Delfia thought she was a normal girl about to turn sixteen until her adoptive parents are murdered by creatures from the underworld. Her life gets thrown into chaos as she teams up with her best friend, a strange guy, and a prophetess. She soon discovers her biological father, Hades, ordered the attack on her and her family because a prophecy names her as the one to take him down. She must first complete a set of tasks to free Persephone, her mother, from the underworld and defeat Hades. Will she be reunited with her mother or will she get sucked into the underworld?
This book was given to me in exchange of an honest review. Okay, this book had me falling in love with the characters from the first page. It started out with me loving her step-father, the Guardian sighpie, but then he died. But it's alright, because HEY THERE'S ALEC. Hahaha. Basically, this book is the retelling of Persephone and Hades' story, only in the POV of their child. So, imagine growing up in a normal world, not knowing that you're the spawn of Satan, LITERALLY. So, anyway, this book made me learn more about the Greek Gods world, which is honestly what I've been interested in. Anyway, I totally loved the female lead though, as she was strong, and God knows she had every right to fall apart, but she did not. The ending made me sad, though. And now I really want the next book HAHA. But yes, M. J. Austin just became one of my favorite authors.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It caught my attention straight from the get go. The first 30% or so was the best part in my opinion. Through it, you really don't know what is going on. Everything is an interesting new discovery.
It begins on Dell's 16th birthday. She is just a normal high school girl with overprotective parents. Then everything changes. She discovers that she is so much more. Soon several new characters come into the picture. There's a lot of Greek mythology. She's dealing with tragedy and coming of age while also facing love and adventure.
I mean really what do you say to your soulmate before you head into the Underworld.
It has a great Epilogue that totally makes the reader want the next book. If your desire is an adult read, this isn't for you. If you're looking for YA fantasy, you should give Bright Fire a try. In the synopsis, it is compare to the Percy Jackson series and Need series. I have not read Need, but this is like the Percy Jackson books. It also reminded me a little of Beautiful Creatures. Some parts weren't as good from an adult standpoint, but I think all of it is awesome for teens and preteens.
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**Bright Fire is the first book in a young adult fantasy/mythology series. Delfia is the daughter of Persephone and Hades, only she never knew that little tidbit about herself. I love mythology stories and I have a special affinity for Persephone and Hades. Bright Fire was a little different than most Hades fiction that I have read. Here he is more of the traditional bad guy, and certainly not the love interest like he was in the few other young adult books he was featured in. Bright Fire took a unique perspective on the fantasy tales and I enjoyed it. Plus, I can't get over how much I love this cover. I just want to stare at it all day. Sigh.
The book felt kind of stilted at first. Delfia's parents are killed almost instantly and no one really had a reaction. People were shocked and sad, but Delfia's mom's best friend just acted like nothing even happened at all. The book said she was sad, but in the very next sentence she told Delfia and her own daughter (Delfia's best friend) "ok girls, be good, don't get into too much trouble, i'm off to work." This was just hours after both of Delphina's parents were brutally murdered in their own home. It just felt really strange to me. But moving past that, once Delfia meets up with Alec and starts to get some more answers on what she is and what is going on, the action really starts to fly. It was easy to get lost in the story then.
This is a fun read, but as many other reviewers have warned (on goodreads) this book could have benefited from an additional grammar and general flow editing read through. But it should be noted that this is M.J. Austin's first book, so I am sure the next book in the series will not make some of the same mistakes Bright Fire made. Overall though, Bright Fire was an enjoyable read. There is a cliffhanger at the end that is a pretty brutal one. It will leave you wanting the next book.This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
This book had a really addicting story line! There was mystery, action, and wonderful Greek mythology. I learned so much more about Greek mythology, and I loved every second of it. I became completely absorbed in this world. I loved seeing the gods and goddess in the modern world. I cannot speak highly enough about the world MJ Austin built in this book
The main character, Delfia, was an awesome character. She handled stressful situations really well, and I admired that about her. She never gave up, and she always tried to do what was right. I also liked Alec a lot. He was mysterious, funny, and a badass. I enjoyed the romance between Alec and Delfia. They had great banter and some really sweet moments. My only wish was that there was more development of their relationship throughout the book. I felt like they quickly went from just having some chemistry to suddenly being in love. I think the relationship needed more time to develop.
