Burn Bright

Review Time! Burn Bright is a YA Dystopian written by Australian author Marianne de Pierres. Recently I participated in the Shine Light blog tour to promote the release of the last book in this trilogy, you can read my post HERE. You can purchase a copy of Burn Bright from Fishpond | The Nile | Booktopia | Bookworld Thanks to Random House for the review copy!

(Goodreads) In Ixion music and party are our only beliefs. Darkness is our comfort. We have few rules but they are absolute . . .

Retra doesn’t want to go to Ixion, the island of ever-night, ever-youth and never-sleep. Retra is a Seal – sealed minds, sealed community. She doesn’t crave parties and pleasure, experience and freedom.

But her brother Joel left for Ixion two years ago, and Retra is determined to find him. Braving the intense pain of her obedience strip to escape the only home she’s ever known, Retra stows away on the barge that will take her to her brother.

When she can’t find Joel, Retra finds herself drawn deeper into the intoxicating world of Ixion. Come to me, whispers a voice in her head. Who are the Ripers, the mysterious guardians of Ixion? What are the Night Creatures Retra can see in the shadows? And what happens to those who grow too old for Ixion?

Retra will find that Ixion has its pleasures, but its secrets are deadly. Will friendship, and the creation of an eternal bond with a Riper, be enough to save her from the darkness?

Listen well, baby bats. Burn bright, but do not stray from the paths. Remember, when you live in a place of darkness you also live with creatures of the dark

The Short Story? - I think one of my biggest regrets in life is not reading this book sooner! This is definitely one of my favourite dystopian reads ever! Unlike anything you've ever read, Burn Bright is a combination of dystopian, mystery, suspense and love. Eerily beautiful, the island of Ixion is completely intoxicating to the YA reader! An Australia YA master piece, Burn Bright is absolutely extraordinary.

The Long Story? - To be honest, when Burn Bright was first published I didn't think much of it. The dystopian market is so jam packed already, I just wasn't looking to read another one. I absolutely regret my actions now because this definitely one of the most interesting and well written YA dystopians I've ever read. De Pierres has a knack for writing and the premise of Burn Bright is just so unique. Dystopian fiction without the controlling society, add in mystery, suspense, friendship and a developing love story ( perhaps?) and you have Burn Bright! None of the insta-love you find in most of YA dystopian, Burn Bright is an authentic dystopian YA with a supernatural touch! De Pierres has truly out done herself with this YA phenomenal, I can't wait to read the sequel!

The characterisation is this book really showed fantastic character development. Initially I wasn't the biggest fan of Retra/Naif our protagonist. Her upbringing was strict which in turn made her a little uptight and a bit of a prude however as the novel progressed, Naif really let herself go and turned a new leaf. The development of Naif was definitely one of the highlights of the novel for me. Another characterisation aspect I loved about the novel was the idea of the Ripers. I'm not completely sure what they are and I think they're meant to stay a mystery until further into the series but they're so hauntingly beautiful creatures, I especially feel attached to Lenoir who is just gorgeous. Other characters that stood out include Suki, Clash, Dark Eve, Kezo and Rollo. Fantastic characterisation!

I honestly can't emphasis enough how amazing this novel is. Burn Bright is definitely a YA phenomenal, if you're looking for something different to read ( something amazing!) than I would definitely look into Burn Bright. An Australian master piece, this is one for everyone to enjoy!

What's it Worth? - Break Out The Piggybank

Badass Bookie xx