{Blog Tour} Salt & Stone (Fire & Flood #2) by Victoria Scott

Posted by Donna
Release Date: April 2nd, 2015
Finished Date: March 8th, 2015

Publishers: Chicken House Ltd
Genre: YA, Dystopia, Fantasy, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 407

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.

The Review: A fast-paced, highly charged and exciting read, Salt & Stone is the sequel to Victoria Scott’s Fire Flood and if you thought Tella had a hard time the first time around, wait until you read this!

Tella has faced some hard and gruelling times during the first leg of the Brimstone Bleed. Now she’s at the halfway point and knows nothing good can come from the final leg. As Tella faces more obstacles, more danger and more life threatening situations, she fights harder than ever to try and remain focused on the end goal – to win the cure for her brother and put an end the Brimstone Bleed. But it’s becoming harder to know which of her allies she can trust and so, Tella fights even harder to make each decision the right one.

Salt & Stone is a very easy book to fly right through and once I started, I couldn’t put it down – I didn’t want to put it down until I’d finished. I really enjoyed Fire & Flood and so I had really high hopes for this and Victoria Scott didn’t let us down.

One of the reasons I enjoy this series so much is because of the characters. Tella, Guy and the gang are such a great group. It's hard because I wanted all of them to stay safe and in this type of book you just know that can't happen. Yes, there were a few deaths that I didn't want to happen. It broke my heart but I see why. I do! 

For me, Tella has been a great lead for this series. She's grown through the two books and you really see how different she is from the start of Salt & Stone. I think she struggle to gain control of the how she wanted the game to go - she constantly went against every decision Guy decided and at time, it's irritate me. I could understand why she couldn't follow Guy blindly and why she didn't want him making all the decisions but I wish she'd had spoken up about it. Once she starts being more open and honest, it was a big turning point for her and I really started to see the potential she really has to bring this dangerous game to an end. And I absolutely loved the loyalty that she has from the Pandora's. And as normal, these deadly but cute animals really show us that this game would not have been the same without them.  

And huh? There's going to be a third book? Was I the only one who thought that this was just a duology series? I've gotta say I was a tad disappointed because I was looking forward to conclusion. But then I thought about it and realise, there's another book to be excited about and now I can't wait.

In all, Salt & Stone is a dangerous and gripping page turner that will leave you questioning everything you read. Who can you trust? Who will win? And more importantly what comes next? Well, I guess you'll have to read it to find out. Enjoy!

Thank you to Chicken House for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Review for Fire & Flood (Fire & Flood #1) by Victoria Scott

Posted by Donna
Release Date: March 6th, 2014
Finished Date: February 16th, 2014

Publishers: Chicken House
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Thriller
Source: For Review

Format: Paperback
Pages: 320

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

 A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breath-taking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

Tella's brother is dying. He's got cancer, and Tella is helpless to save him. Or so she thought. 

When an invitation arrives for Tella to compete in the Brimstone Bleed, a deadly competition that will lead her through treacherous jungle and scorching desert, she doesn't think twice. Because the prize is a cure to any illness. 
But Tella will be facing more than just the elements.

The Review: Gripping, suspenseful and original, Fire & Flood is definitely a book to watch out for this year!

Tella is a sixteen-year-old girl whose older brother – Cody, is sick with a terminal illness. He’s not getting any better and all Tella can do is watch him fade away. When the opportunity arises for Tella to enter a race called that Brimstone Bleed, a race that could lead her to a once in a life time offer – a cure for Cody. Tella knows she has no alternative; she must enter even though she doesn’t know the rules or even if she believes it's real. But when she arrives at the destination picked by the makers, Tella knows that this race is real and she knows she needs to win.

Before I started Fire & Blood I was expecting was a dystopian kind of world, mainly because I hadn’t heard much about the book nor did I look into it before starting it. Imagine my surprise when I started reading and it’s actually a modern day setting. This actually threw me; I really found it a little mind-bogglingly that something like the Brimstone Bleed would exist in the modern day world. I found I needed answers that at that time couldn’t be answered, because not even Tella knew them. It was a case of waiting it out, which meant I needed to read – quicker. I was dying for some answers and when it’s revealed, it’s a very original storyline – one I don’t recall reading anything alike and I found myself falling in love with the whole world Victoria Scott created.
The Brimstone Bleed really is an intriguing race, even though it’s somewhat horrifying at times. The whole creation is scary; however there are some bright spots in the story like for example the Pandora’s – the creations that help each person who enters the race try to win. Some are scary but mostly they are absolutely fantastic creations and really, I want one for myself. Very original! 

Tella at the start of the story is a weak person, one a little self-centred if I’m honest. But she quickly changes as she heads in into the race and starts living the horrid experience, she becomes stronger and her thoughts quickly change – rather than thinking about shopping and her best friend – she soon starts seeing why she’s there all along; for her brother. She really starts to see what is at stake and how far people are willing to go to get what they want. Then there’s Guy. He’s a bit of a scary brut to start with but somehow, he manages to help Tella in some way or another from the moment they first meet. He's very closed off but soon he starts opening up and becomes a strong and lovable character, but one that still holds many secrets. We also meet a lot of other characters – Caroline, Harper, Jaxon, Dink and Ransom, the list can go on. They all bring something to the story along with their Pandora’s and it’s really fascinating to watch all these characters and the story line all come together.

And the ending, although somewhat frustrating because you’re left dying to know what happens next, it also leaves so many questions about what’s to come next. The race isn’t over – and it seems there’s more to this race than ever and I can’t wait to find out.