This book had a lot of grammatical errors that sometimes took away from the enjoyment of the book. Some of the errors caused me to stop and re-read the line to try and figure out what the sentence was suppose to say. In general, the grammatical errors took away some of the enjoyment of this book. Also, some of the conversations were a little lack luster. I felt like a lot of the focus was on the greek mythology (which was amazing), and not a lot of time was focused on dialogue and relationship development. However, I think that can be approved upon with the next book. Due to those things, I gave the book 3.5 fangs instead of 4.
This book left off with a crazy cliffhanger, and I am dying to see what happens next!
I really enjoyed this book. it would've been a five star had it not had so many grammar errors. Defia, on her 16th birthday having her sweet sixteen birthday dinner with her parents beds up in them being killed and her funding out her foster parents where really her guardians. well her father. Her mother us mortals. or was. her real parents are Hades king of the underworld and her mother Perposhone. She receives her new guardian which at first she doesn't except she th 's everyoneuscrazy and she is in shock from the death if her parents but that nagging feeling of hearing her dad's voice in her head leads her to believe there's something more. she believes once she goes to alec and heavens her from the same ppl who killed her parents. if you call them ppl. their lower level minions for Hades. Dell's future is to save Persephone and lock up Hades . Cass becomes her legal guardian, so she's not out in the system. her dad friend and her God neither who happens to be a seer Lydia her bff gets involved and Alec her soul mate a that she later finds out and isn't happy about but she does live him and racist not sure if it's the whole guardian thing or not but comes to realize she really loves him not because he's her guardian. now the fight comes and goes it turn out as expected . if course not so alec is torturing himself until her can save the girl he loves. it's a good book you get the family sense of a group who come together that all Care about each other and will do anything for each other. it's a great story . supernatural with a bit of mythology written together. I recommend it and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.
I was given this book from the author for a honest review
Delfia Marie Stryker grew up thinking she was human, only to discover that she is the daughter of the gods Persephone and Hades. To make matters more intense she is named in a prophecy where she frees her mother and defeats her father.
Bright Fire is an exceptional novel. It is a very clever tale that kept me thoroughly engaged.
I enjoyed Dell’s character. She discovers a lot about herself in a short amount of time and shows a lot of growth throughout the novel. She is a likeable character that acts in a believable manner.
I love her relationship with Alec Hales. He is a mysterious and intriguing hero whom I could not help but like. They share a great chemistry, and I enjoyed their conversations.
Lyla Browning is a great friend to Dell. She is brave, especially considering she is a human among immortals.
M. J. Austin does a great job with her descriptions, particularly of the Underworld. She created a stimulating and credible world.
I love contemporary mythology novels and was impressed by this story. Bright Fire has a great take on the classic gods in a modern setting.
Bright Fire ends in a cliff hanger. I am anxious to see what M. J. Austin comes up with next.
Complimentary copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is an interesting paranormal approach that I've never seen done before.
I am a big fan of coming of age stories and Austin requires that her main character, Delfia, make a huge leap into adulthood.
I like all the characters and am intrigued to see where the author takes this series.
I did have a little bit of a hard time feeling the romance between two of the main characters, but I think it's supposed to be awkward, so it makes sense that I would feel awkward reading about it.
