Waiting on Wednesday: Fire & Flood

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Fire & Flood

by Victoria Scott

Coming February 25, 2014

Scholastic Press

Summary:

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?

Why I want it:

Brag time: Tori lives in Dallas, like me, and I love her. I see her at events around town a lot, and she's SO much fun to be around. In addition, the Dante Walker series is a sharply written masterpiece. I was rolling on the floor (well, my bed) with laughter while simultaneously wanting to rip Dante's clothes off and slap his stupid (and stupidly handsome) face. I'm always drawn to authors who can evoke really strong emotions out of me, and Tori is most certainly one such author. Additionally, as part of the VMafia, Tori's street team, I've been posting Fire & Flood teasers for months, and I just want this book NOW, dangit! Each local book even I go to, Tori's there with some new tidbit from this book, and I am saturated with want. Oh, and one time I actually got to hold an ARC for all of 10 seconds, and I thought I would cry when I had to give it back.


Disclaimer due to confusion in the comments: I DO NOT OWN THIS ARC. I was allowed to take this picture (I didn't even get to look inside) before I had to, regrettably, give it back. Your congratulations are kindly misplaced, much to my chagrin. I KNEW I should have fleeced Tori for this copy! Or just quickly run out of Barnes & Noble with it in my hand. You don't think she would have called security on me, do you? Dangit. Totally should have tried....and then blamed it on Dante (see below).

Srsly, just long enough to take the picture

Why I think you should want it:

BECAUSE REASONS. Honestly, Tori's writing is full of wit and sass and snappy banter and sexy red-converse-wearing henchmen-to-the-devil, but it's so much more than that. Her characters have so much depth and vitality to them. I honestly feel like they're real people. Sometimes, when I feel like doing something not nice like yell at an internet troll or flip someone off on the interstate or punch someone in the face, I honestly feel like it's Dante encouraging me to do it. #Dantemademedoit should totally be a thing. But really, there's an amazing emotional range present for both the characters and the reader. I'll talk about it in my upcoming review, but Tori also includes so much pop culture in her books that I feel they would be well-deserving of a place in a time capsule meant for the preservation of our current society. Also, boys. Dante is HOT, and if what I'm hearing about Fire & Flood is true, the new boys are just as delicious. So there you have it: humor, feels, and boys. 

Do you seriously NEED another reason? Really?! Well, aren't we greedy today. Okay, okay. Go under the cut and enter my giveaway for some lovely prizes signed by Tori, and in the meantime, feel free to share your WoW links.


PS If you want to win a Fire & Flood arc, I'm afraid I don't have a copy of that. But Scholastic does! They're giving away TWENTY arcs on Goodreads! Contest is open through January 3.



Bonus:
I'm a bit of a lucky duck, and I do get to see Tori ALL THE TIME, which is awesome. Sometimes, it's not even on purpose, and we'll just run into each other unexpectedly. As such, I have quite the collection of signed stuff. Today I'm giving out a signed copy of The Collector, the book that started it all, and a signed Fire & Flood bookmark to the grand prize winner. 4 second place winners will receive signed Collector and Fire & Flood bookmarks. Open to US & Canada. Giveaway ends 12 AM December 18. Good luck!

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