BRIGHT BURNING STARS by A.K. Small is a book of determination focusing on two girls studying at the famous Paris Opera Ballet School. I obtained this book from NetGalley for free for an honest review. This post DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Why I was interested: I studied ballet growing up and even was a part of a professional corps de ballet so when I came across BBS, I immediately requested it.

Judge a book by it’s cover: I love bringing the flat traditional tutu into the cover (but I will admit her leg direction is throwing me off as it seems unrealistically turned out…).

What to expect: A ballet-centered story with two heroines deciding if how far they are willing to go, the cut-throat world of ballet, and really challenging topics to be aware about including drugs, abortion, and anorexia.

Why you should pick this book up: If you love ballet and its competition, you will enjoy it. It’s a thoughtful book that does focus on challenges in the dance world, but you won’t regret it.

Thanks for stopping by!

MG, #MediaGalReads
https://marenaelizabethgalluccio.com/blog/

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

You can find the Blog Tour post for this review on the blog here:
http://vicariouslyvoraciously.com/rev...

For information on where to buy this book, check here:
https://www.workman.com/products/brig...

First of all, thank you to the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book and join in on the blog tour! I am newer to the book community so every instance such as this are so appreciated. And thank you A.K. Small for this wonderful book that you have written! I can't wait for the rest of the book world to get their hands on a copy and fall in love with these incredibly real characters just as I did.



Goodreads Synopsis:

Best friends Marine Duval and Kate Sanders have trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School since childhood, where they’ve formed an inseparable bond forged by respective family tragedies and a fierce love for dance. When the body of a student is found in the dorms just before the start of their final year, Marine and Kate begin to ask themselves what they would do to win the ultimate prize: to be the one girl selected to join the Opera’s prestigious corps de ballet. Would they die? Cheat? Seduce the most talented boy in the school, dubbed the Demigod, hoping his magic would make them shine, too? Neither girl is sure.

But then Kate gets closer to the Demigod, even as Marine has begun to capture his heart. And as selection day draws near, the competition—for the prize, for the Demigod—becomes fiercer, and Marine and Kate realize they have everything to lose, including each other.



I think that in every girl's life at some point we all looked at a ballerina and thought to ourselves that we wanted to be her. I for one took ballet as a child and actually made it all the way to Pointe before I realized that the amount of time and dedication that was required to succeed from then on was going to be more than I was willing to sacrifice for dance. That and I got side tracked with being a teenager and horseback riding. So there ended my ballet career. But I have always wondered what it would be like to make it. To be a ballerina star, flying across the stage, defying gravity. Its hard not to when you see how magical the dancers look and how effortless it all seems. Bright Burning Stars captures the reality of ballet and through these amazingly realistic characters we learn that its much more than magic. There is actually a lot of hard work, dedication, dieting, and essentially an entire lifestyle that goes into becoming these feather like dolls that seem to float across the stage.

The biggest pull I had in reading this was the friendship dynamic between our two main characters, Marine & Kate. Their relationship with each other and their passion for dance was as close to real as it gets. In growing up we all learn that the perfect fantasy that we've concocted in our minds eventually hits a wall of reality at some point. And people grow apart and different over time. But even though our circumstances may change, and our lives are different, that doesn't mean that we have to lose that friendship. People can learn to work around their differences if they know that person is worth the time and effort to keep in their lives. And the bond between Marine and Kate is more than just friends, they have become family over time. And sure family fights, family disagrees, but in the end they are always there for each other, just like these two girls.

