Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Of Flame and Fury is a YA fantasy is set in a a magical world where humans and magical creatures co-exist, but in a tense and dangerous way. The story revolves around the deadly and high stakes business of Phoenix racing and includes found family, a young enemies to lovers romance, political tension and the spread of a deadly, incurable disease.
The main character, Kel, has only two things she can rely on, her best friend Dira and her phoenix Savita. With her parents both gone and desperate for funds, Kel and Dira are forced to participate in phoenix racing, hoping to place high enough to pay the bills and keep Kel from losing her farm. When they lose their rider in a race, Dira convinces daredevil rider Warren Coupers and his brother to join their team, the Crimson Howlers. However, Coups and Kel absolutely despise each other. When the media becomes interested in Kel and Coups after they calm an uncollared phoenix, the world becomes interested in the Howlers, gaining recognition from a rich sponsor, Cristo. With their finances waning, the crew have no choice but to join Cristo even though his Phoenix racing practices are questionable. The Howlers will all suffer under Cristo’s sponsorship, but Kel will risk all to save her Phoenix, Savita.
This story is faced paced and the racing scenes are thrilling (and sometimes gruesome). I liked the characters and the found family aspect of their relationships. The immortality and brutal nature of the phoenixes was fascinating and well-developed. I enjoyed this story and will definitely look forward to the sequel.

This book has a unique take on racing. Most people hear racing and they think cars or horses. This book is about racing phoenixes! Which is something different, and that's what pique my curiosity. It is a slow burn, enemies to lovers trope. The world building was very well executed. I enjoyed that the beginning of the book has a "key" to what types of phoenixes there are. It was very helpful in keeping everything straight. There is a lot of tension between the main characters, and the plot was very well done.

This book was phenomenal. There’s no trope I adore more than enemies to lovers and Mikayla Bridge perfects that and more in her debut.

COUP. I could wax poetic about Coup. I might have just met my new favorite book boyfriend. He is perfect, and Kel is perfect, and Sav is perfect, and altogether they are everything. In short, OF FLAME AND FURY is perfect. Read it.

Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge is a fast-paced, emotionally charged fantasy that had me hooked. The heart of this story is Kel—a strong, gritty, and determined protagonist who refuses to back down, even when the world keeps trying to take everything from her. Her bond with Savita, her phoenix, is beautifully written and gave the story so much heart. You feel her desperation, her fire, and her unbreakable will to protect the one thing she has left.

The high-stakes racing was intense and you never knew what was going to be thrown at you. Add in some slow-building romance that unfolds at just the right pace, and you’ve got a story that blends action and emotion really well.

The world-building was immersive and I can’t wait to see where Kel’s journey goes next—this is a series I’ll definitely be following.

I’ve been needing a book Iike this after the disappointment that was Onyx Storm! The world building was cool, and I enjoyed the Phoenix aspect. I won’t give anything away, but I will definitely be buying this book and recommending it.

Mikayla Bridge did not come to play!!! She did her her big one when she wrote Of Flame and Fury. This book was had incredible world-building and an even better plot. The writing was so unique and will have you vividly depicting the book and have you feel as though you are living in those pages as the characters. It was filled with so much action and survival. There was never a dull moment in Of Flame and Fury. The plot and characters just flow so smoothly and it was an absolute joy to read this. I definitely will be recommending this to all of my bookish friends.


If anyone is thinking about giving this a read, DO IT!!! You won't regret it one bit.

I wanted to love this but it was too much fourth wing themes. The idea was interesting but execution was like reading a fourth wing novella.

When I saw the word “phoenix” I was immediately intrigued. I haven’t read too many books that include phoenixes… which is a shame because what a cool concept! In a world that is currently oversaturated with dragons (which are still cool) it’s nice to see a new mythical creature enter the scene.

Kel Varra is part of phoenix racing team. A team called the Crimson Howlers (sick name tbh lol) who are considered the “underdogs” in racing. And my gosh is this team down on their luck. Like dang. The world is seriously out to get them! But a glimmer of hope comes their way with a new sponsor. The problem is this sponsor is a notorious tech company that may come with money, but also consequences. Oh, and there is also a mysterious illness going around with no cure! Big yikes!

