A big Thank You to my sweet friend Krysti over on YA and Wine for giving me the ARC for Bright Burns the Night! I love YA Fantasy and although I was in a contemporary kind of mood I knew I wanted to read this one because I loved the first one, and Sara B. Larson is one of our wonderful local authors. I was so happy I was able to make it to the launch of Bright Burns the Night after flying in from London only a few hours before the event started. Seeing her in conversation with Kathryn Purdie was so much fun!
After release day I picked Bright Burns the Night up on Audible so that I could finish it faster! I loved the narrator. It is definitely one I would highly recommend listening to if you enjoy audiobooks as much as I do!
About Bright Burns the Night
Ten years ago, King Lorcan of the Dark Kingdom Dorjhalon defeated Queen Evelayn and cut her conduit stone from her. Since then, he has kept her trapped in her swan form. With the loss of balance between Dark and Light, winter has descended and the Draíolon of Éadrolan lose more power every day. But once a year, Lorcan transforms her back to her Draíolon form and offers a truce. And every year Evelayn refuses — for he requires her to Bind herself to him for life.But now, with an Ancient power bearing down upon them, everything may change. Evelayn will learn that the truths she once believed have shattered, and that she may need her enemies even more than her allies. Lorcan and Evelayn become partners in a desperate quest to return the balance of power to Lachalonia. How far will this partnership go? Can friendship — perhaps even love — bloom where hatred has taken root?Sara B. Larson delivers a thrillingly romantic and hauntingly satisfying end to this extraordinary duology.
My Review
It’s been ten years since Evelayn was turned into a swan and no matter how many times Lorcan asks her to bond to him, until one day when she doesn’t turn back! With the imbalance between light and dark this new development leaves them all wondering what is happening.
Evelayn is thrown back into the world weak and without magic. The imbalance of magic is only adding to her discomfort and when she’s unable to turn back into a swan she realizes that something is definitely different this time. Lorcan takes her back to the castle where she will be faced with her past and the reality of what has happened to her kingdom since she’s been gone. Evelayn is definitely tougher in this book. She is no nonsense and when she is forced to ally with Lorcan she doesn’t let him push her around. She may be stubborn sometimes but over time she gains her strength back. I really liked the relationship she forms with Lorcan over the course of the book and in the end she has to make some really hard decisions and some of the emotions she feels really elevates her character.
Lorcan has some secrets and some are not his to share. When he can’t change Evelayn back and there is a definite difference in his magic he starts to panic. Once the castle is attacked he knows for certain what he’ll have to do, and that is to tell Evelayn the true reasons behind his actions ten years ago and try to convince her to take the journey with him. I liked getting to know Lorcan more while reading this book. You learn that he didn’t grow up in a healthy environment due to his father being a tyrant and although you want to hate him you will find yourself rooting for him a bit by the end.
We get a couple more POV’s and we get to know some past characters better than we knew them in book one and I think that really added to the story. The book has so many twists and turns in it and the ending wraps up so beautifully that you’ll miss the characters when you finish. I just wanted to know what happens next. We can hope that maybe one day we’ll get to revisit the land of Éadrolan.
About the Author
Sara B. Larson is the author of the acclaimed YA fantasy DEFY trilogy (DEFY, IGNITE, and ENDURE) and the DARK BREAKS THE DAWN duology (DARK BREAKS THE DAWN and BRIGHT BURNS THE NIGHT). She can’t remember a time when she didn’t write books—although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook. Sara lives in Utah with her husband, their four children, and their Maltese, Loki. She writes in brief snippets throughout the day and the quiet hours when most people are sleeping. Her husband claims she should have a degree in “the art of multitasking.” When she’s not mothering or writing, you can often find her at the gym repenting for her sugar addiction.
Find out more about Sara on her website by clicking HERE!
Other books by Sara B. Larson
The Clever Reader 
Great review! I’m glad you loved this book. I’m hoping to pick it up soon.
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Thank you! It’s really good! I think it was wrapped up well! I hope you get to read it soon!
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