Along with struggling to maintain friendships, there were some other big topics that this book covered. Topics that are all too real in the world of ballet and life in general. Some of these trigger warnings would include: thoughts of suicide, eating disorders, body shame, abortion, & depression. I will say that each of these topics was handled with care and respect and each character did take the time to work through each of these issues and none were glorified in any way shape or form. Although there were times when I pretty much despised Kate as a character because it seemed like she was ungrateful for all she had and she kept making one big bad decision after the next. But without her we wouldn't have had the reality of how this life takes its tolls on those who choose this way of life. Though there was a lot of seriousness surrounding these topics, it wasn't all consuming. There was plenty to show us the happy side of a ballerina's life like the friendships and bonds that are formed, the passion of dancing, the feeling of being on stage and performing, romances that kindle between like minded people, and so much more. This book was so full of emotion and passion it was hard not to fall right in with the characters, they all felt so real!

The way this book is written you can tell that the author was in fact herself a dancer. The terminology all the way down to the details of the daily routine these dancers endure was spot on. I could feel the authenticity in each word. Its beautiful to write about something that you are or have been passionate about at some point in your life. This is where the true beauty behind the words shines the most, and trust me, these are some serious Bright Burning Stars. I found it easy to fall into the writing and get swept away in the words. It wasn't difficult to read at all, flowing from one scene to the next with a small cast of characters to remember, and just the one main location where the story takes place, its very easy to follow and comprehend. I also minored in French in college so the language and dance terms didn't give me any trouble to understand, but I do think that if you aren't familiar with either ballet or French, then it could give you some pause with the sheer amount of terminology thrown into this book. Maybe a glossary of terms will be added to the final copy which I think would help readers who aren't as familiar with these terms understand what they are reading.

My overall thoughts on this book are that its beautifully written, with extreme care to details and realistic touches make the story and characters come to life. You fall in love, feel the rush of dancing, have your heart broken, get angry at decisions made, root for certain people to succeed, form crushes on other characters, and in some ways become a part of the story yourself. Its hard not to when the love for ballet and dance oozes from the pages and right into your heart. There is so much that happens in the short amount of time the book takes to read that when its over, all you can do is sit in silence for a minute taking it all in. I really feel like this book will connect with certain readers who feel this level of passion for their own careers or hobbies. And for those of us who always wanted to be a dancer, we can live vicariously through these characters as they take the journey we chose to pass on so long ago.

I've never been a dancer, but the art of dance has always fascinated me. The discipline, the control of your own body, it's magical. I was also hoping this book would be magical, with the complexities of friendship set upon the demanding field of dance.

I had a really hard time getting into this. At first it seemed too juvenile; that kind of insta-puppy love, longing and obsession and ful of all the things little girls think are the whole world. I wasn't really in the mood to go back there, but it was deeply heartbreaking to read, to see the growing obsession with a boy, the misconstrued feelings and girls being played against each other. It's so easy to see from the outside the silly mistakes, and so easy to forget how easy it was to fall into that kind of game at that age.

I can't say I was really taken by either Kate or Marine. They actually seemed far too similar of characters to me that I often got confused about who was narrating. Granted, they are both teen girls vying for a prize ballet spot, of course they are going to have similarities, but they didn't stand apart enough for me and I didn't fully believe their ambition; with how distracted they were with boys and the such. Maybe because I've never been a dancer, I just don't get it? But they came off as very naive and shallow, and made a lot of bad, almost ridiculous choices, which made me roll my eyes. Maybe that was the point, but the characters were two dimensional and the further I read, the more I grew to really dislike them. One thing after another, their stories just got more and more ridiculous.

What really shined brightly with this were the dance scenes, though I have to admit that a lot of it was lost on me, given the fact that I have no dance background. Someone who studied it, or even had a mild interest in it, would probably quite enjoy these parts. That said, Small really painted a vivid picture that came alive as you read it and flexed her obvious knowledge of the art of dance. That part was beautiful.

I was expecting a cutthroat, dark story about toxic female relationships and ambition but what I got was a romance book set in a dance school with a few edgy cliche hardships. I was expecting a Black Swan-like dark and intimate take on the world of competitive dance, but ended up with a Center Stage feel instead. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed both movies, but this could have been so, so good, but it went in a totally different direction than I was set up for. It was a bit of a letdown.

