Bright Fire, by M. J. Austin - -> A YA Fantasy Delight
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A P Bullard
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Bright Fire, by M. J. Austin - -> A YA Fantasy Delight
Title: Bright Fire
Series: Bright Fire Series, #1
Author: M. J. Austin
Genre: YA Fantasy
ASIN: B00SEGWRNA
Pages: 117 (eBook)
**I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for a honest, unbiased review**
In this YA novel, real-world events and mythology intertwine to make Delfia’s sixteenth birthday anything but sweet. During what should have been a lovely birthday dinner, she overhears the murder of her adoptive parents taking place in the next room. Suddenly, her entire worldview has shifted.
She befriends Alec, who proves to be more than just a schoolmate. He explains Delfia’s real birth story, and her destiny. Together (With some help from her best friend, Lyla) they work to fight back against Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Will they be successful? Can she avenge her parents’ deaths?
Reactions:
The first thing I noticed about this novel was the abundance of grammatical and punctuation errors. There are times in which this can be overlooked, and the reading is not interrupted too much. This, however, was not one of those times. The errors were jarring and, at times, made the syntax incredibly awkward.
That being said, the idea behind the story was fantastic – literally and metaphorically. The heroine, Delfia, handles situations really well, considering the circumstances. Her reactions seem realistic, and she was a fun character. I really felt for her when her parents were killed, even though that was at the beginning of the book. We hadn’t spent much time together in the story, but I was already emotionally engaged enough to shed a couple tears for her.
my heart hurts
Alec, her companion, showed a lot of character development that I enjoyed seeing. He summoned up a strength that he didn’t initially seem to be aware he had. Lyla, the best friend, was a lot of fun to read, though she seemed a bit one-sided in terms of personality. She just didn’t have a lot to her. Still, she helped further the plot and made a good counterpoint to Delfia’s personality. Delfia ended up become a badass heroine with a seemingly endless amount of inner strength.
The Verdict:
M.J. Austin has mixed together aspects of Greek mythology, YA fantasy, and a touch of romance to create a world one can easily get lost in. I give it 3.5 / 5 stars, because the grammar and punctuation errors were incredibly distracting. However, those can be fixed. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA Fantasy. It was a fun read.
Purchase your own copy of Bright Fire (Bright Fire Series Book 1) for $4.99 on Amazon.
It is available for free with Kindle Unlimited.
Reviewed by A. P. Bullard
Series: Bright Fire Series, #1
Author: M. J. Austin
Genre: YA Fantasy
ASIN: B00SEGWRNA
Pages: 117 (eBook)
**I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for a honest, unbiased review**
In this YA novel, real-world events and mythology intertwine to make Delfia’s sixteenth birthday anything but sweet. During what should have been a lovely birthday dinner, she overhears the murder of her adoptive parents taking place in the next room. Suddenly, her entire worldview has shifted.
She befriends Alec, who proves to be more than just a schoolmate. He explains Delfia’s real birth story, and her destiny. Together (With some help from her best friend, Lyla) they work to fight back against Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Will they be successful? Can she avenge her parents’ deaths?
Reactions:
The first thing I noticed about this novel was the abundance of grammatical and punctuation errors. There are times in which this can be overlooked, and the reading is not interrupted too much. This, however, was not one of those times. The errors were jarring and, at times, made the syntax incredibly awkward.
That being said, the idea behind the story was fantastic – literally and metaphorically. The heroine, Delfia, handles situations really well, considering the circumstances. Her reactions seem realistic, and she was a fun character. I really felt for her when her parents were killed, even though that was at the beginning of the book. We hadn’t spent much time together in the story, but I was already emotionally engaged enough to shed a couple tears for her.
my heart hurts
Alec, her companion, showed a lot of character development that I enjoyed seeing. He summoned up a strength that he didn’t initially seem to be aware he had. Lyla, the best friend, was a lot of fun to read, though she seemed a bit one-sided in terms of personality. She just didn’t have a lot to her. Still, she helped further the plot and made a good counterpoint to Delfia’s personality. Delfia ended up become a badass heroine with a seemingly endless amount of inner strength.
The Verdict:
M.J. Austin has mixed together aspects of Greek mythology, YA fantasy, and a touch of romance to create a world one can easily get lost in. I give it 3.5 / 5 stars, because the grammar and punctuation errors were incredibly distracting. However, those can be fixed. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA Fantasy. It was a fun read.
Purchase your own copy of Bright Fire (Bright Fire Series Book 1) for $4.99 on Amazon.
It is available for free with Kindle Unlimited.
Reviewed by A. P. Bullard
A. P. Bullard
Latest Review: "Reckless Illusions" by Claude Dancourt
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SimoneL
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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.
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.
