This book was so good!! It was action-packed, adventurous, exhilarating: a non-stop wild ride. It was so much fun to read. At first I wasn't sure I liked the narrator because she can be a little over the top sarcastic in a trying-too-hard way, but she quickly won me over and I loved her so much by the end. There were several laugh out loud moments. I ended up loving her sarcasm when it was timed to perfection. It made it impossible not to crack up. I'm really glad that I waited so long to read this because now I only have 2 months to wait for the sequel. This is only half a story and I'm going to be counting down the days before I can finish it. This book was a little strange at times because while technology suggested it was a more futuristic type of story, the references were today's references.. Lady Gaga stands out to me as one of the references. I just can't see her being a "current hits" superstar in 50 years. So I'm guessing this is more of an alternate reality situation. I loved the concept of a survival race and the Pandoras/animal companions. They were awesome. The entire cast of characters was great to read because they were so diverse - age, gender, skills, knowledge - everyone brought something different to the table and it was great to see people interacting and working together or against each other. I love stories that involve a group of people dropped into a high-stress situation because people become more unpredictable. You really never know what people are going to do in a situation like that until they are in it. It's why I love the show Survivor still after 30 seasons. It still surprises me. I heard this book described as The Hunger Games meets Pokemon and while I've never played Pokemon, I'd say that's a fair description from my idea of the game. I would highly recommend this to readers who enjoyed either of those or anyone who is in the mood for a fast-paced action/survival story. I'm so excited to read book 2 when it comes out in February! Very good indeed! Not my normal read but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I thought the pace was fantastic and something needs to be said about the increasing amount of new literature, that uses the short, sporadic chapter lengths. Some of the chapters in this book were 4 pages! I am used to epics which sometimes have chapters of 50 + pages, so having short chapters makes the book seem to fly by. Ultimately I fell in love with the story, and I will admit, the characters. I have a gripe against romance in novels and this one is no exception, but I caught myself tolerating it a bit more in this one. It reminded me a bit of Philip Pullman's "his dark materials" trilogy with the usage of animal companions. So let's say an amalgamation of hunger games with his dark materials! Well done overall, very quick, very fast paced and very well written!
What do You think about Fire & Flood (2000)?
If you liked the "Hunger Games" I would suggest this book....
—Jack
I'm not sure if Tella is someone I like, but Guy is great!
—didi
It wonderful written and you will love it!
—vandy87
