Review + Author Interview: Bright Fire by @MJAustinBooks

Bright Fire by M.J. Austin

(Bright Fire #1)

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

[Goodreads | Amazon]

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?

  Hello, Greek Gods, amazing heroine, and a whole bunch of intrigue! Bright Fire was such a fun and quick read. It was definitely an amazing addition to my Greek reads list. It started off a bit unsteady, but the author finds her footing fairly quickly. You can't help but get lost in her world once that happens!

  Dell goes through a lot of development and changes in this book. It was very interesting to watch how she really bloomed in this book. I'm always a fan of strong characters and authors that know how to handle them. Bright Fire did not let me down in that respect!

  There are so many great elements to this story. The secondary characters are so fitting and a wonderful addition to the story. MJ Austin really knows how to paint a picture with her words, and I got so lost in her descriptions. The only real downside was the beginning for me like I said. There are a few other places that could be tweaked to flow better, but overall Bright Fire is solid. I enjoyed it so much, and I think YA fans will as well!

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

1. Describe Bright Fire in one word.
Spunky

2. Where did the original idea for Bright Fire come from? What inspired you the most?
I was reading Everneath by Brodi Aston and loved her spin on Persephone. I have always wanted to write and I have always loved mythology, so it just fit. I was scared to even try because of all the statistics of failure with self publishing, but Amanda Hocking's story inspired me.

3. How similar are your main character, Delfia, and yourself?
I would say I infused a little of me in her. My eyes are my best asset and I have overcome some hard situations. And boy am I sassy.

4. Without giving away any spoilers, can you tell us what your favorite scene to write was?
My favorite scene was the drugging scene. No it's not as bad as you might think, it was only Melatonin, but still, her reaction is priceless. The ending comes in close second, only because of the reactions I have gotten.

5. Do you base any of your characters off of people that you know? If so, do they know?
Lyla is based off my best friend. Yes she knows and cried at my dedication. We did actually have Binge Nights as children. Cass and Alec are mixtures of people, so I don't think they know, if they doo they haven't said anything.

6. If you could take one character from Bright Side to dinner, who would you pick?
Endeis, because she is wicked smart, and I have a soft spot for Chiron.

7. Dog-eared pages or bookmarks?
Bookmarks, I use anything within reaching distance. I've even used a sock once. Clean of course. I have dog-eared, but it gets to me and i have to smooth it out.

8. What's up next for you? Any projects in the work or upcoming releases?
I am working on Book 2 and a novella featuring Cass.

M.J. Austin has always found the world of fantasy preferable to the real world. She channels this love of mystical worlds and creatures into her writing. She is an avid reader and proud bookworm. She has a Master's Degree in Project Management, but her true passion is writing. When she isn't working or writing she is diving into random projects as often as possible. She lives in Tennessee with three children, husband, and three dogs.

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