This book was different from what I usually read! I have never encountered a book about Phoenix racing so it was intriguing.

In dire need of a new Phoenix rider, Kelyn- the Crimson Howlers leader and phoenix tamer- is forced to take on her rival, Coup, as the team rider. After going viral for containing a wild dangerous phoenix, Kel and Coup are recruited by Cristo Industries to be their sponsored phoenix racing team. They thought some simple fake dating and a few easy race wins would score them money to change their lives, but they never expected dangerous race tracks and a conspiracy to cross their paths.

If you’re looking for a book that is heavier on character relationships with a background Phoenix racing subplot- this isn’t the book for you. It is VERY heavy on the Phoenix racing. Lots of races with lots of descriptions of the races, with just a little bit of character interactions outside of the races. That was one aspect I didn’t quite enjoy about the book. I understand it’s about Phoenix racing, but chapter long races weren’t keeping my attention. I did enjoy the book as it is very well written- and I LOVED the big twist- but I think sports/racing books just aren’t for me! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan publishing for the gifted eARC!

I loved this story and the way the beginning catches your attention! I was invested from the beginning to the end. The vibe was definitely F1, I’m usually not into that sport but after reading this, I have an urge to get started. The concept of phoenix racing is so unique. Coup and Kel had me sobbing, they were so cute even with the dislike they had for each other. The plot twist shocked me so much that I was also second guessing everything. I knew I should have paid more attention to a specific topic, but I still chose to ignore it and now I will be rereading. I had so many “I KNEW IT” moments which made the book more fun for me. The epilogue wasn’t included yet but I have hope that it will do justice to this story, especially because it will really seal the deal on whether this book will end up getting 5 stars from me.

I didn’t see the Fourth Wing or Enemies to Lovers part of this book but that’s ok it didn’t need it.

Thank you to the author, Macmillan Children’s, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

Rating: 5/5 stars

*Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: July 15 2025

Wow. This was incredible. I didn't realize how much I could come to care about phoenixes. I'm petrified of birds, but I'd do anything to protect the ones in this book. Following a phoenix-tamer named Kel and her racing team, schemes and deception make Kel's efforts to keep herself, her team, her family, and (most importantly) her phoenix, Savita, safe.

This was such a great story; I was hesitant going in because I wasn't sure if the racing aspect would overtake the story, but it didn't! Of course, it is a focal aspect, but the way it was executed still left plenty of room for world-building, character development, relationships, and everything else!

The descriptions in this book are phenomenal - Bridge has a great handle of language/writing in that area. I truly could picture the flames, the feathers, the setting[s]. The characters were also very well developed, and I loved learning about them. The build-up of the romance had a perfect pacing, in my opinion, and I loved the supporting characters' relationships, as well! Of course, the queer rep was a great addition! Touching back on pacing, I appreciated the quicker pace! I always wanted to keep reading (ESPECIALLY as the book neared the end). I also really enjoyed the 'lullabies' at the start of each section/part.

I would say that, while there is great world-building, there was a bit of confusion for me regarding the 'continent' versus Salta and its islands. I also felt a bit lost at times trying to remember which islands held which 'gods'/creatures; they were mentioned throughout the story, but it was a bit too spread out for me to remember until I was pretty far into the book. Perhaps that would be a good reference to include at the beginning alongside the descriptions of different phoenixes. I also would have generally just loved/enjoyed more details about the other islands and their creatures/magic!

I would also say that, while the plot is definitely intriguing and I always wanted to keep reading to find out how things were going to unfold, multiple aspects were pretty predictable. For me, though, it didn't take away from the story or make me want to stop reading. There were some unpredictable events/reveals at the end!

Overall, a masterpiece of a debut novel and one of my favorite reads of this year, so far! I'd highly recommend it and will definitely be seeking it out when it is published to read the epilogue!

Mikayla Bridge weaves a fascinating premise in this sweeping, soot filled gorgeous tale about phoenix racing. A departure from the usual dragon flight and fight norms, this story breathes fresh perspective into the duology of domestic versus wildness in the magical creatures that are phoenixes.

Kelyn Varra, tamer extraordinaire, and her best friend Dira, the strategist, are the last 2 standing in the Howlers team and forced to team up with the arrogant Warren "Coup" Coupers and his brother Bekn to race Kel's prized pet, Savita. When her farm burns down, both Kel and Coup are forced to accept the sponsorship of a eccentric billionaire, Cristo Canen, who seems to be an erudite scholar studying the conservationship of the wild creatures and their magical ties to the land. Add in The Fume, a cult like organization which worships the phoenixes and despises their racing, myths on the legendary bonds between man and phoenix, and you have a brilliant crossover with vibes of mystery, fantasy and myth overlapping in equal measure!

