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A review by popthebutterfly
Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne
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.