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.
Stella Ainsley catches a break when she finally leaves her job as an engineer aboard the less than desirable Stalwart to become a governess on a private ship—the Rochester. Hugo Halifax is the captain of the Rochester and a drunk at nineteen. Stella is a great character, and I particularly liked the fact she was an engineer in space. Their romance was cute, but Hugo at nineteen was not as appealing to me as a forty-year-old Rochester.
I love retelling stories, such as Bridget Jones’s Diary, which have become as much a favorite as the original inspiration. Contrary to popular belief, retelling stories are not copycats. The reason so many retelling stories exist today is because the classics they are inspired by are great stories, with great characters that withstand the test of time. On that note, writing a retelling story can be incredibly daunting because now you are expected to produce a story that elicits the same, or very similar emotions to those experienced by readers who read those classic novels.
Brightly Burning is a lovely retelling of Jane Eyre set in space. Alexa Donne did a fantastic job at reviving the emotions of Brontë’s classic but to an entirely new YA audience who might have never read Charlotte Brontë’s novel. Brightly Burning is a creative and pleasant read.
A Wondrous Bookshelf 