Top Ten Books I've Read in 2014 So Far

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

This week's topic: Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year

Scary Modsters...and Creepy Freaks by Diane Rinella: This book was so fun and quirky. I had a darn good time reading it, and with all that unique feel mixed with Diane's fabulous writing, this book was absolutely fantastic.

Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins: A sweet romance, a soldier, and a little twist that sets it apart from other books like it. I flew through this book and cannot WAIT for the next book by Sabrina Elkins. I also love how this book rides the line between YA and NA. It has a theme that gives off a NA vibe (to me, anyway), but the MC is still in high school. I just really want to cuddle this book.

Rome by Jay Crownover: It's not a secret that I heart me some Jay Crownover. I mean, I WAS Rule's advocate in the NA Crush Tourney last year. So the fact that Rome is my new fav Marked Men book is kind of a significant fact. I loved this one, and Rome and Cora were just great. SO GREAT, Y'ALL.

Be with Me by J. Lynn: I fell in love with Jase in the first chapter. The first. Effing. Chapter. Yeah, he ticked me off throughout the story, but my love was established early on so I was a fan of him, and I really liked Tess, and this book was completely up my alley. As are all of JLA's books.

King Cave by Scarlett Dawn: We remember that huge crush I had on Ezra, yes? Well, that crush has now exploded into something I don't even have a word for, thanks to this book. This was the first book I read this year and it was the PERFECT read to kick off a year of great books. I loved it and even though this one was quite long, it felt way too short. Remind me, when does King Tomb come out again?

A Tale of Two Centuries by Rachel Harris: I highly enjoyed My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century and I was expecting to go in and like this one the same way. Then I actually picked it up and NOPE. I loved this one sooooo much more, which baffles me since I had such a great time with the first one. But it happened and I loved it and this book makes me feel so happy!

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck: Tigers (tiger SHIFTERS, no less) and romance. Need I say more? I think not.

Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg: A cute story about friends growing into more and the struggles and accompany that process. This one was dual POV, which is something I adore, and I loved how this one started from when the two MCs met, instead of just jumping into their relationship and trying to catch us up to speed with explanations and whatnot. I fell for Levi and his realistically adorable tendencies and Macallan (dear god please tell me I spelled that right) with her stubborn need to stand up for others. These two characters were so perfect for each other and I ADORED their story so much.

The Warrior by Victoria Scott: Oh, Dante. Trust Victoria Scott to give us an ending like this. It was so magnificent, I just...I can't even. I laughed (because Dante's a hoot, as is Max and I mean...fanny packs), I cried (because REASONS), and I freaking loved this book. Whenever anyone asks me which book in this trilogy is my favorite, I'm always floored because I'm not sure. It's a tie between the first one and this one. Because this one is so kickass and such a phenomenal ending. I honestly can't imagine a better ending for Dante Walker and his people. POW!

Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine: My favorite New Adult book! I felt so many things while reading this book. At one point, I legit hated it. But then I reached a point (30something percent through, if I'm not mistaken) and I realized how much I loved this book. The characters were so raw and I really enjoyed watching them work through their issues while trying to deal with each other at the same time. It was hard for them, and that made it even more wonderful when they finally found it, you know? Their own new little normal. Goodness, I love this book so hard.

What are your favorite books you've read so far this year? Have you read any of mine? Are there any books that aren't on this list that I NEED to have in my life ASAP?

Dante Walker Readathon Kickoff!

Hey, everybody! Today kicks off the readathon Steph from Ohana Reads and I are hosting for the Dante Walker trilogy by Victoria Scott! I posted about this fun little event here, and now I'm going to rehash the details and add a few little updates. WOOT.

 -  The Readathonstarts today and ends on the 16th!

- Through the Readathon, we'll be reading all three books in the series. If you're curious about the reading order, then check this out:

 

(All the covers are linked to their Goodreads pages)

- When reading the books, tweet your progress with the hashtag #ReadDanteWalker. Or tweet a favorite (non-spoilery) quote. Or tell us how you adore the eff out of Dante. Just be sure to use the hashtag so we all can see it!

