setting that has remained mostly stable since the end of _Luminosity_ is suddenly and violently shaken up. Given that the main characters are mostly immortal, and capable of spending long years doing things in a way that most characters are not, it seems something of a missed opportunity that so much development in terms of both politics and individual abilities is crammed into relatively rapid developments. This is especially true when you realise that the impression of the setting outside the violent months actually covered in the story is one of a glacial pace of change, if there is any at all.
Alongside the core hazard, the story focuses very much on interesting powers and interesting applications of them, which is, well, interesting. The feeling is however that 'ordinary' vampires and their base abilities are somewhat sidelined, their relevance to the plot shifted out the way for interesting pieces which can be pitted against each other. The same can be said for the werewolves, who are deprived of agency throughout almost the entire story arc, and don't really _do_ anything, mostly serving as a testbed for one of the more dangerous powers.
While _Radiance_ deploys plenty of twists and turns early on to prevent a repeat of the issues with _Luminosity_, the author's gradual return of all the things suddenly lost at the end of _Luminosity_ soon starts to hint at a happy ending, a promise which is eventually delivered upon to somewhat silly levels, with a glorious and somehow unchallenged new world order, magical resurrection of even people who were definitely dead, blood-drinkers almost casually turning to vegetarianism, and a princess. A somewhat more muted result would better suit my tastes.
Despite its flaws (of which there are more, including the rather toneless dialogue where almost everyone sounds the same), _Radiance_ contains some interesting points wrapped in a highly readable rationalist fantasy, and is a marked improvement on the author's previous work, with appeal to people who've little idea what _Twilight_ ever was. If my star ratings matter to you, I would remark that this one dithered between three and four for a while, and I'm not sure what the result will be even as I write this sentence.
March 10, 2019
WARNING: This review contains spoilers about the overall flow and direction of the story.
--
Okay, I really wanted to like this. It's everything I normally love in a story - characters breaking free from expected tropes and approaching things from a more rational perspective, a twisting narrative, creative use of powers, etc. (Yes, I loved HP:MoR and Worm).
Radiance got off to a strong start. Elspeth was an interesting viewpoint character and as soon as the plot started building momentum in one direction, something slammed into it from the side and everyone had to scramble to respond. Love it.
Then about halfway through the story, the pacing completely dropped away and it was chapter after chapter of talking, thinking, reminiscing, characters meeting, introductions, flashbacks and recaps with very little actually happening 'on screen'. During which time the enemy apparently sat quietly twiddling their thumbs waiting for out heroes to take the initiative.
Then, when our heroes finally did take the initiative, everything wrapped up neatly with minimal fuss. One known threat in particular was off the radar, hanging over the final confrontation like a potential wrecking ball - only to conveniently turn out to be a non-problem after all. The climax is then followed by far too many chapters spelling out the minutiae of the subsequent logistics.
On top of the plot/pacing issues, the writing felt dry and flat, rarely offering more than the bare minimum description to establish setting and action.
I also found it easy to lose track of the characters, partly because there are so many of them, but also because they rarely feel distinct, sharing the same quirks and way of speaking. (Apparently the only way anyone from five year olds to 500+ year olds ever shows they're unimpressed is by rolling their eyes).
It's frustrating because Radiance hits some really interesting themes around relationships and free will, and Elspeth's experiences and growth as a character are the core of a really interesting story. IMO, it just isn't this one.
Weirdly, I've come away from this story with greater respect for Stephanie Meyer. For all its flaws, Twilight managed to paint a far more vivid, immersive picture of its setting. Luminosity/Radiance demonstrates that, for as much as we like to complain about the quality of published works, writing a good, entertaining novel is an order of magnitude harder than it looks.
--
Okay, I really wanted to like this. It's everything I normally love in a story - characters breaking free from expected tropes and approaching things from a more rational perspective, a twisting narrative, creative use of powers, etc. (Yes, I loved HP:MoR and Worm).
