The Brighter the Stars by Bryan Prosek {YA Book Review}

I’m not going to lie; I thought The Brighter the Stars was going to be a dud, but actually turned out to be an edge of the seat read that had me turning pages as fast as I could!

Disclosure: I received this book to review through iRead Book Tours, I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.

Caught between love and revenge, Jake has one chance to live up to the man his uncle was.

Earth crashed into interstellar politics as a lightweight, lagging so far behind other planetary weapons systems everyone feared they wouldn’t survive first contact with other worlds without quick action. By 2185, Earth had united itself into five geographic sectors and developed a defense system powerful enough to keep aggressors at bay—for now, at least.

Jake Saunders became a Legion soldier to honor the memory of his war hero uncle, who was brutally murdered in front of him when he was still a young teen. Fast forward a few years, and Jake and his best friend Cal have been tasked with escorting Cal’s older sister Diane to become Earth’s ambassador on a far-off planet. It’s the opportunity of Diane’s career, very likely a lifetime post. But for Jake, that could mean a lifetime’s heartbreak. He has loved Diane since they were kids, and every step closer to that ambassador assignment is a step closer to goodbye.

​But somebody is after more than Earth’s defense, and Jake, Cal, and Diane are on a trajectory to crash headlong into that dangerous plot. Somebody wants to play Earth against its most immediate threat, Craton, and convince both to develop super weapons—and he’s working with the person who killed Jake’s uncle all those years ago. When he reappears on Jake, Cal, and Diane’s journey to the ambassadorship, Jake is faced with difficult choices to look out for his friends and honor his uncle’s memory.

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I don’t know if it was fatigue or stress or what, but I really was worried how this book was going to go when I first started it. I also struggled with an important character being named Jack and a main character named Jake. It definitely confused me more than once in the beginning!

I am happy to report, by chapter three; I was fully invested in the storyline and the characters. In hindsight, I also fully understand the purpose of everything that came before chapter three. It was important information; I just didn’t realize it! (In my defense, it is a young adult futuristic sci-fi feeling storyline so it’s definitely not my normal genre!)

I do have to add, I was told the content rating was “PG. It’s very clean.” It is clean by way of adult content, foul language, and whatever else parents may concern themselves about. The one – and I mean one – area that I found ‘not very clean’ was the violence. There are roughly three ‘battle’ scenes that I personally felt were a little intense (or maybe I just have a really good imagination!) The first ‘battle scene’ could also be slightly triggering. If violence doesn’t bother you or your young adult who plans to read this; then no worries.

Aside from the few ‘battle scenes’; The Brighter the Stars had conspiracy, action, comradery, suspense and a hint of romance – who wouldn’t like it!?

I love figuring out mysteries and have to tell you – my jaw was literally on the ground when this mystery was solved! (Those are always the best mysteries!)

I don’t want to spoil anything, but I have to tell you, I am fully invested in Jake, Cal, and Diane and cannot wait read to read book two to see how this all continues!

About the Author

Bryan Prosek is a science fiction writer and business attorney. Along with his debut The Brighter the Stars and the forthcoming A Measure of Serenity, he has published books and articles in legal trade journals and magazines. When he isn’t writing or practicing law, you can probably find him watching science fiction movies or television shows. He loves the big screen and the small screen. There’s a good chance that he’ll be watching one of the numerous Star Trek movies or series, but he could be watching anything from Guardians of the Galaxy to The Conjuring.

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