- We will be running a group on Goodreads and a group on Facebook, so there's MORE ways we all can chat about the awesome that is Dante Walker. I'll generally be running the Facebook group, while Steph will hold the reigns of the Goodreads group, but we can both totally join in and help out on either site if we want. It's going to be all kinds of fun!

 Goodreads | Facebook

- There will be giveaways! We have a few super cool swag packs to give away to some lucky winners participating in the Readathon (they will be randomly chosen from Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter).

- We will have a Twitter chat at the end of the Readathon, on May 16th at 8 PM CST. Victoria Scott will be joining us to answer some questions and give away some swag!

- If you want to only participate in part of the readathon (i.e. you only have time to read The Warrior so you only stick to one book instead of all three, or if you have to join late), that is totally okay! Everyone is welcome. This whole thing is to bring Dante readers together to interact and have some Dante fun. ;)

And that's it! Read some Dante, have some fun, and if you have any questions--any at all--feel free to contact me or Steph and we'll help you out. Pow! 

My Twitter: @jessbooklover
My email: makesmeworse12@gmail.com

Steph's Twitter: @OhanaReads
Steph's email: ohanareads@gmail.com

Blog Tour: The Warrior by Victoria Scott (Review & Giveaway)

 

Click the banner above to check out the full tour schedule!

The Warrior by Victoria Scott 

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Pagecount: 352

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Series: Dante Walker #3

Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Buy It: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:

War between heaven and hell is coming, but Dante Walker makes it look damn good.

Dante’s girlfriend, Charlie, is fated to save the world. And Aspen, the girl who feels like a sister, is an ordained soldier. In order to help both fulfill their destiny and win the war, Dante must complete liberator training at the Hive, rescue Aspen from hell, and uncover a message hidden on an ancient scroll.

Dante is built for battle, but even he can’t handle the nightmares where spiders crawl from Aspen’s eyes, or the look on Charlie’s face that foretells of devastation. To make matters worse, the enemy seizes every opportunity to break inside the Hive and cripple the liberators. But the day of reckoning is fast approaching, and to stand victorious, Dante will have to embrace something inside himself he never has before—faith.

It's strange to think it was only a little over a year ago when I was falling for Dante and his story. I've been so into this trilogy and this character, and now his story has come to an end. Lucky for all of us, Victoria Scott has cooked up the best ending we could have asked for to send Dante off with a BANG.

**I'm warning you now, if you haven't read the first two books, things are about to get spoilery up in here. It's kind of hard to review this book without spoiling the first two. I am NOT spoiling this one, though. So if you have yet to read The Warrior, then no worries. You're safe. EVERYONE ELSE, THOUGH. Watch out.**

The Warrior picks up where The Liberator left off. Aspen's in hell, Charlie's soul is in the enemy's hands, and Dante's got swag for days. They're preparing for war, and Dante is all over that. He pretty much wants to do anything to get Aspen back. And thus begins this installment of Dante Walker's story. The plot kicked off pretty much right away and flew straight through to the end. Seriously, this book flew by way faster than I wanted it to. Victoria Scott's writing is just as enthralling as it was in the last two books, and the story she wove was amazing. Plus, I totally cried at one point. Toward the end. Because of reasons.

Dante was still his snarky, arrogant self (like I said, he's still got all that swag), but it was nice to see how he's changed between the first book and this one. Yes, he still possesses his attitude, but he's better about it now. He's not rude with most of the thoughts that pass through his head. He's not perfect now by any means, but he's better, and I love that he's evolved to the point where he ended in the trilogy. I've always loved Dante Walker, but I'm glad to say he's improved. 

