Title: Fire & Flood (Fire & Flood #1)
Author: Victoria Scott
Pub Deets: February 25th, 2014, Scholastic
Series/Stand Alone: Series
Source: ARC via Netgalley
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In a sentence or so: They told Tella they moved to the middle of nowhere so her brother could get better. What they didn't tell her there was that there was something she could do about it...even if that meant risking her life.
Tella and her family move to middle of nowhere Montana so her brother can get better. Only he's not getting better. Nothing is making him better. In the midst of her moping without friends and mourning the loss of shopping sprees, Tella receives a small package with a big message. One that will drive her to do everything she can to save her brother at the risk of abandoning her own family and risking it all.
Let's just get this out of the way right off the bat. Is FIRE & FLOOD kinda like THE HUNGER GAMES? Yeah, it is. But it doesn't try to hide that fact or completely copy and paste THG either - which I respect a ton.
Tella enters a race that will take place over 4 different types of terrain called the Brimstone Bleed. She also gets a companion that comes IN AN EGG that has some sort of special ability that will help her along the way.
Fire & Flood takes places in the jungle and dessert portions of the Brimstone Bleed. Tella fights for a cure for her brother, which they promise the winner, but she also starts to fight for herself. Tella becomes stronger. She becomes independent. Most importantly, Tella becomes confident.
I adore Tella's voice in the midst of what could be a super heavy read. Unlike THG (in which I HATED Katniss), Tella is snarky, quirky, misses being clean and frequently analyzes situations in a way that totally resonates with me. In short, she felt LEGIT. And I like her a lot. Like, we could be besties maybe.
The cover of FIRE & FLOOD looks a bit more Middle Grade to me, but it really isn't. The characters are all teenagers, the subject matter is heavy, and people die. Victoria Scott finds a refreshing balance of the heaviness of the plot with the lightness and likeability of Tella that make FIRE & FLOOD a fun and enjoyable read.
Fix er up: While this book wasn't MG, it didn't SCREAM Young Adult either. It's one of those inbetweeny books and I have a hard time knowing how to recommend this out to people because of that. Regardless, I enjoyed it!
Fave Quote: "There are moments in the jungle where I can't help but laugh at how my life has changed in these last four days. Drinking form a stream, in the belly of a cave, is one of those moments. Yesterday, if this had happened, I would have daydreamed about my leopardprint house slippers and my grandmother's crocheted blanket that I've kept at the end of my bed since forever."
I like to read a book that resembles THG. Tella sounds like a very good character and I love the idea of having a companion in an egg :D
ReplyDeleteThe companions are dope!
DeleteI don't know anything about this book! How is this possible? I like the cover, though, so I would probably pick it up. Thanks for introducing me, Lisa! I'm definitely curious.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd like this one, Ash!
DeleteI don't like the fact that it reads like semi-middle grade, but I'm still going to give it a shot. :) Great review!
ReplyDeleteYay!
DeleteYay! We are twins today. I reviewed Fire and Flood too! I agree with you about it being a bit like The Hunger Games but really being it's own thing too. I also liked Tella. Her inner thoughts were pretty amusing most of the time.
ReplyDeleteYAY! I loved Tella so much. She made this read a win for me too!
DeleteOhhh this one sounds interesting! The fact that it's kind of in between MG and YA doesn't really bother me, because oh my gosh all those elements just sound AWESOME. Loving the fact that it's kind of like THG, but still unique in its own way. And a companion that comes in an EGG? Gahhhh! *grabby hands*
ReplyDeleteRight? All of those elements are awesome and the author nails it. Yes the egg companions are so cool!
DeleteI've been hearing about Fire and Flood a lot recently! It's a mixed bag of opinions, so I'm still not entirely sure I'll be reading it. It's pretty cool to hear about the Pandoras though, since I'm a sucker for a good animal companion in any book!
ReplyDeleteI hear you. I could see why some wouldn't like it, and that's okay!
DeleteThis sounds like The Hunger Games meets, I dunno, some sort of unique fantasy novel, Either way, I am totally intrigued. Besides, snarky MC's are, like, my FAVOURITE thing in the world. So yeah. Count me in!
ReplyDeleteExactly! Snarky MCs forever.
DeleteIt's funny because I was wondering about this book and being solidly YA. Also, is it safe to assume there isn't much romance? Great review!!
ReplyDeleteOh, there's a good dollop of romance my friend. Thank you!
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