Burn Bright: A Dark Star Novel

In Burn Bright, the follow-up to Dark Star, we rejoin Audrey and her guardian/boyfriend, Leon, as they and the rest of Kin gird for battle with a new enemy—a harrower named Susannah, who’s determined to find the “remnant” and destroy the Kin. Audrey is still trying to figure out and control her growing powers, while helping her friends, Tink and Gideon, unravel their own mysteries. After a series of skirmishes, Audrey and her mother, the superhero known as the Morning Star, along with the Kin face down Susannah in an exciting battle to the death.If you were a fan of Dark Star, and I was, you’ll love this story. The story retains the lively action and humor of Dark Star and spices it up with a little romance. Plus, there are some interesting surprises at the end that plant interesting seeds for a book 3, although this is a stand alone book—no cliffhanger ending. This is one of those books I sat down to read on a Saturday and basically spent the rest of the weekend reading it cover to cover.

Bethany Frenette writes some very good teen novels. Please check into these books about people from Minnesota fighting darkness and demons.

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THE STORY IS AMAZING AND WELL WRITTEN CANT WAIT TO READ THE NEXT ONE

This was a definitive improvement on the debut ‘Dark Star.’ Though the first half suffered many of the pitfalls I had with the debut: immature writing, fairly two dimensional characters, and a bumbling teen protagonist who kept getting in her own way. It can be very frustrating. But the pacing was much better in ‘Burn Bright.’ It still could have done with a decent editor to really tighten up the narrative and pacing, but this novel was a much better construction than what I was anticipating.I won’t talk too much about the characters, they did not feel developed or explored enough for me. There are some character arcs for secondary cast members which were much more satisfying that those of the principal characters in this story. The potential is there, though ‘Burn Bright’ could have been so much bigger. Again, some lost potential subsequent of not having a decent developmental editor.Bethany Frenette did manage to surprise me with a few plot points and reveals that I did not see coming. What a joy. It has completely redeemed the trajectory of this series in my eyes. Still the concept of ‘superheroes’ and demon slayers juxtaposing is grating to me, but I found myself getting invested in the story towards the end.I’m glad to see some improvement in storytelling and an elevated standard in Frenette’s writing; there is still a way to go before I would recommend this. It still feels more like juvenile fiction than young adult. Attitudes, reactions, and vision seem to fall in the scope of that demographic. I did not think I would continue with this series, but after reading ‘Burn Bright’ I am curious to see not only where the series will conclude, but also how much more improvement Frenette gains as her experience grows with each publication. The final book in this trilogy ‘Fire Fall’ was only available in e-book form on amazon.com when I first bought the novels, but when I went to purchase recently, found it is now cancelled and removed from the site. It was available on another website, but, unfortunately would not allow overseas purchases. I’ve even gone as far as contacting the author directly through email and social media, but Bethany Frenette has failed to respond to date. Disappointing that it has been pulled, and readers purchasing the first two novels cannot complete the series in any form – or that the author is engaged with her audience.However, ‘Burn Bright’ does end on a resounding conclusion. There is only one plot thread that is potentially unresolved, so if you read these first two novels you will feel like you have reached an end... but from what I can garner from the book blurb and review on ‘Fire Fall’ we see the mythology concluded with a holistic approach – which may have answers and explanations to many of the issues I’ve had with the concept of this series from the start.Still, I don’t think I would recommend this series without reading the final book in the trilogy – or the fact that it is no longer available. With it being cancelled, has Disney Hyperion given up the rights to the novel? Is Bethany Frenette able to self-publish for her fans? I haven’t seen any activity from her since the end of 2015…

received from NetGalley on Nov. 06, 2013.date published: February 25, 2014Burn Bright is the 2nd book in Bethany Frenette's Dark Star Series. I haven't read the first book yet but it's not a reason not to enjoy this series.If you like YA fantasy then this book is for you. As a new YA reader myself, I pretty much enjoyed every page in this book. It has action, drama, romance, and of course, some teen angst. The storyline was good. The characters are well built and credible. I like the twists and the surprises. It kept me glued on the book for the most parts waiting for some clues on who the remnant is. And after it was revealed, it didn't disappoint. The ending was great and exciting.Audrey's character is your typical YA heroine. She's strong, she's determined, tough, albeit a bit pig-headed sometimes. She doesn't want others to get hurt because of her, especially Leon. But, since Leon is her guardian, this creates conflict and misunderstanding between them. Leon, Audrey's guardian and semi-boyfriend, is your typical knight in shining armor hero. He's dependable and very protective of Audrey. The only problem is he is serious about his duties as guardian and he considers his job as first priority.I like all the characters in the story, except for Tink. I don't know why but I'm kind of irritated with her character. I didn't connect with her well.Overall, this is 5 stars for me. Not reading the first book is not a reason not to enjoy this story. The first book's main plot has been mentioned several times for you to have a grasp on what happened previously.

I really really like this series. Book 2 carries on about 2 months after where book 1 finished, with Audrey learning more about the Kin and trying to expand her powers and navigating her relationships with her mum and Leon. It felt like the author really got into her groove in this book - the characters are stronger, the story more exciting. I liked the addition of Susannah, she was a cool character. I also really liked there was more of Leon in this book. The only thing I'd point out is the lack of Gideon. He still seems like a great character to me and he was really relegated to the sidelines in this one. Hopefully he'll come to the forefront in the final book in the series. I cannot wait for the 3rd book

Some relevant themes, action, Audrey finally has an active role, the remnant thing even more confusing than before. Nice touch having the remnant be fairly inconsequential. Gideon is even more perfect. Yay Adrian. Yay Mickey. Audreys mom and Alvarez funny as always. I would like to point out that it was Esther not Gram who told Audrey to stop Naving her Nav cards so narrow mindedly. And seriously?! Its so completely cliche for Audrey to lie to Gideon 😑 Its a well repeated fact that characters who lie thinking "its for the best" realize it really damn well isn't for the best. 😔