Honestly, though, he could have stayed the same and I'd still heart him. I can't help it. ;)

Charlie has turned into this strong, confident person, and I am pretty much in awe of her. She's so resolute now. Still kindhearted and great, but her tough side really pushed through in this book--sort of like the end of The Liberator but...more. Yeah. MORE. And Aspen...I'm not going to go into detail with her, but those dreams, man. Cray cray. In the awesomest way. And all the rest of the characters, I was so glad to slip back into the world they inhabit. Some of them have remained near and dear to my heart, while others I now want to slap/punch/kick because they deserve it. Kraven in particular is a character that I liked before but am legit in love with now. And there's a new character or two, and I enjoyed them. All of the characters (even though some of them make me punchy) were entertaining and awesome, in their own ways.

The romance in this book comes from a few places, the largest portion Dante and Charlie, of course. Those two...goodness, those two. They're just such a great couple. Dante's all attitude and snark and Charlie's all sweetness and caring. Together, they are seriously perfect. I would not change that pairing for the world. And then there's Annabelle and Kraven. I love Kraven, so I was totally on his side the whole time. That is all I'm going to say about that.

I've been trying so hard to pick a favorite book from the trilogy ever since I reached the end of this one. I know The Liberator is my third favorite (I enjoyed it, but definitely not my fav of the series), but I kind of feel like The Collector and The Warrior are tied. I love them both, and they're both my favorite--in different ways. The Collector introduced us to Dante and his world, while The Warrior was a breathtaking, kickass conclusion to one of my favorite trilogies.

Overall, The Warrior was a phenomenal end to the Dante Walker trilogy. There's action, there's sweetness, and there's sure of a heck lot of badassery going down within these pages. This book, and the trilogy as a whole, is definitely a must-read. Pow!

Victoria Scott is a teen fiction writer represented by Sara Crowe of the Harvey-Klinger Literary Agency. She’s the author of the FIRE & FLOOD series published by Scholastic, and the DANTE WALKER trilogy published by Entangled Teen. Her books have been bought and translated in eleven foreign markets including the UK, Turkey, China, Poland, Israel, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Taiwan, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.

Victoria lives in Dallas with her husband and hearts cotton candy something fierce.

Author Links: 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Newsletter | Tumblr

 

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Dante Walker Readathon!

Hello, lovely people! Sorry I've been kind of absent this past week. I was siiiiiick. But I'm past the worst part and on the road to getting better, so I'M BAAAAACK. And I have plans. As you can probably tell from all the readathon talk in the title/at the top of this post. So let's get to it, yes?

As I'm sure you know, seeing as you follow my blog and all, the third and final book in the Dante Walker trilogy is releasing on May 6th. So Steph and I wanted to do something fun to celebrate. THIS IS IT. Stephanie from Ohana Reads and I are going to host a Dante Walker Readathon! WOOT!

The Details:
 -  The Readathon is from May 9th-16th, so there should be enough time for everyone to get their copies of The Warrior and mentally prepare themselves for the awesome.

- Through the Readathon, we'll be reading all three books in the series. I'm not sure how you don't know the reading order by now, given how much I talk about these books, but if you do not know, here they are in order:

 

- When reading the books, tweet your progress with the hashtag #ReadDanteWalker. Or tweet a favorite (non-spoilery) quote. Or tell us how you adore the eff out of Dante. Just be sure to use the hashtag so we all can see it!

- We will be running a group on Goodreads and a group on Facebook, so there's MORE ways we all can chat about the awesome that is Dante Walker. I'll generally be running the Facebook group, while Steph will hold the reigns of the Goodreads group, but we can both totally join in and help out on either site if we want. It's going to be all kinds of fun!

**If you'd like to join the groups now, you can do so: Goodreads | Facebook

- There will be giveaways! We have a few super cool swag packs to give away to some lucky winners participating in the Readathon (they will be randomly chosen from Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter).

- We will have a Twitter chat at the end of the Readathon, on May 16th! We're still working out specifics (because we want Author Chick--aka Victoria Scott--to be there, right?), but there WILL be more swaggish goodness to give away, and it WILL be a good time.

And that is all! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Steph, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

I am seriously excited about this, you guys! I LOVE readathons, and I LOVE Dante Walker, so I have, like, double love going on right now. *flails*

Exclusive Excerpt from The Warrior by Victoria Scott!