The story built up gradually and the plot twist in the end, did throw me for a loop (well done!!!). The Kel-Coup inferno of a love story has all the feels and Kel's reliance on Savita as well as her anchor in Dira are beautifully etched in this found family tableau. This gorgeous tale is a refreshing pause from the other dragonlore tales, and enjoy the bonding!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC!

I loved this story and the way the beginning catches your attention! I was invested from the beginning to the end. The vibe was definitely F1, I’m usually not into that sport but after reading this, I have an urge to get started. The concept of phoenix racing is so unique. Coup and Kel had me sobbing, they were so cute even with the dislike they had for each other. The plot twist shocked me so much that I was also second guessing everything. I knew I should have paid more attention to a specific topic, but I still chose to ignore it and now I will be rereading. I had so many “I KNEW IT” moments which made the book more fun for me. The epilogue wasn’t included yet but I have hope that it will do justice to this story, especially because it will really seal the deal on whether this book will end up getting 5 stars from me.

I didn’t see the Fourth Wing or Enemies to Lovers part of this book but that’s ok it didn’t need it.

Thank you to the author, Macmillan Children’s, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

What a story. I’m sitting on the edge of my seat just baffled. This was amazing and what I yearn for. I will 100% be purchasing this for my shelf when it is published! This was a fresh read and didn’t feel like I was reading the same books over and over again like so many others.

I will be in a reading slump for the next 4-6 business days. I fear that I may not emotionally recover...

Thank you NetGalley, Mikayla Bridge and Macmillan Publishing for this ARC.

I originally read the 10 chapter sampler and immediately begged for the full copy because I could not stop thinking about it.

Mikayla, you absolutely killed it and I could not put this book down. It does lean pretty YA so keep that in mind when reading but I absolutely adored this romantasy adventure and think that it is a must read.

Follow along Kel and her bold phoenix Sav as they navigate the world of phoenix racing having to deal with loss, betrayal, and new blossoming feelings for a certain cocky phoenix rider. I am not a big politics person and prefer to keep that out of my stories typically, however the little sprinkles of their societal politics and secrets added a layer of depth to the story and the world building that I really enjoyed.

There were some twists that I fully expected, but when the dots finally connected for a specific moment in Kels story my heart absolutely broke and I was not ready for the end of the book to happen.

Things I loved most:
-Enemies to lovers - immaculate execution
-Phoenixes & Racing
-Found Family

Each and every character has gone through some hardship in their life and it makes them all the more relatable. I think it is a big reason why they work so flawlessly together and their little found family grew to be my favorite story.

I will be running to pick up this book as soon as it is published on July, 15th, 2025

Of Flame and Fury is a fun and easy-to-follow standalone fantasy that felt like NASCAR but switch the cars for phoenixes. I enjoyed the characters, and the "enemies-to-lovers" romance was super sweet. I think there could have been more worldbuilding, and it felt like there was a bit of a plot hole at the end with the shocking reveal, BUT the vibes were good, and I had a great time reading this one! Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Mikayla Bridge for the opportunity to read an eARC of this title. All thoughts are my own.

3.75/5⭐️

Of Flame and Fury has entered the chat with its F1 style phoenix racing, slow burn romance, high stakes, and a plot twist that will have you rereading immediately.

Enter Kelyn, 17 years old and left to fend for herself after her father's death. When debts are stacking up, she turns to phoenix racing with her friends and phoenix, Savita, to win money that will help keep her farm. After an unfortunate accident with their rider, the Crimson Howler's are forced to work with her arch nemesis, Warren 'Coup' Coupers, who is the LAST person Kelyn thought she would team up with on the circuit.

While this story wasn't necessarily a slow start for me it did take some time to get into as any fantasy/romantasy would with the world building. I fell in love with our MCs because both were putting on fronts to hide their true pain. The moments leading up to and finally their romance breaking out was beautifully written.

Let's just say I did NOT see that plot twist coming! The little crumbs that Mikayla sprinkled throughout the story that would've tipped me off were so well camouflaged that I noticed them, but thought they were related to something entirely different.

I am dying to know what is going to be in the epilogue and praying we get a second book. I feel like we just scratched the surface of this world, and I want to know more!

Tropes
> F1 Phoenix Racing
> Rivals to Lovers
>Found Family
>Mythical Creatures
>Fake Dating
>Underdog Team

'Of Flame and Fury' is set on an Island where people race using tamed pheonixes. Insert Kelyn, A 17 year old girl living on a farm by herself ever since her Dad passed away. She is the pheonix tamer of her racing group, the Howlers. After their rider dies in a race, she unwillingly teams up with Warren Couper, better known as Coups, and his brother. The Howlers are given a sponsership offer by Cristo Industries, giving them an oppurtunity none of them had ever been given before.

