Things I know to be (sort-of) true about this book: 
 01. It's unlike everything I've ever read. It is quite possibly the strangest book I've ever read, but in the very best way. 
 02. Nothing is real and everything is real at the same time. 
 03. I have no idea what really happened there at the end, but I believe that that's the point. I love a messy ending, so for me, it works. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who likes their stories tied up with neat little ribbons at the end. It left me feeling a bit puzzled, but at the same time felt right. 
 04. Valente's writing leaves me breathless. Radiance is so stylistically different from Fairyland, which makes sense--a little grittier and darker, but still shiny and wonderful and breathtaking. 
 05. This is not a book to sit down and read in one sitting. This is a book to be chewed on, savored, and then spit back out.