We are coming mighty close to the release of The Warrior, the third and final book in the Dante Walker trilogy by Victoria Scott. Personally, I'm both incredibly pumped and terribly sad for the release of this book. I can't wait for more people to read it and spaz over it with, but it's also THE END, you know? But no matter what, I'll always love me some Dante Walker.


Speaking of Dante Walker...Victoria Scott sent out an exclusive excerpt from The Warrior to the V Mafia today! And I'm totally about to share it with you. Of course. You know how every book has the little letter from Dante at the beginning? The first little taste of Dante in each book that reminds you right away how much you heart him and FINALLY you're about to read more? Well, take a look the beginning letter from The Warrior!

Working for the devil turns you into something unfixable. It makes you a demon, forevermore. It teaches you to feel anger before anything else, and to fight dirty for those things you believe yours. But I don’t work for the devil anymore. I work for the good guys, even if I don’t act like one. My job now is to protect my girlfriend from my former boss, and to rescue my friend from hell. 

No, I don’t work for the devil any longer. But I am still the man he made me. I am still angry, and volatile, and dangerous. I don’t like the things he’s done, and I’m not about to sit back quietly. After all, he taught me better than that. He loved me with the kindness of a serrated blade, and fed me from a spoon dipped in terror. 

He made me into a monster.   

But I will bite the hand that fed me.  

—Dante Walker

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE. So much. I mean, of course. It's DANTE. But I also feel for Dante right now. And I just think this is positively perfect. Especially the ending. "But I will bite the hand that fed me." Is it just me or is that highly fitting of both Dante and his attitude? Gah! Love.

What do you think?!?! Are you as excited as I am? Also, don't forget I'm giving away a book from the Dante Walker trilogy in the Best Series Blog Hop!

Since Victoria Scott is awesome, she's giving away a The Collector necklace and a pair of Dante Walker earrings. And the giveaway is international!

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The Warrior by Victoria Scott 

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Series: Dante Walker #3

Pre-Order: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads: 

War between heaven and hell is coming, but Dante Walker makes it look damn good.

Dante’s girlfriend, Charlie, is fated to save the world. And Aspen, the girl who feels like a sister, is an ordained soldier. In order to help both fulfill their destiny and win the war, Dante must complete liberator training at the Hive, rescue Aspen from hell, and uncover a message hidden on an ancient scroll.

Dante is built for battle, but even he can’t handle the nightmares where spiders crawl from Aspen’s eyes, or the look on Charlie’s face that foretells of devastation. To make matters worse, the enemy seizes every opportunity to break inside the Hive and cripple the liberators. But the day of reckoning is fast approaching, and to stand victorious, Dante will have to embrace something inside himself he never has before—faith.

   

Best Series Blog Hop

 

Heck to the yeah, I'm taking part in the Best Series Blog Hop hosted by Cuddlebuggery. I have to admit, though, it is incredibly hard to pick ONE series to root for.

But I did.

Like the day I signed up for this.

Because I've just recently finished a series, and I loved the ending so hard, I literally NEEEED to tell y'all about it.

The Dante Walker trilogy by Victoria Scott 

  

If you know me, you know that I am all over these books. I heart them so hard, there are no words to actually compare the feeling to. Dante's my boy. I mean, have you SEEN my sidebar? It's pretty Dante-filled. 

I've already posted my review for The Collector and my review for The Liberator, but my review for The Warrior has to wait until closer to  the release date (May 6th!). You can totally check out my little teaser review from Goodreads if you wish, though.

But aside from making you wade through my reviews, just let me say that Dante is one of the most amusing, strong, and devoted characters I've ever read. He only has a trilogy, but I'm fairly certain I could sit through many, many more books about him if I got to do it from inside his mind. He's just so...HIM. And I love it. And the story he's IN? Rocks right along with him. I can't even explain it because words...WORDS. Ahhh.

So I'm giving away winner's choice of any book in this trilogy. Because there can never be enough Dante in your life.

But you do need to remember...

