Friday 22 June 2012

Review: Storm by Brigid Kemmerer


Storm (Elemental, #1)





  Title: Storm 
  Author: Brigid Kemmerer
  Publisher: Kensington
  Publication date: April 24th 2012
  My rating: 4 stars







 After all the glowing reviews for Storm, I was a little afraid that it may not live up to my expectations.  Looks like I didn't need to worry!

Let's just get this confession out of the way: I heard "four hot boys" and I just knew I had to read this.  The four we're talking about are the Merrick brothers, born with special elemental abilities, able to draw up power and control the forces of nature.  Each brother has a specialization: air, fire, water, earth (and yes, they are all HOT!).  Because of their exceptionally strong powers, the Merrick's are viewed as a potential threat.  Technically, they should be reported and killed, but the Merrick's parents made a deal long ago to keep them safe, as long as they don't use their powers.  This has made them the subject of constant bullying because the neighbors in the community who know of their abilities are fearful and envious.  Also, they know they can do whatever they want without the brothers fighting back.  But this is about to change.

This installment focuses on Chris Merrick, the youngest of the brothers, and Becca, a girl in his school.  These two are thrust together after Becca comes to the aid of Chris, who was being attacked by these cruel bullies.  She scares them off, and in the process, becomes a target as well.  Becca has had her own problems with these bullies after her ex-boyfriend spread some nasty rumors to the whole school about her.  She just wants the situation to go away, but her intentions of lying low are ruined after helping Chris.  The enemies of the Merrick's feel she must either be an elemental also, or she's on their side.  Either way, she's in the middle.  At first, Becca is far from being on their side.  When she takes the battered Chris home, she gets nothing but flack from Michael, the oldest brother and guardian of the brothers.  She plans on washing her hands of all those surly and ungrateful men!  Unfortunately, circumstances continually throw them together.  Added to the mix is the mysterious new guy, Hunter (yes, he's hot too!), who shows up at school, intent on getting close to Becca.  Hmm….

This story read like an action/adventure movie, a non-stop thrill ride.  If I had more time, I could've easily sat down and read this in one sitting.  It's one of those stories where you want to keep turning the page to find out what happens next.  I loved all these brothers, and it was fun to see Becca deal with them and stand up to their teasing and snarky remarks.  She definitely wasn't a pushover.  Here's a fun quote:

Gabriel: "Finding a girl in the kitchen isn't exactly and oddity around here." Becca: "Charming." He glanced up at that, a glint of wicked humor in his eye. "I'm sure you're special, though."  It should have pissed her off, after Michael's brusque attitude and Nick's hey-baby-why-don't-you-come-inside.  But Gabriel's teasing was straightforward, challenging, in a way.  He expected her to girl it up, to huff and fold her arms.  She could tell.  "Not special at all.----I just heard my number called and thought I better show up."

I loved the gradual build between Chris and Becca.   I wasn't really thrilled with her getting close to Hunter because I'm not a fan of love-triangles but this one wasn't too frustrating.   

This story was a little on the predictable side, but even so, it was very entertaining.  I guess we get a short story with Hunter in Fearless, and then Gabriel's story in Spark.  Can’t wait!  


14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wohoo ! :D I'm glad you enjoyed Storm, Rachel ! :)
I thought it was a really fun read and Becca was a really great main character. Those 4 brothers were pretty much awesome and seeing them interact was fun !
I wasn't a huge fan of Becca getting close to Hunter either, but for some reason the love triangle didn't bother me as much as others usually do.
I'm so glad you loved the book! :)
Great review, Rachel.

Giselle said...

Wasn't this hot and super fun!? I really enjoyed it too and I saw the 2nd on Netgalley in case you didn't know :) I was also so afraid this would be a cliché romance with a bunch of random guys but it was so well written and each character so well-rendered! Wonderful review, Rachel!!

Jenny said...

"Let's just get this confession out of the way: I heard "four hot boys" and I just knew I had to read this."

Confession: Your confession applies to me as well, and is the exact reason why I wanted to pick this book up. *high fives* I can't wait to get my hands on it and meet these brothers! Love that Becca stands her ground and doesn't shrivel in the face of all the hotness. So glad to know you loved this one Rachel!

Mimi Valentine said...

LOL Rachel! Yes, they totally are HOT, all caps necessary! x) I definitely finished this book in one sitting too -- I loved how fast-paced it was without being too fast-paced. And I actually kinds of liked Hunter! My heart belongs to Chris (this is one of those few times when the sweet boy trumps the bad boy), but there was something about him that was fun and cool and non-frustrating, like you said! :)

Amazing review, Rachel! Aren't you so glad we don't have to wait a year for the sequel? Spark and Gabriel (and Spirit and Hunter), here we come! ;) <3

Sam (Realm of Fiction) said...

Such a great review, Rachel! If I needed any more convincing with this book, you would have done the trick. ;) I'm so glad you enjoyed this (and the brothers!). I can't wait to meet them all and Becca too as she sounds like a great character. :)

Eunice said...

Eep! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one, Rachel! And the Merrick brothers too, of course. Weren't they just all hot and gorgeous?! I'm not much of a fan of Hunter here but thank god because the love-triangle wasn't that frustrating. I might have really hate him if it was. LOL! Great review. :)

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

I really want to read this...four hot brothers in a book that reads like an action packed movie...hey I can't complain besides even if it is predictable the boys and their devilsh charm would keep me reading. I am glad it is still living up to the hype for most of my bloggy friends!

Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...

Lovely review, Rachel! Somehow I knew you'd enjoy this. I totally agree with you about Becca, she kept pleasantly surprising me over and over again. I love female characters with some backbone.
Anyway, you didn't mention if you already have a favorite Merrick brother. That's what I'd like to know. Unless it's Michael. If it's Michael, we have some serious problems ahead. :D

Anna said...

I have this but I still haven't read it. I really want to but there's just so many book I need to read that I feel like I'll never get to this one haha. It sounds awesome though and I look forward to reading it.

Celine said...

I AM SO GLAD YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK, Rachel! I really really loved Storm and the Merrick Brothers. They were just AMAZING! I think I loved Chris most. Oh, I think I loved Nick most. Or maybe Gabriel. I JUST CAN'T CHOOSE!

Super duper can't wait for Spark! Awesome review, Rachel! ♥

Vegan YA Nerds said...

I skimmed most of this because I'm reading it right now but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! It did receive A LOT of hype and I don't think I'm loving it as much as others, but it's fun.

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

I've only glanced over your review as I hope to read this one soon, but glad to see you enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, four hot brothers? That's all I needed to hear to make me want to read this! :) Even though love- triangles aren't for me as well, the premise sounds great and your review is very convincing! :)

Beverley said...

I've heard so many good things about Brigid Kemmerer's books so I'm glad you enjoyed Storm :) Your mention of four hot brothers had me instantly switched on and that alone is persuading me to check this book out ASAP hehe >.<

Fab review, Rachel!

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