Tackling the complexities of toxic female friendships is quite a feat and can be so compelling and interesting, but it was not masterfully handled here.

I saw this book on NetGalley, I got curious right away. I honestly don't know much about ballet because to me it sounds so girly. I never tried enrolling to one of the ballet schools either. I just know that this type of dance is beautiful I always imagine watching one live though, maybe I will try one day. Also, in our family, only my youngest sister tried having ballet classes when she was in grade school and I go with her practice sometimes. Watching those little kids dance are the cutest thing ever.That's my little memory about ballet but to me this book is interesting enough to catch my attention. The blurb actually got me, I was curious on what will happen to Marine and Kate. Friendships and sacrifices, I wonder what would win?

Ballet, friendship and ambition, in my opinion, these three are the main focus of this. Bright Burning Stars is a good book, fun to read and of course there are some parts that you will annoy you like any other books made, but that's what makes it exciting right? There's no such thing as a perfect character. The book shows us what would happen once the ambition takes over and clouded our heads. Things you do for something you badly wanted to achieve? it could be insane plans. I liked the main characters; Marine, she's kind, innocent and amazing. She sacrificed some parts of her because she wanted to honor Oli, her twin. She's the best friend of Kate and they both liked the same person, Cyrille the Demigod. Her other best friend is Luc who looks after her every single time. Kate, she's kind but ambitious. She's from USA and will do anything to fit in, to be number one. She's a different kind of trouble. Marine & Kate had a pact, that no matter what happens they will stay together, but with every thing that happened in the ballet school, every challenges, things are getting shadowy. The real question is that, will they still regain friendship or will it be destroyed? That's what the readers needs to find out. To me, the book is sort of challenging because there are some terms that I had to Google because, like I mentioned earlier, I am not really familiar with ballet.

Anyhow, Bright Burning Stars is a good young-adult book. This is the first book of A.K Small and I suggest this to people who likes dancing, music, ballet etc. I enjoyed and learned a lot of terms from this book though. I can also imagine their movements like I'm watching them live.

Lastly, I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and of course A.K Small for this amazing book. I am looking forward for more A.K Small books.

This sounded like everything I want in a book. Cutthroat ballerinas, a murdered classmate, and an impossible question? I was really disappointed in the characterization of this one. I wasn't convinced that they were friends, let alone had this much of a bond.

There were a lot of dark themes in this one and I don't think they were always handled well. It was just really lackluster for me and I wasn't invested in the characters, their struggles, or the prize. I just wanted a lot more from this book and I was really disappointed.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Algonquin Young Readers through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

*A big thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for this eARC in exchange for a honest review*

First of all, the story is pretty good. It’s really nice and pretty clean to read. I love the alternating of the characters, Kate and Marine, letting us know the sides of these girls, especially their dances, their ways on how to win in the school competition and showing their passion about ballet. I love the way that the author wrote every detailed in their dances, it’s really imaginable. I like kind of story like this, but it didn’t give that much impact to me to love it.

Let’s talk about the characters, first is Kate Sanders. She’s one of the passionate dancer that I’ve ever read and she’s doing everything to reach and grab The Prize. Her ways are really intense and flirty in a good and also bad way. Then, we have Marine Duval, also a passionate dancer and doesn’t really much care if she lose or win the competition. Both of them really have this different perspective and ways to love of these two girls. When they start talking about they’re past and how they meet, it’s really cute and BFF kind of thing is the sweetest thing ever.

But when the competition starts, both of them are over their heads to be at the top, I’ll be honest that I kinda hate Kate side story. It didn’t give me that impact to love her despite of her down fall. I know dancing ballet is really tough, but I just can’t help not to hate in some parts of the story. Her perspective in love is also way up to high to be girl that she really wanted. She sometimes irritates me and I’m very glad that Marine is always there for her when she’s on trouble. I really like her energy and her enthusiasm with herself. The ending is pretty surprising for me but I think it’s a win-win for Kate and Marine.