Radiance got off to a strong start. Elspeth was an interesting viewpoint character and as soon as the plot started building momentum in one direction, something slammed into it from the side and everyone had to scramble to respond. Love it.
Then about halfway through the story, the pacing completely dropped away and it was chapter after chapter of talking, thinking, reminiscing, characters meeting, introductions, flashbacks and recaps with very little actually happening 'on screen'. During which time the enemy apparently sat quietly twiddling their thumbs waiting for out heroes to take the initiative.
Then, when our heroes finally did take the initiative, everything wrapped up neatly with minimal fuss. One known threat in particular was off the radar, hanging over the final confrontation like a potential wrecking ball - only to conveniently turn out to be a non-problem after all. The climax is then followed by far too many chapters spelling out the minutiae of the subsequent logistics.
On top of the plot/pacing issues, the writing felt dry and flat, rarely offering more than the bare minimum description to establish setting and action.
I also found it easy to lose track of the characters, partly because there are so many of them, but also because they rarely feel distinct, sharing the same quirks and way of speaking. (Apparently the only way anyone from five year olds to 500+ year olds ever shows they're unimpressed is by rolling their eyes).
It's frustrating because Radiance hits some really interesting themes around relationships and free will, and Elspeth's experiences and growth as a character are the core of a really interesting story. IMO, it just isn't this one.
Weirdly, I've come away from this story with greater respect for Stephanie Meyer. For all its flaws, Twilight managed to paint a far more vivid, immersive picture of its setting. Luminosity/Radiance demonstrates that, for as much as we like to complain about the quality of published works, writing a good, entertaining novel is an order of magnitude harder than it looks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2019
Very detailed and thorough expansion for the rational Bella's world of Luminosity. It's rewarding to engage with it - try to think through all the implications of the particular character's abilities, ponder what would I do in the same place. And yet, it goes so deeply into describing the characters and their lives and their interactions and the world around them that the overall tempo slows to a crawl. In addition - none of those characters are actually _interesting_ in the way HJPEV or Bella are. Most of them are just the wielders of their powers, idly accepting their role in the overall. I mean, c'mon, someone with a magic power of PERFECT PLANNING has never before tried to scheme a way to subvert the only (as far as she knows - on that later) major risk of her existence (Volturi)? How come she doesn't have the COMPLETE REFERENCE SHEET for EVERY VAMPIRE IN THE WORLD to make sure she isn't in any more danger?
Style-wise, I like alicorn's writing a lot, it's been a pleasure to read and extremely easy to dive into right when I needed a getaway.
Style-wise, I like alicorn's writing a lot, it's been a pleasure to read and extremely easy to dive into right when I needed a getaway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2024
Reason s for Stars:
1- Elspeth is a much much better MC than Bella. Alicorn even turned her writing weakness to her advantage by having Chelsea snip away their bonds and making Elspeth wish for their return.
2- More fleshing out of Marcus, Serious discussion of the vampire mates and werewolf imprints, Weaponised mating made me laugh, Death of Chelsea, Better world building.
3- Plot still kept me interested through out the story.But the story was longer and there were constant discussions and planning which was irritating
What I didn't like:
1. Since emotions are stripped away from some characters they stop being characters.
2. The reincarnation story was weird
3. Why does Bella get to be empress what great sacrifice has she made?
4. Again lets not forget Bella's ultimate goal is to turn humanity into vampires. The Volturri for all their many many faults didn't want that, and stopped vampires from killing human indiscriminately. Bella's attitude makes me feel like its going to cause more problems than fix.
1- Elspeth is a much much better MC than Bella. Alicorn even turned her writing weakness to her advantage by having Chelsea snip away their bonds and making Elspeth wish for their return.
2- More fleshing out of Marcus, Serious discussion of the vampire mates and werewolf imprints, Weaponised mating made me laugh, Death of Chelsea, Better world building.
