Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott

Pages: 320

Genre: Sci-fi/Thriller

Series: Fire & Flood #1

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: Feb 25, 2014

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?

Fire and Flood was one of my more anticipated reads of 2014, so getting a review copy was a dream come true. And after loving The Collector so much, well, my expectations were pretty high (especially after hearing how amazing Pandoras were.)

Tella was quirky. That's the best way to describe her at first. She had that certain quality to her that reminded me of Scott's former heroine, Charlie, something that made you love her and all her awkward faults--which slowly start to fade the longer she's in the Brimstone Bleed. Tella hardens, strengthens, but still manages to maintain that compassion and kindness that made you love her throughout the race. Her sheer will made her even more endearing.

I got completely attached to all the characters--Victoria Scott just somehow manages to make us fall in love with them (every single one of them), despite their sheer numbers. All of them had their own personalities and quirks (though none quite like Tella) and I adored all of them. In the end, they were all there, risking their lives to save someone they loved. Even the antagonist who was amazingly well written in the most evil, disgusting, and twisted way was fighting for someone (I'm assuming) and it made me a bit more sympathetic towards them. A bit.

There was romance in Fire and Flood but it was pretty slight and a bit rushed in my opinion--or, not rushed, but pretty sudden. I loved it though, especially because I had no idea that our love interest was the love interest and because, well, he was pretty badass. He was pretty awesome and swoony, if not hardened and a little...aloof.

The storyline was absolutely thrilling and exciting and I was always wincing whenever I felt like our characters were in trouble. Or, you know, were going to die. The author is pretty ruthless with readers' feelings and I felt like I died several deaths. There were a lot of unexpected twists that broke my heart or made me cheer and what I found amazing was that the Brimstone Bleed...well, it wasn't over. And now I can't say anything or else I'm going to squeal all over this review and spoil everything.

The Brimstone Bleed was a seriously original plot line/setting and I loved the story and the history behind it that made everything all the more interesting and cutthroat. It was a bit predictable, I guess, but it's truly original.
My favorite part of the whole story was definitely the Pandoras and I have an unnatural love of foxes now. The Pandoras were as diverse as the characters and I loved how all their talents pushed the plot along. Talk about creativity!

Fire and Flood was a brilliant read that was exciting, amazing, and is definitely one of a kind. It's, dare I say, a better version of The Hunger Games and I absolutely adored it. So the question of "Is it worth the read?" Answer: Yes. 

P.S. THE PANDORAS!!!

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The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Goodreads Blurb

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.
As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.
An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

So you guys know, I'm not usually an MG (Middle Grade) person, but I have to say, I think I've changed my mind about that! You'll probably find me raiding the library for some more soon enough! It reminded me what kind of books I LOVED before getting addicted to YA. Better start reading this stuff again!

The False Prince was unbelievably amazing and there's just something about MG that makes you realize how different it is from YA! There's no insta-love worries, there's no romance taking away from the plot, and there are no ridiculous things going on--it's just wonderful writing, amazing plot, action packed adventure, a crown to be fought for, and conspiracies of the best. Or wait. Is that just The False Prince?

Because this book had all of that and so much more!

This was so fun to read! Immediately, we get a sense for just how troublesome Sage is and he's a character you'll immediately like! He's clever,an absolute troublemaker, and he's just an amazing character who makes every boring thing something of interest! Not to say that the other 2 boys were less interesting! Not at all! they're all so completely different that there's no way you can fully hate one. Tobias is educated and smart, but not as strong or willful as Roden, but Roden, in turn, is pretty hard headed and a bit thick. If we're talking stereotypes, Tobias would be the nerd, Roden the jock, and Sage? He's somewhere in between all that. I think his only flaw, really, was that he never knew when to quit or when things were to dangerous. He was strong-willed and COMPLETELY stubborn and I'd love him less if he weren't!

