Scan barcode
emilygaynier's review against another edition
4.0
This book made me really want to reread Jane Eyre! Such a good retelling!
I feel like the author did a great job changing the original story to fit the future and space setting. The only things I didn't like were Hugo's name and the random name dropping of popular books.
I did end up getting a ARC from a used book store, but I am planning to buy a finished copy
Read Infinity and Beyond: Star - a retelling of a fairy tale or classic
I feel like the author did a great job changing the original story to fit the future and space setting. The only things I didn't like were Hugo's name and the random name dropping of popular books.
I did end up getting a ARC from a used book store, but I am planning to buy a finished copy
Read Infinity and Beyond: Star - a retelling of a fairy tale or classic
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
5.0
Review 2:
Disclaimer: I own this book! Love it! It’s also signed by the author. Off-topic, sorry!
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: May 1, 2018
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, scares, romance)
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 394
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Stella Ainsley wants just one thing: to go somewhere—anywhere—else. Her home is a floundering spaceship that offers few prospects, having been orbiting an ice-encased Earth for two hundred years. When a private ship hires her as a governess, Stella jumps at the chance. The captain of the Rochester, nineteen-year-old Hugo Fairfax, is notorious throughout the fleet for being a moody recluse and a drunk. But with Stella he’s kind.
But the Rochester harbors secrets: Stella is certain someone is trying to kill Hugo, and the more she discovers, the more questions she has about his role in a conspiracy threatening the fleet.
Review: Oh wow this book was just as fantastic as the first time I read it! I loved the world building and how Donne thought up how life would work in a world where we’re in space because of an Ice Age (it’s a very real threat still). I love the characters and how she took the original plot from Jane Eyre and somehow transformed it into a modern (futuristic?) tale for today’s generation. I also love the writing! I would definitely have loved a continuation of the tale ala 100 Days, but from how the author left it off is fine with me. I also thought the commentary on class and the different socio-economic impacts of certain factors was great.
My only issues are that, from my watch-through of a quick summary of Jane Eyre, that there wasn’t a lot about the Red Room and they changed some things from the original tale, but the changes, in my opinion, were well done and made for a fantastic retelling of a piece of classic literature.
Verdict: A must read if you like Jane Eyre or if you like Space (or BOTH!)
Review 1:
Rating: 5/5
Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Romance/Dystopian/Retelling
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, sexual references, dystopian like horrors, and ice age)
Pages: 400
Amazon Link
Author Website
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book as an e-arc on NetGalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Stella Ainsley leaves poverty behind when she quits her engineering job aboard the Stalwart to become a governess on a private ship. On the Rochester, there’s no water ration, more books than one person could devour in a lifetime, and an AI who seems more friend than robot.
But no one warned Stella that the ship seems to be haunted, nor that it may be involved in a conspiracy that could topple the entire interstellar fleet. Surrounded by mysteries, Stella finds her equal in the brooding but kind, nineteen-year-old Captain Hugo. When several attempts on his life spark more questions than answers, and the beautiful Bianca Ingram appears at Hugo’s request, his unpredictable behavior causes Stella’s suspicions to mount. Without knowing who to trust, Stella must decide whether to follow her head or her heart.
Alexa Donne’s lush and enthralling reimagining of the classic Jane Eyre, set among the stars, will seduce and beguile you
So… I don’t read synopses and I shortly found out after I started reading this book that it was a Jane Eyre retelling. I’m one of those horrible people that hasn’t read many classics (well, I’ve not read the popular classics) but since I was somewhat familiar with Jane Eyre from a YouTube video explaining the highlights of it, I felt I was in a good position to read it. Surprisingly though I didn’t need my limited knowledge of the book to understand what was going on. The book was written so well and so unique given its retelling status. The book didn’t feel like a retelling and unless you were either familiar with the book you wouldn’t notice it was a retelling. The book also expanded from the original story so much and it really made the story its own. The characters in the book were very well developed and what you think is going to happen is completely the opposite of what does. The book did well at doing away at some of the tired old YA clichés. The book also had so many twists and turns that you can’t tell where the book is going. Hands down, one of my favorite Sci-Fi’s to date.