3- Plot still kept me interested through out the story.But the story was longer and there were constant discussions and planning which was irritating
What I didn't like:
1. Since emotions are stripped away from some characters they stop being characters.
2. The reincarnation story was weird
3. Why does Bella get to be empress what great sacrifice has she made?
4. Again lets not forget Bella's ultimate goal is to turn humanity into vampires. The Volturri for all their many many faults didn't want that, and stopped vampires from killing human indiscriminately. Bella's attitude makes me feel like its going to cause more problems than fix.
dnf
June 4, 2025I really wanted to love this one after Luminosity, but I couldn’t get through it. Something about the daughter’s character just didn’t sit right with me—she annoyed me more than she intrigued me, and I found myself putting the book down more than picking it up.
The world still has that clever, thought-provoking energy Alicorn brought to the first book, but this time it didn’t land for me. Maybe it was just the wrong time, or maybe I just didn’t connect with the emotional core of this continuation.
Still giving credit where it’s due: the writing is intelligent and the ideas are ambitious. I just couldn’t stay with it.
The world still has that clever, thought-provoking energy Alicorn brought to the first book, but this time it didn’t land for me. Maybe it was just the wrong time, or maybe I just didn’t connect with the emotional core of this continuation.
Still giving credit where it’s due: the writing is intelligent and the ideas are ambitious. I just couldn’t stay with it.
July 9, 2021
I wish I could give this a 3.5 rating. I might've even enjoyed it more than Luminosity (it's prequel), which I rated as a 4, but by the time I was done with the book, I felt tired. The resolution was see-able from a long way off, didn't contain many surprises, and so felt like a long slog to the expected end. That being said, I did really enjoy the earlier parts of the book and found the main character's power to be fascinating. I generally enjoyed seeing all of the different vampires powers.
December 14, 2017
A step up from the first book, I liked the new character and the way all the different magic abilities interacted were pretty interesting. Not bad, fairly unmemorable overall and I doubt I'll ever reread it, but I don't regret reading it.
July 8, 2021
I had a lot of fun reading Radiance (Luminosity, #2) and I don't remember the last book I have read with such attention and impatience to see how it all ends.
Read
September 18, 2021So fun
January 17, 2025
smeyer? you good?
September 17, 2025
Rating: B+
I preferred the first book but still enjoyed this one for the most part.
I preferred the first book but still enjoyed this one for the most part.
December 3, 2025
An engaging read with lots of complexity deftly handled. Keeps the suspense up despite frequent, long, detailed discussions. Oddly but not poorly structured.
November 23, 2020
Ever since the tragedy that befell her family half-vampire Elspeth Cullen has been constantly on the run. After a chance run-in with the Volturi leads to her capture, Elspeth is faced with the aftermath of her mother's brash actions. There's no going back, she must brave the darker side of the vampire world, and see her mother's revolution through to the end.
Luminosity was a brilliant fanfiction that while differing from the source material still had roots firmly planted in the cannon. Radiance, on the other hand, is a full blown Alternate Continuity story. Characters and elements are still borrowed from the source material but outside of that it is almost completely unrelated.
The characters are fresh and vibrant, and after awhile it becomes difficult to tell the original characters from the cannon ones. It is clear that painstaking research was done to connect every available detail to each character possible. Each one glows with a life that was barely touched upon inside the source material.
The story itself is compelling and fascinating. I couldn't put it down. I keep reading on to find out what happens next. And even when I'd finished I found myself wanting to explore the world further just to see where everything is headed. Luckily, there's still Flashes, the short story collection, plus a slew of additional metafiction stories available from the main site to keep me going.
An excellent story that expands the world of Twilight in ways unimaginable. A must read for those that have read Luminosity and wish to explore that world further.
A truly compelling story.
Luminosity was a brilliant fanfiction that while differing from the source material still had roots firmly planted in the cannon. Radiance, on the other hand, is a full blown Alternate Continuity story. Characters and elements are still borrowed from the source material but outside of that it is almost completely unrelated.
The characters are fresh and vibrant, and after awhile it becomes difficult to tell the original characters from the cannon ones. It is clear that painstaking research was done to connect every available detail to each character possible. Each one glows with a life that was barely touched upon inside the source material.