As a debut, the author has a lot to be proud of. The plot is well executed, in places leaving me salivating to know what was going to happen next. The main character, Delfia is tough, kind and likeable and deals so well with the tragic events as well as facing her destiny head on. All of the characters were well developed and I especially liked Lyla and Alec. There were some grammatical errors that need fixing, and at time they nagged at my attention, but they could be easily fixed. Enjoyed it very much!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Delfina hopes that turning sixteen will be all she wished for, but it turns out to change her life in ways she could never have imagined. When she must flee her past to stay alive it is Alec from school that helps her fill in the gaps and find the truth, then he must also help her fulfill her destiny, but can she complete the task she is destined for without putting her friends in harms way? Delfina has to think fast on her feet and make hard choices and I felt for her when she had to face a totally different future than she ever imagined. Thankfully she is able to keep her best friend Lyla with her for support as she makes hard and important choices.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
(Spoilers within)
I received a mobi file for this book that didn't work and ad to read a PDF file instead(definitely not preferred). That should have been a bad sign from the beginning. If you send a book for someone to read, please make sure the file works.
This book is written in first person present tense, which right away made it a more difficult read. It's very hard to do right, and I can't say it's used well here.
There are many other problems in the writing, too.
"...Am I staring at my locker without really seeing it."
"What was that about?" my mother asks as I shut the car door. "I'm not sure."
As you can see, it switches speakers without making a new paragraph and even puts words in the wrong order or leaves out words sometimes. It's full of errors. The writing also didn't invoke emotions. There was one time when it got close, but I'll address that later.
The premise of this book has a difficult one to build on right away. It makes Hades the villain, which is an unfortunate problem with modern day literature. The book references "Hell" and "the Devil" many times, confusing Hades for someone like Satan when they couldn't be more different.
Hades isn't only far more reasonable and not very villainous, but he's tame compared to the other Greek gods. Extremely tame. Just compare the things he does to what Zeus does, including the way he treats women/his wife. Kidnapping his wife is obviously bad, but the myth needs to be taken in context of the times and "kidnapping whoever you like" wasn't exactly uncommon in any the myths. This is a culture where "ritual abduction" was a thing, so it wouldn't be right to take it exactly the same as you would from a modern day viewpoint.
So, right from the start it lacks research because it confuses Hades for Satan. Hades is not Satan. He is nothing like Satan. As a friend told me, "Hades isn't any more the devil than Zeus is the Christian God."
When she goes to see Alec after her parents are murdered mysteriously and there's obviously something supernatural involved she slaps him for suggesting something unusual. It was bizarre. She heard her dad's voice in her head and everything that happened to her parents, then acts like Alec isn't only weird but physically assaults him. I could understand disbelief, or even still having a hard time accepting it, but after she just told a bizarre story she gets offended when he gives her a bizarre answer.
The book informs us of many things instead of showing us.
"Is that so?" She looks at him like he is cow dung on her shoe. I can tell she's the brains of the duo; that means the guy was the braun.
She hasn't done anything to show this, nor does she ever show this. We're just told it.
Then there is a huge problem setting them up as the 'heroes' of the story. They bump into a homeless guy who starts ranting at her. Alec breaks his hands. And then they leave.
When he's mentioned not long after by her she says:
"Yeah, that's it!" I jump up. "Oh! Do you think? But no that guy was just a homeless man."
I found this book an interesting read. Right at the start from reading the blurb I was interested. I haven't come across any other books where the main character is the child of Hades and Persephone. The book start with Dells 16th birthday and she's starting to get a funny feeling something isn't right, she plans on having a normal birthday dinner with her very strict ( adopted) parents and then a sleepover with her best friend lyla. Only it doesn't plan out that way her parents are murdered near enough in front of her, she then finds our her adopted dad is actually her guardian as she is the daughter of Hades and Persephone oh and there's this big prophecy that she will take down the dark one so this leads hades to sent out his minions to find her and capture her. With he help of her new guardian ( and soul mate) Alec and lyla throw in hermes and these crazy lot are off to the underworld to release Persephone and cass ( dells god mother who hades kidnapped )
I this reminded me a bit of percy jackson the whole finding out your the offspring of God's and then going on a quest. who doesn't love an adventure even if it is to the underworld lol. I really enjoyed this authors writing the story just flows and before i knew it the book was finished I felt like oh but not much has happened then when I thought about it I was like oh it has its just I read the book in two days and just wanted to know what was going to happen so it felt like it went quickly
We have sirens, centaurs, a harpie and three headed dog plus lots of kick ass action. A great first book it had details but wasn't too heavy for a beginning.