However, I did think that the book could have expanded more on the world building a bit, but once again what we got in the book was really well done and adequate. I need more though and I really hope we get a companion novel to this book. Maybe a Pride and Prejudice retelling? Little Women? White Fang? Wait…
Verdict: Jane Eyre in space is cool. If only Charlotte Bronte thought of it.
Disclaimer: I own this book! Love it! It’s also signed by the author. Off-topic, sorry!
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: May 1, 2018
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, scares, romance)
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 394
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Stella Ainsley wants just one thing: to go somewhere—anywhere—else. Her home is a floundering spaceship that offers few prospects, having been orbiting an ice-encased Earth for two hundred years. When a private ship hires her as a governess, Stella jumps at the chance. The captain of the Rochester, nineteen-year-old Hugo Fairfax, is notorious throughout the fleet for being a moody recluse and a drunk. But with Stella he’s kind.
But the Rochester harbors secrets: Stella is certain someone is trying to kill Hugo, and the more she discovers, the more questions she has about his role in a conspiracy threatening the fleet.
Review: Oh wow this book was just as fantastic as the first time I read it! I loved the world building and how Donne thought up how life would work in a world where we’re in space because of an Ice Age (it’s a very real threat still). I love the characters and how she took the original plot from Jane Eyre and somehow transformed it into a modern (futuristic?) tale for today’s generation. I also love the writing! I would definitely have loved a continuation of the tale ala 100 Days, but from how the author left it off is fine with me. I also thought the commentary on class and the different socio-economic impacts of certain factors was great.
My only issues are that, from my watch-through of a quick summary of Jane Eyre, that there wasn’t a lot about the Red Room and they changed some things from the original tale, but the changes, in my opinion, were well done and made for a fantastic retelling of a piece of classic literature.
Verdict: A must read if you like Jane Eyre or if you like Space (or BOTH!)
Review 1:
Rating: 5/5
Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Romance/Dystopian/Retelling
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, sexual references, dystopian like horrors, and ice age)
Pages: 400
Amazon Link
Author Website
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book as an e-arc on NetGalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Stella Ainsley leaves poverty behind when she quits her engineering job aboard the Stalwart to become a governess on a private ship. On the Rochester, there’s no water ration, more books than one person could devour in a lifetime, and an AI who seems more friend than robot.
But no one warned Stella that the ship seems to be haunted, nor that it may be involved in a conspiracy that could topple the entire interstellar fleet. Surrounded by mysteries, Stella finds her equal in the brooding but kind, nineteen-year-old Captain Hugo. When several attempts on his life spark more questions than answers, and the beautiful Bianca Ingram appears at Hugo’s request, his unpredictable behavior causes Stella’s suspicions to mount. Without knowing who to trust, Stella must decide whether to follow her head or her heart.
Alexa Donne’s lush and enthralling reimagining of the classic Jane Eyre, set among the stars, will seduce and beguile you
So… I don’t read synopses and I shortly found out after I started reading this book that it was a Jane Eyre retelling. I’m one of those horrible people that hasn’t read many classics (well, I’ve not read the popular classics) but since I was somewhat familiar with Jane Eyre from a YouTube video explaining the highlights of it, I felt I was in a good position to read it. Surprisingly though I didn’t need my limited knowledge of the book to understand what was going on. The book was written so well and so unique given its retelling status. The book didn’t feel like a retelling and unless you were either familiar with the book you wouldn’t notice it was a retelling. The book also expanded from the original story so much and it really made the story its own. The characters in the book were very well developed and what you think is going to happen is completely the opposite of what does. The book did well at doing away at some of the tired old YA clichés. The book also had so many twists and turns that you can’t tell where the book is going. Hands down, one of my favorite Sci-Fi’s to date.
