Donne interweaves Jane Eyre with a sci-fi mystery in a unique setting. The world-building of massive nation-state ships is impressive, and Donne does a good job placing elements of Bronte into the story without sticking to that story like glue. I look forward to more novels from Donne.

Brightly Burning was a delight! I love that YA is exploring space and different fates for earth more. I haven't read Jane Eyre, but I know it was a huge selling point for a lot of my friends. I absolutely loved this one. It was a romance but also a bit of a thriller. I was on the edge of my seat to find out who or what was on the Rochester causing all of that havoc and I certainly was shocked when we found out what it was.

The characters in this were really fleshed out and I loved all of the side characters too. There was quite a large group of players in this one but I never felt overwhelmed. I wish we did get more backstory or interaction with the scientist considering later events. I really enjoyed exploring Stella's changing relationship with the other characters. I am pleased to announce that there is no love triangle. I was really shocked but excited to see a character realize there crush was misplaced and move on instead of spending the entire book lamenting over two boys.

The relationship did feel a bit rushed to me. I wish there had been a little bit more exploration of it to really make it more believable to me. I did really enjoy the twist, however, and I think the ending was handled fantastically. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this one.

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.

Brightly Burning takes place in a futuristic world where people are living in space because planet Earth has basically gone down the path of devastating destruction. Enter Stella Ainsley, our protagonist, who finds herself transferred to the private ship Rochester and becomes teacher and governess to young Jessa, little sister of the mysterious captain, Hugo. The ship is rumoured to be haunted and Stella is of course curious to learn all its mysteries. If you're a reader that is as familiar with Charlotte Bronte's 19th century novel as I am, the events, character names and storyline hold some very obvious similarities. The added science fiction feel works and I liked the world that Alexa Donne creates and it seemed believable.

If I wasn't sold on something, I would probably have to say that Stella and Hugo didn't woo me. Stella was a really well written Jane with her devotion to teaching, her passion for teaching, and I felt that the loneliness conveyed by Bronte's Jane was also well transferred by Donne's Stella. But Hugo was a poor man's Rochester. He wasn't 19th century dark and brooding just 21st angsty. Maybe it is because Donne had to bring Hugo closer in age whereas Rochester was much older than Jane in the original story.

Brightly Burning is a Jane Eyre retelling set in space. Stella is an teenage engineer with dreams of becoming a teacher/governess on another ship. She secures a post on the Rochester owned by Captain Hugo. This a great adventure. I thought the author was truly creative with this retelling. She keep the spirit of the original story. Even as an adult romance reader, I could not put it down. Thank you HMH Books for Young Readers for the ARC of this title via NetGalley.

I love Jane Eyre! A super futuristic Jane in space is so much fun!! I love that it is a stand alone book! If you like this one you will look forward to the author's companion retelling.

DNF at 23%

So, I love Jane Eyre. I've read a couple read re-tellings of the story. I enjoy seeing the various twists an author takes while remaining true to the source material.

I was particularly excited to read this book, where the last remnants of humanity orbit an ice-covered Earth in decaying space ships. Our Jane, aka Stella, is 17 and has been living as a teacher/engineer on the failing grainship Stalwart, which is spending its last few orbits before all hell breaks loose and it plummets to Earth. Obviously, Stella doesn't want this fate, so she applies to be a governess and gets accepted aboard The Rochester.

All good, all good, yeah? Well, some of the world-building had me raising my eyebrows. Spaceships orbiting Earth? Failing engines? Where is the fuel coming from? Why don't they just sit in a Lagrange Point? Hell, where are all the clothes coming from? And the dyes for the clothes? And all of the other not-very-easy-to-create resources?

This is beside the point. My issue is our Rochester, aka Hugo Fairfax. Rochester is supposed to be much older than Jane—inappropriately so (I am not a Rochester fan, fyi). He's an arrogant asshole because of his age, his wealth and the great social disparity between himself and Jane.

