Series: The Elemental Series # 1
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: Kensington
Date of Publication: April 24, 2012
Format: ebook, 353 pages (also available in paperback)
Source: won from Leigh Ann at Silver Wings Reviews
Get your Own: Amazon
| Barnes & NobleBecca 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.
-goodreads summary
My Thoughts:
I won this as a choice from Miss Leigh Ann from Silver Wings Reviews and I am so happy that I got it!
Storm is a emotional rollercoaster of so many heavy issues I found myself up and down with every turn of the page. But I liked this! I liked the fact that there was so much humanity in this paranormal story with characters that can control the elements. These people are broken and tortured like a fresh wound that refuses to heal, yet they keep going and try to hold out for something more.
We have four brothers that can control the Elements-water, air, earth, and fire- trying to live in a neighborhood that fears them and bullies them constantly. And then our female lead, Becca, is also being tortured in her own way. It is amazing when these people find each other and help the other see the good in themselves.
This story is centered more on Chris Merrick, who can draw strength from water and Becca Chandler, who helps Chris escape from a near death beating by the local bullies. There is an instant connection between these two but definitely not the "insta-love" syndrome. You can see the attraction between the two but you can also see that they don't completely trust each other either. We actually get to see this relationship and friendship grow and it is refreshing.
One other character that is pretty important (besides the other brothers) is the new guy, nicknamed "New Guy". That was pretty funny too how Becca and her friend, Quinn, called him that for a while. For the rest of us, his name is Hunter and he is a pretty cool guy. I liked him a lot even though we learn some interesting things about him, he is still one of my "dudes" that I would keep.
The plot lines are pretty heavy indeed in Storm. These are some tough issues these teens have to deal with: bullying, violence, sexual violence, and family problems; not to mention these are some powerfully magic folks too.
If I had one problem with the story, it would be that the attempted rape isn't took very seriously for Becca. She should have did much more than just pretend it didn't happen. Unfortunately, I do believe this happens a lot in real life and perhaps that is why Kemmerer wrote Becca like this. The only other problem I had was the fact that Becca kept drifting between Chris and Hunter a lot. I felt like she was leading one on and then the other. But after we figure out more about Becca's mindset then that does help to explain a lot more to me.
Storm kept me guessing to the very end. There was really only one part that I figured out pretty early but it was because of the very convincing clues left by Kemmerer that I was able to get to that conclusion.
I would encourage everyone to read the novella, Elemental, that comes out before Storm. It is the small story of Michael, the oldest brother, and it gives us a little background on the bullying.
I am going to tell you right now you will probably cry in this story (I did alot!) but there are some parts you will smile and laugh too. Kemmerer did an excellent job of writing a moving YA paranormal romance with some serious drama too. I am totally in love with this series!
The Merrick brothers are those "bad boy" good guys that you can't help but love. Everyone is against them and yet you can still see the sweet gentle quality in them. I cannot wait until Nick, one of the twins, has his on book. That is going to be fun, especially since Nick is the calm one of the family.
All in all, I really appreciate the fact that Kemmerer decided to write about some heavy hitting situations that teenagers have to face in real life, and put it into a YA Paranormal read. I like that she didn't sugar coat it for us but believed enough in us, the readers, to handle it.
I gave Storm four hearts!
I won this as a choice from Miss Leigh Ann from Silver Wings Reviews and I am so happy that I got it!
Storm is a emotional rollercoaster of so many heavy issues I found myself up and down with every turn of the page. But I liked this! I liked the fact that there was so much humanity in this paranormal story with characters that can control the elements. These people are broken and tortured like a fresh wound that refuses to heal, yet they keep going and try to hold out for something more.
We have four brothers that can control the Elements-water, air, earth, and fire- trying to live in a neighborhood that fears them and bullies them constantly. And then our female lead, Becca, is also being tortured in her own way. It is amazing when these people find each other and help the other see the good in themselves.
This story is centered more on Chris Merrick, who can draw strength from water and Becca Chandler, who helps Chris escape from a near death beating by the local bullies. There is an instant connection between these two but definitely not the "insta-love" syndrome. You can see the attraction between the two but you can also see that they don't completely trust each other either. We actually get to see this relationship and friendship grow and it is refreshing.
One other character that is pretty important (besides the other brothers) is the new guy, nicknamed "New Guy". That was pretty funny too how Becca and her friend, Quinn, called him that for a while. For the rest of us, his name is Hunter and he is a pretty cool guy. I liked him a lot even though we learn some interesting things about him, he is still one of my "dudes" that I would keep.
The plot lines are pretty heavy indeed in Storm. These are some tough issues these teens have to deal with: bullying, violence, sexual violence, and family problems; not to mention these are some powerfully magic folks too.
If I had one problem with the story, it would be that the attempted rape isn't took very seriously for Becca. She should have did much more than just pretend it didn't happen. Unfortunately, I do believe this happens a lot in real life and perhaps that is why Kemmerer wrote Becca like this. The only other problem I had was the fact that Becca kept drifting between Chris and Hunter a lot. I felt like she was leading one on and then the other. But after we figure out more about Becca's mindset then that does help to explain a lot more to me.
Storm kept me guessing to the very end. There was really only one part that I figured out pretty early but it was because of the very convincing clues left by Kemmerer that I was able to get to that conclusion.
I would encourage everyone to read the novella, Elemental, that comes out before Storm. It is the small story of Michael, the oldest brother, and it gives us a little background on the bullying.
I am going to tell you right now you will probably cry in this story (I did alot!) but there are some parts you will smile and laugh too. Kemmerer did an excellent job of writing a moving YA paranormal romance with some serious drama too. I am totally in love with this series!
The Merrick brothers are those "bad boy" good guys that you can't help but love. Everyone is against them and yet you can still see the sweet gentle quality in them. I cannot wait until Nick, one of the twins, has his on book. That is going to be fun, especially since Nick is the calm one of the family.
All in all, I really appreciate the fact that Kemmerer decided to write about some heavy hitting situations that teenagers have to face in real life, and put it into a YA Paranormal read. I like that she didn't sugar coat it for us but believed enough in us, the readers, to handle it.
I gave Storm four hearts!
Favorite Quote:
Goddamn, it hurt. He hadn't even broken the skin, and he was already sweating. "Nick," he said. "I think I'm going to need you to bite my arm.""I think I'm going to need you to run that by me again."
Posts
Nice review. I enjoyed the book too. Although, I wasn't a fan of Hunter.:P I'm more a Gabriel girl, which is why I'm looking forward to reading Spark.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait until the next book too! I love the interactions between everyone. I feel like she can really write dialogue very well! Gabriel is pretty hot (sorry for the pun ) but I just love Nick.
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