Overall, I gave it 3.5 stars. The struggle of the girls was there and the story about bestfriends is nice. I really liked it, somehow, I’m still like missing something. I would really love to hear what you guys think of this book!

Content Warning: Overall dark and depressing tone, Depression, Self Harm, Underage Drinking, Smoking, Sex, Forced miscarriage, Self-harm, Anorexia, Drug abuse, Suicide idealization, Death

”If you were only allowed to feel one, which would you pick, pain or numbness?”
I didn’t want to play Would You anymore. I shrugged.
“Come one. You have to answer,” Kate said.
“Numbness,” I replied.
“Not me,” Kate said. “I’d pick pain any day.”

When I say I typically don’t read contemporary, I should probably stick with that. When I first came across this book, though, I was interested due to the ballet aspect of it. To be honest, it was nice to have a momentary step away from the fantasy realm. However, I wished I would have spent this hiatus with a different choice. While Brightly Burning Stars has a few good points to it, most of it is very negative. As you can see from the content warning listed above, there is a lot of crap poor choices made, backstabbing, and too many other unpleasantries to really appreciate the dancing part of this book.

I’m not a ballerina. I took lessons when I was younger, but never went far with the discipline as I lost interest and developed it for other things--one being hip-hop dancing. No matter the type, I still appreciate dance. This aspect was the strongest of the entire book. This author knows her stuff when it comes to ballet and it’s easy to tell she’s intimately involved with it. Reviewing the other parts within the story is when it gets unpleasant.

The story is told in an alternating format between two best friends and fellow dancers--Kate and Marine. Both girls attend the Paris Opera Ballet School and are in their final year there. As competition gets stiffer, they begin to do whatever it takes to come out on top--and it gets messy. Boys, drugs, alcohol, and all sorts of destructive behavior takes both girls down paths they don’t exactly desire. As this happens, a chasm appears in their friendship and pulls them apart.

”Marine, notre monde, this world of ours--the stage and studios and barres--is intense and lonely. There is no space for friendships, love, or even an old and perhaps sacred bond between twins. Nothing shadows the art of dance. It’s a union of body, mind, and music. Classical dance is known for being ruthless. Any retired company member would tell you it’s a one-man show.”

If anything, this book is a glimpse into the dark lifestyles that people live when they only live for themselves and promoting their own gain.

Unfortunately, there really isn’t much to take away from this book. It think it teeters on the edge of dangerous for young readers, as there are some very touchy and serious topics like anorexia, forced miscarriage, and self-harm, and they never come full circle to promote readers to not follow suite. These are topics that shouldn’t be lightly included in a plot to make it thicken. Due to its content, this shouldn’t be a Young Adult book at all. While I liked the dedication to detail of the ballet-aspect of the book, I disliked pretty much everything else.

Vulgarity: Moderate
Sexual content: Explicit sex scenes resulting in pregnancy and forced miscarriage
Violence: Minimal.

My Rating: ★1/2

"Compulsively Readable" The best description I've seen so far of this book!

Remember that Natalie Portman movie Black Swan? That was my first glimpse into the intense competition that goes on in the ballet world. Picture that level of competition, obsession, and desire to be the best - but add in being a teenager and dealing with boys? A whole nother level of insecurity, desperation and ambition!

Marine and Kate are among the best of the best at the Paris Opera Ballet School and also the best of friends. Just before they are to embark on their final year - a student is found dead and it leaves them struggling to grapple with the ultimate question: How far would they go to win? To be the best? To be number one?

The competition aspect of this story is INTENSE. Ballet on it's own is an extreme sport in my opinion - the toll it must take on the mind and the body - is nothing short of extraordinary. Throw in the desire to be the best of the best, and how few make it to the top - and you can imagine the stress and the pressure put on these dancers. Just reading as each competition and trial and performance for rankings/selections took place had me anxious and on my toes! I was riveted by the process, the fierceness and felt ALL the emotions.

