Salt & Stone (Fire & Flood Series #2)

by Victoria Scott

Overview

How far would you go to survive?

In FIRE & FLOOD, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and a terrifying march 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 stop - and in SALT & STONE, Tella will have to face the unseen dangers of the ocean, the breathless cold of a mountain, 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 beginning of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the fourth and final part of the race, just forty-one are left . . . and only one can win.

Victoria Scott's stunning thriller will leave readers' hearts racing!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545537483
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/24/2015
Series:	Fire and Flood Series , #2
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.30(d)
Lexile:	HL800L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Victoria Scott is the author of the Dante Walker series. She lives in Dallas with her husband, and is currently working on her next novel. Victoria adores getting to know her readers. Visit her online at VictoriaScottYA.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for FIRE & FLOOD:

"Scott holds her own in attitude and taut action, and Tella's voice is feminine, smart, and sassy. Importantly, although male-female chemistry is definitely present, the emotional drive of the novel doesn't rely on romance. Family, camaraderie, and Tella's bond with her furry Pandora companion matter just as much in getting her through the first part of her life-and-death race."
- Publishers Weekly

"Non-stop action and thrilling adventure will keep readers turning the pages. . . . Scott captures the essence of what it means to sacrifice one's self for a loved one."
- VOYA

"Tella is an especially strong and likable character, which makes this gripping adventure all the more enjoyable."
- Booklist

From the Publisher

In this sequel to Fire & Flood (Scholastic, 2014/Voya February 2014), Tella continues the dangerous race known as the Brimstone Bleed in an attempt to save her dying brother. First prize is the Cure, and the forty-four remaining contestants are desperate to win and save their ailing relatives. The only true ally each contestant has is a Pandora, a uniquely engineered animal with special abilities, programmed to help its contestant win. The participants tackle the two final ecosystems, fighting to survive and to save the life of a loved one. Tella is an engaging heroine who is most winning as she strives to become more self-sufficient. She is a girly-girl who is learning to be tough and capable, and her character development is delightful. The Pandoras are fascinating, and their abilities and personalities steal the show from the two-dimensional humans they serve. The series itself is somewhat derivative and suffers by comparison to young adult series such as The Hunger Games and The Golden Compass. At one point, the heroine faces a locked room filled with keys and as she tries to find the correct one, the reader half expects her to sprout round glasses and a lightning-shaped scar. This sequel does not stand alone; it must be read after the first book in the series. Many readers enjoyed the first book, however, and any library with patrons devoted to young adult fantasy/thrillers should consider this series. Reviewer: Heather Pittman; Ages 12 to 15.

VOYA, April 2015 (Vol. 38, No. 1) - Heather Pittman

★ 2014-11-18
The second half of the race started in Fire & Flood (2014).Tella's made it through the jungle and desert, leaving ocean and mountain still to come in the four-ecosystem Brimstone Bleed. The winner will receive the Cure for the loved one infected by the race organizers to provide incentive for the selected Contenders to cooperate. Tella's secondary agenda is love interest Guy's plan to join, infiltrate and destroy the organizers after the race. Their romance hits major obstacles early on, primarily in the form of Guy's belief that Tella needs to be saved and protected—he's OK with that, but Tella isn't. She resolves to stand up to him instead of blindly following, and she does so not just to gain his respect, but to respect herself. The next legs of the race lead to team-ups with familiar faces and newcomers of varying trustworthiness. The genetically engineered, intelligent companion animals with superpowers—the Pandoras—develop further as individual characters, causing nail-biting moments as they face dangers that in some cases outstrip those of their Contenders. Readers will fear for side characters, as they should: The organizers have mined the course with dangerous traps. Aside from a few moments of repetitive exposition in the first act, the prose is so tense that even in the characters' few moments of rest, readers will twitch with anticipatory anxiety. The ending devastates. Mind-blowingly intense. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews