Storm (Elemental, #1)

by Brigid Kemmerer

Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake.

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys; all the ones she doesn't want. When she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot, everything is about to change. Chris is different from the guys at school... really different. He can control water just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. The brothers are powerful and dangerous. And now that Becca knows the truth, so is she.

When the mysterious new kid, Hunter, turns up, Becca thinks she can trust him. But when he goes head-to-head with Chris, Becca's left wondering who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

• ISBN10: 1472112210
• ISBN13: 9781472112217
• Publish Date: 17 April 2014 (first published 24 October 2011)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 5 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: ATOM
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

3,5 stars

I'm rereading this series, because I loved it so much the first time around and because I still haven't read the finale, Sacrifice. 

Storm is a YA paranormal romance novel with a lot of realism. There are fantasy aspects, but the characters go through everyday situations, which helps to keep the story grounded and relatable.

Becca is a likable, courageous and flawed main character, but there are some aspects related to her that I have issues with. Becca's bravery and need to help others means that she unnecessarily puts herself into dangerous situations. While dangerous situations might move the plot along, it's difficult to believe that Becca would act so recklessly considering her past and her trauma. Some examples that I found unbelievable is when Becca decides to go to Drew's party, starts drinking liquor as soon as she gets there and goes alone with Drew to accept an apology from him after all the harm he caused her.

The main characters are, for the most part, portrayed in an unstereotypical manner and seem realistic and flawed. 

The Merrick brothers are my favourite part of Storm. Aside from the fact that they're all good looking (which might not be entirely realistic), they have distinct personalities which suit their specific elemental ability. I love books that deal with sibling relationships and the sibling relationships in this book range from love to hate to annoyance to protection and everything in-between. While Chris might be the main character of Storm, my favorite Merrick brother is Gabriel, which is weird because in this book he comes across as a sexist jerk, but because I've read Spark, he's such an interesting and redeemable character and he also has the best one-liners. Likewise, Michael also seems like a jerk in the beginning of Storm, but there's a lot more to him and he'll go to the ends of the earth to protect his siblings. 

The main characters might not be stereotypical, but the background characters are. I could deal with this aspect though, because Storm is written pre-2014 and because the events of Storm mostly take place in a typical American highschool, with all its clichés. I also don't like the attitude of the main characters (Becca, Gabriel, Quinn, Hunter, Chris etc.) towards other women. There's a lot of judgement, slut-shaming and girl hate.  

The romance plays a huge role in Storm and has some old-school themes that I love such as (well-written) love triangles and tons of drama, but also old-school themes that I find problematic such as girl hate, slut-shaming and sexual assault being used as a plot device. There's also a love triangle between Becca, Chris and Hunter and while it is one of the better-written love triangles, because of how it affects the plot, it isn't a romance that will stay with me forever.  

The paranormal/fantasy aspect is woven into almost every part of the plot and I like how it is included in the story. Books about elemental powers/magic are right up my alley and I think it's well-written in this light YA paranormal romance novel.

I also enjoyed the banter, humour and wit. I complained a lot about how the humour in The Illuminae Files series didn't work for me, but I really enjoyed the humourous aspects in Storm. Give me sarcastic and witty banter anyday (but don't make it campy?). 

Storm is an old-school YA novel, so it's formulaic and has some problematic elements, but I love the banter, the relationships, the elemental aspect and the Merrick brothers. I could probably read pages upon pages of the brothers doing absolute nonsense and would totally be fine with it.  

[littleread1]

A believable love triangle that made me like both boys? WHAT?! AND not being able to put this book down, and immediately purchasing book 2 as soon as I finished - I think I found a great series. WIN

[Kelly]

The hype surrounding this series has been resounding, and sadly I just didn't get it. The average girl who struggles with the taunts of malicious teens, an absent father, a mother who seems to put her career first and the vivacious best friend. Yes Becca, you're Nora Grey in disguise. Becca comes across Chris being assaulted by two thugs in an empty carpark after her self defense class, when Chris recovers from being unconscious and seemingly draws strength from the water Becca attempts to provide. But Chris isn't alone.

He's one of four brothers known as the Elementals, drawing raw strength from the Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. Get your dancing shoes on.




