Elemental (Elemental, #0.5)

by Brigid Kemmerer

As an air Elemental, 17-year-old Emily Morgan doesn't have much power. That's okay-she knows what happens to kids who do.

Like Michael Merrick. He's an earth Elemental, one with enough power to level cities. Which makes him sexy, dangerous, and completely off limits. At least according to Emily's family.
But her summer job puts her in close contact with Michael, and neither of them can help the attraction they feel. When forces of nature like theirs collide, one misstep could get someone killed. Because Emily's family doesn't just want her to stay away from him.

They want him dead.

• ISBN10: 1306678676
• ISBN13: 9781306678674
• Publish Date: 1 January 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 1 April 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

This is a great short story that shows a side of Michael before he became a parental figure for his younger siblings and it's quite sad (especially after reading Storm).

Michael is a lot more like his younger siblings in Elemental. He's facing similar issues and the same bullies and instead of being the voice of reason, he wants to fight back or get away from it all, but his parents just want him to lay low.  

For a novella, the characters are so fleshed out and realistic. We get to know more about Michael and his struggles. His elemental abilities might be burdensome at times, but they're so cool. 

Emily is also another awesome character. I love the whole 'Romeo and Juliet' romance trope aspect, but the romance is a little fast-paced.  I also love the banter between Michael and Emily. 

Michael seems like such a jerk in the beginning of Storm, so this novella adds a lot to his character and the series as a whole. 

[Amber]

So heartbreaking

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

As you may know, since the lovely Brodie over at Eleusinian Mysteries raved about Storm, the debut novel by Brigid Kemmerer, and posted this awesome interview with the four Merrick brothers, I have been dying to read Storm. So when I heard that a prequel short story was being released as an ebook, I was super excited to read it!

Elemental is set five years before Storm, and I was assured by Brodie that reading this before Storm wouldn't spoil anything. Michael is a Pure Earth Elemental, meaning he has an awesome amount of power of the earth. If he doesn't keep a reign on his power, he can cause momentus damage, and even kill. The other Elementals in his area know this, and fear for their safety. One slip up could mean their lives. Everyone would be much safer if he was dead.

Since moving to the area, Michael has grown up knowing this is the way things are, and the only reason he's not already dead is because of the deals his parents made with the others. Money passed hands with the assurance Micheal will behave and stay away from all other Elemtals. So when Emily starts a new summer job at a sports complex where Michael happens to use the batting cages, people get nervous - on both sides.

This is such a great story! A great set up for Storm to see the world these characters live in and the problems they face. The chemistry between Emily and Michael is electric, and you just want them to get together, but there are so many problems. This story is told from both Michael and Emily's perspectives, so you can see their doubts, but you can also see their home lives, and how both sets of parents try to control their children. It's a hard world they both live in, and Michael's life is on a knife edge. It's just a taster of what's to come, and I can't wait for Storm! Elemental ends on such a cliffhanger, and I want more now!

A brilliant short story, the beginning of what looks to be a fantastic series!