Also throw in the hardest parts of being a teenager - dating boys, agonizing over weight and appearance, and trying to hang on to your best friend, the ONE person who gets you, but is also your rival - this story had me feverishly turning each page to find out where each dramatic twist and turn would take Marine and Kate.

The buildup was extremely exciting - and I felt the pressure along with each character as they pushed themselves to the limit to dance their very best. But for some - these limits may ultimately be sacrifices they'll have to live with for the rest of their lives. A riveting story from start to finish!

Set at a prestigious ballet school in Paris, Bright Burning Stars is a lushly written boarding school drama about two best friends who will do whatever it takes to win “the Prize” … even if it means losing each other on their way to the top. From complicated female friendships to heartbreaking romances, Bright Burning Stars is the literary equivalent of Center Stage for the modern age, but with much higher stakes.

An interesting idea but the writing style did not engage me. Found the plot to move a little slowly.

A.K. Small’s Bright Burning Stars is a powerful debut that exposes the dark underbelly of competition at an elite ballet school in Paris. The story follows Marine Duval and Kate Sanders, who have been best friends ever since they first started training at the school. As the girls get older, the training gets more and more intense and the stakes get higher. What every student wants is “the prize” – a spot in a prestigious ballet company. The problem? Only one male and one female student are chosen each year to win the prize and the competition is truly fierce, with students resorting to desperate measures to give themselves an edge over their fellow competitors. Can Marine and Kate’s friendship survive in such a cutthroat environment?

This was such an addictive read for me, in part because of the nature of the competition itself and because of the toll it took on each of the student dancers. There was just so much tension and suspense! I couldn’t stop turning the pages because I wanted to know who was going to win, of course, but also what the students were willing to do in order to win. The very nature of the competition pits students against one another, forcing them into isolation from one another rather than encouraging them to bond. As if that weren’t enough, there is also the regular ranking of students based on performance, which leads the students to define their self-worth strictly in terms of what their ranking happens to be at that moment and their sense of worth goes up or down as the rankings change.

I think the author does an incredible job of vividly and realistically portraying just how unhealthy such an environment is and what a strain it can put on even the strongest of friendships. This is an environment primed for mental health struggles, drug abuse and eating disorders in the strive for a perfect dancer’s body, endless cattiness and jealousy, and even suicidal thoughts. I found the challenges that both Marine and Kate faced to be riveting, and between the physical and emotional strain they were both under, I truly worried from page to page if both of them, and their friendship, could withstand the immense pressure they were under.

I also loved the way the author starkly contrasts the exquisite beauty of the dance itself with all of that ugliness that takes place behind the scenes. I thought it made for a very powerful read.

Bright Burning Stars is a moving read about the drive for perfection, unrealistic expectation, and the need to sometimes reevaluate what’s most important in life. I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in a dark story that will leave you with plenty to think about long after you’ve finished reading.

I couldn't help myself... A glance at the cover and I'm gone! Yep, I'm definitely reading this one - I just A.D.O.R.E. ballet. When I read the description, I doubted whether this is something I'd like but I still had to try. The bit I didn't like was that it hinted at a love triangle and that it'll take over the whole book but it did NOT and boy, I was so thankful!

Bright Burning Stars was so much more than just a love story or even boys. It delved much deeper into the psyches of these two girls who are passionate about dancing but are in a very stressful competitive situation. Their friendship of many years are challenged to the breaking point and their health are at risk to the point of destruction. This was a rather dark read.

Thankfully, this book is told in dual perspective, Kate Saunders and Marine Duval. I am very glad for Marine's because I think I might have thrown the book if all I had to read was Kate's point of view. Both Kate and Marine have had their share of childhood grief and each has their own issues in this story but Marine as a character is one you can easily sympathise with while Kate may just make you cry (after wanting to shake her).

