Review: BRIGHTLY BURNING by Alexa Donne

Source: Received an egalley through Netgalley.
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 1st, 2018
Number of Pages: 400 (Hardcover)

DESCRIPTION

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.

G E T   Y O U R   C O P Y   N O W !
Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Indigo | B&N | Kobo

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REVIEW

I'm definitely a fan of the classics, and Jane Eyre has always been one of my favourites, so when I first heard about BRIGHTLY BURNING, a retelling of Jane Eyre in space...I was immediately intrigued! I joked about wanting to know where Rochester's crazy wife could possibly be in a spaceship, and I added it to my TBR immediately!

Fast forward to when I read this, I started reading BRIGHTLY BURNING it and I absolutely COULD NOT STOP! Before I knew it, I'd finished half of the book and I still didn't want to put it down.

From the very first page, I was hooked! I loved the characters, the setting, the writing, and I adored how Alexa Donne wove her retelling of Jane Eyre. It was perfect! It kept all of the vital parts of the story, while also keeping certain elements a bit mysterious...and the characters did have some similarities with Rochester and Jane, but Hugo and Stella were definitely entirely their own characters as well, and I absolutely loved them both! I loved how bold Stella was, and I loved how she often brought out the best in the people surrounding her, and I especially loved how she connected to them all. Hugo points out at one point that her name literally means "star" and I thought that was very fitting since she's clearly the character who is "Brightly Burning" throughout the story. She draws in the other characters, and I loved her goodness, and her empathy, which were so quintessentially Jane-like, but also perfectly fit Stella. And Hugo...Hugo was broody as can be, and he definitely played the rakish role like Rochester, but he was also a lost, young man, and I absolutely loved seeing all of the moments where he opened up to Stella. I loved their romance so much! It captured all of my favourite elements of Jane and Rochester's romance in Jane Eyre and that was EXACTLY what I was hoping for! :D

I know Jane Eyre isn't for everyone, but I've always loved the dark gothic vibe, and the broody nature of Rochester. When it comes to Jane, I've always loved her goodness, her tenacity, and her drive to always be true to herself, and for me that's exactly what Alexa Donne gave me in BRIGHTLY BURNING...with a tiny bit more teenage angst and some good ol' space drama. I'm a huge fan of sci-fi stories, and I'm a sucker for anything that takes place on a spaceship, especially when you end up with an intimate "Firefly-esque" size crew like you have on the Rochester in BRIGHTLY BURNING. Combine the epic space elements with how well Alexa Donne captured Jane Eyre, and I thought that this story was absolutely PERFECT!

So, it should come as no surprise that I loved BRIGHTLY BURNING! The characters, the writing, the setting, and the way that Alexa Donne managed to perfectly capture Jane Eyre were everything that I could have possibly hoped for this book to be! I think that anyone who loves Jane Eyre while also enjoying sci-fi, young adult, and some space drama will absolutely love it, too. I really hope that you all love BRIGHTLY BURNING as much as I did because I thought it was phenomenal! :D

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Who else loves Jane Eyre and Firefly?

Does BRIGHTLY BURNING sound like something you'd like to read?

Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

 (Click this link to go to Jane Eyre's Goodreads page.)

Well, nowadays it's hard not to come across mention of Jane Eyre, and other classics, within current literature and media. For this reason, I really wanted to read this book. I wanted to understand the references and know the story.

At first, I had difficulty getting into the book and it was taking me a long time to read. However, once Jane grew up and the more notable characters were introduced, I found myself getting drawn in.

I loved Mrs.Fairfax, such a kind a gentle older lady, and Adele, was such a spoilt little girl, who you couldn't help wanting to dote on, at least I couldn't.

Jane herself, is such an interesting character, she has various beliefs, which she sticks to persistently. She won't let anyone sway her beliefs or ideas, and when pushed her fiery spirit comes out. You can't help but love her, she thinks herself plain and not handsome, which other characters repeatedly mention as well. It makes you think that it must have been terrible to be ugly or not 'handsome' back then because no one lets you forget it. Anyways, despite her plainness, she's brave and one of the greatest heroines of all-time, it's no doubt we're still hearing reference to her today. And Mr.Rochester, well I tend to love whomever the heroine loves, most of the time anyways, and this time was no exception. He seemed a strict and hard man, not handsome himself either, but the banter and connection between he and Jane was so strong, you couldn't help but notice it and root for it. Edward Rochester hid various secrets, but even with those secrets, I couldn't help but feel for him.

I don't want to ruin the story for anyone who hasn't read it, but despite the hardships that befall each character, I was happy with how it ended.

It's a difficult read because of the language, which obviously we aren't used to anymore, but if you persevere, it's well worth reading. It's a beautiful story and once I got used to the language it seemed to flow off the pages.

I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Have you read Jane Eyre? Do you want to read it?

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Back to school once again....random entry, nothing too important

Okay, so it's now Saturday, almost Sunday to be honest, and I've already finished the first half week of school, you could hardly call it a week, since we started on Wednesday. I'm not sure how I feel about being back. It's nice to have something to do, and I do like learning, the tests and assignments though, not so much.

The atmosphere on campus is so intense in September, everyone seems to be on overdrive. You walk faster. You talk faster. You probably even breathe faster. That being said. The lines are not so much fun and neither is waking up early, but thankfully, my classes all start late enough that you can barely call my wakeup time early, it's not sleeping in, but it's still pretty nice.

This year, I'm talking Russian, and I'm loving it. It's sooooo different from English, even the alphabets aren't the same. I'm hoping that I'll continue to like it, and if it keeps going like this I'm sure I will. I'm eager to learn the language...it's the remembering part about it that I'm worried about.

For anyone who's curious, this is the Russian Alphabet or as the Russian's would say, "Russkiy Alfavit."

The biggest downside to being back to school is that it's so hard to read things for personal pleasure, especially since most of the classes I'm taking this semester involve reading. Right now, I'm reading Jane Eyre, I'm getting soooo close to the end and I'm getting anxious. I want to know how it ends so bad...I've got my fingers crossed for Jane and Mr.Rochester. Hopefully it all works out, if not I've always got tissues at hand.

I'm in a picture sharing mood, can you tell? :)

Another downside (of September at least)...it's freaking freezing lately!!! Last September we had a heat wave, this year it feels like it's going to start snowing any second. That's one of the hazards of living in Alberta I guess though, the weather is completely unpredictable.

 Do Svidanya, and happy reading as always!! :)