Having all of the trappings of Rochester wrapped up into a nineteen-year-old ship's captain strained my credulity. Hugo has been ship's captain since he was 14 when his parents died (yeah, I dunno how the social hierarchy of this world works—it's all over the place).

I'm not really into watching an arrogant 19-year-old strut around telling Jane—ahem, Stella—how much older and better and world-wise he is to the ways of the world than she while sitting in his office of many leather-bound books and rich mahogany (already had a taste of that and I'm done). Plus, knowing the events of what goes down in the original, I think I can see where this is going and quite frankly it's not holding my interest.

This book has a 4.something rating so far, so others obviously liked it, but it wasn't for me.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Brightly Burning was just straight up entertaining. The kind of book that draws you in, and you need to know what happens. Also, bits of it reminded me of The 100, and that's never a bad thing. It's apparently based on Jane Eyre , which I am pretty sure I "read" in high school but I promise you I didn't actually read it. I actually remembered enough about the general idea though, which was a shocker in itself. I digress, this book was far more entertaining, personally.

I enjoyed the whole "is Earth habitable?" thing. Because again, The 100. (Seriously guys, I think I need an intervention?) But I loved that Stella was looking for some adventure, and was very driven. I also loved that The Rochester (and a lot of its inhabitants!) were super mysterious. I did like the love interest, who happened to be the ship captain, a lot. Hugo was often a trip, and he had to make a lot of tough calls that someone his age should definitely not have had to.

The only issue I had really was that some of the twists seemed a bit predictable. Some I think because of the fact that it is a retelling (and this is my personal issue with retellings- it's easier to know what some of the plot twists will be!) and some just because they were. But overall it didn't really dampen my enjoyment much. I am not sure if this will be a standalone- it is definitely set up to be a series it seems, based on the ending. If it is a series, I loved how it ended and will definitely read the sequel!

Bottom Line: A fun space adventure with a swoon-worthy romance. If it's a series, it definitely nailed the setup for book 2, also!

Review date: April 26
Review link: https://dulivre.blogspot.com/2018/04/book-review-brightly-burning.html

4 stars

Plot: Disclaimer: I have never read Jane Eyre so I can't speak for the retelling aspect of Brightly Burning, but even with my limited knowledge of Jane Eyre, I thoroughly enjoyed this! As a standalone, I found the overall plot to be easy to follow and interesting. The pacing was a bit off as the first 75% of this book took place on The Rochester and was a bit slower paced. The scenes on The Rochester were limited to Stella's interactions with Hugo and were dialogue heavy. I didn't mind the slower-paced chapters, but the climax introduced a completely new plot line and faster-paced storytelling around the 75% mark which was an abrupt change. Regardless, I enjoyed how Brightly Burning wrapped up and was impressed by how it all unfolded.

Characters: Stella was a reasonable girl: she just wanted to do what she loved and wanted to carve out a simple life for herself. As I mentioned, the majority of the book took place in a library with Stella and Hugo about learning each other, and that was a great opportunity to the reader to learn more about them too. Hugo was such a tortured prince and I was instantly drawn to him. The crew on The Rochester endeared themselves to me, and while they weren't as present in Brightly Burning, I enjoyed all of their interactions.

Worldbuilding: Brightly Burning took place after the destruction of Earth and the return of the Ice Age. Massive space fleets orbited the Earth in anticipation of their return to Earth but have made a comfortable life for themselves in space. Donne explained how life in space worked and I was left with no questions. The politics also made this world more realistic and intriguing.

Short N Sweet: Brightly Burning was romantic with characters that drew me in almost instantly!

When I first heard this book was a retelling of Jane Eyre in space, I knew I had to read it. Have I read Jane Eyre? No, but it’s on my TBR and I figured this book would give me the push I need to read that classic. It did that, but only because I’m thinking Jane Eyre would be a little bit better than Brightly Burning. This book was a whirlwind ride. It was really all over the place. There were parts all throughout the book, including the ending, that I sped read through, and parts that I took my time for fear of missing something. I really felt that some parts were written really well and others felt as though the author just needed to add filler.

