**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