Catherine says (over on Goodreads):
“I love the premise: there’s so much light pollution that it’s impossible to see the stars…more than that, there’s really only one person that would like to, or even cares that she can’t. Stars you see are rather old fashioned, out dated and have been vastly improved by sky projections in New Town! At first I thought New Town (newer, better, improved) had shades of the Capitol in Hunger Games, then with officially sanctioned betrothals I thought I had the measure recalling Matched by Ally Condie or Delirium by Lauren Oliver but I was wrong. Bright stands on its own merits.
The descriptions of New Town aspirations, the sheer materialism of it all, absent of emotions ploughing through their natural resources in quest for new and improved are great. And Estelle. Gradually awakening and resisting the environmental degradation New Town champions; forging her own path. There’s drama, there’s romance, there’s overbearing bureaucracy, there’s a struggle. There’s everything you’re looking for!”
I loved this review. When I was writing Bright I originally wrote it with a dreary, yet well-lit city in charge. Then I saw the Hunger Games brought to life on the big screen. Oh the Capitol! The visual beauty of the city and it’s lavish oppression helped me envision a totalitarian society that is brutal, yet beautiful. Not so bad if you live there, but horrible if you’re part of the machine that keeps the pleasure going…voila New City.
I’m working on a sequel to Bright right now, it’s a visit to the environs around the City, a glimpse into the gears that hide behind the veil of opulence and newness. Finished the rough draft and first round of edits, only 24 left ;o)