However, I did think that the book could have expanded more on the world building a bit, but once again what we got in the book was really well done and adequate. I need more though and I really hope we get a companion novel to this book. Maybe a Pride and Prejudice retelling? Little Women? White Fang? Wait…
Verdict: Jane Eyre in space is cool. If only Charlotte Bronte thought of it.
janie_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
marissae0630's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
debdeb123's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
petrichor_pages's review against another edition
4.0
This book takes place in a world in which an ice age has forced the inhabitants of Earth into orbiting spaceships until Earth has thawed enough to sustain life again. Stella is an orphan who accepts a job on the Rochester ship, becoming the governess to Jessa, Captain Hugo's ward. When Stella arrives on the ship, she finds there are mysterious accidents and not everything aboard the ship is as it seems.
I'm a huge Jane Eyre fan. It was my comfort book as a child, and I found this book to be a pretty decent retelling. The premise of Jane Eyre in space is fun, and the characters are pretty well defined. There were some issues with the science of an ice age such as. However, overall, I found it a fun adaptation of the original, even if it differed in some key points. I do have to say that the ending felt pretty rushed, and the overall motivations for what Hugo does seems a bit off, but although it might have been due to rose-colored glasses, I did enjoy my time with the book.
I'm a huge Jane Eyre fan. It was my comfort book as a child, and I found this book to be a pretty decent retelling. The premise of Jane Eyre in space is fun, and the characters are pretty well defined. There were some issues with the science of an ice age such as
Spoiler
Hiding underground in caves? Yeah, that's not going to workfrogjeanine's review against another edition
1.0
While Jane Eyre in space is admittedly a compelling premise, "Brightly Burning" fails to deliver on the complexities of both Eyre's personal journey of self-discovery as well as the intricacies of Eyre and Rochester's flawed but deeply moving relationship. Additionally, the allusions to other works, such as the heavy references to "Wuthering Heights" among other books, seemed forced at best and more often that not, leaned on the side of inappropriate. The book read more like a fanfiction than a standalone novel; that being said, it would've been a pretty good fanfiction, just not one that should've been made into a book.
lookingtoheaven's review against another edition
3.0
Well done retelling. I don’t usually like retellings, but this one captured the spirit of its source material better than I expected. I liked the space aspect and the world building and the relational anchors the characters provided.
alexperc_92's review against another edition
5.0
I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Review can also be found on *Milky Way of Books*
I couldn't be happier than getting the chance to review this lovely book! Knowing that Netgalley rarely grants requests to INT readers, I was very excited!
The book follows Stella, a young girl who is also a mechanic, a teacher and lives into a spaceship orbing around a frozen Earth.
There are also many spaceships orbiting around Earth and lots of the have manes that can either remind you of 19th century England or they have names of the classics! When Stella takes the chance to become a governess to the Rochester, she will meet its enigmatic captain and the ship's secrets.
There were some alternations to the plot in order to diverge a little from the original. It felt fresher and more alive; the descriptions are great and you can't help but love Stella's POV. She is sweet yet sensitive and wants nothing more but to escape and learn about the world/space.
Some surprises were quite nice in the book, which gave it an air of mystery and the language used in the dialogue did throw me at some parts back to the original Jane Eyre.
The ending was very satisfying and I liked very much!
I couldn't be happier than getting the chance to review this lovely book! Knowing that Netgalley rarely grants requests to INT readers, I was very excited!
The book follows Stella, a young girl who is also a mechanic, a teacher and lives into a spaceship orbing around a frozen Earth.
There are also many spaceships orbiting around Earth and lots of the have manes that can either remind you of 19th century England or they have names of the classics! When Stella takes the chance to become a governess to the Rochester, she will meet its enigmatic captain and the ship's secrets.
There were some alternations to the plot in order to diverge a little from the original. It felt fresher and more alive; the descriptions are great and you can't help but love Stella's POV. She is sweet yet sensitive and wants nothing more but to escape and learn about the world/space.
Some surprises were quite nice in the book, which gave it an air of mystery and the language used in the dialogue did throw me at some parts back to the original Jane Eyre.
The ending was very satisfying and I liked very much!
amy_inthecatacombs's review against another edition
4.0
At least 3.5. I'm a huge mood reader so that Is affecting it some. Curses around 10 times. Characters drink a bit. Author created a replacement curse word for the F word. Really not needed.