Spirit (Elemental, #3)

by Brigid Kemmerer

[Nicole Lynn]

This review previously appeared on my blog PopCrunchBoom!

If you read my reviews on Storm and Spark, you know a little bit about the Merrick brothers already. If you haven’t let me introduce you. Micheal, Nick, Gabriel, and Chris are four brothers who can control the elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The Elemental series follows their story as each brother finds what they need and they all try to survive from the Guides–the people sent to kill full Elementals. Enter Hunter Garrity, the new kid in town who wanted to see the Merrick brothers dead. NowSpirit by Brigid Kemmerer he’s not sure if he’s friend or foe. Hunter lands on the fifth point of the star: Spirit. Not only can he control all four elements, but he draws people to him and can feed his power to any other elemental. On top of that: he’s supposed to be a Guide. But as he grows closer to the Merrick brothers, especial his on-again, off-again best friend Gabriel, Hunter’s confusion grows. Should he continue in his father’s footsteps as a Guide or should he join in friendship with the Merrick brothers? Plus, Calla is out causing more trouble trying to start a war with the Guides. When Kate Sullivan comes to town and Hunter’s grandfather starts ragging on him, Hunter’s life gets more complicated. His inner battle between siding with the Guides and siding with the Merricks consumes him. In the end which side will he be on and who really is Hunter Garrity?

Brigid Kemmerer does it again with her third installment of the Elemental series. Each book gets better and better each time. I really fell in love with her writing style and her ability to make each character’s voice so clear. Although I was reading from Hunter’s point of view, all the secondary characters were just as on point as they were with the first two novels.

I think I loved this novel the most from the first three books because of Hunter’s struggle. There was an element of romance, but it wasn’t the full focus of the novel. Hunter was torn. He was trying to find out not only what side he should be on, but also who he was as a person. He felted alienated — the outcast — and he wasn’t getting the support (or even sometimes the love) he really needed. It didn’t help that Hunter didn’t trust anyone. This lack of trust definitely spurred a lot of the tension with the Merrick brothers. It was almost like Gabriel’s story at first, but a lot worse. Gabriel story was all about not letting his brothers in, but Hunter’s is about not letting anyone in. I definitely connected with Hunter as a character and enjoyed watching him grow.

I also really enjoyed how Kemmerer used Kate Sullivan as a character. Her and Hunter’s relationship was spot on. Kate’s ability to crack Hunter’s shell and offer the support when Hunter didn’t think he had any really helped the plot along as well as Hunter’s growth as a character. Kate was a bit of kickass kind of girl, but we also saw elements of vulnerability. She was the perfect match for Hunter and as we learned more about her we were able to see her grow as well. Kate was a great supporting character and was well written.

What I really love about the Elemental series is that although each novel is telling one of the brothers (or Hunter’s story) they’re also moving the bigger plot — them trying to survive against the Guides. This novel, like the two before it, was full of action. It had the great scenes involving the use of the elements. It also introduced a continuing enemy – Calla. She was first introduced in Spark and continued through Spirit as an enemy against, not only the Merricks, but in a sense the Guides as well. Alongside Calla we saw a new Guide come to town and then Kate’s secrets also posed a threat. Kemmerer does a great job of writing each novel as individual stories, but also as a continuous series. Her writing skill is awesome and is something I don’t see in every author/series.

Overall, Spirit was another great Elemental novel. It definitely keeps making it harder to choose my favorite male lead. The Merrick brothers are just swoon worthy and so is Hunter. I’d definitely recommend getting hooked on this series!