~ Enemies to lovers ✨
~ Magical companions ✨
~ Mythical creatures ✨
~ Mystery ✨

I can't wait for other people to read this book once it comes out, and Mikayla Bridge better get cracking on book 2 !

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the advanced reader copy of this book!

Wow! What an absolute gem of a book. This fast paced, unique, yet fleshed out story is a must read! Of Flame and Fury follows a team of young adults in the world of phoenix racing. each member of the team has a specific role, very similar to F1 racing. Mikayla Bridge wrote an absolute POWERHOUSE of a debut book.

The characters were developed, with room for even more growth if there is a sequel (🤞). Kel and Coup were excellent main characters, but the side characters were also so lovable and fun to read about.

The plot itself was fast paced, and I literally could not put the book down. There are so many plot twists, with one in particular towards the end of the book making me audibly gasp. I hope a second book is to come!

If you love:
- found family
- YA romantasy
- political storyline w/ a romance subplot
- racing
- futuristic settings
- reverse grumpy x sunshine
- fake dating
- rivals to reluctant allies to lovers
Then this book is for you!! Check it out when it releases in July!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this title. I
tried so hard to get into this book but I just couldn’t. I DNFd at 40%. It was just so slow getting started. Maybe it just wasn’t for me. 😔

Of Flame and Fury is an absolute masterpiece for a debut novel I am blown away!!! I loved seeing our heroine Kel and her Phoenix racing team the howlers struggle to make ends meet so close to the wins they needed. To right the ship. From page one we feel the bond between Kel and Savita as she works with her beautiful Phoenix day and night to prepare to win. I loved the descriptions and strength listed for all the different types of Phoenix’s the writing was incredibly vivid bringing the world of racing and its dangers to life.Then swaggers in her nemesis Coup all glitz and danger rolled into a media darling package you can absolutely feel Kel’s annoyance, irritation, mistrust and yasss attraction despite herself. Then tragedy strikes after Coup does an extremely dangerous maneuver. One that not only garners a winning place but edges out the Howlers at a devastating cost as Kel’s own rider (attempts to make up the distance) tries the same maneuver unsuccessfully losing her life. Leaving the Howlers without a rider. Said same move gets Coup kicked off his own team and an unlikely alliance is eventually forged as both Kel and Coup are out of options. Then enter stage right is charismatic tech mogul Cristo who has all the right sweet nothing to say to try to whoo the team to let him sponsor them. I think Kel who was raised to mistrust such entities relented to fast and on top of that giving half ownership over Savita floored me. No matter how desperate I would never have given over partial ownership over a majestic and valuable creature like her. But hindsight and all that for it doesn’t take long to realize things are not as they seem and those sweet nothings Cristo whispered are nothing but bitter ash on the tongue. But revaluation after revaluation ensue and soon things are so far off kilter it’s hard to see up from down. Leaving the team with one last juncture. A showdown of the ages where only Savita would be the winner if the Howlers could pull it off to defeat Cristo. If I thought phoenix racing was cool it was nothing compared to that final ride with all its dangers. Oh how I wish to know what happened next. This was a wonderful book about a phoenix and her tamer. Their relationship was the most beautiful in this book. Even with Savita having such a wild nature only Key and Coup could get near her and the end oh my gosh when Sav took Kel with her that was just sob worthy. Have no idea what that means but I really loved it. Such a beautiful moment. I hope to find out so fingers crossed. I truly highly recommend this book it’s amazing!

LOVED THIS BOOK. It is non-stop fast-paced, whip-smart, and the world is so fresh and fun. This is going to be a huge hit.

So grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Favorite quote(s):

“Squinting, Kel watched Savita shine brighter than she'd ever seen. Brighter than the stars above them. Brighter than the sun.”


Review:

I don't even know what to say about this book. I loved it so much! Phoenix racing, rivalry, found family, secrets, heartache, romance, and so much more. Each character was unique and had their own backgrounds and parts to play. I loved how much Kel loved her phoenix, Savita, and how Savita loved her back. The banter between Kel and Coup was top-notch and had me kicking my feet. The bond between Kel and Dira was incredible. I loved their friendship so much. It was nice to have the story touch on Kel’s father and his love of phoenixes, which he passed down to Kel. I did not trust Cristo from the beginning. He seemed sus, and I was right. He sucked. Bekn was a great brother and friend; he put up with a lot from Coup and sometimes the others, but was always there for them. The phoenix racing was so cool, I've never read anything like it before, even with all its dangers. It was cool how there were different types of phoenixes, too. Things were intense and made you want more. I loved every moment of it. The writing was incredible and vivid. Though I hope there is an epilogue or something like that, because that cliffhanger was shocking. Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought it was a great debut. I just want more of it, including the world and its characters.