As I read Bright Burning Stars & tried to guess the ending (who does that!?), I was reminded of Centre Stage (movie). The more I think of it, the more I see similarities between the 2 but enough differences to exist. Nevertheless, if you love this book, go watch Centre Stage!! And vice versa ;)

My thanks to Algonquin Young Readers for having me on this tour

WOW!

Going into this I definitely was not expecting it to tackle such heavy topics, but I'm glad that it did. It definitely made this book that much more of a page turner and left me dying to know how it ends! Ever since I saw the movie Black Swan years ago I've been super intrigued by the cut-throat ballet world. It's amazing and horrifying at the same time the amount of dedication and lengths that dancers will go to be perfect. This book definitely nails that balance of amazement and horror.

The author's writing allows readers to still enjoy the story despite not knowing much about ballet and the terms used for specific moves. I was nervous initially that I wouldn't be able to keep up but that was definitely not the case! As for the characters, I can't say I was necessarily smitten by them but I still invested enough to need to know how it ends.

All in all, this was a great debut for the author and I can't wait to read more of her work in the future!

"Nothing shadows the art of dance. It's a union of body, mind, and music. Classical dance is known for being ruthless. So commit to yourself and fight for your destiny."

Bright Burning Stars takes us into the highly competitive and intense world of classical ballet training in the Paris Opera Ballet School. We meet Kate and Marine, two girls in the top division, where only one girl and one boy will receive the final prize: an invitation to dance with the Opera Company.

They've dedicated years to learning the art of ballet, pushing their bodies and minds to be the instruments they need them to be all while holding on to their friendship. But as the competition rises and time runs out, each girl must decide what they would do in order to win.

"Would you die for The Prize?"

Even if you aren't familiar with the world of classical ballet, AK Small brings the school to life in a very relatable way. We get the details of the school, from the clothing they wear, to the tiny nooks and crannies where each student finds their own escape from the rigors of study. More importantly thought, we get an intimate examination of what this intense focus does to the body and mind of two teenage girl.

Through Marine and Kate, told through alternate narratives, we see the pressure of perfection and how it can translate to different personalities. I think this alone makes the novel highly relatable to teens, as no matter what school you attend, or where you live, the desire to fit in, to come to terms with blossoming crushes and changing friendships, these are all issues every teenager the world over faces.

Small also unflinchingly tackles much deeper and larger issues that many teenagers face. The beauty in this story isn't in the issues she raises, but in how beautifully she showcases their onset and the lingering consequences these issues leave. It isn't simply how the desire for perfection can trigger an eating disorder, but how difficult it can be to reverse the physical changes starving yourself causes. Small shows us how depression can feel. How it can grip every decision, even minor ones, so that its hold continues to lead down a spiral of negative emotions. She gives us an unflinching and raw view of grief, abandonment, hope, fear, desire, and how tricky the path of truly finding yourself is.

"I didn't want to explain. I didn't want to say that grief was like a recurring injury that erupted instinctively. People who'd never grieved didn't know."

Perhaps not every teenager will find themselves in a highly competitive world, but the issues of mental health, wanting to fit in, feeling left behind and not good enough, are all themes that will resonate on different levels with a diverse group of teens. The way Small brings these relatable emotions and struggles into a world that is foreign makes our glimpse all the more intimate and fascinating. I was hypnotized by the prose and captivated by the characters. Even when facing the blunt, ugly truth that propels the enigmatic beauty of ballet on the stage, Small makes sure that the entire experience remains firmly rooted in emotion. We feel for these girls. We understand them. We are them.

This debut is a stunning achievement, where we come to love the two girls, even when we disagree with their choices and don't understand their behavior. They become relatable even as the world they choose to live in remains mystifying. Kate and Marine could be any teen where failing is unthinkable and the emotional stakes are even higher. This is not a novel where issues are only looked at on the surface. Instead we go deep into the heart and psyche of these girls. We go through their highs and lows, and in the end, are left reeling from an experience that is entirely human. Any reader who wants an emotional journey told through mesmerizing prose, will quickly fall in love with Bright Burning Stars.

Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for my copy and for including me on this blog tour! Highly, highly recommend.

"And besides, wasn't there a difference, between splendor and intimacy?"

As someone who danced for years and was awarded scholarships to a number of schools, I often look forward to books about ballet. So I was very excited to hear about A.K. Small’s Bright Burning Stars.

A.K. Small trained at the Académie Chaptal in Paris and later danced with companies across the United States. Bright Burning Stars was inspired by the dancers from her childhood.

The strength of Bright Burning Stars lies in the dancing. The dance scenes are cinematic in scope, ranging from grand to intimate. The vibrant sections are bold and brilliant.

The magic, however, diminishes with everything else. Small’s characters come across as one note, playing to stereotypes rather than something original. The immaturity of both girls made me wonder how a parent would allow them to live on their own in the first place.

Truthfully, as someone who used to work at a dance school, Bright Burning Stars is not a book I would recommend to tween/early teen girls. Kate’s flippant toward sex and the consequences of it made my stomach turn.

Bright Burning Stars has promise, it’s just never really fully realized. This one is a library read for mature teens.

I really enjoyed this book; it was a heartbreaking read but one that I really fell for & felt desperate to return to every night. Kate & Marine’s friendship was real & their struggles tugged at my heart. The world of ballet often seems horrific in books, but it completely fascinates me & always engulfs me.

⚠ This book contains a character with anorexia & one with severe depression, discussions of suicide, drug taking & scenes of a sexual nature ⚠

I danced ballet with a passion from the age of two until I was ten, and I wanted so badly to be a professional dancer. Unfortunately, I got hurt playing softball and have been plagued with chronic pain ever since, so that dream never came true. But I still love watching ballet and reading books about ballet, so I knew I wanted to get my hands on BRIGHT BURNING STARS as soon as I heard about it. Now, you don’t have to love ballet to pick up this book, but if you do love ballet, you have to pick up this book!

Although I wanted so badly to be a dancer, I know now that I don’t think I would’ve made it anyway. Reading about the experiences of Marine and Kate at the Paris Opera Ballet School only reinforced that realization! The dedication of all the students to their craft is impressive. At the same time--especially since, at the end of seven long years of fairly brutal training, only one boy and one girl will receive a spot in the corps--the situation kind of makes relationships of any kind difficult. Marine and Kate have managed to remain thick as thieves--”Moon Sisters”--from the moment they arrived at the school until their final year. However, the seventh year at school finds their friendship strained, due to Kate’s tendency to lose herself in romantic relationships, Marine’s overwhelming desire to lose more and more weight, and the pressure of competing with one another as the judges’ final decision approaches.

If you’re a fan of contemporary novels that examine friendship, first love, dedication to a goal, and what happens when the goal you’ve worked so hard toward may remain out of reach, I hope you’ll pick up BRIGHT BURNING STARS! If you love ballet, well, that’s just the cherry on top.

Rating: 3.5 stars!

**Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.

I'm obsessed with ballerina thrillers, as I think that by nature of a story being rooted in such a cutthroat world, you're almost always certain to get one hell of an enthralling story. Bright Burning Stars definitely leans towards the more mature side of the Young Adult genre with its NA flair, and there are a number of trigger warnings which I hope readers will consider. That said, the author's background in competitive ballet was a really important factor here, and it was clear that while this story was written with love, it was not without a critical eye. Her knowledge shone through in every word and helped root the reader in the story, hooking you from the very beginning. It was a very interesting read, and while it wasn't a favorite of mine, I do believe it is doing important work in a compelling manner.

