Review Detail

My favourite kinds of books are ones that take you on an exciting ride through the story and leave you breathless by the end, and that’s what this is. It’s dangerous and fast and I was hooked after the first few pages.

Tella and her family moved to Montana where they’re more or less cut off from the outside world. Tella is sixteen, and her brother, Cody, is nineteen, and he’s dying. Doctors can’t figure out how to treat him and despite brave faces, banter, and family time, his condition is tough on everybody. Then Tella finds a blue box on her bed, and inside is a device with information about a race called the Brimstone Bleed. And the prize is a cure that will save her brother. She sets out on this adventure, brave and determined, not knowing if it’s real or some strange prank. She soon finds out it’s for real when she completes her first task to secure a Pandora – a companion for the race.

I’m going to stop there for a moment to point out my new obsession with Pandoras. They’re animals with extraordinary abilities, there to protect their Contender. A bit like Pokemons. I need one so bad.

Tella, with her Pandora egg, enters the race – adapting to different climates and surroundings. Facing creatures, insects, and people who live in these places. Making allies when there can only be one winner. They all deserve the cure, they’re all there for someone they love, and they all crave the prize equally. It’s a toughy.

I love a good romance, and there’s a good romance. The adventure is non-stop. The world-building is fantastic – I really wondered how the whole thing came about and what the reasons were behind it, and I was more than satisfied with the answer. The story is narrated from Tella’s POV and I loved her voice. I can’t fault it.

FIRE & FLOOD is a fantastic YA thriller and I’m super impressed.

I need you, book two!