Review: Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott

Title: Salt & Stone.
Series: Fire & Flood, #2.
Author: Victoria Scott.
Publication Date: April 2nd, 2015.
Publisher: Chicken House.
Genres: Dystopia, Sci-Fi, Young Adult.
Format: Paperback, 407 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

One hundred and twenty-two began. Only sixty-four remain.

Tella's made it through the first terrains of the Brimstone Bleed - but the contest isn't over yet. If she wants to save her brother, she must face the fierce ocean and the icy mountains, all for the chance of winning the Cure.

And even if Tella surives these deadly places, the greatest threat will still be her fellow Contenders - even the ones she trusts the most...

 

Review

I've lost count the amount of times I cried and swore whilst reading Salt & Stone. Seriously, I'm pretty sure my family thought I was going crazy as they listened to me laugh, cry and swear like a sailor whilst reading this wonderful and beautiful book. When it comes to sequels and second books in series, I feel they can be a bit of a hit or miss. Usually they're never as good as the first book, even if they're really brilliant. However, Salt & Stone was just as incredible as Fire & Flood that I really don't know where to begin - if you thought Fire & Flood was fast-paced and action-packed, then you'll be blown away by Salt & Stone!

Tella, our main character in Salt & Stone, is back and more bad ass than ever with the help of her Pandora friends and wicked personality. I thought that Tella really progressed and improved as a character in this instalment, relying less on her Contender friends, and more on herself. But she still managed to keep all of her quirky traits and humour, I just loved her! The romance between Tella and Guy, her fellow contender and love interest, was even more swoon-worthy in this book than the last, although I didn't think that was even possible! Guy is his usual withdrawn and closed off self, like in Fire & Flood, but he's also starting to become unravelled and his true emotions are seeping through, which just made his character even more loveable. I believe I've said this before, but I'd love my own Guy - Victoria Scott, would you write one just for me, pretty please?

One of the things I loved most about Salt & Stone was how raw and brutal the romance and relationships in this book were. All the characters emotions were heightened from the stress of completing the first half of the Brimstone Bleed, and it was really incredible to read about. Especially seeing how far some of the characters would go for the people they loved, and whether they'd lose themselves and their humanity in the process. We're introduced to lots of new characters in Salt & Stone, and all of them, whether their loveable or not, have their own unique and interesting personalities. This is one of the reasons why I love Victoria's writing style so much, she's able to create characters that are memorable, and totally unforgettable.

Overall, I thought Salt & Stone was an incredible, unique and brilliant book that I just couldn't put down. I just kept telling myself one more chapter, and 5 chapters later I still hadn't managed to stop reading it! Victoria Scott has created the most incredible and unique world, storyline and characters that is just fantastic and one that stays with you even after you'd turned the last page. If you haven't already read the first book in this series, Fire & Flood, then I urge you to pick it up as soon as possible! Salt & Stone well and truly deserves the 5/5 star rating I've given it, and I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in this series - it's such a shame that we have to wait so long for it, there isn't even a release date!

Quotes

One of the grizzlies had the iguana in his mouth. The lizard lets this happen without struggle, like she's already lost all sense of dignity, so why not ride in bear's jaws into the ocean? - Page 57.

'You say all the wrong things. You're completely untrained and ill prepared when it comes to surviving this race. You care too much for the Contenders and Pandora's when you should focus only on your brother's welfare.' He swallows and shakes his head, hesitating. 'I may have saved you in the jungle, Tella, and in the desert, too. But out there in the ocean, you saved me.' - Page 193.

I spin on my heel and storm away, but before I can get too far, Guy overtakes me. His hands are suddenly everywhere: in my hair, clutching my back, stroking the planes of my lips. I fall into him, allowing his touch to overtake my senses. His lips graze my collarbone and work their way up, moving with fervour. My head falls back, allowing him full access to my throat. Each hurried, passionate kiss along my neck is like flames licking my skin. He lifts me up, draws my body closer. My hands slid into his hair, and I grip those dark locks between my fingers.
His mouth moves from my neck and hovers an inch from my lips. - Page 199.

I walk slowly on hands and knees towards the mound of snow. Cotton seems to understand what I'm doing and follows along.
We move like feral cats trailing a finch. Slow now. Not too quick. Not even a tail flick, lest we lose our prize. The ceiling wails and whimpers as a child would during a temper tantrum. Every step take I believe is my last and that this is the position some future robot will find me in. 'Human expired while walking like a dog. Bleep, blurp, bleep. Shall I gather the bones? Bleep.' - Page 316 & 317.