Oh yes, that is the original Earth, Wind and Fire. But the Merrick brothers aren't a popular disco band, they're dangerous and being watched by the Guides, a group who police communities of Elementals. Currently the two opposing sides, the Merrick brothers and Guides are at a truce, but when Becca becomes involved with the family, she too becomes a target.

The Merrick brothers are snippy, sassy, sarcastic and realistic. Their use of language isn't toned down, which makes for a refreshing change. Only the four of them remain after they lost their parents when the eldest Michael was only eighteen, and he became an instant parent to the three younger boys. Twins Gabriel and Nick couldn't be more contrasting, one being the token clown and the other the quiet academic achiever. The storyline follows Chris, the youngest and the only brother who is still yet to master his Element.

There's a clear attraction between Becca and Chris, until the new kid Hunter begins to take an interest. Her affections for both boys borders on being nauseating, and it only fuels the impression her peers already label her as. At times with the sexual taunts become too much, either Chris or Hunter are always willing to save the day. Chest beating at it's finest. As Becca is mixed up in their supernatural world, it's not only the Guides who believe that she is no mere mortal. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the Merrick boys and even Hunter, I just couldn't relate to Becca. For a girl who begun as sassy, her personality fizzled out with the introduction of anything attractive with a crotch. The constant blushing was annoying.

Personally, I can pinpoint precisely that it was almost wholly her character which let Storm down. In various situations throughout the book, she puts herself in ridiculous positions. Turing up at the Merrick house uninvited, turning up at the party hosted by the boy who started the rumours about her, only to then wander off on her own with him. At the reappearance of her father she was verging on throwing herself on the floor, not to mention the mistreatment of her supposed best friend.

It was really engaging and Brigid Kemmerer's style of writing reminded me of Victoria Scott, sassy, assertive and the banter and dialogue between each character was realistic. But the storyline felt too chaotic. Becca's failure to learn from each situation and the lack of thought behind her actions left me dismayed. I'll continue on with the series though, I refuse to allow one character to stop me from those Merrick's.

[celinenyx]

It's been a while since I last read a YA PNR, but Storm reminded me that I actually like the genre if done well.

Becca meets Chris when he gets his ass kicked in a parking lot by some guys. From there she meets his three other brothers, and discovers a dangerous and alluring world she knew nothing about.

Storm features four magical brothers. Think Black Dagger Brotherhood for young-adults. They're all hot and dangerous and super strong. Enter Becca, (generally) innocent girl that gets mixed up in their messes and discovers what they are.

I'm not going to go pretend that Storm's premise is very unique. In the acknowledgements the writer says the brothers used to be vampires in her early versions, and it's clear that Storm fits the YA PNR glove perfectly. There even is a love triangle. The stand-offs between the two love interests are typical testosterone behaviour with them acting as cave men and sometimes even go as far as punching each other in the face. The plot is predictable and the plot twist I saw coming a few chapters in.

Why oh why did I rate it four stars then? Mainly because Storm is just pure brain candy and that just feels so good. There is no real offensive situation, and the author even dealt with the rape theme reasonably well. Just like Black Dagger Brotherhood, I'm sure this series has a huge potential to spark "THIS BROTHER IS THE BEST ONE" discussions. The interactions between the brothers are what made the book for me.

Sadly, as always, I was rooting for the wrong guy in the love triangle. Bummer.

Storm was the perfect read in a stressful week, with just enough drama and intrigue without being too complicated. Becca can think for herself most of the time, and there were no instant declarations of eternal love. Storm takes the clichés that actually work, and makes them its own.

It seems as if the next book in the Elemental series will feature Gabriel's story. I'm looking forward to see how Ms Kemmerer will handle the multiple story lines in Spark, and to settle down with the Merrick brothers and forget the world for just a second.