The plot is by far the best thing about The False Prince! It can seem pretty slow at first, but when you get used to the pace, you'll love how the plot just slowly unfurls, throwing twists and turns at  you along the way (I, for one, COULD NOT believe that ending!). It's a captivating read that'll please everyone, no matter what the age or gender!

The False Prince is a book that's hard to dislike and easy to love! Fit for literally everyone and anyone, I'd recommend it to anyone who's getting tired of reading the same old over and over again!

Pages: 342
Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade
Series: Ascendance Trilogy #1
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: April 1, 2012
Rating: 5 stars

Taste Test by Kelly Fiore

Goodreads Blurb

Nora Henderson has been basting baby back ribs for as long as she could reach the counter of her dad's famous barbecue joint. When she's accepted to Taste Test, a teen reality cooking competition, Nora can't wait to leave her humble hometown behind. On set, run-ins with the maddeningly handsome and talented son of a famous chef, Christian Van Lorten, make Nora wonder if it's him or the win she really wants, but as she and Christian emerge as front-runners for the final prize, Nora can't ignore the mysterious accidents plaguing the kitchen arena. Someone is conducting eliminations of their own, and if Nora doesn't stop them, she could be next to get "chopped" for good. 

Taste Test was a delicious (I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it.) read that I enjoyed (and almost died laughing over.)

The number one thing that hit me was definitely the writing style. Or, rather, the other things included. We got "interviews" with all our characters that I definitely enjoyed and giggled over. It let us see what front some of them were putting up and how they felt about what was going on! It was both hilarious and sort of sad sometimes. In the way that I want to be "LET ME LOVE YOU" to them.  And then we got recipes. That I really want to try but would probably burn (even if it's not burnable.) I really love how Fiore included these little extras to make our reading experience way more enjoyable (and for all you actually decent cooks out there--can you pretty please make a few of them then send the food to me? I will love you forever, because some of these look absolutely scrumptious.)

The relationships between these characters also took center stage. Whether it was the absolutely amazing father-daughter dynamic Nora and her dad had, the unrequited love between her and Billy (BFF), or her hate/love (literally. Mainly hate?) with Christian, all of them were wonderfully written! Nora's weren't the only relationships that played a role though--Gigi (the new BFF) and her friendships and familial ties, Joy's little trysts, and Christian's own relationship with his dad were also ones that were pretty fleshed out! I do wish we spent a little more time on them though, rather than spending a majority of the book focusing on Christian and Nora's chemistry.

Of course, that doesn't mean I like it. Trust me, I was cheering these two on from the start! They were absolutely HILARIOUS by themselves, but together? I think I died of laughter several times. Their witty banter was filled with snarky remarks that had me crawling around on the floor clutching my stomach. Kelly Fiore definitely played on the phrase "There's a thin line between love and hate" because that was definitely true here! I never knew whether they were going to end up kissing or if it would end with Nora slapping him.

I did love the pacing, though I couldn't help but wish we focused more on the show in the first half. We glossed over several of the "incidents" and we only really read/experienced a few and it wasn't really the main focus. The culprit was also pretty predictable, though I really didn't expect the reason why! The ending, I loved though. (But can we get an epilogue? I DON'T WANT TO SAY GOODBYE.)

The characters were probably the thing I liked the least. Nora wasn't really written well and seemed a little flat and she seemed to judge harshly and quickly. She definitely wasn't my favorite character and I can't help but wish she was a little less...impulsive sometimes.
Christian, I loved, though he did seem excessively cruel at times. But his snark was absolutely HILARIOUS and I'm pretty sure I fell in love with him by the second time we met him. He was absolutely adorable and a fun character to read about!

Taste Test is a cute and fun read I'd definitely recommend to people looking for an laugh out loud book that brings out their Giggle Monster. A perfect read for anyone who needs a break from the paranormal and dystopian!

Pages: 352

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Walker Childrens

Release Date: Aug 27, 2013

Rating: 3.5-->4 stars