Kate and Marine were fascinating characters. I found Kate's narrative and her character arc to be just slightly more riveting, but the two women balanced the story between the "classic" issues one would expect a novel about the ballet world to handle and those newer, more interesting and refreshing issues which one may not even have previously thought factor into life as a prima ballerina. I thought the way that the two girls were depicted as drawing both together and apart in distinct stages was very fitting and natural. Oftentimes in close friendships, your lives may simply diverge for a number of reasons without some huge external factor contributing to it, and it was nice to see that dynamic on display. It also enabled the reader to really get into each girl's head and understand their personal worldview. I also adored the relative isolation of this story. It helped pull you into the world, even though the prose itself, unfortunately, did not. The technical language sometimes overwhelmed some of the story's grandest moments, but they still made an impact on me.

However, I grew frustrated towards the middle of the novel with its linear nature. There was nothing to drive the story forward except your knowledge that the school year had to come to an end and someone had to win "the Prize," but that led to the middle section of the novel really dragging. Kate also frustrated me, as she made the same mistakes over and over and over again with almost no clue she was making them, and I wanted to scream at her by the end of the book. While that can be effective in some cases, I'm not sure if it paid off here. I also wished we had gotten more of Cyrille, especially his backstory. I thought the use of created archetypes throughout the book was incredible, and I loved seeing Cyrille slowly become humanized while still never losing that otherworldly luster which was assigned to him. I think the novel could have benefitted from unpacking him further.

Overall, this was a very interesting read and one that I know will stick with me for a long time. While I don't think every issue it brought up was necessarily handled well (perhaps too many were considered for just one novel), the raw, real and undoubtedly blunt depiction of this world was highly effective. For fans of the really dark and nitty-gritty, this is a perfect read.

This was quite an interesting read. It's definitely outside of my typical reading choice.

Dark and twisted, it explores the world of ballet. Which for whatever reason (too many movies, I suppose) I always picture as being filled with catty and backstabbing people.

It's very intense and definitely feels geared towards those who may know the world better than I do.

I enjoyed it though.

3.5 Stars

'Bright Burning Stars' is a dark young adult contemporary novel that focuses on two best friends, their time at a prestigious ballet academy in Paris, and what they are willing to do to become the best and win the ultimate prize. I don't have any dance background, so I found the plot of this book to be very interesting for many reasons. I've read other books and I've seen movies about ballet and how intense and cutthroat it can be, especially when something like the Prize - a spot on the corps de ballet - is at stake, but I thought this novel took an even deeper look inside this world and the people who make it their entire lives. There's definitely some heavy topics discussed throughout the book - some may even be considered triggers - and I thought it was fascinating that the author included them. It made the characters all the more realistic because they were fighting inner demons and real world problems just like the rest of us. It made me connect with them and really empathize with their situations.

I loved the two main characters - Marine and Kate. What made the book really stand out for me was the author's use of the dual narrative (alternating between Kate and Marine) and the use of the first person POV. This is by far my favorite writing style because it allows the reader to connect on a deeper level to the narrator(s) and get inside their minds. This was definitely the case with this novel and I thought it made the story all the more intense and real. We get to see what each girl is thinking and feeling throughout the book, their hopes and dreams, their fears and insecurities, and their true feelings about everything around them - from themselves to other people and even ballet itself. I loved that the author chose to write the story in this way and I don't think it would've had the same positive effect if it had been done in another POV. This was a perfect fit and really allowed the reader access to both main characters at once.

I'm not going to go into the plot because I don't do spoilers and the majority of the book contains big events and revelations about the characters. I'll just say that it was an inside look at the dark side of ballet and also the dark side that people have inside of them. The story had a quick pace, which made it hard to put down. It was well written and most of the aspects of the novel were wonderfully done, which made it a huge surprise when I found out this was the author's debut. It definitely speaks to her talent as a writer and storyteller, and I'll be keeping an eye out for her next release. I'd definitely recommend this book to fans of YA fiction, contemporary fiction, and fans of ballet or other dance related books.