Let’s start with the negatives. My first and main concern about the plot is that Hugo, the love interest, is an alcoholic. And he never stops being one. Maybe it was implied in the ending? But I feel as though the author should have put an obvious stop to that. As someone who has dealt with alcoholism within my extended family, I know how devastating the effects are. It’s truly awful. (Don’t worry, I’m not getting on a soap box.) So, yes, the author really needed a stronger plot point to end his drinking.

Honestly, none of the characters were really interesting enough for me to want to keep reading the book. Stella was dry and Hugo was basically a martyr without cause. Yes, his family was messed up but he himself wasn’t. So I didn’t really understand his martyrdom. And their relationship lacked critical communication. Hugo just kept assuming Stella would know his motives. And Stella had a love / hate relationship with him until the end where she apparently always loved him and never stopped… Even though she said she hated him a couple times… It was really the plot and mystery behind the Rochester that kept bringing me back.

The story as a whole, was very interesting. The ships can’t sustain life anymore, earth is covered in an ice age, and underneath it all there is a sinister mystery going on. I kind of guessed what was happening on the Rochester, but it was more than what I thought, if that makes sense. I didn’t think big enough. And I was happily surprised. It was the creepiness of the laughter and people almost dying abroad the ship that kept bringing me back to read. And once I found out the scope of the situation, things picked up. Without giving anything away, the ending was my favorite part. It’s where all the action happens and where you don’t know who is going to live or die. I love that kind of suspense.

Final Take: I liked this book. Y’all know 3 stars for me is a liked book. I thought the characters were boring but the plot interesting enough for me to keep wanting to read. I thought the author did a good job making the book feel completed without added questions. It has a satisfying conclusion. I liked it enough to want to check out more of her work in the future.

Jane Eyre is one of my favorite, so I was super excited (and a little confused) to hear about a Jane Eyre in space, but I was not disappointed. It's such a unique, clever retelling. The world-building was superb. I would read many more novels set in this world on all the different ships.

You don't need to have read the original to enjoy this retelling. Fans of Jane Eyre will love the nods to the original, but new comers will be as equally delighted to read about Stella, Hugo, and all the other crew members on the ships. I loved that Stella was a governess and worked to repair the ship as an engineer. Her feelings for her students and dedication to job were great to see.

The pacing was a little off in a couple of places, but overall, the action and tension between the characters propelled the story toward a wonderful climax. I do wish there was a little more at the very end (just because I want to know about this world). This is a standalone, but there is room to grow the world with more books.

This is a great book for sci-fi fans, especially those who love space operas, and anyone who loves a good romance or a retelling.

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne is a young adult science fiction fantasy with a dash of romance that is also an imaginative retelling of the classic Jane Eyre. Of course what better way to modernize a classic than to do a take of it that is futuristic feeling in the setting with the story taking place upon a space ship.

Seventeen year old Stella Ainsley was working as an engineer aboard the poorest ship of the fleet after being raised in a wealthier life with an aunt that didn’t want her so she shipped her off the first chance she could. Having an extensive education though Stella has set her sights on finding a job on another wealthier ship and continues to send out applications.

When Stella actually receives a reply from the captain of the Rochester for a position as a governess she jumps at the opportunity. What she never expected upon arriving on the privately owned ship though was the luxury of not having the ration restrictions she’d always had, a huge room of her own and a very handsome nineteen year old captain.

Brightly Burning was one of those books that was just a lot of fun to read. I thought the author did a wonderful job with the outer space setting along the way. The only thing really that I would have liked to see was a bit more to the romance, it felt a bit like an oh it’s a cute boy I’m in love situation. However, there really was several months passing in the story that just aren’t drawn out so it wasn’t quite as rushed as it may have felt, showing a bit more would have added an extra spark. In the end though I actually rather liked the creativity behind this one and would recommend checking it out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Ok....this book ! hmmmm.....I cant say i have read anything like it. I went from loving this book - to hating it - to liking it - to not being sure how i felt about it. I also felt the same way about the characters...I found this book quiet interesting to read and i don't regret a moment of it - but the hype surrounding this book is a little overdone.

