Fourth Wing meets Iron Widow in this enemies-to-lovers young adult 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.
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.
Title: Flame and Fury
Author: Mikaya Bridge
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Expected Publication Date: July 15, 2025
Review:
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), and NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy and kindle copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I'm always a sucker for a new fantasy. And a new fantasy that has Phoneix's as it's main magical creature? Sign me up! I went in with a lot of hope I would love this book and, while I wasn't blown away by this book, I really enjoyed it.
Safiyya Ingar is a new narrator for me. I always worry with new narrators that I will be turned off and not enjoy the book as much as I would have had I read it in print, but Ingar surprised me. I liked her voice and I think she captured the main character very well. She also did the various supporting characters very well.
I was shocked to find out this was a debut book for Bridge. It was written really well. The plot was easy to follow and the pacing was just the right amount of push I needed to tear through it. Bridge infused lots of action along with important scenes where the characters find themselves and learn about trusting others. The suthor took everything you may love about racing and infused it with magic and magical creatures. Not only are Phoenix's the main magical creatures in this book but you also see some sprites!
I saw in the blurb this book was compared to Fourth Wing but I didn't really get that vibe. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it, but it's not centered around academics in any way and that is a huge part of FW. I can see where there is some sameness when it comes to creatures racing and the powers they have but that's about where the comparison stops for me.
This is a true YA fantasy. The voices of the characters are every bit their 17 years. They form a found family with each other as a team. I love books about found families so this was nice for me to see. I loved the bonds they formed and the love you could feel between them all. A bunch of misfits who found each other just when they needed someone.
The book certainly ends with not so much a cliffhanger but open enough that you know another book is on its way so you can see the story wrapped up well.
So why didn't I give this 5 stars? I just needed a bit more world building to happen. Did I understand the world? Yes, enough to know what was going on. But I felt like there was something missing. I needed more background on the phoenix's and their magic. Since it plays a significant part especially towards the end of the book, I would have liked to have understood it just a bit better. I also didn't feel the chemistry for the romance. I loved the idea of enemies to lovers but the slow build up was not what I needed to have it make sense to me.
This book is filled with many moral dilemmas: choosing right over wrong, showing animals are worth protecting, and trusting your gut instinct when you feel someting is not as it should be.
Overall, I'll definitely continue on with this series as I need to know how things get resolved. A very solid debut for Mikayla Bridge.
Author:
Mikayla Bridge is a young adult fantasy author living in Melbourne, Australia. She grew up on a small-town farm and completed a BA with honours in political science and international relations. She loves writing books that feel like a triple espresso: high-energy, heart-racing, and might ruin your sleep schedule.
You can find her on instagram at @mikayla_bridge.
You can find her on instagram at @mikayla_bridge.
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