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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to libro.fm, MacMillan Audio, and Mikayla Bridge for this Advanced Listeners Copy!
I enjoyed the premise of this book, that the Phoenix's are magical, fearsome creatures that should be revered. I think it took the main character too long to figure out what she needed to do. However, after realizing it's a YA/Early Adult book, I think it progressed smoothly for that age range.
I particularly appreciated the Queer inclusion of characters (even though the main characters aren't). I believe this will be the start of a series, and I would be interested in reading the next book!
I enjoyed the premise of this book, that the Phoenix's are magical, fearsome creatures that should be revered. I think it took the main character too long to figure out what she needed to do. However, after realizing it's a YA/Early Adult book, I think it progressed smoothly for that age range.
I particularly appreciated the Queer inclusion of characters (even though the main characters aren't). I believe this will be the start of a series, and I would be interested in reading the next book!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
This was fun, yet somehow couldn't quite hold my attention.
Of Flame and Fury has such cool world building and the premise and framework feel pretty unique. The vibe is rough and fiery and with the rivalry between FMC and MMC, this has a perfect foundation.
I think it was the plot that lost me a bit. Not because it's bad - it really has some fun twists. It's just that, although some of the details were unexpected, a lot of it felt rather predictable.
It felt like I always knew which major turns were going to happen just a bit too soon before they happened. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing - sometimes that's what makes a book a comfortable read.
However, within this very unusual and intriguing world the author created, it left me a bit underwhelmed as I struggled to stay interested.
Which I find so sad because I think it's actually a good book! The writing is there, the conflicts make sense and aren't forced to further the plot but feel natural and the characters work,
I liked the FMC, the overall way she handled things has a level of cool aloofness that tries to cover all the vulnerability she ultimately can't really hide. As for the MMC, I very much see his potential. He too has the layers and is generally well crafted and well, intriguing. I enjoyed seeing the shift of perspective on him as the FMC got to know him.
Somehow though I didn't quite feel the chemistry. Not because it wasn't there - it was definitely palpable in his actions in particular. But because I felt like it lacked padding, I think? It just happened and while it didn't come out of nowhere and was rather on the side of slow burn, I still overall felt like progress happened out of nowhere.
I very much enjoyed the audiobook version of this, the narration was actually amazing! I loved how Safiyya Ingar infused the story with so much emotion, did an impressive job at adapting her voice to the situations and breathed that extra level of life into the characters.
To sum it up, Of Flame and Fury is a fun read with a unique magic system and pretty cool world building. While the story itself might not have been one to sweep me off my feet, it was still very much enjoyable. Some aspects left me a bit underwhelmed and at times had me struggle with staying focused. yet overall I think it's worth a read and I feel like many will love this.
Thank you to Net Galley, Macmillan Audio and Mikayla Bridge for an ALC of this book.
Of Flame and Fury has such cool world building and the premise and framework feel pretty unique. The vibe is rough and fiery and with the rivalry between FMC and MMC, this has a perfect foundation.
I think it was the plot that lost me a bit. Not because it's bad - it really has some fun twists. It's just that, although some of the details were unexpected, a lot of it felt rather predictable.
It felt like I always knew which major turns were going to happen just a bit too soon before they happened. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing - sometimes that's what makes a book a comfortable read.
However, within this very unusual and intriguing world the author created, it left me a bit underwhelmed as I struggled to stay interested.
Which I find so sad because I think it's actually a good book! The writing is there, the conflicts make sense and aren't forced to further the plot but feel natural and the characters work,
I liked the FMC, the overall way she handled things has a level of cool aloofness that tries to cover all the vulnerability she ultimately can't really hide. As for the MMC, I very much see his potential. He too has the layers and is generally well crafted and well, intriguing. I enjoyed seeing the shift of perspective on him as the FMC got to know him.
Somehow though I didn't quite feel the chemistry. Not because it wasn't there - it was definitely palpable in his actions in particular. But because I felt like it lacked padding, I think? It just happened and while it didn't come out of nowhere and was rather on the side of slow burn, I still overall felt like progress happened out of nowhere.
I very much enjoyed the audiobook version of this, the narration was actually amazing! I loved how Safiyya Ingar infused the story with so much emotion, did an impressive job at adapting her voice to the situations and breathed that extra level of life into the characters.