Jane Eyre in space? Count me in! This was a unique take on the classic tale. It is engaging, exciting and the slow burn romance is swoon-worthy. Highly recommended to YA sci-fi readers.

Jane Eyre is one of my fave classics of all time, so when I saw a retelling was coming I was very excited. My expectations were high and... the story didn't live up to them. Don't get me wrong, this book was very interesting and I enjoyed it, but it can't be compared to Bronte's masterpiece.

In general, Brightly Burning follows the original story of Jane Eyre with some differences: it is set in space, Hugo (aka Mr. Rochester) is more young, some events and dynamics have been obviously changed. And these changements didn't bother me but, at the same time, I didn't feel emotionally captivated. I didn't feel the spark, the intensity, the emotions the original story has. I can define it as a light version of JE.

All in all, it wasn't bad but it didn't satisfied me either. I expected more. I wanted more.

I'm a big fan of retelling here, it's Jane Eyre that I have never read (yeah I know, it's a classic), but as a result, I took this book as it is.

We are in a universe of science fiction, the Earth has returned to the glacial area and humans are refugees in space through a fleet of ships. But, after 200 years in space they are not in good shape and more than one could collaps at any time. I really liked the context of this book, we are in science fiction but there is a touch of post apocalypse or even a bit of dystopia. Everything works well and it's easy to immerse yourself in the story.

Stella our heroine is an independent and strong young woman. She suffered a lot of abuse and was orphaned, she was able to bounce back and she never try to flee her responsibilities. Her story with Hugo is slow to come, but that's what makes it realistic. I have not always liked Hugo's character and his way of acting, but I've always loved Stella's behavior, which is worthy and just an example in terms of self-respect (go girl).

For the plot, the book is a oneshot, the novel has rather a good rhythm, but the central part is rather slow. For the rewriting side, according to the summary of Charlotte Brontë's novel, Brigthly Burning has faithfully taken up a lot of elements, but as stated above, I am not able to judge this point. I think this book will appeal to fans of rewriting, but also fans of science fiction.

Did this actually say it wasn’t available as a kindle title? Ugh......

Brightly Burning does a beautiful job of bringing Jane Eyre to life for the modern young reader. A retelling of Jane Eyre that is set in space, it is smart, resonant, and emotionally satisfying. As someone who has loved Jane Eyre for years, I had a few quibbles with this version, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and am now itching to go back and re-read the original!

In the wake of an ice age, the few remnants of humanity are carrying out life on spaceships orbiting earth. However, resource scarcity has only exacerbated the ever-present problem of wealth disparity and social castes. Stella Ainsley, orphaned at a young age, is no stranger to this. She works as a lowly engineer on a poor food-production ship, teaching the ship children in her spare time. When she is offered a position as a governess on a luxurious private ship, she jumps at the opportunity. Stella loves her new student and is intrigued by the brooding, intelligent boy who captains the new ship. Cue creepy and mysterious events, a much prettier romantic rival, and fleet-wide political intrigue.

I liked the addition of the political and sci-fi elements to the story. I thought they were smartly crafted and added a lot. I also enjoyed the nods to the original story (fires, the red room, Stella's art). There were certainly changes made to fit a more modern audience. Hugo (our Rochester stand-in) is 19 instead of much older than Stella. I get that, although I would have been okay with him being in his 20's. He comes across as older a lot of the time, but he has also carried a great deal of responsibility from a young age. Similarly, Jessa is his sister instead of his daughter, and other key elements are changed in ways that, in general, made sense to me. There is also a lot of ethnic and linguistic diversity here, which was cool and made sense in terms of the story. I really enjoyed the storytelling and hope that this is a bridge that brings a new generation of readers to love Jane Eyre.

