Read It! Burn Bright

Burn Bright Night Creatures Book One
Written by Marianne de Pierres
Urban Fantasy, Dystopian
Published March 1st 2011
Purchased
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★★★★★
Retra braves the intense pain of her obedience strip, and stows away to seek her brother Joel, gone two years for Ixion, island of ever night, ever youth and never sleep. Retra is a Seal, sealed minds, sealed community, no craving for parties or pleasure.

What are the Night Creatures Retra can see in the shadows? What happens to those who grow too old for Ixion? Without Joel, is her eternal bond with a Riper guardian enough to save her?

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.
Welcome to Ixion, where the young are wild and free.

Retra isn't looking for pleasure or the ultimate high, she's escaping a life of oppression under her fathers rule. The South Seal district resides within a compound, where those wanting more are punished, abused and kept complacent. Since her older brother Joel escaped to Ixion a year prior, Retra has been punished for his crimes. So on a barge that only leaves for the part island twice a year, Retra finds herself on board and sailing towards Joel and more importantly, her freedom. With Rippers as guardians, the only rule on Ixion is to seek pleasure. Self indulgence is rewarded and inhabitants are encouraged to burn bright in their youth, with gangs who roam freely and take comfort in the darkness that threatens to consume them all.


Ixion is clouded in darkness but only for illuminated pathways that connect clubs to temples and sleeping quarters, which are rarely used. Citizens are injected with a serum to ensure they burn bright with little rest and no longer crave the sunlight. But within the darkness lurk creatures of the night, whispers that only Retra can hear and with over a thousand party goers on Ixion, Retra's chances of finding her brother are diminishing by the day.

But as Retra is about to discover, Ixion isn't what it seems.

My Thoughts

Burn Bright was incredible. A blend of dystopian and urban fantasy woven through a unique storyline that left me breathless. Following the storyline of Retra, readers are introduced to Ixion through the young and sheltered eyes of a sixteen year old girl who's searching for her brother. I loved Retra's character. She had a quiet determination and although having grown up in a community who punished free thought, she wasn't afraid to stand up for injustice in Ixion.

The island is only for the young. Once inhabitants reach their adult years, they are withdrawn from society while the party continues on the island. Fearing her brother may have fallen victim to the age restrictions, Retra is desperate to find him and tries to embed herself within the island culture. New residents are simply referred to as Baby Bats, an endearing term given to the youngest members by the guardian Rippers, those who ensure the safety of pleasure seekers. But there's a stirring among those placed in power. The rules are simple, Rippers are not to involve themselves with the community but a rogue band are praying on who they see as the weak, taking what they want by force. It may be a party nation, but Retra refuses to stand by and watch others be placed in a position of abuse and now becomes a target due to her actions.

What surprised me with Burn Bright was how dark and delicious the storyline was. As a reader, you're eased into the world of Ixion which reminded me of Ibiza, only shrouded in darkness. The inhabitants need not sleep, only rest to continue their new lifestyles or risk burning too quickly and ending their lives prematurely.

Imagine a place where there are no Elders. No rules. No punishment. Only music and laughter and freedom.

The Final Verdict

Burn Bright is phenomenal. Beautifully written and a rare darkness in young adult that left me breathless and needing more. Words cannot do justice to how brilliant it truly is. Buy it. Love it. Or I'm afraid we just can't be friends anymore.

You've been warned.

21 comments

  1. Yassss! Finally! An Aussie book I can actually talk to you about. Lol. I love this series! The world is insane. I need to find my copies so I can re-read. :)

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    1. It was brilliant wasn't it Joy! I absolutely loved it.

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  2. Oooh, this actually sounds good! I almost skipped past it because I didn't like the look of the cover but I am glad that I stayed to read the review. 😜

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    1. I think the cover is what lured me in in the first place Josie, but I like steampunk looking books. It's such an incredible read, the entire series goes from strength to strength.

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  3. OMG. IT'S VERY SERIOUS THAT WE NEED TO READ THIS THEN??? *dashes off obediently to add it on goodreads at least* This sounds REALLY awesome and totally different...like I honestly don't think I've heard of a premise like this before. I'm kiiiinda very cautious about dystopian these days because I am a old crumpet and need my dystopians to be excellent or nope, I get cranky. But I trust ya. DON'T LET ME DOWN NOW, KELLY.

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    1. This is like no dystopian you've ever read before! It's a little bit paranormal, a little bit horror but absolutely awesome. I'm so glad I discovered the series and took a chance. You definitely won't be disappointed!

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  4. Wow. I had never heard of this but it seems pretty awesome!!

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    1. It's totally awesome Frannie, you need this book in your life!

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  5. There's a serious lack of urban fantasy in YA, so this pleases me a lot! I love the genre and there's just so many possibilities. I love that it's so dark and dangerous and the world sounds amazing! I'll have to see if they have these books at the library because I need to see what all the fuss is about when it comes to Ixion!
    Lovely review, Kelly!

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    1. Thanks Nick. It's an amazing series and far exceeded my expectations. I knew I'd probably like it, but wow. Yes! Or ask them to get a copy in, you'll love it!

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  6. Ahh i hadn't heard of this one before but since it's an Aussie book i'm not surprised. I love the sound of this one and i'm missing some Urban Fantasy in my TBR pile. I'll have to see if i can somehow score this one online. Lovely review Kelly!

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    1. The eBook is up on Amazon and should be world wide I think. It's delicious and the series gets better with each book. I'd love to see what you think of it Lily.

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  7. I'm so glad I read this review. Seriously, it looks so original and like a good blend of dystopia and urban fantasy! I really never heard of it before, which surprises me. I'm definitely adding this one to my TBR! And I loved the fact that it's an ''old'' publication and not a new one.

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    1. I've been trying to read a lot of older releases, especially Aussie authors and this series is brilliant Lola. You definitely won't be disappointed.

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  8. I've got this one on my TBR, it sounds fantastic :-) I'm even more excited to read it now!! SO MANY BOOKS!!!

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    1. I can't wait for you to read it Sarah, the series is incredible!

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  9. Eeeep I read this one when it first came out and really enjoyed it! The second one, too! I still have the third and final one sitting on my shelf to read, but gah, one day! I really loved how unique it was, too!

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    1. It was brilliant wasn't it. I absolutely adored the series and you really need to get around to reading that finale, it definitely doesn't disappoint.

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  10. So so happy to hear you enjoyed it. My bookish "mother/son" relationship began with this book those 5 years ago, and then read early copies and bound manuscript for the third. So glad you've discovered Marianne's book even after 5 years have passed, and that it looks like you're introducinh it to newer bloggers and readers like those above. 😃

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    1. I regret not having picked it up sooner Braiden, it was incredible. I'll be definately hunting down her other series now too. I read the series on Kindle, but wanted to own hardcopies and bloody hell, they're impossible to find. I finally found a copy of book one on eBay brand new, just need to collect the other two now.

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  11. I was given a copy of this one by a friend years ago and.. okay I'm a little shallow. The cover really turned me off so I put it aside and never got around to reading it. I'm starting to regret this now. I had no idea what it was about (I don't read blurbs. Hypocritical I suppose but what can you do). It sounds creepy in the best kind of way. Going to now read this one this weekend!

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