This one really didn't do it for me, and i feel like it was marketed to me unfairly. Fourth wing meets iron widow where? because the fmc or other characters ride a creature? I am pretty sure that's where the similarities stop after that. I think the idea of phoenixes was super cool and not something that's overly done, and i really like how most of the book was geared towards conservation and respect for the species.

The first chapter was super intriguing and hooked you right away, but literally nothing kept you coming back for more after that. I think the author spent more time fleshing out Savita's character then anything else. overall, sadly disappointed. I think the authors idea's were top notch but sadly executed in a way that didn't appeal to my own personal tastes.

thank you Netgalley & children's macmillian publishing group for this e-Arc in exchange for my review.

4.5 rounded up - thank you to NetGalley and the publisher/author for an early copy - all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked this one way more than I anticipated I would, as I had no prior knowledge going into it. It is essentially phoenixes meets F1 racing? Never thought I would type those words before.

We are following Kel who is a phoenix tamer that is doing everything she can, even going against her own morals to join CAPR racing, in order to keep her farm/aviary (and her father's legacy) alive. After a fatal accident, Kel's team is forced to pair with her arch nemeses the Coupers brothers.

We follow the action packed racing plot line, the enemies to lovers romance plot line, the mysterious/suspenseful Cristos industries plot line, AND the thought-provoking/political plot line of whether or not wild phoenixes should be collared or not. It feels like a lot in one book but it is so thoughtfully interwoven that it's hard to believe you're taking it all in at once.

I really loved the main characters, although I do wish we had gotten to see the romance develop slightly more. It's very obvious it's coming, but it feels like enemies TO lovers rather than a slow burn.

The phoenix aspect was always going to intrigue me because mythical creatures are one of my favorite things to read about, but the racing aspect was a fun twist on a beloved trope for me and fed my recent obsession with all things sports/competition related.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys mythical creatures books like Fourth Wing, Blazewrath Games, Crown of Feathers, The Storm Crow, etc. (and if you haven't read those and enjoyed this book - I would recommend those to you.)

My ONLY "gripe", and I don't even know if that word is entirely fitting, would be that it feels like it is setting up to have a sequel and then it just ends. So the highest praise goes out to this book in that I wish there was MORE of it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook arc, while I was excited to start this book I just could not get into it. The world building was amazing and definitely would recommend for fans of iron widow.

Of Flame and Fury stands out with its original concept—phoenix racing, environmental tension, and a cast of scrappy underdogs. I really liked how the phoenixes weren’t tame or overly magical but instead wild, dangerous, and unpredictable. The found family vibe and slow-burn romance helped anchor the story emotionally, and I appreciated the underlying themes of corporate greed, loss, and rebellion. That said, I did struggle a bit with the execution. The worldbuilding sometimes felt inconsistent and the pacing uneven, especially in the early chapters. Still, the unique premise and bursts of strong character dynamics made this a solid and entertaining read. YA fantasy readers looking for something a little different will likely enjoy the ride.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Mikayla Bridge for an ARC of, Of Flame And Fury.

The gorgeous cover and title are what first drew my attention to this book. I ate Fourth Wing up so when I saw in the description that this book was compared to that series I couldn’t wait to jump into the story. Before starting this book I wasn’t that familiar with the fantasy creature the phoenix so it was a cool change up since dragons have been done in fantasy time and time again. I loved the idea of these fierce, wild, bird creatures that they use to race. It kind of reminds me of modern day drag racing meets fantasy which was a creative concept that I haven’t seen in books yet. The writing was fast paced and action packed which was what kept me from DNFing. The corrupt political system and secrets in the storyline peaked my interest and added tension making the storyline all that more interesting. For the most part I enjoyed this story BUT the main thing that kept me from LOVING this story was the third person narration. I know… I know. That is a trivial reason to lower a rating but for whatever reason it really just did not work for me with this book. I am not a huge fan of third person narration but can usually look past it. I don’t know why but with this story it just grated on my nerves the entire time. I think it was because I went in comparing it to Fourth Wing. My mind instantly went to thinking I was about to get lost in a book with first person, fun, easy narration where the dialogue between found family flows so easily that you truly forget you’re reading. For this reason alone, right from the start it was a struggle for me to truly get lost in the story. It wasn’t until the ending that made me truly invested in the story and now of course if there is a second book I will be reading it because I need answers. 😅

This was more plot forward than romance forward but I thought it was incredibly fun and had a unique fantasy take. Lots of worldbuilding.