The story itself is compelling and fascinating. I couldn't put it down. I keep reading on to find out what happens next. And even when I'd finished I found myself wanting to explore the world further just to see where everything is headed. Luckily, there's still Flashes, the short story collection, plus a slew of additional metafiction stories available from the main site to keep me going.
An excellent story that expands the world of Twilight in ways unimaginable. A must read for those that have read Luminosity and wish to explore that world further.
A truly compelling story.
December 30, 2018
Not as much fun as the first part, but still entertaining!
February 16, 2021
Not as good as luminosity, but still very enjoyable. The hardest thing about reading this is keeping everything straight. Alcorn does an excellent job of maintaining continuity, but the plot and story are pretty complicated. Also, maybe spoiler, but it is hard to be hopeful while reading much of this book. I'll leafy it at that, but I enjoyed it.
November 7, 2015
I loved this more than Luminosity. For one, more world building (yay!). Two, Elspeth (hideous name imo btw) is, for me, a better narrator. More relatable, more emotion and, yes, it gets awkward at times, but in general I liked her more than Bella (Meyer's Bella and Alicorn's Bella).
I was left with a want for MORE, but the ending was... well, of course it had to end sometime, and I have a life to get back to, but... well.
I never understood Cody as a whole. I think there's some faulty characterization there, but well, I could be wrong.
The reincarnation stories were.. super sweet but also far-fetched. I'm struggling with my beliefs about identity and being, since I don't believe in souls, but I believe bodies are part of who we are too for me, so it just... it doesn't seem very plausible.
Of course I don't like that Bella is queen of the universe, I think she's self-righteous and pushy as it is, but the whole emperor/gold aesthethics she was going for was sort of amusing. I felt that her killing of Chelsea was thhe single most relatable moment from her in this mess, so I loved it. I still felt for Chelsea, though, as she was way more attractive to me, character-wise, than either Bella or Edward (and even Elspeth).
Addie -- all the feels
I also wonder about her laws around singers? Since not even she could abstain from attacking her singer and all...
But, all in all, I really like this story and I think that even if I don't like it and think that some character development was definitely needed by Bella (and won't happen now that she's the ultiate authority about all things) it accomplished what it should have.
I was left with a want for MORE, but the ending was... well, of course it had to end sometime, and I have a life to get back to, but... well.
I never understood Cody as a whole. I think there's some faulty characterization there, but well, I could be wrong.
The reincarnation stories were.. super sweet but also far-fetched. I'm struggling with my beliefs about identity and being, since I don't believe in souls, but I believe bodies are part of who we are too for me, so it just... it doesn't seem very plausible.
Of course I don't like that Bella is queen of the universe, I think she's self-righteous and pushy as it is, but the whole emperor/gold aesthethics she was going for was sort of amusing. I felt that her killing of Chelsea was thhe single most relatable moment from her in this mess, so I loved it. I still felt for Chelsea, though, as she was way more attractive to me, character-wise, than either Bella or Edward (and even Elspeth).
Addie -- all the feels
I also wonder about her laws around singers? Since not even she could abstain from attacking her singer and all...
But, all in all, I really like this story and I think that even if I don't like it and think that some character development was definitely needed by Bella (and won't happen now that she's the ultiate authority about all things) it accomplished what it should have.
November 11, 2014
Both Luminosity and Radiance have a unifying theme. Luminosity's is "know thyself", and the execution is excellent. I find this quote particularly representative:
She wrote down that she didn't know something about her aesthetics. If that doesn't strike you as "oh shit, I must have been living my entire life wrong", I don't know what will.
Until , Luminosity keeps hammering that idea down your throat. After that, it falls into HPMoR-ish "taking over the world, non-violently".
On the other hand, Radiance's tagline would be "plan it". A good chunk of the book () is about coming up with a plan on how to . The difference is, there is not much new about the idea of thinking things through. Take away novelty, and Radiance is your standard rationalist fiction, where characters do have brains, and do exploit whatever they can, and do reject cached responses, but still it is purely entertaining.