There’s supposed to be an epilogue but it’s not in this ARC??! RIP ME I’m a mess right now and I need that epilogue.
Let me breathe. Ok, I can write this now.

What a beautiful book about a phoenix and her tamer. Their relationship was the most beautiful in this book. They literally have been together almost their whole lives and went through a lot together. I mean Kel is a teenager living by herself with just her phoenix, trying to win phoenix races to keep afloat. Of course she loves Sav, not only do they race together but they take care of each other.

I enjoyed getting to know Dira and Rahn and Coup and how their little racer team become successful. Making coup sort of a rival to Kel but also a reckless rider was the cherry on top. I enjoyed this world full of magic but still has technology for other things, I generally enjoy it when the book combines these elements into the story. How the phoenix are magic and how they still use tech to monitor vitals or provide care. The best of both worlds.

I was so tempted to rate this one 4 stars because I was having fun and fully loved these characters. But once I hit the plot twist about Estra and Kel not knowing things, I was awestruck because (at least for me) I felt as confused as Kel, I felt her shock and surprise. Once it hit and saw everything else unfold I was fully struck. I absolutely loved this book. And yes I will be preordering it because I NEED THAT EPILOGUE WHY IS IT NOT HERE.
(P.S. is totally going to be an Estra epilogue isn’t it? I can see it playing in my head already)

Thank you netgalley and macmillion children’s publishing group for an ARC of the book in exchange for a review!

features:
•found family
•enemies to lovers
•f1 style racing but make it phoenixs

I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS WAS A DEBUT! This was everything i needed in a romantasy. It wasn’t the usual fantasy books i read that you can see something coming a mile away. The premise of this was so interesting with the racing. The book starts off with a bang when our FMC, Kel, the tamer, watching for the temps as her phoenix. Savita races and this go awry from there. BUT the MMC Warren Coupers, Coup… YES LADIES YES.

The Howlers racing team become such a family through out this book, and it gave me chills. I loved watching Kel have them through out the entirety of the novel. & the FINAL TWIST?? jaw dropping! I genuinely did not see that coming. I highly recommend!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow. Just wow.

Debut author Mikayla Bridge absolutely nailed this book. It had everything I could've ever hoped for plus some extra, and I couldn't be happier to have had the opportunity to read this ARC! I have preordered this book even after finishing it, it was really THAT good!

*SPOILERS AHEAD!!*

Let's start with a quick recap of the plot. Think F1 racing but with phoenixes and some enemies to lovers sprinkled in there. The main character, Kelyn (Kel), competes on a phoenix racing team under the Cendorian Association of Phoenix Racing (CAPR) as the tamer for the team's phoenix, Savita. Kel unfortunately has some really dire circumstances chasing her, and she is forced to make a decision that will change the dynamic of the team but also will expose the true intentions of a very famous tech guru. As a tech person myself, I was so entranced with both the story and its tech. I couldn't put this one down!

There is a romantic subplot I'd say, but it's definitely enemies to lovers DONE RIGHT!! So many romantasy books don't feel like enemies to lovers to me because of how fast it moves, but Bridge did such an amazing job of letting the reader feel what the MCs were feeling. I'm totally obsessed with Coup and Kel by the way.

The ending though? I had to sit and stare at a wall for a bit. I'm really hoping this isn't a stand alone because I need to know what happens. I need more of these characters and story ASAP!!

Give this a read!! You won't regret it!!

3.75⭐️ Rounded up. Of Flame and Fury is a fun and fiery debut novel! This really started off hot, with great world building and an interesting cast of characters. I loved the phoenix racing aspect as well as the discussion of morals throughout the book in this regard. Then we have political intrigue, a mild rivals to lovers plot, and a mysterious disease. At no point did I know what was going to happen next. So much so that when the big twist happened, it kind of took me out of the story a bit. To me, it just seemed like something was missing , but I am hoping for another book as the ending left room for more. This was a fast paced fantasy read and I would recommend it!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Current rating: 4.75 out of 5 ⭐️ but could easily bump to a 5 depending on the TK epilogue. Thank you Mikayla Bridge, Macmillan & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced reading copy and rip out my heart.

Dragons? Nope, gimme all the phoenix books from now on. You’re telling me this is Bridge’s debut? Because the writing, the storytelling, the world-building, the twists, the turns - everything reads as a seasoned author. Kudos to Bridges for an ELECTRIFYING debut. I want more, I loved every single relationship and friendship. All of the Howlers chemistry was beautiful.

<spoiler> Alchemists that ending is not fair when you’re reading an ARC and the Epilogue isn’t finished. What do you mean that’s the ending?! Blasts I need more information. </spoiler>

I already placed a preorder for a finished copy because I NEED to not only have eyes on that epilogue ASAP but also have a copy to reread in the future.