I received an ARC to review. As this was an ARC, the epilogue was not yet present/ had a placeholder. The book itself ends with you not knowing for sure what happens, so I’ll have to read the epilogue at release to see if what I expected happens. Aside from that this is this authors debut and the book is really good. There’s magic in a way, but mostly via magical creatures aka the phoenix’s they race. There’s enemies to lovers with a slow burn in addition to a good plot line and twists that you don’t completely see coming. This is also a standalone book, but believe other standalones in the same universe are planned.

As a start this book is 1-1.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️’s for me.

First I’d like to thank Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for sending me this Arc.
I’m afraid this is the worse rating I’ve ever given a book and here’s why.

I read about 30% of the book and felt nothing but boredom.I couldn’t feel any connection to any character mentioned in the book,the plot itself wasn’t what I had expected and would’ve liked.The concept of Phoenixes,riding,and racing programs didn’t interest me at all.Even though I know many people would.

The first 30% of the book had no action or excitement which is why I ended up with the rest of the 70% skipping and skimming.
On the blurb of the book,it was said that there’s the trope of Enemies To Lovers,and unfortunately I found nothing of sorts.
The two character had no interesting interactions,chemistry,or shared any kind of love.

I really did feel guilty skipping so many pages that I know for a fact the author tried her best to write.Though these are just MY opinions and MY thoughts! You might end up loving the book!

This was a really fun YA romantasy, with extremely likeable side characters and a super sweet romance that took a backseat to the captivating plot. It was a very fun read and despite the fear and danger it felt like a cozy book and I truly felt like I was in the friend group. Loved this a lot and highly recommend!

It was a little hard to pick up at first because there is a lot of world building right off the bat. But as the story settles into itself, it is a really great story. The last 50 pages were gripping and definitely make sure you have the time to read it all at once.

Of Flame and Fury is about a young phoenix tamer, Kelyn, down on her luck and in desperate need of money. She learns what she is willing to do in order to get that money, including taking her rival, Warren Couper, onto her racing team, The Howlers, and moving to the capital city for sponsorship from the Cristos Corporation even though her father hated everything they did.

This story is about found family, endangered species, habitat loss and environmental conservation, a deadly disease, shady corporations, and the rebel groups that defy them, with a more dangerous phoenix version of NASCAR and a romance or two.

I liked the fact that phoenixes weren’t pets or like in many dragon stories, telepathic. They were wild creatures with a mind of their own. It doesn’t matter how well-trained you think a wild animal is, it may attack you at any time, Roy. (If you don’t get the reference, look up Siegfried & Roy.)

Savita was my favorite character. Warren is a distant second. Honestly, I didn’t care much for any of the people in this story, but least of all our main character, Kel. Despite that, I did enjoy the budding romance between them. It was probably the best-written aspect of this story.

I wanted to love this story. It should have been right up my alley. Unfortunately, Of Flame and Fury is trying to do too much and fails at almost everything. The worldbuilding tries to be complex and ends up being more of a distraction or thrown at you just before it becomes important. It’s also contradictory. I don’t know how many times I thought to myself, “But you said the opposite a paragraph or chapter ago,” or “Wait, how can they do that? Didn’t x just happen?” or something similar. Also, if their biology works like our biology - that’s not how short memory loss works.

Some of the twists were obvious although I was hoping because it seemed so obvious that it would twist again, but alas, maybe because this is YA, Mikayla wanted to keep it simple. One of the twists though comes out of left field, smacks you across the face, and leaves your ears ringing. And the ending. Points for not waving the magic Deus Ex Machina wand to fix everything! But… if this is a standalone, what’s with that ending?

I was frustrated by this story in the first few chapters but I hate to DNF an ARC. Am I overthinking it? Maybe. Will a teenager be able to parse out most of the issues that I did? Maybe. Will they care? Less likely.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Mikayla Bridge, and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)/Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.25/5 stars

Essentially F1 with Phoenix’s.

I was very pleasantly surprised with Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge, especially as their debut! I wasn’t sure if would be for me, but thought the synopsis was fairly enticing, and I’m so happy I was fortunate enough to get an eARC.

Fast paced, Of Flame and Fury will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I consumed this book in less than 24 hours it was so unputdownable.

Two years in a row now I’ve fallen in love with a July-release phoenix related book by a debut author that I read as an eARC in June. If I had a nickel for every time that happened, I’d have two nickels. That’s not a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.

I kind of wish this book had come out when I was a teen because I could see myself making it my whole personality. Alas, I am an adult now.

For a while this book was hanging out in the 4.5 to 4.75 star range but it was knocked down to 4.25 at the end. Unfortunately, the last 20% wasn’t exactly how I was hoping it would end, but I still think it was very well done. There was also one plot device that was used towards the end that I really dislike. While it was used in a way that didn’t bother me as much as usual, it also decreased my enjoyment slightly.

