A very interesting read! It's always exciting to delve into different expressions of magic. I really enjoyed Elinors initiative to seek her own destiny no matter what! Magic, sailing, pirates, romance... what more could you ask for?

This was an interesting story that featured both historical fantasy and, more subtly, romance elements which I enjoyed. While I enjoyed it for the most part by the end, I found that I wished the romance had been a larger part of the story or not included at all as I felt like it needed a push one way or the other.

Beyond that, I liked the setting for this sort of story with the addition of the magic system, and will likely check out the rest of the series.

Fabulous read!

Extraordonaires is an interesting series set in a Regency era where magical talent is manifest. I must admit I kept thinking about the Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses books and Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series. I really enjoyed this and am sad it took me so long to get around to it. In fact I purchased the next in the series, 'Wandering Sight', after reading 'Burning Bright.'
What more do you need? A young, talented woman, Elinor Pembroke, trodden down by an autocratic, self seeking father, a handsome captain, Pirates, treachery, Lords of the Admiralty who see not the person, or disregard the person, a couple of navy Lordlings with helicopter relatives who pave their way.
Elinor is a Scorcher (fire adept) whose talent develops late. Being suddenly treated by her father as a genetic experiment to be married off to the highest bidder (think Earl or Viscount) with another talented family in order to produce prodigies, Elinor seeks another path, The Navy. As her powers increase Elinor must learn control or suffer the consequences.
A fascinating story of self awareness and development, gender discriminations of the age, all wrapped in a tightly honed package.
Those I appreciated are the ordinary seaman she works with who come to understand and accept Elinor's efforts.

A NetGalley ARC

Very rarely do I read books from smaller presses, especially if it’s not one I’m familiar with. I’ve read some Entangled and Spencer Hill because they publish some authors I already know. Curiosity Quills was a total gamble based on the fact that this premise is such Christina bait. Historical fantasy was my favorite subgenre of 2016, and I want so many more in 2017. If you enjoyed Dark Days Club and/or These Vicious Masks, you will likely enjoy the hell out of Burning Bright, like I did.


Burning Bright takes place in 1812. England’s at war with Napoleon, and, oh yeah, some people have talents. The talents vary: there are Speakers who can communicate across distances, Bounders who can jump across space, Movers who can move things with their minds, and Scorchers who can manipulate fire, to name a few. There are also Extraordinary talents, which means they have one of the regular abilities turned up to eleven.

Elinor, 21, is a talentless spinster and her family’s given up on her prospects until one night she sets her room on fire in her sleep. She wakes up and puts the fire out, also with her mind. Turns out she’s an Extraordinary Scorcher, and all of a sudden her family’s thrilled to give her another season in London and sell her off to the highest bidder. Talents are highly sought after in wives, much like dowries, in the hopes that they will breed more talented children.

Having loathed her first London season, Elinor’s less than thrilled. Plus, her father, who’s always been emotionally abusive and loathsome, is suddenly playing nice, but it’s not genuine. After her first night out in this new season, where she meets with success, an asshole forces a kiss on her and, because of his future title, her dad’s like “you will marry him.” Elinor says fuck that (not literally) and refuses to either marry a dick who won’t treat her any better than her father or to stay with her family, hated forever. Instead, Elinor chooses option three: she marches down to the Admiralty, barges in, makes a spectacle, and demands to be the first woman allowed to serve in the Navy. And that’s how Elinor escapes an abusive dad to go fight pirates.

Like, come on, how badass is that plot? Is it not what dreams are made of? The talents are really cool, and the Extraordinary/regular talent distinction makes the world building feel distinct. Elinor’s a massively powerful Extraordinary Scorcher, and she’s the only one in England, but she’s not the chosen one or the only Extraordinary Scorcher in the world. She does become massively proficient at her talent without training, which normally annoys me, but for some reason didn’t here. I think it’s because her struggle isn’t learning how to use her power, but how to keep her power from using her. Her Scorching power is constantly wanting her to burn the world down, and she has to fight against this dark urge. She actually goes Dark Phoenix levels of out of control sometimes and it’s intense.

