The chapter sampler was extremely compelling and definitely hooked me in. I wanted to read more about Kel, the world, and the fantastical creatures. The dialogue, the prose, the high stakes were all written well and it makes you feel immersed in the story. I like the use of different types writing within the story that adds layers to the plot. Overall a great start.

This chapter sampler was action packed, and gave me exactly what I needed to be wanting more. In just a few chapters, the author has done an amazing level of world building to explain the use and controversy of Phoenix racing. Additionally each of the main characters already have a phenomenal level of dimension, as we begin to learn that the MMC may not just be an attention seeking a-hole like she assumes. I’m definitely adding this book to my highly anticipated reads list!

I wanted to check out the sampler before I committed to the full book. I am definitely all in and will be reading the full book! I will leave a full review after reading, but so far it’s a 5 from me!

Kel was so fierce and determined and Coup was the perfect mix of cocky but with golden heart. I can't wait to see where this duo goes. The worldbuilding was original and interesting, with futuristic sports and media and environmentalist themes of saving the phoenixes from deforestation. I love this wasn't your typical Medieval or Victorian England inspired YA, but rather sci-fi / dystopian like. We need more YA sci-fi!

I started reading this and then realized this is just a sample. I'm going to come back and do this review once I've read the full book.

This book is being compared to Iron Widow and Fourth Wing, and because of these comparisons, I was intrigued right away as I enjoyed these two books (Fourth Wing for the dragons and Iron Widow for the Female Rage). Plus, this book includes mythical creature as companions, which one of my favorite trope.

This sampler did its job of enticing me. I now want to read more of this world. The phoenixes in this story were described in a new and refreshing way. I enjoyed reading about the different types.

Additionally, I felt the desperation of the characters and their situations, and while their desires is nothing new, I personally find it compelling. The sampler did a good job of hinting at the plot, and I would like to see how the author expands upon the story. This writing in this sampler is accessible and straightforward, and because of this, I lost track of the fact that I was reading. There were no clunky sentences to hinder my reading experience. I think the writing style is appropriate for the young adult genre.

So far, I do not see how it fits the comps of Fourth Wing and Iron Widow. This doesn’t matter anymore as I feel like this book can stand on its own legs without those comparisons. I look forward to reading this book in its entirety.

Wow, what an interesting and unique story. I haven't read anything like this in a long time-- if ever! Very excited to see how the rest of this plays out.

Worst part of this was me forgetting it was only a sampler. I kept trying to get to the next page until it clicked. I'm ready, so ready to read this whole book!
I think the initial world seems really captivating with the way phoenixes are used. Personally there's not enough fantasy books with phoenix making a main appearance so this one holds a whole lot of promise for me!

I also really like the obvious dislike between Coup and are FMC whichI'm hoping will be our romance

This was pretty fun so far! The story has intrigued me enough to keep an eye out for the full thing! I like the writing style so far and am curious where the story will be going!

This book jumped right into the action and took me a minute to figure out what was going on, but once I did, I was hooked! We dive right into the dangerous world of phoenix racing. The chapter sampler was action packed and I'm definitely intrigued enough to want to read the rest of the book!

This eARC sample was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book kicks off with a bang and throws you into the middle of the world of phoenix racing. It felt a little jarring starting in the middle of the action and it made it harder to understand what was happening. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters and felt the main character, Kel, was just not relatable because she was always so angry. I also had a hard time buying the enemies to lovers so far, even if the male love interest is the most interesting character, mainly because the story started in the middle of their feud and the reason why they hate each other wasn't very believable for me. I am hoping the plot carries this book until the characters become more likable. The world of phoenix racing and the phoenixes themselves are the most interesting part so far.

I have received the full e arc and will be leaving my review there at the end of the month. I will say that I do like the first couple of chapters that I have read and I think its going to be the perfect book for fourth wing lovers and the idea of the animal being Phoenix's is such an interesting concept in stead of dragons that I'm excited to see where the book will go

I won’t lie.. The beginning of this book had me slightly confused. It immediately jumped into the story and I felt like I was missing something. However, after giving it a chance a reading more, I actually came to really enjoy this book. I’m intrigued by the story and the characters. I feel invested. The chapter sampler ended on a cliff hanger making me crave more.

I received the full e-arc of this shortly after receiving this sampler so will just do a half review here! 10 chapters hooked me SO FAST. The phoenixes are so unique and the concept is so intriguing and the characters all have secrets that I’m just dying to learn about this. I can’t wait to read the rest!!

I love the idea of a book about Pheonixes! Dragons are all over the place in books but where are the other awesome creatures! This book has a very interesting plot and idea driving the story. I did find the wording and sentence structure a little difficult to follow and found myself having to reread sentences over and over again multiple times when reading through the sample chapters. There was an onslaught of characters and action in the first 2 chapters that left me feeling a little overwhelmed. I am interesting in continuing to read the whole book when it comes out as I find the storyline unique and refreshing.

Unsure how I should be rating an reviewing a sampler, but I will say that this was enough to convince me to request the entire book, and I'm looking forward to reading it. The worldbuilding is cool, even if I do find the prose a bit simplistic for my tastes. Regardless, this feels like the sort of book where the characters will make or break it--so I'm looking forward to diving in!

Thank you for allowing me to read a chapter sampler from ‘Of Flame and Fury’.

I think this story has a ton of potential. I instantly got Fourth Wing vibes (which I looove), but unfortunately I was not very engaged with the writing. It seems a little too straight forward with short sentences and bland descriptions. As a YA book, this may be intentional! I also think a first person perspective would be more interesting.

I am assuming these were the first few chapters of the book, and instantly I felt a little confused by how quickly there were so many characters at once in the same scenes. It felt hard to track who was who, who was human and who was a phoenix.

Lastly, I do not prefer the abbreviation for CAPR and AB, and feel like they were used almost too much. I honestly forgot what the first two letters stand for.

These are just my opinions, and from these first few chapters, I’m not sure this would be my preferred kind of book. I don’t get the ‘I need more’ feeling after finishing the sample.

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would! So far, it's a pretty basic YA novel, which isn't a bad thing, but I think the marketing is mismatched.
Comping it to Fourth wing and calling it steamy doesn't fit the vibe, and knowing this is a teen novel, I think it's a bit odd and trying to pull in specific readers.
I would probably finish it when it comes out! Although, I probably will be skipping the owlcrate edition.

This was a great preview of what's to come, I love the encyclopedic entries on the different birds, I love how it delves into the action, and how we get so much insight into the world and characters in just ten chapters. I think this will be really good. I'm giving it four stars for now because I don't know how everything ends up but I'm excited!

I was fortunate enough to receive the sampler where we are given the first 10 chapters of the book that is set to be released in July 2025.

This story captures you right from the first page as you are immediately thrown into the action. Think F1 racing, but for phoenixes and it can be a race to the death.

What drew me to reading this was the promise of wild magical creatures, enemies to lovers, found family, and intriguing new world of politics and magic systems! The first 10 chapters showed an INCREDIBLY promising debut for Mikayla Bridge, and I cannot wait for July to finish this!

Thank you net galley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR) for the sampler chapters of this book!