Overall, a fantastic read. I really hope that people pick this book up because it is absolutely worth the read. I’m personally very excited to see what they publish next!

Of Flames and Fury was such a good debut enemies to lovers YA fantasy. I love how Bridge wove in a little bit of everything into this story – magical creatures, action, surprising reveals, betrayals, and romance. The world building was incredible well done making it easy to picture exactly what we’re reading. I also love that this dealt with phoenixes which aren’t featured enough in fantasy stories. Not only that but Bridge went even farther with phoenixes to create different subspecies. I thought the characters were well developed and interesting including the side characters. The dynamic between Kel and Coup was so well done. The plot moved at a pretty fast pace making this an easy story to binge read all while feeling wholly original. I loved the racing scenes that were woven into the story. The audiobook narration was delightful to listen to. Safiyya Ingar did so well with capturing Kel’s essence, especially her struggles between doing what she feels is right vs what is necessary. The narration was also clear, easy to listen to, and immersive with the emotion and energy Ingar brings to her performance. Overall, this was highly enjoyable, and I’d recommend checking it out.

This was my first phoenix book and it was so fun! I think all the dragon-rider readers need to check out phoenixes next!

This was a very classic YA fantasy book. It felt very familiar for much of it but there was a twist that managed to surprise me. I will recommend my library purchase this and review it for our teen programming.

Need for Speed Meets Phoenixes? Because it's too techy for my brain to say this is very equestrian vibes. I couldn't stop imagining the phoenixes as some illegal street cars. I mean, either route is NOT my vibe.

This follows Kel and her team, the Crimson Howlers. The Howlers end up needing a new rider, enter Warren "Coup" Coupers, her rival. Kel is approached early on in the book, offering employment which Kel turns down until she has no choice but to accept when her home is burned down. That's not even the worst of it, the media is eating up the idea that Kel and Coup are intimately involved so they have to pretend there might be something between them.

What to Expect:
📚YA
📚Fake Dating
📚Third Person, Single POV
📚Rivals to Lovers
📚Found Family
📚Sickness Reaping the Land
📚 Phoenix Racing

The beginning of this book did snag my attention, and I was wondering what direction the book was going to go. At some point, my interest dropped. It started feeling like street racing to me, and I could not get the imagery out of my head. This is a very sci-fi meets fantasy world with all the tech they have. Some things were confusing because bits weren't elaborated on like other magical creatures we were briefly introduced to. I don't know much about this world at all, except that there are phoenixes, sprites, and some kind of sickness. My interest wasn't brought back again until part three of the book, but it's not enough for me to want to continue this series. I also wish books would stop being compared to books like Fourth Wing when the only similarity really is that they ride magical creatures.

This had a lot of interesting elements
• young adult
• phoenix creatures
• fantasy world

A fun plot about phoenix races and riders who navigate this world with a cute romantic subplot that had funny banter and moments.

4.5⭐️ rounded up
I’m discovering I’m a sucker for phoenix books? I was super intrigued by the description for this when I requested it (as well as when I read the theme for OwlCrate’s July YA).
While Kel had a few times where she is a bit self-righteous, her heart is in the right place and she cares for the phoenix well being, Savita’s specifically, above all. I loved seeing the layers to Coup’s character and that reminder that our perception of someone may not actually be who they are. Kel & Coup together? Ugh, the banter and then also enemies to lovers is just great - it being YA the lovers portion is what it is. I also enjoyed the rest of the Howlers team, no matter how little we as readers got to know them. Really nice character building on the racing team and sponsor/ employment dynamic.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the advance electronic copy. All opinions are my own.
Also super excited to see what OwlCrate does for their edition of this 🔥

I enjoyed this story! I will say, I did NOT realize it was YA when I went into it - however it's definitely written to appease that age group.

With that said, I still enjoyed it! This was very different. The enemies-to-(lovers??) relationship had fun banter. Think Fourth Wing... but giant birds... 

This author is new to me, and I will look to more of their writing!

Thanks Net Galley for both the audio/kindle version of this book - it was fun to read/listen together.

I enjoyed this story! I will say, I did NOT realize it was YA when I went into it - however it's definitely written to appease that age group.

With that said, I still enjoyed it! This was very different. The enemies-to-(lovers??) relationship had fun banter. Think Fourth Wing... but giant birds...

This author is new to me, and I will look to more of their writing!

Thanks Net Galley for both the audio/kindle version of this book - it was fun to read/listen together.