Fire & Flood
(Fire & Flood #1)
Victoria Scott
4.0/5.0 stars
I've heard great things about Victoria Scott's writing but having never read her myself I was a little nervous. Could she actually be as good as everyone says or was I about to be monumentally crushed? I can now happily say I see what all the fuss is about. Fire & Flood was immensely entertaining and kept me up well past my bedtime!
Tella Holloway is a somewhat vain and materialistic girl from a well to do family in Boston. Her brother, Corey, is suffering from a mysterious terminal illness. As the story starts her family has recently moved to the middle of nowhere in Montana in the hopes it will help her brother be more comfortable. Tella is struggling with the lack of social life and the sudden change of lifestyle. Returning to her bedroom one night she finds a mysterious device that when activited tells her she is invited to the Brimstone Bleed where the winner receives the cure. Her family does its best to dissuade her but knowing this is the only way to save her brother she, of course, does it anyway.
Tella and I had a bumpy start. She's that very girly, very spoiled type that I have a really hard time identifying with and I was warming up my eyes for some good eyerolls right off the bat. But they never really came because her voice was so hilarious. I ended up really loving the fact that she was the exact opposite of the usual heroine. We all want to think we'd be like Katniss if we were ever placed in this situation- confident, strong, brave, ready to kickass all day long. But come on guys, let's be real, most of us would be terrified and not have the first clue what to do. Tella isn't brave in the beginning or good at survivalist stuff, at all. Why would she be? The worst thing she's had to survive before was missing a killer sale at the mall. What she is- is desperate. Desperate to save the brother she loves and get her family back to some sort of normal life. That's the beauty of this story and Tella specifically. We get to watch her realize how strong she truly is and how much she is willing to risk to save her brother.
The pacing of this story was on point, with lots of action that kept me flipping pages after I promised I would put it down and get some sleep. That was a great plan but then something would happen or some big twist would drop and I'd realize I just killed another hour. Ooops. No biggie- kids can take care of themselves, right?
The only part I wasn't totally hooked on was the romance. I liked Guy but he's very standoffish and secretive and it was hard for me to invest in their romance because I was always suspicious. We do finally get some straight answers from him at the end though and I felt much better about him after that.
Oh. My. God. I almost forgot the Pandoras! Clearly my caffeine level is getting dangerously low. The Pandoras are genetically modified animals that are given to the contenders to help them survive. They all have different skills and powers and it's up to the contestant to figure out what they can do. They are freaking awesome! Fire & Flood is worth reading just for the Pandoras alone. I loved how a lot of their special powers tied into natural skills or behaviors of the actual animal.
Pandoras, fast-pace, action, twists, violence....do I really have to tell you that you want to read this? Okay. Fine. YOU WANT TO READ THIS!
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