To sum it up, Of Flame and Fury is a fun read with a unique magic system and pretty cool world building. While the story itself might not have been one to sweep me off my feet, it was still very much enjoyable. Some aspects left me a bit underwhelmed and at times had me struggle with staying focused. yet overall I think it's worth a read and I feel like many will love this.
Thank you to Net Galley, Macmillan Audio and Mikayla Bridge for an ALC of this book.
A fun read but nothing like Fourth Wing or Iron Widow, in my view. Different vibes.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to NetGalley, Mikayla Bridge, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book reminded me of THE PHOENIX KEEPER but without the cozy vibes. We accompany a phoenix tamer who is part of a racing team, the Howlers. Yes, racing. Think F1. This society is crazy about seeing phoenixes and their flames race each other, and these animals are very cutthroat and wild; so, in other words, they're not pets.
We accompany the behind-the-scenes of the Howlers, including the many setbacks that bring about a new rider who our main character *absolutely* despises, and a billionaire who is committed to "helping" phoenixes out and curing an epidemic that's been slowly killing people. All throughout we get an amazing found family with a realistic dynamic, as well as the relationship between our girl, Kell, and her phoenix, Sav, who is entering her first rebirth season and is therefore more agitated than usual (totally relatable if you ask me--I too would freak out about dying).
The romance falls within the typical enemies-to-lovers path, but I wouldn't say it's the main driver of the plot. Fortunately, we actually get a pretty compelling story going on that made this fast paced and exciting to read. I think the big bad of the story was hinted at from the very beginning, but what made this character a good villain was actually their motivation. They weren't cartoonishly evil, they were just too blinded by a cause that they believed was worth certain sacrifices. This made this character a lot more three dimensional and brought about more complexity to the book, including ethical questions that I appreciated.
Overall, I had fun reading this book but I recognise I'm not a huge racing/F1 fan, which lead to my being pretty bored during the racing scenes (truly lost interest after the second one), which is what is bringing the rating down.
This book reminded me of THE PHOENIX KEEPER but without the cozy vibes. We accompany a phoenix tamer who is part of a racing team, the Howlers. Yes, racing. Think F1. This society is crazy about seeing phoenixes and their flames race each other, and these animals are very cutthroat and wild; so, in other words, they're not pets.
We accompany the behind-the-scenes of the Howlers, including the many setbacks that bring about a new rider who our main character *absolutely* despises, and a billionaire who is committed to "helping" phoenixes out and curing an epidemic that's been slowly killing people. All throughout we get an amazing found family with a realistic dynamic, as well as the relationship between our girl, Kell, and her phoenix, Sav, who is entering her first rebirth season and is therefore more agitated than usual (totally relatable if you ask me--I too would freak out about dying).
The romance falls within the typical enemies-to-lovers path, but I wouldn't say it's the main driver of the plot. Fortunately, we actually get a pretty compelling story going on that made this fast paced and exciting to read. I think the big bad of the story was hinted at from the very beginning, but what made this character a good villain was actually their motivation. They weren't cartoonishly evil, they were just too blinded by a cause that they believed was worth certain sacrifices. This made this character a lot more three dimensional and brought about more complexity to the book, including ethical questions that I appreciated.
Overall, I had fun reading this book but I recognise I'm not a huge racing/F1 fan, which lead to my being pretty bored during the racing scenes (truly lost interest after the second one), which is what is bringing the rating down.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Incredibly predictable. Literally the only "plot twist" that wasn't extremely obvious was because it didn't really make sense. Like the author was purposely holding back information for the surprise factor (more on this later in the spoiler-y section).
I didn't like any of the characters. They just all felt like they were angry and lashing out at everyone around them for no reason, especially at the start? I feel like the only reason the FMC and MMC didn't like each other at the beginning was just so the book could be marketed as "enemies-to-lovers", which it's not. At most it's more like "rivals-to-lovers" but even that is...generous. Plus, I dislike that this was marketed for fans of Fourth Wing? I didn't even realize this was YA until part way through because why would a YA be compared to Fourth Wing? Feels...weird to me?
The logic in this book was bad. Nothing made sense, most things happened how they happened just to further the plot rather than being a rational thing someone would do/think.
