Title: Salt & StoneAuthor: Victoria Scott
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: From publisher for review (Thanks!)
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Goodreads Summary:
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Goodreads Summary:
What would you do to save someone you love?
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.
Would you be willing to risk your life to save someone else's? Salt & Stone is the sequel to Victoria Scott's action packed Fire & Flood series and it didn't disappoint. You know how the second book in a series usually lacks something? Yeah, there's no need to worry about that happening in this book. It was a solid sequel and Victoria clearly had things planned out from the start. Tella and the other contenders are all racing to win a cure for a loved one. In the first book they undergo the jungle and the desert. Now, in this sequel, we see them struggle to make it through ocean and mountain terrains. I, for one, know I would never be able to make it through all the things these characters have to face.
If you fell in love with the characters in Fire & Flood, Victoria Scott will make you fall even deeper in love with them in this second installment. The thing is, the more invested you are, the harder it hurts to see these characters go through all the trials and tribulations the brimstone bleed has in store for them. There was one specific scene that was really tough for me to get through because I connected to the characters so much. Their pain became my pain.
One thing that bothered me to no avail was Guy's character. I actually found it infuriating how Guy never listens to Tella. It's always her who has to follow whatever he says. He's always right and no one else knows what they're doing. Yeah, righhhhtttttt. I get it, he trained for this and he's so prepared but Tella isn't an idiot. She knows how to take care of herself and sometimes (all the time) her ideas are better than Guys. This has to be the thing that bothered me beyond belief about this story. There was a development partway through the novel, but until then....*blood boils*.
I recommend this series if you love action packed stories (and if you loved Pokemon as much as I did as a kid, just trust me). If you haven't read Fire & Flood, get on that. If you have and are contemplating whether you should read the sequel, the answer is yes. Victoria said there might be a third book to the series and I hope so. I want to know more about the political side of things.
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.
Would you be willing to risk your life to save someone else's? Salt & Stone is the sequel to Victoria Scott's action packed Fire & Flood series and it didn't disappoint. You know how the second book in a series usually lacks something? Yeah, there's no need to worry about that happening in this book. It was a solid sequel and Victoria clearly had things planned out from the start. Tella and the other contenders are all racing to win a cure for a loved one. In the first book they undergo the jungle and the desert. Now, in this sequel, we see them struggle to make it through ocean and mountain terrains. I, for one, know I would never be able to make it through all the things these characters have to face.
If you fell in love with the characters in Fire & Flood, Victoria Scott will make you fall even deeper in love with them in this second installment. The thing is, the more invested you are, the harder it hurts to see these characters go through all the trials and tribulations the brimstone bleed has in store for them. There was one specific scene that was really tough for me to get through because I connected to the characters so much. Their pain became my pain.
Tella is one of the strongest heroines. When we first meet her she is a girly girl through and through in her everyday life, but now that she's thrown into this intense competition she doesn't sit back and let others do everything. No, she steps up and molds herself into the strong person she needs to be in order to win. Her character development is one of my favorite parts of the series. Sometimes I even forgot how different she was at the beginning because she has really taken into this new, badass, leader position.
I recommend this series if you love action packed stories (and if you loved Pokemon as much as I did as a kid, just trust me). If you haven't read Fire & Flood, get on that. If you have and are contemplating whether you should read the sequel, the answer is yes. Victoria said there might be a third book to the series and I hope so. I want to know more about the political side of things.
Rating:
★ ★ ★ ★/5
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It seems like Victoria Scott writes really good action stories! I've only read one book by her, The Collector, and while I enjoyed it enough, it wasn't anything mind-blowing or the best. It was just somewhere in the middle. So I'm not quite sure if I want to invest in another series by her just yet, haha. But it's definitely a relief to see that the second book in the Fire & Flood series was good!
ReplyDeleteOh man, isn't it the best when the characters you really liked in the first book become even better in the second?? And it takes talent for an author to make you so deeply invested in a story's characters that your heart hurts for them whenever they go through difficult times. That's how I felt when I read The Winner's Curse. D: I'm loving the sound of Tella already, but Guy? Not so much... yet. Heh. Love interests who never listen kind of piss me off.
Anyway, I'm so happy that you enjoyed this, Audris! I'm not sure if there's a third book (is this a trilogy?), but if there is, here's hoping that it'll be just as good, or even better. Brilliant review!!
P.S. I LOVE YOUR BLOG DESIGN. It's so cute and colorful -- especially those clouds!! And also, thanks so much for stopping by my blog the other day! <33
Megan @ Adrift on Vulcan