Review: Spark by Brigid Kemmerer

Spark by Brigid Kemmerer

Elemental #2

Release Date: August 28^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 432

Publisher: K-Teen

Source: NetGalley

Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally. Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can’t. Like the fire that killed his parents. Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he’s not doing it. More than Gabriel’s pride is at stake -- this could cost him his family, maybe his life. And no one seems to hear him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Layne understands family problems, and she understands secrets. She has a few of her own. Gabriel can’t let her guess about his brothers, about his abilities, about the danger that’s right at his heels. But there are some risks he can’t help taking. The fuse is lit…

Let me start by saying I was a little scare to start this book. After all, I absolutely LOVED Storm, was charmed by the Merricks, but mostly by Chris. Now in Spark, we are following Gabriel, who wasn’t really a character I was that interested in first. Still, once I started this book, I just couldn’t put it down. Gabriel’s story is simply as addicting as Chris’ was.

In Spark, we are following mostly Gabriel, but also Layne, who was of course a love interest for our fire boy. If you thought Becca and Chris’ story was full of drama, be prepare for a lot more in this sequel. Arsonist, fire, family drama, school drama, and of course, criminal drama. There’s a little of everything, since Gabriel is the bad boy of the family. This makes the book addicting and fast-paced, since there is a lot waiting to happen. In the book though, we get to see that Gabriel is more than the bad boy he appears to be. Things go deeper than simply wanting to do bad things. You get to see his good side, his more vulnerable side. One of the main reasons we get to see that is Layne, the nerdy girl who ends up piercing Gabriel’s shield. Layne, the girl whose life was forever changed by a fire that destroyed her home when she was a child.

Brigid Kemmerer knows pretty well how to captivate her audience, something we also saw in Storm. She created four amazing guys, four brothers so different yet so alike. She knows how to make readers fall for her characters; she knows how to makes us want more and more.  She knows how to make the emotions her characters are living come through the pages, making us feel what they are feeling. You simply can’t stop reading.

Yet, the one thing I was scared of when I first started this book happened. There simply wasn’t enough Chris and Becca. I mean, you make me fall for this water boy, and you leave me with only a few scenes with him. So cruel. That’s the only thing I was a little sad about. Other than that, I simply loved this book!

Review: Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Series: Elemental #1

Release Date: April 24^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 353

Publisher: Kensington

Source: Bought

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys - all the ones she doesn't want. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death. And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca. Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all. The storm is coming.

Wow. I read this book in only one sitting, finishing it at 4 am. Didn’t matter I was working the next day and had to get up early. With only a few pages read, I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it down until I had read the entire book. I really like the elemental concept. It was quite interesting, and the fact that the elementals were four hot guys surely helped. This book really gives you everything a book should give you. It gives you secrets and backstabbing. It makes you laugh, it makes you smile, and it makes you sad. I was really expressive while reading this book (a really good sign), and I’m quite lucky to be living on my own, or people would have thought me crazy.

Now, the characters will charm the socks off your feet. I mean, we get five hot girl and a really kick-ass girl. We have Michael, the brooding older brother who seems to have the world on his shoulder. We have Gabriel, the hot bad boy that knows how hot he is. We have Nick, Gabriel’s toned down twin brother, the intelligent guy. We have the last brother, Chris, who really charmed me from the beginning. I was dying every time Becca was spending time with Hunter instead of him. The last guy, Hunter, was probably my least favorite of the five, since he was clearly hiding too many things. It can be cute, but it can also be annoying. I do have to give him props for his dog (I’m a dog lover.) I want him! Finally, Becca, caught in the middle of the elemental drama, in the middle of the boy drama. I actually quite liked her. I like the way she interacted with every other character, because it simply made her such a complete character. I love seeing who someone is through his or her actions, and here I got that. Loved it.

I have to say, Brigid Kemmerer really got me hooked. I have to say; I was a little disappointed that book two isn’t about Chris once again (can’t blame me for liking him, right). Still, I can’t wait to read her next book, since her writing is simply addicting. Can’t wait to discover more about Gabriel, and the elemental world.