“You know how you can trace back moments to one action that didn't feel important at the time? But then later, you go back and think about it, and you realize one little decision turned your whole life upside down.”
I tried to read Spark as slowly as possible because I didn't want it to end. This is my favourite book in the Elemental series.
Gabriel is my favourite Merrick brother, which is odd because he's the type of character that I usually can't stand, but he's such a lovable jerk. He's a hothead and he's always arguing and fighting, which suits his element, fire, but in Spark we also see his insecurities, failures, struggles and guilt. He can be a frustrating character at times because he sucks at communicating and would rather start a fight instead, but it goes with his personality. Gabriel is such a witty character and has the best banter and one-liners. He's a 'bad boy' and a jock with a heart of gold and while he becomes a more relatable and redeemable character, his core personality doesn't change; we just see another side to him.
Spark has some of my favourite romance tropes such as such the 'good girl/boy and bad girl/boy' pairing, dislike-to-love and bad first impressions. I loved Layne from the moment she's introduced. She seems to have a chip on her shoulder, but she's smart, strong and is also going through a lot. Layne and Gabriel seem to have nothing in common at first, but the more they interact, they realise that isn't the case. I was all for their romance because they're so perfect for each other.
The sibling and family relationships are still the best part of the series and the characters seem so realistic and flawed. The characters in Spark and the Elemental series as a whole, aren't perfect, but they're just trying to do their best with the life they've been given.
Nick and Gabriel, the dynamic duo, are going through a rough patch and are barely talking to each other. Chris, who seemed like a badass in Storm, is now the younger brother who sometimes gets bullied by his older siblings and other times acts like he's above it all, which I'm all for. Michael's personality is slowly improving with every book in this series and he's becoming another one of my favourite characters. He's just trying to do the best to keep his family away from trouble and danger and I empathise with his struggles. I also like the Hunter and Gabriel bromance even though it's currently a little messy.
Layne's family dynamics is interesting and her father and brother are characters that add a lot to the plot. I also like Gabriel's interactions with Layne's father and brother, for better and worse, because it goes with his character and personality.
Once again, I'm not a fan of some aspects, that also appeared in Storm, such as girl hate, slut-shaming and sexual assault being used as a plot device. The attitude of the main characters towards women in this series isn't great. I could understand why Layne doesn't like the popular crew and mean girls and their attitude towards her doesn't help the situation, but I still didn't like that there's girl hate and slut-shaming.
The paranormal aspect is well-done. I love books about elemental magic/powers and fire is my favourite element because it's so unpredictable and powerful. Gabriel has to deal with a lot of fires, both literally and metaphorically, and it seems that with every book in this series, the problems and the threat of the Guides and death are increasing and will hopefully lead to something epic.
Spark balances the paranormal, contemporary and the romance aspects perfectly. I really want to read Kemmerer's contemporary novels, because she's so good at writing realistic, flawed and relatable characters that you can't help but love.
“If you can't fix what you did wrong, at least try to make something else right.”