With the help of a few trusted fellow bloggers, I discovered the Elemental series, a great paranormal romance series that feature fantastic characters, plenty of action, laughs, and of course romance. Spark is the second book in the series. I highly recommend starting the series with the first book Storm.
Description (from the Publisher): Gabriel
Merrick plays with fire. Literally. Sometimes he can even control it.
And sometimes he can't. 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. And
no one seems to believe 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. .
.
Review: In Storm we met our main characters, the Merrick brothers, a friend, and a girl named Becca who is introduced to her new found powers. In Spark, we follow the shoes of the twin Merrick brothers: the reckless and unpredictable Gabriel. I have to be honest and say that Gabriel and I didn't get off on the right foot. He's got a smart mouth and I repeatedly wanted to hit him upside the head basically whenever he opened his mouth. Hot like the fire that he's learning to control, we delve deeper into his rough-edged character who shows us the depth and insecurities inside his tough shell.
I was very surprised how much I enjoyed Spark. It didn't take me long to realize that there is a hidden complexity to Gabriel's character. We are introduced to him in Storm, we immediately notice two things: he's has a horrible temper and despite his bad boy demeanor, he's incredibly self conscious. Gabriel is filled with grief, self doubt, and self loathing. Besides blaming himself for his parent's death, he's very self conscious of his lack of control on his element. I loved how much he grows in this book from being terrified of being a disappoint to his brothers to finding an occupation that he is passionate about. He slowly opens himself to his brothers and learns who to trust others around him. The family dynamic is one of the best traits of this series. The brothers banter and fight, they disagree but ultimately stay loyal to each other. Each and every one of these guys are so particular with memorable personalities that mesh perfectly together. Even though we only get to see Gabriel's perspective out of all the brothers in this sequel, I think we get a better sense of what these brothers mean to each other. My favorite moments of the books are those solitary moments that Gabriel and Michael spend with one another. Though the relationship between these two brothers have always been tense, I think they finally begin to understand each others point of view.
The Elemental series would not be as great if there isn't any romance involved. We are introduced to a new character named Layne who is a bit quirky and has secrets of her own. She tries to put up with her unconventional family, an absentee mother who is only concerned with the family's reputation, her workaholic father, and her deaf brother. I loved how the romance between Gabriel and Layne started slowly with friendship and then naturally built to a relationship. Layne and Gabriel though at first seem a strange couple, but they balance each other perfectly and help each other with their issues.
While getting to know Gabriel, we, in turn, get to concentrate on his element: fire. We see lots of intense action sequences about a mysterious arson on the loose. Kemmerer wonderfully ties in romance and action without sacrificing character development and further moving the plot arc of the series with new twists and turns. I was terribly sad for Spark to end and I'm eagerly awaiting for the series next installment. If you are burnt out from your usual paranormal romance flair, definitely pick up this series.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Words of Caution: There is strong language, some scenes of underage drinking, sexual innuendo, and some strong violence. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.
If you like this book try: Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer (Elementals #3), Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, Chronicles of Nick series by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Intertwined series by Gena Showalter, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Description (from the Publisher): Gabriel
Merrick plays with fire. Literally. Sometimes he can even control it.
And sometimes he can't. 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. And
no one seems to believe 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. .
.Review: In Storm we met our main characters, the Merrick brothers, a friend, and a girl named Becca who is introduced to her new found powers. In Spark, we follow the shoes of the twin Merrick brothers: the reckless and unpredictable Gabriel. I have to be honest and say that Gabriel and I didn't get off on the right foot. He's got a smart mouth and I repeatedly wanted to hit him upside the head basically whenever he opened his mouth. Hot like the fire that he's learning to control, we delve deeper into his rough-edged character who shows us the depth and insecurities inside his tough shell.
I was very surprised how much I enjoyed Spark. It didn't take me long to realize that there is a hidden complexity to Gabriel's character. We are introduced to him in Storm, we immediately notice two things: he's has a horrible temper and despite his bad boy demeanor, he's incredibly self conscious. Gabriel is filled with grief, self doubt, and self loathing. Besides blaming himself for his parent's death, he's very self conscious of his lack of control on his element. I loved how much he grows in this book from being terrified of being a disappoint to his brothers to finding an occupation that he is passionate about. He slowly opens himself to his brothers and learns who to trust others around him. The family dynamic is one of the best traits of this series. The brothers banter and fight, they disagree but ultimately stay loyal to each other. Each and every one of these guys are so particular with memorable personalities that mesh perfectly together. Even though we only get to see Gabriel's perspective out of all the brothers in this sequel, I think we get a better sense of what these brothers mean to each other. My favorite moments of the books are those solitary moments that Gabriel and Michael spend with one another. Though the relationship between these two brothers have always been tense, I think they finally begin to understand each others point of view.
The Elemental series would not be as great if there isn't any romance involved. We are introduced to a new character named Layne who is a bit quirky and has secrets of her own. She tries to put up with her unconventional family, an absentee mother who is only concerned with the family's reputation, her workaholic father, and her deaf brother. I loved how the romance between Gabriel and Layne started slowly with friendship and then naturally built to a relationship. Layne and Gabriel though at first seem a strange couple, but they balance each other perfectly and help each other with their issues.
While getting to know Gabriel, we, in turn, get to concentrate on his element: fire. We see lots of intense action sequences about a mysterious arson on the loose. Kemmerer wonderfully ties in romance and action without sacrificing character development and further moving the plot arc of the series with new twists and turns. I was terribly sad for Spark to end and I'm eagerly awaiting for the series next installment. If you are burnt out from your usual paranormal romance flair, definitely pick up this series.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Words of Caution: There is strong language, some scenes of underage drinking, sexual innuendo, and some strong violence. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.
If you like this book try: Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer (Elementals #3), Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, Chronicles of Nick series by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Intertwined series by Gena Showalter, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Labels:
2012 100+ Reading Challenge,
4.5 stars,
Elemental series,
Friendship,
Paranormal,
Romance,
YA
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LOL- Ive been hearing really good things about this series, I think when Im in the mood for some teen paranormal Ill have to pick them up...:D
Tina~
YEAH RUMMANAH!!!! I'm so glad you loved this one too, I just adored this book. I really liked Gabriel in book one, but I fell madly in love with him in this book and really felt how much his brothers' opinions of him hurt. I just wanted to reach in and give him a hug, but was happy Layne was there to do it for me:) I still need to read the next book and the novella so I'm a bit behind, but it will be fun catching up. Fabulous review!
I'm getting anxious to start this series - I just have so many books on my TBR it keeps getting pushed back. But it sounds so good, I hope I'll get to it in the next month! I already own the first book on audio too!
Finally Rummanah! We agree on a book!! I am so happy you like this series. The next book is Hunter's story and I was so sure I wouldn't like it, but I did. Brigid Kemmerer is a very talented writer. So glad you're liking the series. Don't forget the novellas. And btw/ excellent review! Hope you shared it with Brigid. She loves to see them.
This is the book that makes me want to read this series. I haven't read Storm because it doesn't really interest me, but as you say, it really should be read before one continues with the other books in this series. I need to just jump in and go for it.
Besides, I love stories with strong brotherly connections. Is it worth reading for that alone?