Of Flame and Fury is a YA fantasy novel set in the complex and dangerous world of phoenix racing 🐦‍🔥🔥

Full disclosure: I had to reread the first few chapters of this book several times. I was just NOT absorbing it. But I was so intrigued because I have not read many books that feature phoenixes. After 3 tries rereading the early chapters, the right details finally stuck, and then I was completely hooked. I ended up reading over 80% of this book today. I could not put it down! I thought it was starting to lose momentum and become too predictable towards the end, and instead I was pleasantly surprised. So if you are reading this and aren’t feeling sure at any point I would say to keep going.

I loved the lore, found family, what I’d call rivals to lovers lite, action, and defense of animals. I am pretty sure this is a standalone, sadly, because I would definitely like to read more set in this world.

❤️ 🐦‍🔥 🧡🐦‍🔥❤️

4.5 stars. Thank you to MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group for this ARC.

Pros:
1. I really enjoyed the writing style. It was really smooth and a pretty easy style to follow, which made the actual reading experience enjoyable.
2. I love the take on a conservation story and following thoughts about the phoenixes and our main characters struggling with how they feel about the captured animals.
3. The racing aspect was really cool
4. Strong side characters

Cons:
1. Pacing was incredibly slow throughout the book and I found myself not picking the book up and not really wanting to.
2. I didn't really care for the main two characters. I normally love enemies to lovers, but they were kind of just annoying about it.
3. Our FMC was hypocritical at many points in the book, which is a huge pet peeve of mine
4. There really wasn't any backstory about WHY the phoenixes were taken in the first place. There almost needed to be a prequel before this book to explain everything that this one missed out on telling us.

Overall it was fine, but I had too many problems with it to give it anything higher than a 3 star.

I haven’t seen much hype or talk about this book but I will definitely be going back to the bookstore to pick up the beautiful copy I saw, I loved this one! So I’m begging that there be a book 2 after that ending please 🥹. I actually find it hard to believe that this book was the author’s debut, it was that well thought out and perfectly executed. I LOVED the phoenixes!! If anything, I’d love to see MORE of them if the sequel comes to fruition. Picture nascar but with phoenixes instead and throw in that yes they can die, but they also can/will rebirth which is why a phoenix is one of my all time favorite mythical creatures— they’ll never truly die, what I wouldn’t give for all animals and creatures to share that trait lol.

Besides the amazing phoenixes and racing environment, there was a rivals to lovers (I’d say) trope, a found amazing little family (that I’d love to see even more of), forced proximity and fake dating!! This book was much more than I initially thought it would be and what a whirlwind it was! It truly took me by surprise.

I mean it was good, not something that stood quite out to me. I really tried to give it a go and a solid chance and it wasn't bad by no means but it wasn't the most memorable thing. However big points for the premise being so unique and because of that I would say still give this a go!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

soft dnf; i was intrigued at first but nothing was compelling enough to truly engage me and i just couldn't finish it. might pick it up again sometime, though!

The world of phoenix racing is completely impractical. Phoenixes are wild creatures that are aggressive, burn bright (literally), and are, well, wild. Attempting to control one is perhaps a long, dangerous lesson in futility, but that doesn't stop the Cendorian Association of Phoenix Riding (CAPR) from putting on their deathly spectacles, nor does it stop their citizens from engaging in bloodthirsty droves, as racing teams and spectators alike. This doesn't sit well with Kelyn, nor did it with her deceased father. Kel grew up with her grandfather's phoenix, Savita, and is Sav's tamer for her racing team in the CAPR leagues. Phoenixes don't trust easily, especially Savita, and neither does Kel. So when the Howler's new rider dies trying to place in the latest race, Kel is positive Sav won't take to the new rider her best friend and winger, Dira, has them take on. Kel is also positive that their new rider, Warren Coupers, both a menace on the track and her nemesis, is a mistake waiting to happen. But while Coup defies all expectations and earns Savita's trust quickly, Kel remains unconvinced. Then their lives are entirely upended, as the (in)famous tech guru, Cristo, extends an offer to sponsor the Howlers. Kel's father warned her about this man, but they need the money, especially when her farm and aviary is set aflame by faulty wiring. Kel and her friends are immediately thrust into a far more dangerous game than any of them could have bargained for... and are still unsure of who to trust, including amongst each other.