What a good debut novel! There were times it felt like there were a lot of moving parts but I loved the concept, and it includes one of my absolute favorite tropes. I’ll look forward to reading the sequel!

A huge thank you to this book’s publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love the cover of this book! This was a really thriller cozy fantasy! I wasn’t a big of the phoenix racing. But I do think the story was well written. I think my issue was I thought it was going to be just like fourth wing. If you go into thinking like that, you may not enjoy this book.

The plot is good and it’s definitely a unique story! There was no spice which I enjoyed. Definitely worth giving it a chance. I’m glad I was given the opportunity to read it early.

Thank you NetGalley, Mikayla and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the eARC!

Publication Date: July 15 2025
Rating: ✨✨ ✨

#NetGalley

4.5/5 stars
Of Flame and Fury is an action-packed YA fantasy that brings something new to the genre with its thrilling take on phoenix racing!!
From the very first page, the story launches into high-stakes competition, rivalries, and tension that had me hooked ⚡️. Kel and Coup’s dynamic is a standout, rivals forced into a partnership that slowly evolves into a heartfelt, slow-burn romance 💘.
Their banter, backstories, and emotional growth made them easy to root for, and the found family theme gave the story a strong emotional core 🫶.

The world building was intriguing, but I did wish for more context around key elements like the phoenix breeds, the AB disease, and certain plot twists that needed a bit more setup..
Some parts felt rushed or underexplained, especially for a YA audience, but the energy of the story and the originality of the concept more than made up for it.
The tropes, rivals to lovers, fake dating, underdog team, were familiar but well-executed and perfect for fans of The Hunger Games or Fourth Wing 🎯.

Overall, this was a fiery, fun read with a lot of heart ❤️‍🔥. A strong debut that makes me excited to see what the author does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Of Flame and Fury is an exciting, fast-paced fantasy featuring phoenix tamers, dangerous races, and a tense rivals-to-lovers romance. I loved the fiery chemistry between Keyln and Warren and the unique focus on phoenixes. The world-building was creative and immersive, though I would’ve liked a bit more depth for some side characters. Overall, this was a thrilling read, and I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel!

In a world where they race Phoenixes, one of the teams named the Crimson Howlers is looking for some new teammates. One of the original members, Kel, who is the owner of the team's Phoenix Savita, is forced to work with a cocky rider named Warren "Coup" Coupers after they lose their rider and Coup is kicked off his current team. For 2 years these two have butted heads on the track. But soon realize they both want the same thing, to get out of debt and to help their loved ones. So they have to let the past go and work as a team. And their hatred soon is turned on it's head, leading to other feelings.

After a tragic accident at Kel's home, she and Coup are offered a sponsorship with a millionaire who is researching better ways to care for Phoenixes. But soon it turns out there's more to this millionaire than they originally thought. Can they trust him to care for Savita or will things soon go up in flames???

I loved this book. The connection between Kel and Coup and their little found family. Along with the Phoenixes racing. It was nice to have a different story when lately everything has really been centered around dragons. Which don't get me wrong, I love. But I liked that spin on a different creature and how they handled riders and the different aspects of racing and so on.

If you are looking for a fast paced story with a different spin with romance and found family. This one is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC copy!

3.5 stars!

This was super cute! I think I went into it expecting higher stakes, but it felt like more of a cozy fantasy. I loved the phoenixes and the kind of urban fantasy setting. I would have liked a bit more of an explanation in some areas - how did the collars work to rein in the phoenix magic? How did medicine work? People had no magic, but were able to super speed up the healing process? And I also would’ve liked more foreshadowing in some areas, maybe some mentions of Kel having blank spots in her memory? With the limited foreshadowing in that regard, it made the ending feel a bit rushed. Also, there was an epilogue spot but no actual epilogue. I’m not sure if that was just because it was an ARC or not, but I was looking forward to the ARC to answer that final question of if Kel and Savita succeeded and was left a tiny bit disappointed not to have that.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I thought it was a great cozy fantasy.

