Review: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Title: Fire & Flood 

Author: Victoria Scott

Publisher:  Scholastic Press 
Publishing Date: February 14th 2014

Pages: 304
Genre:  YA Science-Fiction Thriller/Adventure

Series:  Fire & Flood #1
Source: Hardcover

  

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

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.
Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.
The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

I was so excited for this book. The cover is so gorgeous. The story sounds intense. I couldn't wait to read the book. I nabbed it to read as soon as I cold. I absolutely, positively, emphatically loved this book. There was just a tad bit of a problem with pacing at the beginning, but once it picked up it truly was a page turner. I couldn't read the pages fast enough, I couldn't gobble it up fast enough, It was truly wonderful, just brilliant. 

Tella has a very sick brother, and older brother she just adores. She feels helpless until she receives a creepy message on a strange device, enter the race, win the race, get the cure. For her brother, there isn't a choice. She finds a way to enter and race. Now she must find a way to win. The race isn't a normal race. Its full of danger, extreme circumstances, and evil creators. Of course the best part, each contender has a Pandora, and animal friend, protector, helper with extreme abilities.  Tella and her Pandora meet many others contending for the cure. Other contenders and Pandoras. Some friendly, other not so much. 

The book started off a little slow for me. It wasn't until all the characters showed up on the book before it took off for me. It was about 10 percent through or so. Once it took off, it took off. I was a bit worried in the beginning, I didn't think I would get into the story. I was wrong. The story kept getting more intense with every page turn. I normally read a multiple of books and shift back and forth depending on my mood. This book took precedence over all the rest. 

Everything pretty much rocked for me in this book. The setting, the story, the tone, and the character building. I loved them all. The story did have some similarities to Hunger Games, but not enough to deter me from really enjoying the book. The main similarity I came across was the creators being much luck like the game makers and it was pretty much a dog eat dog world in the race. The object isn't to kill other contenders, but they creators don't frown upon it either. The contenders came in all ages.... young as 10 or so up to older adults. The only thing the contenders had in common was a a sick loved one, someone they were racing for. The story never goes into what kind of sickness all the family members have, but we do find out how they got sick to begin with. The origin of the race isn't explained until the very end of the book, but the origin didn't seem to matter to me. The only thing that really stood out for me and led the story, was the actual race. Getting to the next leg, possibly the end. It was a very exciting read. Even though the race was my main focus and it is the main focus of this book, the series is going to be about so much more. I am really happy that the storyline will have a bigger world to explore. 

The setting was pretty cool, first the jungle, then the desert. Both settings were well written, The details were just enough to put me there with the characters and hold the visuals in my mind, but didn't take over the story.  Each setting had their own problems, traps, and things to work through, set backs. Both were agonizing and murderous. I wouldn't want to be a part of either for sure. The settings and the intensity of the race set the tone for the story. Very extreme, very dangerous, very time sensitive. It was quite a nerve-racking experience. 

The characters were of course my favorite part. I was a bit concerned at first. I wasn't sure I would connect or like Tella. I couldn't have been more wrong. I didn't connect to her first, but it didn't take long to find her personality, who she was, and what she stood for. She was a sensitive girl. One I liked very much. She was strong, but her strength took second string to her heart. She cared intensely. She didn't go mediocre or half way. She gave her entire heart to everyone who deserved it. She was loyal, trustworthy, and driven. In the end I considered her a true friend. 

There was romance, and the heart throb that was attached to that storyline, Guy, Oh he was so wonderful. I admit I like the stand offish boy characters, as long as they do it right. Guy did it right. He was a loner, stand offish, but he also couldn't help but caring, protecting, helping... not just Tella but all that he considered part of his world. He was pretty amazing. 

The romance was slow but fast. It was fast because only a month passes in the book, it was slow because it didn't go from nothing to romance. The attraction was there, but they weren't concerned about relationships, they were concerned with staying alive and winning the race. So over the month of the race, the romance built and it was good. I loved the romance int he book. 

So yes there was tons of goodness that worked together perfectly to create an outstanding journey for me and I am in awe of this book....my only complaint... the ending..... Ugh I hate non existent endings. No cliff hanger but no conclusion either. Now all I can do is wait in agony. 

Amazing, incredible, marvelous extraordinary. The next one can't come out soon enough. 

Victoria Scott is a teen fiction writer represented by Sara Crowe. She's the author of the FIRE & FLOOD series published by Scholastic, and the DANTE WALKER trilogy published by Entangled Teen. Her books have been bought and translated in eleven foreign markets including the UK, Turkey, China, Poland, Germany, Australia, Israel, Taiwan, Brazil, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.
Victoria lives in Dallas with her husband and hearts cotton candy something fierce.