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A review by embug
Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne
4.0
*3.75 stars* - spoiler free
After just having finished 'Skyward' by Brandon Sanderson, I was craving some more sci-fi, but since it's not my usual genre, this is one of the two books I could choose from right off my TBR shelf. (If you take anything away from this review, it's that you should read 'Skyward' by Brandon Sanderson. It's amazing.)
I did not compare the two because, let's be honest, it wouldn't have done this book any favors.
I read Jane Eyre when I was a little too young and honestly found it boring and/or unintentionally hilarious (I sometimes go back to the scene where Mr. Rochester proposes: I laugh every time) and I need to reread it and give it an honest chance now that I'm older, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's talk about this book.
What I liked:
-the plot was really interesting. There were obviously twists and turns I recognized from Jane Eyre but the story had its own twists and turns that kept the story going and interesting
-the character, despite occasional bouts of obnoxiousness, was generally likable and easy to root for
-the book made me laugh a lot, sometimes unintentionally, but overall, I had a great time and was never bored
What I didn't like:
-the world-building was weird and only half-way done: I still had no idea what Stella's world looked like in the end
-the character development was pretty shit in most cases. Some characters halted their developments, others had them away from the main narrative and other characters were downright unnecessary
-wow these must be the most incompetent people ever
-classic 'first-book' mistakes: telling not showing, overwriting some scenes, underwriting others, a little insta-lovey for my taste and others that I can't go into detail about because of spoilers
Overall, solid if a forgettable book that I liked but never loved. If you're in the mood for it, I'd say go for it!
After just having finished 'Skyward' by Brandon Sanderson, I was craving some more sci-fi, but since it's not my usual genre, this is one of the two books I could choose from right off my TBR shelf. (If you take anything away from this review, it's that you should read 'Skyward' by Brandon Sanderson. It's amazing.)
I did not compare the two because, let's be honest, it wouldn't have done this book any favors.
I read Jane Eyre when I was a little too young and honestly found it boring and/or unintentionally hilarious (I sometimes go back to the scene where Mr. Rochester proposes: I laugh every time) and I need to reread it and give it an honest chance now that I'm older, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's talk about this book.
What I liked:
-the plot was really interesting. There were obviously twists and turns I recognized from Jane Eyre but the story had its own twists and turns that kept the story going and interesting
-the character, despite occasional bouts of obnoxiousness, was generally likable and easy to root for
-the book made me laugh a lot, sometimes unintentionally, but overall, I had a great time and was never bored
What I didn't like:
-the world-building was weird and only half-way done: I still had no idea what Stella's world looked like in the end
-the character development was pretty shit in most cases. Some characters halted their developments, others had them away from the main narrative and other characters were downright unnecessary
-wow these must be the most incompetent people ever
-classic 'first-book' mistakes: telling not showing, overwriting some scenes, underwriting others, a little insta-lovey for my taste and others that I can't go into detail about because of spoilers
Overall, solid if a forgettable book that I liked but never loved. If you're in the mood for it, I'd say go for it!