2.5⭐️ 0🌶️(YA)

I really enjoyed that this is a standalone YA fantasy story and was action packed and a fun little read! Overall, I enjoyed the story but felt like it needed some edits to improve the overall comprehension. The ending was good but I wanted a bit more out of it as well to make it even more satisfying - it left a few too many loose ends untied for me.

This book had action from the FIRST PAGE. It was a great way to start the story, but it did come at the price of the backstory and world building, which I felt was lacking at the start. While I greatly appreciate when the start of a book isn’t an info-dump, I would like the context of the world and what is happening and I felt like I didn’t really get that. It took me a while to understand the purpose of the story and the messaging that the author intended. While overall, the messaging felt a little weak, I’m okay with that for the intended audience. It also took a while for me to figure out the direction the story was heading because I didn’t have enough understanding of the world, the backstory, or the context. For example, if I were to explain this story to someone in one sentence, I don’t think I would be able to, because there are a lot of moving parts and it doesn’t exactly come to a concise point.

Similarly, some terms in the world building, like the disease AB and its symptoms, and the variations in species of phoenix were only used briefly and didn’t get enough context to be memorable. I worry that younger readers (as this is a YA book with an age range of 14+) may not comprehend these facets of the world because they aren’t built out enough, and may be too confusing or disorienting for them. While the story is appropriate for their age, the world building needs to be more accommodating to fit a YA audience. I likely wouldn’t recommend this to my young loved ones until they were 17 for this reason.

There is also a plot hole about one of the plot twists - it is missing some backstory and needs additional details throughout the story to justify how the characters came to the conclusion of the twist. It wasn’t noticeable or detailed enough to make sense until the mentioning of Estra right before the reveal.

TROPES
This story utilized quite a few tropes. Occasionally it felt a little too cliche, but I do think it works for a YA audience. Some of the fake dating trope, especially as it related to media coverage, felt similar to the Hunger Games, so young readers who have read that series and enjoyed it may resonate with this story as well.

THE CHARACTERS
For the length of the story I thought the characters were decently developed. I did want a bit more from the MCs though. While we heard about Kel’s last name having some clout, we never got to know why. I also wanted a bit more about Coup’s childhood before his mother passed. The side characters felt very well developed though for their roles which was nice!

THE ROMANCE
I think this was the best part of this story! I loved the slow burn, rivals to lovers, and the banter was fun but age appropriate for a YA audience. It kept me on my toes and I was really happy with the direction the author took the romance between the two MCs.

Oh my gosh, move over dragons a new animal has taken over! Right from the beginning the reader is thrown into the world of Phoenix racing and all of the chaos it has to offer.

Majestic and magical, a phoenix is full power and grace. So much power in fact that the only way they can be raced somewhat safely is by wearing a special collar to taper their heat, created by Cristo Industries.

Kel is one of the best tamers around, she is deeply invested in her phoenix’s care. Savita is a powerful being, passed down in her family: from grandfather to father and now her. Unfortunately the price of her care over the years has forced Kel into the racing scene; trying to find the balance between the belief that phoenixes are wild animals to be protected and to provide for them all by winning races.

When the latest rider on her team (the Howlers) loses her life in a race, Kel is faced with a new dilemma. Team up with Coup, the reckless and arrogant rider known all over CAPR and his brother or face sure ruin and have her farm (plus Savita) taken away. Just as the new Howlers team runs their first race a new twist occurs: none other than Cristo from Cristo Industries wants to recruit them for his own racing team with a promise of a solid future. It sounds almost too good to be true and we know how that saying goes…

What an amazing debut novel! I was so invested in the characters and the phoenixes that I was so disappointed when I finished the book. The story’s plots are woven together so artfully that it was easy to keep up with how everything (and everyone) is connected. A few times I was wonderfully surprised at the direction the author took. This book is a beautiful compilation of fairytale, myth, science, and adventure!