[Nicole Lynn]

This review previously appeared on my blog, PopCrunchBoom Books

Becca Chandler is trying to keep her head down after her ex-boyfriend spread some nasty rumors. Now all the wrong type of guys are pursuing her. All the unwanted attention leads her to stay late after school one day for a defense class. When she finally heads to car to head home she hears a fight in the parking lot. Not sure what drives her decision, Becca goes after the two dudes beating up a kid on the ground with her car. They’re gone for a few minutes, enough for her to realize the kid on the ground is Chris Merrick–the youngest of the Merrick brothers. But then the attackers are back and Becca begins putting her newly learned defense mechanisms into use and Chris randomly threatens them with a water bottle. What’s up with that? Turns out Chris and his brothers can control the elements–Fire, Air, Earth and Water. Now Becca’s being threatened by those same attackers, she’s trying to figure out Chris’ secrets and weird behavior, and she’s starting to hang out with the new kid Hunter. But Becca doesn’t know who to trust and who’s the real dangerous person in her life. What’s even more surprising is what Becca finds out about herself.

Although my summary is mainly about Becca, the story has a lot of focus on the Merrick brothers themselves. The reader gets inside looks into Chris’ family and the life as an elemental. The Merrick brothers consist of Micheal (the eldest), Gabriel & Nick (the twins), and Chris (the youngest). The brothers are left on their own under Micheal’s care when their parents died in a house fire. Kemmerer does a great job writing in a male voice/point of view. Capturing the dialogue of the opposite gender is sometimes hard as a writer. This particular characteristic of Kemmerer’s writing is something she excels at. Each of the Merrick brother’s personalities are different and clearly written. I could tell the differences of each of them very well by the end of the novel. It made continuing on into each of the other brother’s stories much easier. Their voice and character were already set from this first novel. It also helped for me as a reader to connect with the characters. I connected with different aspects of all their personalities–including Becca’s.


Becca is a pretty okay heroine as well. She does need to be saved more than once in the story, but she fights back as well. She stands up to Chris and to Micheal (who can be pretty intimidating). She tries not to let things like those nasty rumors get to her and she does her best to figure things out. She doesn’t run scared. I like the tougher girl image that Kemmerer portrays Becca as. She’s not the perfect no-fear kick-ass heroine, but she’s no damsel in distress either. I think Becca is a happy medium with just a pinch more kick-ass in her as she grows stronger throughout the novel. She realizes she’s a lot tougher than she thought.

Another thing Kemmerer excels at is her ability to create action and suspense. To say I was glued to the pages was an understatement. Storm was one of those stories where I was up to the early mornings of the evening trying to read as much as I could before I had to actually force myself to put the book down and go to bed. I was captured in the storyline–wanting to know how they’d survive the next obstacle, would Becca end up with Hunter or Chris, who was the real one after them? Kemmerer did a great job creating a fast-paced novel.

The world she created was believable and enthralling as well. I loved the way she wrote the element scenes–when one or all the brothers were using their elements. One of my favorite scenes was the one on the bridge. I won’t spoil it here, but I’ll just say it was extremely vivid and I literally thought I was there. These kinds of moments when I’m reading really show me when a writer is not just good, but great. Plus the whole idea of the elements is something I’m drawn to. The elements storyline has been done before, but I think Kemmerer presents a refreshing and unique twist to it–especially writing from five hot guys’ points of view.

The only negative thing that I would have to say about Storm was not seeing more development of Chris and Becca’s relationship once they actually do get together. As a reader you know that they’re going to end up together, but it doesn’t really happen for a while and once it does the story is practically over. Their chemistry and interactions throughout the novel is good, but I’d just like to have seen more post-getting together. The other books do show glimpses of their relationship, but they focus on a different brother’s story and point of view. I haven’t read any of the novellas, so I’m not sure if they’re relationship is expanded in any of these. I just really would love to see more Becca/Chris.

Overall, this novel was a great start to the Elemental series. Storm introduces the readers to the Merrick family perfectly through Becca and Chris’ story. I’m surprised that there isn’t as much buzz about this series as I would have assumed. The series is very addicting and definitely well-written. Kemmerer has readers falling in love with all the Merrick brothers–Hunter as well. By the end of the series it’s going to be hard to pick which elemental you’d fall for; although it seems some are starting to make their choices already. I’m just going to have to wait to the end of the series to see which one I love the most–it’s definitely going to be a hard decision ;) I hope you pick up this series and give it a try!

