Best friends Marine Duval and Kate Sanders have trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School since childhood, where they’ve formed an inseparable bond forged by respective family tragedies and a fierce love for dance. When the body of a student is found in the dorms just before the start of their final year, Marine and Kate begin to ask themselves what they would do to win the ultimate prize: to be the one girl selected to join the Opera’s prestigious corps de ballet. Would they die? Cheat? Seduce the most talented boy in the school, dubbed the Demigod, hoping his magic would make them shine, too? Neither girl is sure.

But then Kate gets closer to the Demigod, even as Marine has begun to capture his heart. And as selection day draws near, the competition—for the prize, for the Demigod—becomes fiercer, and Marine and Kate realize they have everything to lose, including each other.

My Review:

“Believe in the past and in destiny.”

I have never been this obsessed with the cover of a book and the synopsis as I am with this one. I’m guilty of judging this by it’s beautiful and dazzling cover. It captures your eye and squeezes your heart. With such a strong feeling, I was afraid that the story inside wouldn’t match the outside. But everything about this was mesmerizing and my obsession has grown fonder.

I won’t lie. I knew next to nothing about ballet but I wanted to learn. This gives an in-depth look at the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of the world that is ballet. The way people act to get where they want to be and how they torture their bodies to get to that top spot. It was fascinating.

Going to a new school can be daunting, but having a best friend by your side makes a world of difference. And that’s how Kate and Marine feel. They became best friends and moon sisters within a very short period of time making it to the ballet school in Paris.

As the competition gets tougher and binds start to unravel, everything is pushed to its limits. Can things in the good life last forever?

Bright Burning Stars is a spectacular read that leaves your heart wrenched and tears running down your face. When you think things are getting better, something comes crashing down and you’re left in amazement. The pressure these kids are under is excruciating and your heart breaks as they try to become the best. Nothing about this book was dull, it kept me up at night. But just remember that there is a silver lining after all and boys might actually be the devil.

What would you do for “The Prize”?