Risking her reputation and her life, Elinor sets sail with Captain Miles Ramsay, with whom she had a brief awkward run-in at that first ball. These two are so cute and go from distaste for one another to friends to love. These two make such a good team, and I totally ship it. There’s something about couples who totally support and trust one another that really gets me. View Spoiler »

I loved the adventure of Burning Bright, the sea battles and the daring exploits. Elinor slowly comes out of her shell, embraces who she is, and faces down her personal demons. She’s been raised a lady, and she doesn’t immediately become okay with living on a navy vessel. It’s so charming as she makes friends with some of the crew; she and one of the men even have a little book club going, and it’s so freaking cute!

More historical fantasy for me, please. This genre is just the best. Let’s take all the romantic elements of history and then give women magical powers so they can fuck the patriarchy. Best thing.

This wasn't too bad of a book and I did make it all the way through.

As always this publishers choice of books is wonderfully surprising. If you like fantasy centered around a woman with extraordinary powers, a setting featuring the dangerous Caribbean waters of the 1800s, and a tale that will wrap you in its claws leaving you breathless as the last page finally releases you.... this is that kind of book!!!

This was a really well made historical fantasy romance. The history, the interpersonal cultural politics, and the military politics were all beautifully handled. The main characters and the background characters were fleshed out individuals.

The leads, Miles and Elinor, were both intelligent, capable people with very human flaws. While Elinor was hardheaded and overconfident, <spoiler>with tragic results that she is going to pay for lifelong</spoiler>, she did grow and learn from her mistakes, which is all anyone can ask of anybody. I loved their clever interactions and the way their relationship grew slowly and organically.

Bravo, Ms. McShane!

McShane's Burning Bright, the first in a new series, mixes Regency England, with its ballrooms and its far flung Navy, with the fantasy genre of average, talented or extraordinarily talented peoples. The book flows quickly and was really enjoyable. I look forward to more in this adventure, barely romance, series.
Received advanced e-galley this book from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. Many thanks!

Historical fantasy. Elinor has an amazing and terrible power to create and control fire. When her father insists on marrying her off for his own gain, Elinor runs away, chosing instead to serve the Royal Navy.

Battling against privateers and pirates who have people with magical powers of their owns proves difficult, as Elinor fights to keep herself and her crew alive, as well as find her place in the world as a woman.

Interesting read!

Burning Bright, the first book in Melissa McShane's latest series, The Extraordinaries,is a well crafted tale spun with care in an alternate universe almost identical to ours.


Elinor Pembroke wakes up, her bedchamber on fire. She extinguishes the flames with only a touch of her mind. But at 21, Elinor is considered too old to present her talent, after all, even her younger sister showed hers years ago. But Elinor's talent is much stronger than anyone anticipated. She is an Extraordinary Scorcher, and unusually powerful for even that.


Faced with the choice of being forced to marry a man who disgusts her, or living the rest of her life on the generosity of her relations, Elinor makes a third choice. One most unexpected, and unsuitable for any lady of her station.


While learning how to harness her powers, Elinor navigates her way through the unending bureaucracy of 19th century British Naval command. She meets another Extraordinary, the captain of the ship she is first assigned to. Captain Ramsey and Elinor strike up an unsuitable friendship, and that friendship saves the lives of them both.


Burning Bright was an enjoyable story, there was romantic tension throughout the book, but it didn't become blatant until the end, when Elinor makes the final decisions about who she is, what she wants, and what she will become. Which was nice. She wasn't pressured into the relationship, she didn't feel obliged to the romance, and it wasn't forced, it evolved naturally. This is a little unusual in most novels with that heavy of romantic tension, especially because the choices were left firmly in the female protagonist's hands.


The book is very well suited to YA/NA readers, although there are a few scenes with semi-explicit violence. But these scenes are handled with a light touch, and there are genuine reactions from the characters regarding their feelings about those acts.