"The Bright Fire said to be born of life and death must complete the warrior's task to defeat the dark one..." This book was a fun, quick read! It is a twist to Greek mythology, modernize with a spin off of Delfia, daughter of Underworld God!he comical and smart ass remarks in the read! I always love a good laugh and the author added that into the read which made the flow moving "I am in Dragon Bitch mode..." Hades and Persephone have a daughter who is prophosized to destroy the Underworld God. She is smuggled to earth as a baby under the protection of Guardians until the age of her powers will come a live. Delfia's life has been surrounded in lies! Sent on an impossible mission, Delfia must go to the Underworld and help escape Persephone. She needs to learn who her new allies are, soul mate, and new Goddess powers. How much I wish the Author would have taken more time to divulge in the Underworld!!! I think the last few chapters of the book were rushed to an end. If those few chapters were more detailed it could have made into a fantastic read! Save it for the next book in the series! Also I thought her main purpose was to kill the Underworld Ruler, not sure why freeing Persephone was a big deal. Ms M.J Austin can always go back and give us a tour of the Underworld (hint) and the blooming soul mates! Full review can be read at http://pandorasopenedbox.blogspot.com... complimentary copy was given for a honest review
**A complimentary copy of this was provided in exchange for an honest review.**
Greek mythology? Yes, please. I've always been interested in that subject, and I'm drawn to books that draw upon that for inspiration and is incorporated in a novel. The book Bright Fire, in particular, focuses upon the story of Hades and Persephone mainly. Those aren't the only two that make an appearance though; Hermes and Cassandra do as well.
In this book Delfia is a high school student whose life is changed when she finds out who she really is after the her parents are killed on her birthday. Alec is assigned to be her guardian and protector. Delfia's best friend Lyla is soon involved as well. Overall, the characters were well drawn, and I liked them, Delfia especially. She had a snarkiness about her that I enjoyed. Some of the dialogue had me laughing out loud, including a reference to Twilight. Extra points for the mention of Lord of the Rings as well.
Now, for the things that might be improved upon. The book flowed well, which kept me reading. On the other hand, I didn't really think the sense of suspense was as well developed as it could have been, and the ending was rather abrupt. There were quite a few grammatical errors and punctuation mistakes which, on occasion, threw me out of the story. Aside from that, I enjoyed the story, and the ending left plenty there for a sequel.
Bright Fire by M.J. Austin Delfia Marie Stryker grew up thinking she was human, only to discover that she is the daughter of the gods Persephone and Hades. To make matters more intense she is named in a prophecy where she frees her mother and defeats her father.
Bright Fire is an exceptional novel. It is a very clever tale that kept me thoroughly engaged.
I enjoyed Dell’s character. She discovers a lot about herself in a short amount of time and shows a lot of growth throughout the novel. She is a likeable character that acts in a believable manner.
I love her relationship with Alec Hales. He is a mysterious and intriguing hero whom I could not help but like. They share a great chemistry, and I enjoyed their conversations.
Lyla Browning is a great friend to Dell. She is brave, especially considering she is a human among immortals.
M. J. Austin does a great job with her descriptions, particularly of the Underworld. She created a stimulating and credible world.
I love contemporary mythology novels and was impressed by this story. Bright Fire has a great take on the classic gods in a modern setting.
Bright Fire ends in a cliff hanger. I am anxious to see what M. J. Austin comes up with next.
