This was SO good! I was excited to see a sample for this book because, while I thought it sounded pretty interesting, I wasn’t sure I would get into the racing aspect. I no longer worry about that. I’m hooked from just this little bit I read. I love the writing style and the characters. There is so much more I want to know, such as Dira’s backstory as well as the Coupers brothers. In other words, I am stoked for this book and now I really hope I can get the full ARC!

I rated this book based on the fact that i only had a sampler and I'm not sure how the rest of t he story will go. Once i read the book i will re rate it on all my posted reviews.

There is so much action right away on the first page to hook you right in and to be curious about what’s going on. We start in the middle of a Phoenix race not just the beautiful birds flying around.

We have romantsay tropes of enemies to lovers, found family, and games and trials. I was only given an arc of the first ten chapters and I can’t wait to finish and see what this book has in store for readers!

This book was tagged at similar to Fourth Wing and while i can see the way it would be considered similar with just the sample alone I couldn't in good faith truly agree however; it is a great read so far and I am excited to read this once it's released. Mark your calendars for July 8th 2025!

Thanks to NetGalley for the sample eArc!

I loved this book! It does have similar vibes to Fourth Wing. I was worried when the synopsis said similar to “Fourth Wing.” Usually when books say “similar to” or “for fans of a book”, it never ends up meeting expectations. That was not the case with “Of Flame and Fury”! It had the fan favorite romantsay tropes of enemies to lovers, found family, and games and trials. I was only given an arc of the first ten chapters and I can’t wait to finish and see what Makayla Bridge has planned for this book! Mark your calendars for July 8th 2025!

Thank you so much for the chance to read the first few chapters. The overview of Phoenix racing is really cool! The blend of sci fi and fantasy is definitely right up my alley. I'm excited to see how this unfolds, however I'm not sure I would call it enemies to lovers. We shall see!

Of Flame and Fury is wonderful debut by Mikayla Bridge, giving us high speeds and magical creatures!

At the beginning of the book we are introduced to a series of different Phoenix races and are giving a run down what their abilities, as well as strength and weaknesses are (This truly helps later!).
We meet our new friend and FMC that is the lead of her racing team, which has to form an alliance of sort with another team - begrudgingly, might I add. Enemies to reluctant lovers, with one big bad who is wanting to take our FMC's Phoenix.

Great mix of technology, magic, enemies to lovers and the found family trope!

Give it a try and I am sure you will enjoy the race!

This seems so unique, cool, and has such a fun, interesting concept to it! This chapter summary has me totally hooked, and I'm totally ready to read the rest of the book!!

Interacting with Magical Creatures? I was able to read the first 90 pages and I’m hooked into the story. I enjoyed elements so far, the found family with her friend, the sass the main character has and the annoyance she has with the male main character and his wild ways. I’m very interested in the plot, she is struggling for money and was hoping for a win on that race. She is loyal to her friends when someone comes up offering an investment opportunity.

I just wished the descriptions were a tad more detailed, just a few more sentences on top of what was already woven in. We are in this magical dystopian with these beautiful creatures. I appreciate the descriptions of the species up front but was their phoenix the only Carnel Phoenix in that first race? The phoenix that one first, what species was it? I feel like that is something the main character could have just casually mentioned/thought of while she was up in the stands to help us get settled into the world. It could have helped cement herself as very knowledgeable of not just her own Phoenix but the species as a whole.

And the descriptions of her friends seem to be lacking. I know her friend is dark skinned but that was all the description said. When the photo fell of the two of them and their original teams after their first win fell, she could of picked it up and just thought about how her friends’s colored hair has grown since then while her own lanky figure was already a few inches taller or something to just give a little more descriptions to fill out these characters.

Overall it is still a very good book. I like the plot and the characters and look forward to picking up this book to know the rest of the story!!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Children’s Publishing Group for sneak peak of the story!

This review is for the first 10 chapters / 90 pages of the book. I received a free chapter sampler from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the advanced chapters.

Magical creatures are ALWAYS a plus for a book in my opinion.

In Of Flames and Fury, we follow Kelyn (Kel), who is a Phoenix tamer participating in a racing league to earn money to save her bird and her farm. She begrudgingly has to work on the same team as Coup, a reckless racer that she dislikes, in order to keep her dream alive.