Okay, so, they had me at phoenix riding on this one. Which does, understandably, sound impossible, but I love how Bridge navigate the various forms of tension in this story.
The family bonds of Kel and Dira fray and reform just as extremely close friends' would in real life, and the brothers also feel true in their simultaneous love and annoyance with each other. Considering the trauma that each of them has faced, it's no surprise that trust is hard to come by, especially when your knowledge of someone else's experiences are primarily through rumor. Bridge does a great job expressing the frustration of loving and hating people you're close to, and trying to come to terms with your own past experiences in the wake of new information. It's subtle but deft in its execution; the romance of rivals makes sense in this tension-fueled environment, especially with a mutual love of the phoenixes at the center of the story.
Another thing that blew me away was the careful attention to the interaction between the humans and the phoenixes they ride, train, and flee from. There is no shying away from the dangers of wild animals, especially fantastical ones, nor the understandable war between technology and the natural world/the magical. Animal cruelty and experimentation is discussed frankly, and with the revulsion such acts deserve. And even though she is effectively a member of the family, Savita is always treated and respected as a wild animal first and foremost. There's no glorification of the exotic pets here. These may seem somewhat trivial in the grand scheme of the story, but the author has done a great job of making her points on extinction, deforestation, and other human-wrought issues both clear and impossible to oppose. I was expecting a fantastical creature driven romantasy, and didn't expect a lesson on the dangers humanity poses the world we so eagerly possess. I'm absolutely not angry about it; I think it makes the story that much stronger. It doesn't quite feel like a lecture, either, which is wonderful.

My one tiny issue with the book: it leaves me wanting SO MUCH MORE. There's clearly a huge world we have left to explore, and unanswered questions. If this is to be a standalone (I truly don't know!), it still works as one. But the maybe-cliffhanger is almost painful. It's either the best way to end the story or the worst way to leave the audience hanging until the next book. I can't decide which it is. That almost makes it better. Either way, I know I won't be forgetting this book or its world anytime soon.

So many thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: 4.25 stars

Review posted to StoryGraph: July 15, 2025 (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/dfb7ba87-09cb-40fd-8680-0db8b1a13665)
Review posted to Instagram: July 31, 2025 (https://www.instagram.com/p/DMyoZjux6eY/)

I’ve read fourth wing but not iron widow, however I don’t feel like this was on the level of fourth wing. It was an enjoyable read, though it took me awhile to read it I still liked it. The writing flowed well and the author did a good job during the races with all of her descriptions! Definitely very visual writing. Because this was an ARC read I didn’t get the epilogue so I was left wondering what happened and had to google the epilogue synopsis, and it did make me like the book more. I think it should stay as more of a stand alone as I don’t feel the need to dive back in with the characters, however without an epilogue I would’ve been like wtf? It ends there? I hate having to “complete the sentence” with books. Anyways, not a 4 star but honestly higher than a 3, maybe 3.5? For a debut this was good and entertaining! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC!

Pretty solid unique YA fantasy. A bit predictable for a fantasy but it is what I expect for YA. I think the enemies to lovers could’ve been executed a bit better, but I really liked the characters overall.

The world building was interesting and I am curious to see how the story progresses.

Honestly the biggest critique I have is that the name does not fit the story at all in my opinion. It is trying to hop on the naming convention of so many other romantasy books, but the issue is, this book is just not the same vibe at all so in a way the title feels misleading.

I love the concept of phoenixes instead of dragons. At the moment I have not been able to get into the book and I will be going back to it at a later date

On an island built from ash and shrouded in fire, phoenix racing is a sport just as profitable as it is deadly.

Seventeen-year-old Kel Varra and her team of underdogs, the Crimson Howlers, are desperate to win the annual races and the fortune that comes with it. But the Howlers need a new rider, which leads Kel to join forces with Warren “Coup” Coupers – an arrogant rival she can’t get out of her head.

As tensions rise on and off the track, Kel's home is mistakenly burned down, and she’s forced to take a job from a mysterious tech mogul with an unsettling interest in her phoenix, Savita. This sets in motion a conspiracy that threatens everyone Kel cares for, especially Coup, for whom her embers of resentment are quickly igniting into something dangerously new.

Heart-pounding pages full of steamy romance, fiery confessions, political scheming, and volatile magic culminate in a final twist readers will never see coming.

Thank you to the author & publisher for the early copy. This was a really cool, fresh and exciting debut romantasy read. I love a good rivals to lovers trope. This story was so unique I really enjoyed the racing aspect and was not expecting some of the twists that took place.

Loved the idea of this story but it reads like a debut. It was a fun ride. Loved the phoenixes and any animal companions really. Loved the concept of it and I liked the FMC.