Complimentary copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
I love this unique spin on the story of Persephone and Hades. It's clear that the author did a great deal of research prior to writing this story with the way she wove together small details. The story is written from the perspective of the main character Delfia, but the voice does not sound like a 16 year old girl, it sounds more like someone pretending to be a 16 year old. Delfia is not a well developed or likable character. I had two major issues with Delfia: insta-trust and insta-love. It also felt like the author was trying to overcompensate for the insta-love by drawing attention to and having Dell say things like she doesn't want to be the girl who falls for the savior, over and over again. The most consistent character is Lyla, she seems like a great friend. The plot moves at an OK pace, but there were a couple events that didn't really make sense and felt like they were included simply to move the story forward. The climax was resolved quickly and the resolution felt too easy. Overall, the book was OK - it has an awesome concept, but there is room for improvement.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
I really like this book. It would've been a easy five star had it not had so many writing errors. The story is good and well thought out . Dell who I'd bright fire is the daughter of Hades and Persephone. She's adopted on earth as her real parents are in the underworld. When her parents are murdered on her 16th birthday she comes into her powers. She knew nothing about. The story goes on to her meeting her knew guardian Alec who is also her soul mate . She's not so keen on the idea of a chosen for her but she comes to realize she lives him. The story gets very interesting very quickly and you fall right into the storyline. It's kinda of heart warming even with the constant danger. The feeling of family that they will do anything fur each other , Lyla, Cass, Alex and Delfia. The ending is kind of sad but I'm sure will be resolved in the next t book which I myself can't wait to read. Very worth reading if you like the supernatural world with abit mythology twist.
I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Delfia was your typical teenager, or so she thought. With her sixteenth birthday coming up, she wants what every teen does, a driver's permit and a car. Unfortunately, her birthday brings more tragedy and heartache than she can bear. Her adopted parents have been murdered, and people are trying to kill her. As her father is dying she hears a cryptic message in her head telling her to find Alec, that she can trust him. He takes her to meet Cassandra, the woman that has written the prophecy of the Bright Fire.
This was a great fantasy novel, it was fast paced and quite a page turner. I'm not sure how Delfia was able to function after witnessing her parents' murder. Then to be told that your biological parents are mythological beings. I'm not sure how she wrapped her head around that as quickly as she did. This is a wonderful clean read that expands your imagination.
Delfina hopes that turning sixteen will be all she wished for, but it turns out to change her life in ways she could never have imagined. When she must flee her past to stay alive it is Alec from school that helps her fill in the gaps and find the truth, then he must also help her fulfill her destiny, but can she complete the task she is destined for without putting her friends in harms way? Delfina has to think fast on her feet and make hard choices and I felt for her when she had to face a totally different future than she ever imagined. Thankfully she is able to keep her best friend Lyla with her for support as she makes hard and important choices.
Delfina hopes that turning sixteen will be all she wished for, but it turns out to change her life in ways she could never have imagined. When she must flee her past to stay alive it is Alec from school that helps her fill in the gaps and find the truth, then he must also help her fulfill her destiny, but can she complete the task she is destined for without putting her friends in harms way? Delfina has to think fast on her feet and make hard choices and I felt for her when she had to face a totally different future than she ever imagined. Thankfully she is able to keep her best friend Lyla with her for support as she makes hard and important choices.
Wow, I really cant can't find many words for this amazing and wonderful story. This author has blew me away with her story in fact i reached the end and didn't want to stop no matter how many time i kept clicking for the page to turn it wouldn't turn. So yes I'm impatiently waiting for book 2 I cant wait!! I love everything Mythology, so this one really captured my attention and held it.
***I received this story for free in exchange for an honest review, see more of my review @ http://jmhoward2007.blogspot.com ***
The plot to this book was amazing. I really enjoyed the mythology, which was obviously well researched. I also enjoyed the characters. Delfia, who just finds out about her destiny, steps up to the challenge and goes into the Underworld to save someone she loves. I cannot wait for the second book to come out!
There are a lot of grammar mistakes, which is why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5. Other than that, no complaint!