Review: Storm – Brigid Kemmerer

 

Series: Elementals #1

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Published: April 2012

Links: Amazon   Book Depository

 

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.

Becca Chandler is leaving a woman’s self defence course when she comes across two guys beating up another in a dark parking lot. Intervening she saves Chris Merrick, a rather aloof guy from her school who is hiding quite a few secrets. See, Chris and his three brothers are elementals, they each “control” one of the elements: Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Becca’s kind act has unintended consequences and those who targeted Chris turn their attentions to Becca. Throw into the mix, Chris’s family, a hot and mysterious new guy at school and the return of Becca’s absent father plus the usual teenage angst and Becca is in for quite a ride.

Storm is an immensely enjoyable book. The story is told from both Becca’s and Chris’s point of view but the stars of the book are without doubt the Merrick brothers. Chris and his three brothers are orphans following their parents death in tragic circumstances several years earlier. The oldest brother Michael has custody of his younger siblings and is a pseudo-parental figure to Chris and his twin brothers Nick and Gabriel. I loved the Merrick brothers. Their characters were complex, well developed and individual. I relished the dynamic and interactions between the brothers. Everything from their struggle to control their elemental powers to their knock down fights. The brothers were real and funny and flawed. My heart hurt for poor Michael who does his absolute best for his brothers with little to no overt appreciation, although he is a little grumpy.

Becca is an enjoyable character. She’s having a difficult time at school after an ex spread malicious rumours about her. Her hurt and confusion are obvious but the girl has spirit and more than stands her corner.

I enjoyed the exciting plot and the idea of the elements, although I had the Captain Planet theme song constantly running through my head – Captain Planet, he’s our hero, gonna take pollution down to zero. The story is action packed and races along. The conclusions of some plot lines were a little predictable but this didn’t bug me because Brigid Kemmerer’s characters shine. Highly recommended.

My Rating: 7.5/10

 

The second book in the series Spark was released last Tuesday and resumes right where Storm ends. Gabriel is the main POV character in Spark.  I loved Gabriel’s story. He is at a difficult time in his life and his anger and confusion are palpable.  Great read and  highly recommended, in fact it’s even better than the first book.