 #DanteIsMine ;)

The Deets: 

- One winner will be randomly selected to win their choice of any book in the Dante Walker trilogy.

- If the winner chooses The Warrior, it will be a pre-order, since the book isn't actually released yet.

- This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL. Yeah. 

- My giveaway policy applies. As it always does.

- Enter through the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win. 

- Pow! ;)

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Check out the other blogs sharing their favorite series in the hop!

Just a Booklover Turns Two!

Two years ago today, my blog was born.

Okay, not born. But created two years ago. But you know...same difference.

So two years ago today (yeah, I'm totally going to pull a Gilmore Girls and tell the story of the birth of this blog every single year--because I can) I was surfing the interwebz, and then I landed on Twitter. Where I saw Sarah Rees Brennan tweet a negative review of her book The Demon's Lexicon because she liked the title of the review (she's awesome like that).

I read the review and was so. Flipping. Angry. Not because it was a negative review of a book I had adored. No. I was mad because the reviewer had only read the first chapter. And that is completely fine, so long as you don't go through and act as if you DID read the whole book. If you only read the first chapter of a book, you should probably stick to reviewing that first chapter. Or, at the very least, don't make statements about a book like you KNOW what happened in the rest of the book. Once you say you only read the first chapter, critiquing what the rest of the book is like does not float my boat.

So there I was, all angry. And bored. And, honestly, I'd been considering starting a book blog for some time because I wanted to try my hand at reviewing. That person, whose blog I can't even remember the name of, nor can I remember what that cleverly titled review was even called or...anything. But that person unknowingly gave me the push to start Just a Booklover. Well, that person and Sarah Rees Brennan, who'd written a book that I wanted to cuddle with forever and ever. Because that reviewer had stated her opinions on the book, which is totally in her right, and now I wanted to tell mine. I didn't know WHO exactly I was telling it to, but still. I wanted to put it out there.

So from that day on, I began shaping up Just a Booklover. And now here we are. Two years later. Over 1,300 followers, 900 Bloglovin' followers, 400 Feedburner subscribers and over 100,000 pageviews later. Blogging isn't about stats and numbers--heck to the no--but it always astounds me how many people have given my blog the time of day. Who decided to click that button and follow. Who decided to type up even the shortest of responses to anything I've had to say, ever.

I think last year, I resisted saying this because I suck at mushy things, but I can't even deny it this year.

I love you guys.

Thank you all so, so much for sticking around for my crazy town journey in the blogosphere--through Crush Tournies, and terrible reviews, and blogging slumps, and becoming an assistant, and all kinds of stuff. It never fails to make my day to read your comments and I am just so incredibly thankful for each and every one of you.

Now, for those people in particular that have been on this blogging/bookish journey with me, some since around the time I started Just a Booklover, and some trickling in after. It doesn't matter when we became like peas and carrots--I heart you all.

Val & Kay from Stuck in Books and K-Books: My triplet companions! I love having you ladies to fangirl over anything and everything JLA with. Val, I hope to all that is good in the universe that we get to meet up again, and Kay, I hope I get to meet you! I want to so bad. All three of us need to go to some kind of JLA event and fangirl together in person. THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN.

Nikki from Fiction Freak: You are adorable. Thank you so much for being such a nice person, and for living in Texas ;) We need to go to more of the same events!

Jodie: Because there are not all that many people in the world who would put up with me in a car for as long as she has. We make great roadtrip buddies, and we can totes sing at the top of our lungs whenever we darn well feel like it. LIGHT 'EM UP UP UP, LIGHT 'EM UP UP UP, LIGHT 'EM UP UP UP, WE'RE ON FIIIIIRE.

Anna from Literary Exploration: My blogging big sis! I will never stop hearting the crap out of you.

Meredith from Pandora's Books: Ahhh, you're awesome. I'm so glad we're friends, and...HUGGLES.

The ladies over at Bookish: I love how we've become friends so easily and we all just work together so well. I could not have asked for better blog partners to end up with. Special thanks to Evie for choosing me to be the Indie Enthusiast in the first place!