[nitzan_schwarz]

May 19, 2019 Re-Read
The Elemental series is one of the five series I have vowed to myself to finish this year, 2019. As part of that promise, I am doing a re-read. I got to admit, I 100% agree with past me's thoughts. Maybe I wouldn't call this a straight-up "disappointment", but all my points of the unbalanced pov, the chemistry between Becca and Hunter and everything else totally stands. I also feel like this world is a bit messier than I remembered it being - not as well put together. That being said, I actually really enjoyed this re-read and am excited to re-read book 2 and continue with this series again! :D


Originally posted on my blog Jan 14, 2014. 

I've got to admit; I expected more out of Storm. It was enough to make me interested in the rest of the series, but I wasn't head-over-heels in love with it, four hot brothers or not. In fact, the only word I can think to describe it is... "disappointment". 

Storm is an interesting introduction to this peculiar world, one which is similar to our own, except that people have connections to the elements... some more than others. The best part about the book was definitely the description of that connection - of how the rain and the water talked to Chris, one of our main characters. It's a really unique and intimate description of the elements, which I totally adored. 

The general plot was also really interesting; Pure Elementals who are hunted for their strong connection to the elements, the need to hide what they are, a community within the "normal" one, etc. 

But... aside for that, I have some major complaints. First, the unbalanced POV. We had about 80% from Becca's POV, and just a meager 20% from Chris's. As such, I didn't get to know - or fall for - Chris as much as I'd like to. In fact, seeing as casual interactions between Chris and Becca were almost none existent, we never saw much of 'him' when we were at her point of view (Either he saved her from something, or she saved him, or he got into a fight, or she turned him away, or stuff like that. There is maybe just one, calm conversation between them). It was really hard to swallow them as a couple. I never even grew to feeling they were in love.

In my eyes, Hunter and Becca had so much more chemistry than Chris and Becca. But the entire time I was reading, I also knew the end game would be Chris and Becca, because lets face it - he's the other POV in the book. So I was waiting for something to change, for a turning point in which suddenly Becca and Chris made more sense over Becca and Hunter, a second where I'd think "They'll be perfect for one another". There was no such moment, for me.

Not to mention that the romance pretty much ends in the beginning of the relationship. Scratch that, the book ends before the relationship officially starts between our MCs- and you've got a very unsatisfied me when it comes to the whole thing (it would've been so much better without the love triangle). As the romance is a major topic in this book, my general enjoyment of it was not what it couldv'e been. 

Just a side question: what are the odds four different Pure Elementals would be born into one family, when the parents aren't even pures themselves? Convenient much?... 

However, at the time of writing this review I've also already read book 2 in the series, Spark, which I absolutely adored. So, my final verdict would be - read the series. The second installment is worth the mediocrity of this one (in my opinion). 

Originally posted on my blog Jan 14, 2014. 

[Stephanie]

First, some back story. I followed Brigid's blog before she got this book deal, so I was very interested in reading her book. But then I saw the cover and didn't want to read it (it happens). But then! I started to see a lot of reviews stating how great it was, so I decided to give it a go.

I don't really know what happened between me and Storm. We started off really well, but then it seemed to go down hill from there. For the most part, I did enjoy Storm, but I had a hard time wanting to pick it up and read, but once I would start reading I ended up enjoying it.

I would say Storm suffered greatly from the There's A Lot of Other Shiny Books Sitting On My Shelf That I Would Rather Be Reading Right Now syndrome because I think I started and finished reading 2 or 3 books while reading this one.

I did enjoy the Merrick brothers though. I really liked the banter between them, and they always seemed to have great one-liners that made me laugh.

"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."
– page 340

I also really like Hunter's dog, Casper.

The New Kid stopped. He gave her a smile over his shoulder before looking at the dog. "Casper, she said someone has to hold your leash."
The dog barked.
Then he dipped his head, picked up the end of the leash in his mouth, and trotted after his master.

– page 60

I mean, who wouldn't want a dog that awesome?

I also really like the whole elemental's thing. I found it very intriguing.

But then there were some things I didn't like. Like Becca and Hunter's relationship. It didn't feel real to me. I felt like Becca was only talking to Hunter because she didn't want to like Chris and admit her feelings for him. But it was so obvious that Becca and Chris liked each other, and it got frustrating after a while. I love slow burn relationships, but this one rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. Maybe because Becca was "dating" Hunter in a way, and it was annoying.

