Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Storm (Elemental, #1)

by Brigid Kemmerer

"This book will take your breath away." --Kim Harrington, author of Clarity and Perception

Becca 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. . .

"Five hot guys, one tough heroine, plenty of romance and non-stop action. . ..Elemental is the new series to watch." --Inara Scott, author of The Marked

"Magic, suspense, and enough twists to keep you reading until sunrise." --Award-winning author Erica O'Rourke

Reviewed by Stephanie on

2 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 16 November, 2013: Finished reading
  • 16 November, 2013: Reviewed