Might not be worth your time.
We arrived at his house. The truck was a solid red thing that I found strangely appealing. I wrote down that I should think about that - I wouldn't have guessed from a description of it that I'd have liked it, and that meant there was something I didn't know about my aesthetics - and then took it for a test drive around the block.
She wrote down that she didn't know something about her aesthetics. If that doesn't strike you as "oh shit, I must have been living my entire life wrong", I don't know what will.
Until , Luminosity keeps hammering that idea down your throat. After that, it falls into HPMoR-ish "taking over the world, non-violently".
On the other hand, Radiance's tagline would be "plan it". A good chunk of the book () is about coming up with a plan on how to . The difference is, there is not much new about the idea of thinking things through. Take away novelty, and Radiance is your standard rationalist fiction, where characters do have brains, and do exploit whatever they can, and do reject cached responses, but still it is purely entertaining.
Might not be worth your time.
August 20, 2016
What did I like?
- The change in narrator was cool and interesting. I especially liked the first few chapters where Elspeth's dependancy on her mother was well portrayed. I also thought that the author managed to give Elspeth an appropriately childish voice which is often not the case with authors trying to narrate through the voice of a child. In general, I'd like to say that this author is quite good at creating a compelling voice for their narrators.
- Some interesting twists and turns
What did I not like?
- Sometimes, parts of the plot became very repetitive and did not serve a purpose towards the plot. - The end came very abruptly and there was no real resolution. I started wondering where the ending point of the story arch actually was.
- Bella keeps on being a frustrating character
- The other characters are still very one-dimensional. There are attempts to give them depth through Elspeth's memories but these attempts are not reciprocated in the narration of these characters.
- The plot was way too unrealistic. There were few explanations to certain characters' actions, like how Bella became the Queen of the world. How did that happen? How was everyone else so onboard with this plan? Why did they never fight or argue? Ugh, frustrating.
To summarise: The sequel to Luminosity certainly shares the same faults as it's predecessor has. I might recommend this fanfic just because of the interesting narrative perspective.
- The change in narrator was cool and interesting. I especially liked the first few chapters where Elspeth's dependancy on her mother was well portrayed. I also thought that the author managed to give Elspeth an appropriately childish voice which is often not the case with authors trying to narrate through the voice of a child. In general, I'd like to say that this author is quite good at creating a compelling voice for their narrators.
- Some interesting twists and turns
What did I not like?
- Sometimes, parts of the plot became very repetitive and did not serve a purpose towards the plot. - The end came very abruptly and there was no real resolution. I started wondering where the ending point of the story arch actually was.
- Bella keeps on being a frustrating character
- The other characters are still very one-dimensional. There are attempts to give them depth through Elspeth's memories but these attempts are not reciprocated in the narration of these characters.
- The plot was way too unrealistic. There were few explanations to certain characters' actions, like how Bella became the Queen of the world. How did that happen? How was everyone else so onboard with this plan? Why did they never fight or argue? Ugh, frustrating.
To summarise: The sequel to Luminosity certainly shares the same faults as it's predecessor has. I might recommend this fanfic just because of the interesting narrative perspective.
September 29, 2015
Better than the first book, and overall better than the Twilight series. This is what a fanfic should be. It was fun, comparable ( better) to the original story, consistent. I hate when fanfictions are obviously an evolving story without an ending in mind, without proof reading.
Spoilers ahead!
Now I have some problems with this book. First, the ending was really anticlimactic and unbelievable. Bella ruling the world?! I don't have a problem with her wanting to do that, and I don't even have a problem with her being good at it. But I can't believe every body just went along with it. No body else was ambitions enough to do anything else? Not even the Cullens had any problem going with it. Not even the unimportant half vampire ( I really forgot her name.) had any problem following Bella around! That is a bit unbelievable.
Elspeth!? Really? What kind of a name is that?! I think Alicorn wanted to go with the "weird name for Bella's daughter" thing that Meyer wrote.