The ladies over at YA Bound: I heart you all so hard. 'Nuff said.
(Oh, and RACHEL! You are the sweetest. Just saying.)

Jennifer L. Armentrout: This is weird, because I kind of doubt if she's going to see this (though I seriously hope she will!). But her books were the first that got me into the blogosphere. I mean, my blog was created and I was doing my little newbie blogger thaaang, but until I started obsessing over Obsidian, I kind of sat over in my own little corner of the interwebz. So she and her books played a big part in getting me to where I am today. Plus, she is such a nice person. It has become my personal goal/hope to make it to all of her events in Texas. So far, she's been here twice, and I was there both times--so far, so good. Jen, you are the ultimate awesomesauce. Thank you.

Victoria Scott: I feel like I could write you a full-out love letter. I could not have been any luckier in landing the gig as your assistant, and I cannot think of a better author to assist. Your books make me feel all kinds of happy feelings, and YOU. You as a person. You are one of the friendliest, amazing people I've ever met. Ever. I am so glad to be your adopted daughter, and just....AHHH. I seriously think that love letter may happen, because I am so bad at this. But I love you, girl. So. Flipping. Much. You rock so freaking hard.

Aaaaand, I know I've forgotten somebody. I am so, so sorry to anyone I did. I appreciate you all way more than I can say and if I could hug you all, I totally would. Even though I'm not a hugger.

SO. Now that all of the mushy gushy stuff is over, let's get to the GIVEAWAY, yes?

Giveaway 

 I'm giving away three of my favorite February releases--all of which coincidentally were released on the same day. Haaaaaa.

 

*These are each linked to my review for the book*

- There will be THREE winners. First place winner will get to pick which of the three they want, and then the second place winner will get to pick from the remaining two, and then the third place winner will get the last book. All three of these books are fantastic, so no worries.

- This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL. Because I heart you.

- My giveaway policy applies. PLEASE make sure you've read it before you enter.

 - Enter through the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

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Review: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott 
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Format: ARC, 320 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Series: Fire & Flood #1
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Description from Goodreads:
A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

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?

Victoria Scott's Dante Walker books are some of my favorites. Goodness knows Dante's my boy. So after reading the first two Dante books, I kind of figured that Victoria Scott's next book would be fantastic. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, since Fire & Flood seemed so different--and it totally IS. But still, I was excited. So excited.

And goodness gracious, y'all. Now that I've read it, I can say that this book is not only fantastic, it is fan-FREAKING-tastic and I love it so much. 

It was my favorite book of 2013, even though it doesn't come out until this February. It's now on my all-time favorites shelf on Goodreads. I have so many happy feelings for this book, I'm not even sure where to begin explaining it.

Oh, wait. I do. TELLA. I swear, I've loved that girl since she pointed at her reflection and said "I hate your face." Tella is awesome. She's outgoing and kind and funny and I adored being in her head throughout this story. She is definitely not the type of person anyone would ever expect to be in a race such as the Brimstone Bleed, and I admire her for entering the race anyway. She loves her brother that much, and I get that. I like that a lot. And as the race goes on, she gets better. Stronger. She's still herself, but she does what she has to do. All of that leaves me with all kinds of happy feelings for our MC.

And then there's Guy Chambers. Who is someone to side-eye for a bit of the beginning of the book, but then we get to know him and OH GOODNESS. He is hot on a stick. And he's so flipping cool. He smart and strong and pretty darn mysterious, but not in an annoying way. It's just the way he is. He's quiet and more focused. Kind of stern. But as we get to know him better, those things endeared him to me even more to the point where he's one of my favorite book boys. Ever.

The Pandoras are some of my favorite things. I want so bad for them to be real, so I can have one. Or three. It was so cool to wonder what Tella's Pandora would be, and then he turned out to be such a sweetheart. I'm quite fond of adorable little Madox. I am also a fan of M-4 and AK-7. Some kickass Pandoras right there. (All the Pandoras are actually awesome. But I can't help but have favorites ;)) 

As a whole, the story flowed well. Around the beginning, there were small parts where I'd get bored, but then something would happen to dissipate that pretty quick. Victoria Scott's writing does a darn good job of keeping me in the story, even when I shouldn't be. You know, like when I should be sleeping or something... This book was so worth the loss of that sleep, though. 