My one sad note: I couldn’t read the epilogue and now I must wait till July! Special thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc copy!

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

This was such a great read! The story pulls you in right away with a fast-paced, high-stakes opening that immediately has you hooked.

We follow Kel Varra, who races her phoenix, Savita, in hopes of winning enough prize money to keep her farm afloat after her father’s death. When things don’t go as planned, Kel accepts an offer to work with Cristo Industries, teaming up with Dira, Bekn, and her rival racer, Warren Coupers (Coup).

Some sparks fly between Coup and Kel and there is some great banter and tension between the two, but it is not the main focus of the story.

Meanwhile, there’s an incurable disease spreading, as well as a resistance group who is fighting for the rights of the phoenixes. There are a few twists and turns throughout that I did not see coming.

The book does a great job showing how far people are willing to go to protect the ones they love, even if it means making questionable choices.

The pacing does slow down a little after the first few chapters, but the second half more than makes up for it with non-stop action and tension. I also really enjoyed the side characters, and I’m definitely hoping for a sequel so we can spend more time with them.

Overall this was a fantastic debut novel and I highly recommend it if you enjoy

-phoenix racing
-rivals to lovers/reluctant allies
-fake dating
-only one saddle
-morally grey villain
-found family
-conspiracies
-animal rights

Strong 4 stars!!

Of Flame and Fury || Mikayla Bridge

4.25 stars

"The fire felt like bottled sunlight. Like a fast breeze or a sharp melody. Harsh and unstoppable--and something Kel wanted to bask in forever." .

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Releases July 15, 2025.

Quick summary: With the death of her father and her absentee mother, Kel has only two things she can rely on, her best friend Dira and her phoenix Savita. Desperate for funds, Kel and Dira have to participate in phoenix racing, hoping to place high enough to get paid enough to pay the bills and keep Kel from losing her farm. Phoenix racing is thrilling, and deadly, so when they lose their rider in a race, Dira employs daredevil rider Warren Coupers and his brother to work on their team, the Crimson Howlers. However, Coups and Kel absolutely despise each other. When the media becomes interest in Kel and Coups after they calm an uncollared phoenix, the world becomes interested in the Howlers, gaining recognition from a rich sponsor, Cristo. Due to devastating events, the crew have no choice but to join Cristo, but what he's offering may be too good to be true, and it could put their lives, and Savita's, at risk.

Thoughts: This is a refreshing new YA fantasy series. I absolutely love the use of phoenixes, and I love that, unlike dragons, they are more animal-like and more brutal. The fact that they are practically immortal was also interesting. There is more to this story than racing, there is a dangerous, uncurbable disease going on, there is a political battle between those who engage in phoenix racing and those who believe in phoenix welfare and freedom, and there is of course the underlying romance which is enemies to lovers with a splash of fake dating. Spice is 0/5 (only kissing) but could see there being more spice if there is an additional book. There is a nice mix of characters in this story, and although the main character is Kel, I thought, for the most part, the characters are well fleshed out, but some more time could be spent on the supporting characters. There was a little plot twist in this story that I didn't see coming, and I thought it was well done. The villain is also done very well, because they aren't completely evil, making choices that would be difficult for anyone in their position. With the way this story ended, I'm sure there will be at least one other book, and I definitely would read another book in this universe.

-YA fantasy
-enemies to lovers
-fake dating
-phoenix racing
-political scheming
-animal rights
-morally gray villain
-found family
-3rd person POV

Spice 0/5

This was fast paced and exciting! Things kept happening and the characters don't have the time to think through what to do next, acting on instinct. So fun, and I can't wait for more of this.

Going directly into the Phoenix race was confusing. I had a hard time understanding the animals, the roles and titles, and didn’t feel invested in the characters. The early death seems anticlimactic due to not fully grasping the logistics of the rider and the Phoenix.

I found this book really interesting! I loved the premise and while it took some time to get into the story I ended up loving it!
Absolutely action packed and the Phoenix's were to die for! I loved the racing and the sub plot lines were fun too! I will absolutely be recommending this story to my book club and friends! Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book!