Positives:
The phoenixes are the most interesting aspect of this book. I enjoyed getting to learn more about the different species and how they varied in size, speed, and temperament. The racing element added a bit of action and competition, which was fun, but I was also interested in the tension between the CAPR and folks who were advocating for better treatment of phoenixes.

I love it when a book has in-world swear words or phrases & 'flames' is such a cool choice for an expletive :)

The writing was really easy to read and the pages flew by.

Negatives:
I'm tired of romances being billed as enemies-to-lovers when there's really like...no reason to call them enemies. She doesn't like him because he's cocky and reckless. He doesn't like her because....??? he perceives her as uptight? Maybe more of this tension is revealed in the rest of the book, but I just wasn't really sold on it.

Overall:
I was entertained reading this, but it really didn't pull me in as much as I wanted it to. I would say if you're interested in the premise, give it a shot! I think this is a case where I'm simply not the target audience for this, but I'm sure it will be a hit with the right readers.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Macmillan for the advanced chapters :)

This sucked me in and when I reached the end of the sampler I was drooling over how to find the rest of the story.

July 8th can’t get here soon enough!!

***This is my initial review after reading the first 10 chapters***

Of Flame and Fury had my full attention right from the start! I was introduced to a plethora of interesting characters (and phoenixes) who immediately stole my heart. I’m all about an enemies-to-lovers trope and the electric chemistry between Kel and Coup gave me life!!

This book is packed with exhilarating phoenix races, thrilling danger, heartwarming found family dynamics, and undeniable romantic tension. This book is a summer must read!

Of Flame and Fury has a new feel to it for the fantasy worlds. It's based on Phenoix racing, and a world where there are several different species of them. I do kind of wish I knew a bit more about the world since it started right into basically a race without much back story, and in the few chapters we are given we learn very little about the actual world. We really only meet 6 characters, which is fine and really expected in a sample. It will be very interesting to see where the story goes from here. So far it is set up to be action packed.
I received this ARC from publishers via Netgalley
#OfFlameandFuryChapterSampler #NetGalley

This book is going to have me in a chokehold. As this is just a sample of the book, I can't speak to the entire thing but what I've read has me HOOKED. Phoenix racing???? Sign me up!

I cannot wait to read the rest of this book! The descriptions of the different phoenix species including their behavioral qualities were great. I will need someone to illustrate Savita immediately! Who knew phoenix racing could be so captivating?

I'm anxious to see where the book goes from here and how the relationship between Kel and Coup evolves.

I really appreciate reading a fantasy book with a fresh subject like the phoenix!

Absolutely fantastic chapter sampler! Really hooks you from the get go! I'm going to go preorder this now and can't wait for the rest of the book!

This has me SO excited for this book! I needed it!! An interesting premise I'm hooked on the sampler alone!

Phoenix racing is already such an interesting premise for a book, but this sample gives us a peak at so much more going on in Cendor. I'm definitely going to need to get my hands on the full book!

Very unique, brutal, futuristic world with phoenix riding instread of dragons! It’s a neat spin on a beloved theme and dips into sci-fi elements as well. High stakes, vivid imagery, and an interesting start to an exciting new book!

I enjoyed this sampler from "Of Flame and Fury," I found myself definitely wanting to read more! I will make a note to look back for the completed book to find out what happens to Kel and Dira and Coup! I think that this book will definitely be popular with Romantasy readers.

My main issue is that Kel's reasons for hating Coup at the beginning feel pretty shallow and unbelievable. I would have liked it better if she was more neutral about Coup. Additionally there were a few sections with strange wording such as sentence fragments starting with the word "but." I also found the sentence about "the clink of the cups" being far tooo similar to Oska's screams was strange.

This sample chapter had me so interested!' I requested to read the whole book as an ARC and got approved! Cant wait to finish it!

Of Flame and Fury is an upcoming YA fantasy that follows Kel and her teammates who are desperate to secure victory and financial gains through racing. The exciting part? They ride Phoenix's. Desperate to continue racing, Kel teams up with the aggravating Warren Coup.

This was a fun sample read. I enjoyed the introductions to the characters and Kel's Phoenix, Savita. You can feel the rivals to lovers vibe between Kel and Coup, so that'll be an interesting situation as it further develops. The story so far is good—I like the idea of the Phoenix's and how they have a much bigger purpose than just racing.

This was a good sample and I can see this being a popular YA fantasy book. Thank you, NetGalley and the pub, for the opportunity to read a sample of this ARC.