When it comes to Victorian Lit, I tend to like mine dark like my chocolate. Don’t get me wrong I love Pride & Prejudice, but the Bronte sisters make my top ten all-time favorite books. What can I say? I like a creeper in my attic. So when I found out that Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne is a reimagining of Jane Eyre set in space, I was all in. Brightly Burning is a YA SciFi fantasy with a nod to the Regency classic.
More About Brightly Burning
Living on a massive spaceship freighter orbiting Earth as the surviving population waits out a cataclysmic ice age, seventeen-year-old Stella is desperate to better her situation. Working as an engineer and a part-time teacher aboard the farming ship, Stella is running out of options.
The ship is on its last leg, other ships are starting to farm and she lives a cubical-size life with, as luck would have it, a couple of hot guys that only see her as a friend. She applies for a tutoring position on three ships but only The Rochester, a swank remote cruiser, offers her a job.
When she arrives on The Rochester, Stella adores her new luxury living. Water and food aren’t rationed, she has her own room with a spectacular view, and her new pupil is precocious and kind. But the longer she stays onboard, strange things start to happen, jeopardizing her new job and her safety.
Watch Alexa Donne talk about 10 Things to Expect from Brightly Burning
Why I loved Brightly Burning
It is 100% Jane Eyre in space but minus the weirdness. If you’re a super fan of Jane Eyre, then you’ll recognize all the nuances Alexa Donne takes to better the original text. For example, the captain of The Rochester is not some middle aged married man. Instead, he’s a depressed, nineteen-year-old orphan who assumed the position of captain at age fourteen when his parents died. Stella’s pupil is his sister and not his child. But that’s all I’m giving you, I don’t want to spoil the rest.
The relationship between Stella and the captain is a slow burn romance. Like Jane Eyre, their relationship builds on friendship with several swoon-worthy moments. Hugo, the captain, is brooding, aloof and just the right amount of yup.
The mystery is well paced and blows up to a bigger plot. Alexa Donne does a nice job of incorporating the sabotage and madness into a bigger storyline. So where Jane Eyre ends, Brightly Burning picks up the pace with a satisfying ending.
Brightly Burning comes out TODAY and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a bit of SciFi (don’t worry, there are no aliens or creatures or high fantasy stuff) mixed with their Vic Lit. You can buy Brightly Burning on Amazon now. If you want more about Alexa Donne, she has this really fun Youtube channel where she talks all things writerly and about her journey publishing Brightly Burning.