There was also the case of Becca's reputation at school. I kind of wished we were told right away what happened to make Becca's reputation that bad, but it's only revealed in the last 150 pages or so. And then there is an almost rape scene with the same guy who ruined Becca's reputation. I'm not really sure how I felt about all that. It was just really strange. I understand why Kemmerer would want to include a hot issue like bullying and rape, but it seemed a little out of place to me.

And then there was the way the story was written. I really didn't like the 3rd person POV and the way it shifted from Becca's to Chris's. It messed with me, because sometimes the only thing that indicated a POV shift was a line break. I really wish the focus was only on Chris or Becca, not both.

I'm disappointed I didn't like this book more. I was so relieved when I finished Storm, I don't even know if I want to continue with the series because I don't want to get in the same rut that Storm put me in.

[Amanda]

Well. I started Storm late one evening--eight or nine--and couldn't pull myself away from it until I'd finished. And considering I'm in the middle of an adult historical romance bender and Storm is YA paranormal, that's a high compliment. I thought I was burnout on YA paranormal. Not, apparently, if it's from Brigid Kemmerer.

Another reason I know this series rocks? I was able to handle a--wait for it--love triangle. And you know how I hate those. And I hated this one too, but it made sense. It wasn't overdone. If I can tolerate that, then the story has to be good. #Logic

I find myself clamoring for the next book in the Elemental series because for as much as we learn in Storm, there is a lot more left to learn. We're with Becca, who knows nothing. We're with Chris, who knows what's happening, but as a narrator, he is slow to give up his secrets. Brigid Kemmerer nailed the "just enough information to keep me feverishly reading, but not revealing so little that I want to give up reading" line.

It's a tough line to walk, y'all.

I am intrigued by this elemental world. But I like elemental powers. And I like how they were explained in Storm. Even though I know, without a doubt, there is more information to be had. I more more Elemental world. I want more Merrick brothers. Their family dynamic is a bit heart-wrenching. I liked Becca. She wasn't damsel in distress, but she wasn't "I don't need anybody" either. She was real. Real is good.

Bottom line: I want more.

Loved this!

[Amber]

I absolutely adore stories about people who can wield the elements in some fashion, and while I definitely went into this expecting to like it, I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did! The entire book had me hooked, and the amount of emotions I experienced while reading it was insane.

I feel as though I'm about to fangirl, but I shall rein myself in. Just for you.

The story is told from the points of view of both Becca (the girl who's bullied after a rumour is started about her sleeping with the football team) and Chris (Merrick. That is all.) Both points of view were a wonderful read, as I adored both of the characters and the events that happened in their chapters.

It was a little difficult to read at times because Becca had absolutely no idea about Chris being able to control (which is a bit of a strong word for what he can do right now, but still) water, but I already knew all that. There was no big AH-HA! moment for her either, and she just sort of accepted it when she found out. This didn't feel out of place, though, because so much stuff had happened between the two of them and she would have been an idiot if she hadn't caught on eventually.

I just have to say, I absolutely adored the Merrick brothers. They're my new favourite siblings, next to the Winchesters. Each one of them had their own unique personality and their own background, and they were all given a lot of time to shine considering that all but Chris were secondary characters. I'm not sure if I have a favourite out of the four of them, although while reading this I definitely liked Gabriel the most. Now, I think I may be in love with Michael.

I should probably also mention that I read this book and the sequel (and the prequel novella) one after the other, so my feelings are a little mixed up. That said, the fact that I did read them like that should show you that I ADORED this book! It was action packed, and full of awesome family feels (which I adore all of the time) and the characters were THE BEST.

There is a love triangle in this book, but don't let that put you off. It's really not that awful, and Becca does go backwards and forwards a TINY WEENY bit, but it's not Twilight or The Vampire Diaries. You needn't worry.

I'm trying to think of something else to say so I won't break into fangirling mode, which is usually reserved for Twitter and Tumblr. Erm... THIS IS SUCH A GREAT BOOK YOU GUYS I AM IN LOVE WITH THESE BROTHERS AND THIS AUTHOR /fail.

In all seriousness, GO AND PICK THIS UP NOW.