The romance between Tella and Guy wasn't a huge focus in this book, but it was THERE. And it was THERE enough that I feel all kinds of happy about it. They had moments. Their own little moments to be them and get closer and grow fond of one another. They don't rush into anything by any means, and they are cute as all get out as a couple. I love the contrast of Tella being all talkative and bubbly and Guy being all quiet and serious. They're such opposites yet so perfect. 

Overall, Fire and Flood is one of my absolute favorite books. Victoria Scott has written a fantastic, compelling story with a main character I admire, a love interest I love, and a premise that completely drew me in. Contenders racing to save someone they love? Heck yeah, I'm reading that. Now where is book 2? ;)

Final Sneak Peek at FIRE & FLOOD by Victoria Scott!

Today, Victoria Scott sent the final sneak peek of Fire & Flood to those of us in the V Mafia. I am all kinds of excited to share this with you, just like I'm all kinds of excited for everybody to read this awesome book! And we're only three weeks away from the book releasing into the world where ALL OF THE PEOPLE CAN READ IT! I legit cannot wait! *flails*

Final Sneak Peek at FIRE & FLOOD 

“If you are hearing this message, then you have successfully completed the Pandora Selection Process. It also means you are now at the official starting line.”

Around me, Contenders whoop with excitement. Seriously? They’re about to plunge into a wild jungle, and that brings them happiness? Once again, I realize how out of my league I am. I don’t even have a change of clothes, for crying out loud.

“As you may have realized, you are on the outskirts of a rain forest. This will be the jungle part of the course. You will have two weeks to arrive at the jungle’s base camp. You will find this base camp by following the path of blue flags.”

Contestants glance around, immediately looking for the first blue flag. As for me, I’m watching the taillights of the semi and having a massive coronary.

“If you are the first to encounter a blue flag, you may remove it, but you may not remove the stake it is attached to. Doing so will result in immediate disqualification.”

I wonder why anyone would want to remove the flag to begin with. No one else seems concerned by this.

“While the Cure will be awarded to a single winner at the end of the last ecosystem, we will bestow a smaller prize for each leg of the race. The prize for the jungle portion will be monetary.” The woman pauses dramatically. “I’d like to officially welcome you to the Brimstone Bleed. May the bravest Contender win.”

That’s it? That’s all she’s going to say? Because it seriously sounds like she’s wrapping up. So why aren’t I running after the trucks? Why am I not chasing after my only way out of this jungle like my life depends on it? I know the answer — though I wish I didn’t. Cody would do this for me. I am his only hope. I have to believe his cure exists. My only other option is to return home and watch my brother die. If I could even get back home.

I glance around frantically, looking for someone to tell me what to do. The Contenders have formed a long line, the kind you see at the start of a marathon. A few yards down from where I stand — I see him. My throat tightens when I realize his cold blue eyes are locked on me. It’s the guy from the Pandora Selection Process. The serial killer–looking dude who I thought was going to kidney punch me. He glares in my direction like he might take this opportunity to finish what he never started. I raise my hand in a small wave, hoping it says something like: See? Look how friendly I am!

He lifts his own enormous hand. For a moment, I brighten. I think maybe that — even though it looks like he hates every fiber of my being — he’s going to wave back. But he doesn’t. He holds up two fingers — his pointer and his middle — places them under his eyes, and then points in front of us.

Oh no, he didn’t. I think he basically just told me to pay attention. I’m still processing this when the woman’s voice rings in my ear.

“Go!”

 


Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott 
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Series: Fire & Flood #1

Description from Goodreads:
A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

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?

WHAT DID YOU THINK?!?!?! Are you as excited as I am? Because I am pretty darn pumped right now. WOOT! :)