After Kel turned down the corporate dude's offer to join them the first time and then like...that night/next day her aviary burns down, leaving them with literally no other options than to accept the corporate dude's offer... HOW ARE YOU NOT SUSPISCIOUS!? AND!!! How does an aviary MADE TO HOUSE BIRDS THAT CATCH ON FIRE BURN DOWN? I think the author tried to explain it by saying that phoenix fire and normal fire weren't the same thing. I could maybe see that where something is normal fireproof but phoenix fire would still cause problems. But you're trying to convince me that it's the other way and I Do. Not. Get. It.
The race where Coup gets hurt. Like has 4th degree burns everywhere because the phoenix got so hot it burned him everywhere....HOW IS HIS HAIR FINE. Like 2 chapters later Kel was running her fingers through his hair. HIS HAIR IS FIREPROOF BUT NOT THE AVIARY?!
Okay so let's talk about the pandemic thing in this book. AB. It's apparently so common that it's like a common cold? But it's fatal. If it's so fatal then like...why are there no safety procedures to follow to not have literally everyone die? I don't understand how it spreads. Airborne? Everyone would be dead. Contact or blood? Our entire main group of characters would be sick. How tf does Kel end up getting AB but literally none of the other characters get it??
AND THEN we make up a character right at the end???? "What do you mean you don't remember this character...we hang out with her every Saturday for movie night!" Listen. Maybe you can explain away Kel not remember the actual movie nights or pool party or whatever happening as it's happening. But there is NO WAY that NONE of these characters talked about this sick person at SOME POINT during the...what, month(s) that they were there? Or referenced a movie they had supposedly watched together? Or any planning on all getting together as a group? That's just...not how people talk? It doesn't make any sense. It was just thrown in for the shock factor and I HATED IT.
The rest of the hints I thought were... fine. Kel not sleeping well, her being angry (through if the author wanted us to pick up on it, there needed to be more time to get to know Kel BEFORE she gets sick. Because I literally just thought that was how she was as a character), etc. But inventing a character 85% of the way into the book is just....bad.
I didn't like any of the characters. They just all felt like they were angry and lashing out at everyone around them for no reason, especially at the start? I feel like the only reason the FMC and MMC didn't like each other at the beginning was just so the book could be marketed as "enemies-to-lovers", which it's not. At most it's more like "rivals-to-lovers" but even that is...generous. Plus, I dislike that this was marketed for fans of Fourth Wing? I didn't even realize this was YA until part way through because why would a YA be compared to Fourth Wing? Feels...weird to me?
The logic in this book was bad. Nothing made sense, most things happened how they happened just to further the plot rather than being a rational thing someone would do/think.
The race where Coup gets hurt. Like has 4th degree burns everywhere because the phoenix got so hot it burned him everywhere....HOW IS HIS HAIR FINE. Like 2 chapters later Kel was running her fingers through his hair. HIS HAIR IS FIREPROOF BUT NOT THE AVIARY?!
Okay so let's talk about the pandemic thing in this book. AB. It's apparently so common that it's like a common cold? But it's fatal. If it's so fatal then like...why are there no safety procedures to follow to not have literally everyone die? I don't understand how it spreads. Airborne? Everyone would be dead. Contact or blood? Our entire main group of characters would be sick. How tf does Kel end up getting AB but literally none of the other characters get it??
AND THEN we make up a character right at the end???? "What do you mean you don't remember this character...we hang out with her every Saturday for movie night!" Listen. Maybe you can explain away Kel not remember the actual movie nights or pool party or whatever happening as it's happening. But there is NO WAY that NONE of these characters talked about this sick person at SOME POINT during the...what, month(s) that they were there? Or referenced a movie they had supposedly watched together? Or any planning on all getting together as a group? That's just...not how people talk? It doesn't make any sense. It was just thrown in for the shock factor and I HATED IT.
The rest of the hints I thought were... fine. Kel not sleeping well, her being angry (through if the author wanted us to pick up on it, there needed to be more time to get to know Kel BEFORE she gets sick. Because I literally just thought that was how she was as a character), etc. But inventing a character 85% of the way into the book is just....bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal death, Medical content
Minor: Blood
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes