What a great, horrible book. 
 Of course the concept of the entire Fire & Flood series is not exactly original these days, after books like The Hunger Games and Divergent, but that is okay as long as the story is well-written - and this series is. Salt & Stone is a worthy sequel to Fire & Flood, continuing in the same fashion as the first book but with new challenges, new friends and enemies, and new developments. 
 Tella is an interesting main character, if perhaps a little too perfect, but the secondary characters - Harper, Olivia, Jaxon - are well-developed and intriguing as well, each with his or her own back story, thoughts, feelings, and motives. Because the books are written from Tella's point of view, you experience the journey and see the other Contenders of the Brimstone Bleed through her eyes, which really sucks you into the story. 
 The entire second half of the Brimstone Bleed is exciting, with some unexpected twists, and the book's pace is perfect. I couldn't put this book down - I've been reading it pretty much constantly since I began, food and sleep breaks aside. A great and well-written second book in the Fire & Flood series.