Fourth Wing meets Iron Widow in this enemies-to-lovers romantic fantasy by debut author Mikayla Bridge. The hottest must-read of the summer!
On an island built from ash and shrouded in fire, phoenix racing is a sport just as profitable as it is deadly.
Seventeen-year-old Kel Varra and her team of underdogs, the Crimson Howlers, are desperate to win the annual races and the fortune that comes with it. But the Howlers need a new rider, which leads Kel to join forces with Warren “Coup” Coupers – an arrogant rival she can’t get out of her head.
As tensions rise on and off the track, Kel's home is mistakenly burned down, and she’s forced to take a job from a mysterious tech mogul with an unsettling interest in her phoenix, Savita. This sets in motion a conspiracy that threatens everyone Kel cares for, especially Coup, for whom her embers of resentment are quickly igniting into something dangerously new.
Heart-pounding pages full of steamy romance, fiery confessions, political scheming, and volatile magic culminate in a final twist readers will never see coming.
Theirs wasn't a bond built from kindness and care. It was forged from barbed confessions and crimson flames.
Review:
Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge is fantastic. I was surprised that I loved it so much. The reason I say this is because young adult (YA) books have not been my friend lately. I've really been struggling with them as of late. I recently attended an event hosted by Fierce Reads featuring a few debut authors, and hearing Mikayla talk about her book had me rushing to NetGalley to see if I still had time to request an early copy. I found that I could instantly download a preview, but an e-arc was no longer available. I kept digging and found that I could request the audiobook. Figured I would give it a shot.
I am so glad that I did!
Once I was approved for the early audiobook copy, I started listening right away. I was hooked instantly. I've been waiting for a good Phoenix book since Crown of Feathers. Mikayla definitely achieved this with Of Flame and Fury. This book is so action-packed that it was hard to put it down.
Why would you want to put down a book about high-stakes phoenix races?
Think Formula 1 but on very large mythical birds.
Tropes and Themes:
- Enemies to lovers
- Found Family
- Conspiracies
- Fake Dating
- Only One Saddle
- Political Plot
- Racing (high-stakes)
- Grumpy/Sunshine (FMC is the Grumpy & MMC is the Sunshine)
- Slow Burn (but not too slow)
Of Flame and Fury focuses not the race team Crimson Howlers. The team has an unfortunate incident, and now they need a new rider. In steps Warren "Coup" Cooper. Coup was just kicked off his previous team for being too reckless. The last thing Kelyn "Ken" Varra wants is for Coup to join the team. She despised him and his reckless behavior. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, these two and the rest of the team have to team up.
Each Phoenix Racing Team has five team members and one phoenix:
- Kelly Varra (Kel) is the tamer. Tamers train and care for the phoenix.
- Dira is Kel's best friend. Her job is the winger. She is in charge of strategy.
- Warren Couper (Coup) is the rider. He is the one racing on the back of the phoenix.
- Bekn Couper is Coup's brother, and he is the publicist. His job is to secure sponsorships and help with their media presence.
- The last position is the engineer, which the team is initially missing and needs to fill the spot.
- Last but not least, we have Savita (San), our phoenix.
With this new Crimson Howler team, they end up attracting a sponsorship from Cristo Industries, which is run by Canon Cristo. Canes has taken a special interest in Save, and no one knows why. Due to this new sponsorship, the team has to relocate to the facilities at Cristo Industries, where they have to deal with lies, secrets, and tension. Ken knows something is up, but she can't seem to figure out what is going on.
This book takes the reader on quite an adventure. I loved the races, the slow-burning romance, and the political intrigue. I really enjoyed Of Flame and Fury. It has hands down become one of my favorite reads for this year. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. I wish I had book two in my hands already.
Now I have one pet peeve with Of Flame and Fury. The use of CAPR (Ceridorian Association of Phoenix Racing) was used way too frequently. It was CAPR this and CAPR that. I think we could have dropped CAPR a few this, and the reader still would have known that it was CAPR involved. Out of the whole book, this is the only complaint that I really have.
On to the narration, since I did listen to the audiobook for this review. Safiyya Ingar did a great job with marketing. Safiyya added emotion that keeps the reader's attention, and she was easy to understand even at 2x the speed. The characters didn't come across as having distinct voices, so I wish this had been better, but other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed Safiyya's narration. I would highly recommend the audiobook. Definitely check it out.
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