Of course, this wasn't a perfect book for me, so I will touch on that. My biggest issue was that the beginning of the book felt much less grounded in the story of Jane Eyre and sort of breezed through rather than well-crafted. I think we needed to get a stronger sense of Stella's past and how it informs her as a person before jumping to her new life as a governess. That includes the harshness of her experiences with her aunt and in the orphanage (or, in this case, on the other ship) and something key that was entirely left out in this rendition- her relationship with Helen and Helen's death.

I actually though that was unfortunate, not only because it was such a formative experience for Jane, but also because it provided an interesting opportunity to explore female friendship and/or sexuality. The Jane/Helen relationship has been cast as both a close female friendship, and as something that might have been more. I felt like it was a missed opportunity to do something interesting that would resonate with modern readers. The only other thing was that through the book, Stella periodically writes emails to her friends and the tone of those sometimes felt off to me. They are much more casual in language and tone than the rest of the book generally is and that made them feel a bit jarring. I get the idea, but I think more consistency in tone there would have been better.

Despite those issues, once I got further into the book, I really enjoyed the story and found the nuances and differences to be a pleasant surprise, while enjoying many of the familiar beats from the original. If you love Jane Eyre, I think this is a fun one. And if you just like space, intrigue, and romance, I hope you pick this up, enjoy it, and find a new love for the classic as well. I recieved an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Brightly Burning is Jane Eyre in space, but better!

When I saw Brightly Burning up on Netgalley, I knew I HAD to read it. When I got declined, that didn’t stop me! I almost paid $22 postage for a lovely Twitter pal, Leigh-Ann, to send me her arc (she offered for free but sadly we live on different continents!) Thankfully, I managed to get in touch with the publisher and Emma sent me an invitation to read on Netgalley! I read it in one day, and I kinda want to read it again!

Synopsis






Book Review | Brightly Burning by Alex DonneBrightly Burning by Alexa Donne
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on May 1st 2018
Pages: 400
Goodreads
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 hir...
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Overview





I have to admit that I haven’t read Jane Eyre… or if I have it’s so long ago I don’t really remember (a huge problem I have). HOWEVER I have since read up on Jane Eyre and love how Alex Donne updated Brightly Burning! She removed some of the more, questionable, aspects of Jane Eyre and added so many more dimensions to the story, which I really loved!

Firstly, it’s set in space. What’s not to love, right?! END OF REVIEW – READ THIS BOOK. I’m kidding, ish.

Why is it I find it so hard to review books I loved?!

Brightly Burning is set in a future where humanity exists in a spaceship fleet orbiting an Earth which has suffered an Ice Age. They don’t know if Earth is habitable yet and their ships are starting to fall apart, one de orbited about a year ago, and it looks liek Stella’s ship is likely to be next. She wants to get out. Despite, you know, humanity nearly ending, there is still this whole class system going on with the poor being mistreated.

There’s also BIOLOGY AND VIRUSES! Okay, there’s not a huge amount of detail on this aspect, but enough to make me happy.



Structure







The structure of Brightly Burning, as far as I can tell, very similar to Jane Eyre. Half way through the book I thought we must be near the end, but nope! There was more to come, which is where it got even more exciting and thrilling.

The pacing was pretty steady, fast enough to keep me turning the pages constantly, making sure I was hooked with exciting things. Though the beginning was a slightly slow burn (haha geddit?)

Character





Okay I absolutely loved Stella. She was just badass, didn’t put up with the pompous crap from the higher ups, still made a bit of a mess of herself with love and all that. She was relatable.

Hugo. Ah Hugo. I forgive him his tropish ways, because after all this is a retelling. Thankfully most of the worst of the tropish stuff wasn’t there – but he still was playing hard to get and acting strange… still I really enjoyed him.

I’d never read the original Jane Eyre, but Alexa’s version was plenty engaging on its own. I loved the atmosphere and the amazing tech of the Rochester. I was jealous of Stella a LOT throughout this book, LOL. And man did the tension ramp up. This book features the most intense game of poker I have ever read and that is well before the page turning pumps of the climax. Once I hit the last leg of this book, I stayed up until midnight to finish. A rollercoaster of ups and downs.

Overall very fun and highly recommended for any sci-fi or romance fan!