Who thought it was a good idea to compare this novel to Iron Widow....?? *Boo! Tomato! Tomato!* this was nowhere near what I expected. Because of the Iron Widow comp, I thought the Phoenixes were mechanical creatures. I was so convinced that for a quarter of the book I was confused how these mechanical animals went through a rebirth. It didn't make sense to me. I hope everyone knows too that there is a difference between witty banter, and being straight up assholes to each other. Some of the comments Kel and Coup were making to each other were downright inexcusable behavior. He insulter her dad and her bond with Savita and she attacked his overall character and family in some of the meanest and rudest ways I've ever read. It did not make me like either of them. Theres a big different in "enemies to lovers" and "assholes to lovers". Guess which one Coup and Kel were. I also could not handle how overbearing Kel was. She felt like a helicopter parent with the way she worked with Savita. She acted like Savita was a baby phoenix and not a powerful creature who could kill her and was capable of defending herself. I also could not understand how Kel could be so high and mighty about phoenix activism while putting her own phoenix through some of the most brutal CARP races on the continent. (I also could not get over the CARP acronym in general. Every time I read it I'd accidentally correct it in my brain to... the other word and it made the whole thing laughable which wasn't what the author intended I'm sure. I can't even remember what the letters stood for because they used the acronym so often). The fact that riders also die and people were cheering for it and OKAY with the fact that they watched someone die in front of them was awful. And yet, Kel still wanted to participate and earn money from these races by exploiting her own phoenix. The biggest of all hypocrites honestly. You can't proclaim to have your phoenixes best interests at heart while also participating in a deadly sport that could kill her. The story does touch on this but honestly not enough in my opinion. It'd be like saying "oh I'm broke I'm going to put my dog in a fighting ring to make ends meet." If that doesn't sound like hot garbage then I don't know what does. The world building was also so jarring. Kel would mention how krakens were real and brought up sprites and I swore she'd start talking about unicorns and mermaids next like????

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the eARC.

What a refreshing YA fantasy about phoenixes! The mythologies and phoenix physiology and breeds were very interesting. I liked that even though they domesticated phoenixes, they were still dangerous. There were some diverse characters too, though secondary. Couldn’t really hate the villain which is always great to me when it isn’t so black and white. People will definitely enjoy this story. Good thing I read this when it officially came out because the epilogue wasn’t written yet!

The only slight issues I had was that there is a disease of some sort spreading in the world and we don’t actually learn about it until 28% in even though the name was mentioned a couple times in the beginning. I for organizational sake that should have Ben explained when she mentioned her grandfather dying from it. I also thought the romance felt rushed. It didn’t transition well, it was just suddenly they were kissing with not much tension leading up to it. I did like that they felt like actual rivals, but the development to friends to lovers was not there for me. I also didn’t understand why their fake relationship was so popular.

I thought this was good. I enjoyed the racing scenes and the overall tension (definitely in the second half). I loved the rivals to lovers vibe and the bond that the characters had. I feel like Kel's character could have been a bit more developed. The world building isn't as deep as some fantasy but over it wasn't bad. It was a fast-paced plot and overall it was enjoyable, but lacking depth.

3.5/5 stars

“Of Flame and Fury,” by Mikayla Bridge

I liked the idea of the book; the plot was good. The reason why I didn’t love the book more was that it felt more like a sports book than a fourth wing style story, I’m not a huge fan of sports books. The characters were good, but I wanted a little more from them. All in all, it was a good book but just not for me. 3 out of 5 stars.

-Phoenix
-Enemies To Lovers

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Kel is a 17 year old phoenix rider, who gets stuck being teammates with Coup, a famous but somewhat unreliable racer, as well as selling out to Cristo, a high tech corporation that wants to use their phoenix for something. Together they try to avoid the paparazzi, fake a relationship, figure out what Cristo is up to, and of course win races with their phoenix, Sav.
This book hooked me from the beginning, with pretty much non-stop action. I loved the idea of phoenixes racing with riders, like dragons usually do in fantasy books. In general, I also liked the characterization and the world building. There were a few places where the story did drag and a couple of times I needed to remind myself who was who, but overall this was a fun, different story to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fascinating fantasy novel and I really loved how it surrounded phoenixes as there do not seem to be many stories where they take center stage. I loved all of the action in this book with the phoenix races. This book had me on the edge of my seat with all of the action. I loved it and could not wait to find out what would come next. The romance in this book was well done as well.

I thought the premise of this book was so cool. Phoenixes are one of my favorite mythological creatures to read about and they don't nearly get the love that they deserve. So when I saw Of Flame and Fury had them as the highlight I was sold.

This novel shines when it comes to the phoenix races. I could have read an entire book on that alone. I liked the descriptions, the obstacles, and teamwork of the racing crew. I also liked when "The Fume" came onto the scene and would have loved to see them incorporated more into the story. I also didn't see the plot twist coming, so kudos to Bridge for pulling that off.

I think one of my biggest problems with this book was that there was too much going on, leaving none of it well executed. I was left wanting more in terms of world-building and the magic system didn't feel very well fleshed out. The romance didn't feel believable because it felt like we spent hardly any time with the characters getting to know each other. I also wanted more on the pandemic plot, but maybe that will be addressed in future installments.

I think that this will find its home with romantasy readers, so I encourage lovers of the genre to try it out for themselves. It was just unfortunately a miss for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.