But overall, I liked this series better than Twilight series.
Spoilers ahead!
Now I have some problems with this book. First, the ending was really anticlimactic and unbelievable. Bella ruling the world?! I don't have a problem with her wanting to do that, and I don't even have a problem with her being good at it. But I can't believe every body just went along with it. No body else was ambitions enough to do anything else? Not even the Cullens had any problem going with it. Not even the unimportant half vampire ( I really forgot her name.) had any problem following Bella around! That is a bit unbelievable.
Elspeth!? Really? What kind of a name is that?! I think Alicorn wanted to go with the "weird name for Bella's daughter" thing that Meyer wrote.
But overall, I liked this series better than Twilight series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2013
"The things one can do with a clever combination of magic and technology are *really awesome*."
Jeb kā izskatās, kad Meieres "Krēslas" visumā ietvertais potenciāls tiek stratēģiski izspēlēts. Viegls piedzīvojumu romāns manā gaumē: visi ir dīvaini radījumi ar aizraujošām īpašām spējām, un tad notiek eksplicīti racionāla lēmumu pieņemšana, plānošana un cilvēkvadība.
Pārdomas: ko par šo teiktu cilvēki, kas šķiro fantāziju no (zinātniskās) fantastikas atkarībā no mistiskā vai racionālā pasaules skatījuma, jo varoņu pieeja šeit ir otrā, bet uz fantāzijas pasaules pamata. (Un vai saikne starp racionālismu un apgaismoto absolūtismu ir tik skaidra, kā man izskatās no šī teksta un Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality "world optimisation" pieejas.)
Jeb kā izskatās, kad Meieres "Krēslas" visumā ietvertais potenciāls tiek stratēģiski izspēlēts. Viegls piedzīvojumu romāns manā gaumē: visi ir dīvaini radījumi ar aizraujošām īpašām spējām, un tad notiek eksplicīti racionāla lēmumu pieņemšana, plānošana un cilvēkvadība.
Pārdomas: ko par šo teiktu cilvēki, kas šķiro fantāziju no (zinātniskās) fantastikas atkarībā no mistiskā vai racionālā pasaules skatījuma, jo varoņu pieeja šeit ir otrā, bet uz fantāzijas pasaules pamata. (Un vai saikne starp racionālismu un apgaismoto absolūtismu ir tik skaidra, kā man izskatās no šī teksta un Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality "world optimisation" pieejas.)
August 6, 2014
I wasn't going to read this as quickly but Luminosity left a huge gaping hole that kept sucking my attention away so I had to read it. And I have no regrets.
Luminosity-Radiance is, of course, better than Twilight. Radiance also is a very thorough book; by the end there are very few plot threads left untied, though some might pop up in my mind later. It also departed so entirely from the Twilight series (Luminosity ends about at the plot point that Breaking Dawn ends) that it was interesting in its own right.
The characters and powers that got the most attention were incredibly interesting from a rational-modern-fantasy perspective, the plot kept pulling me forward (I finished the book in two days), and I would recommend this and the series as a whole, first to anyone who read Twilight and second to anyone willing to overlook the fact that it's a Twilight fanfiction.
Luminosity-Radiance is, of course, better than Twilight. Radiance also is a very thorough book; by the end there are very few plot threads left untied, though some might pop up in my mind later. It also departed so entirely from the Twilight series (Luminosity ends about at the plot point that Breaking Dawn ends) that it was interesting in its own right.
The characters and powers that got the most attention were incredibly interesting from a rational-modern-fantasy perspective, the plot kept pulling me forward (I finished the book in two days), and I would recommend this and the series as a whole, first to anyone who read Twilight and second to anyone willing to overlook the fact that it's a Twilight fanfiction.
July 22, 2015
This plot diverges so much from the original, and it does keep you turning pages to see how it can possibly work out in the end, but it drags in many places. Somehow, even though we are given a "happy" ending, it just doesn't seem all that happy to me. Relationships have been permanently damaged. So many people have been killed. I don't know. It just left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
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