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chronicallyyou 's review for:
Of Flame and Fury
by Mikayla Bridge
I really wanted to love Of Flame and Fury — the concept of phoenix racing, a scrappy underdog team, and a reluctant partnership between rivals had so much promise. But, despite an exciting premise and solid narration, I struggled to fully connect with the story.
Kel Varra is a strong FMC with a lot on the line, and her dynamic with the MMC and rival Coup (Warren Coupers) follows a familiar rivals-to-lovers and fake dating formula. While their angsty 17 year old banter had its moments, the pacing and world-building made it hard for me to stay invested. There are a LOT of moving parts — tech, magical creatures, a spreading disease, a shady corporation — but many of them felt under-explored. I kept waiting for the plot to really bring me in, but it never quite did. That said, the racing scenes are well done and the phoenixes are portrayed as truly wild and dangerous, which was majestical. There’s also a strong found-family element and an emotional undercurrent that I did enjoy.
The audiobook narration by Safiyya Ingar was fabulous, and definitely the main reason I stuck with it. Her performance was expressive and clear, and she brought a lot of personality to the characters. I'm a sucker for an accent.
Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
Kel Varra is a strong FMC with a lot on the line, and her dynamic with the MMC and rival Coup (Warren Coupers) follows a familiar rivals-to-lovers and fake dating formula. While their angsty 17 year old banter had its moments, the pacing and world-building made it hard for me to stay invested. There are a LOT of moving parts — tech, magical creatures, a spreading disease, a shady corporation — but many of them felt under-explored. I kept waiting for the plot to really bring me in, but it never quite did. That said, the racing scenes are well done and the phoenixes are portrayed as truly wild and dangerous, which was majestical. There’s also a strong found-family element and an emotional undercurrent that I did enjoy.
The audiobook narration by Safiyya Ingar was fabulous, and definitely the main reason I stuck with it. Her performance was expressive and clear, and she brought a lot of personality to the characters. I'm a sucker for an accent.
Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.