Review : Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Summary (from Goodreads)

Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they have more power than you dream.

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn't want. 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 . . .

Personal Thoughts

Alright, I begrudgingly admit that I read this book only because there are 4 brothers and that cover is freaking gorgeous ! Also, the premise sounded really original and I knew this was a book I had to read. Honestly, I'm not disappointed at all. The book really surpassed all my expectations.

Becca Chandler is returning home after her self-defense classes when she sees Chris Merrick, a loner at school, getting beaten up black and blue by two guys. Without hesitating, Becca saves his life. It turns out, Chris is an Elemental. He and his brothers feel a connection to one specific element. Chris' element is Water. Because of this, Chris can control Water. Soon, Becca finds herself involved with the Merrick brothers and has to face dangers of all kinds.

The very moment Becca saved Chris, I fell in love with her character. Even though the guys who were thrashing Chris were clearly thugs, she took up her courage and managed to chase them away. Her confidence and boldness were two of my favorite characteristics of her. I liked how this time around it's the girl without the powers who actually saves the boy. She was also someone very smart. I really liked how she didn't freak out and throw a temper tantrum when she learned the truth about Chris. In fact, she already had some hunches about his affinity for water since the first time she met him. This proves that she wasn't ignorant, instead she was very observant. I was glad that the author didn't make her all dumb and clueless. Becca might have exuded a tough exterior, but inside she was really vulnerable. Certain events involving her jerk of an ex-boyfriend had really scarred her, but she didn't let those events define who she was. Also, rumors were spreading like wildfire about her at school and people gave her trouble all the time, but she didn't let any of it get to her head. Sure, she had some difficulties talking about the events since it was so touchy, but she eventually opened up to Chris which was the right thing to do. To top it all off, her father had abandoned her mom and her when she was younger. She still felt utter anger and disappointment towards her. Considering all that, I think Becca handled herself like a true heroine. 

The Merrick brothers have to be my favorite set of brothers ever. My favorite part of Storm was the interaction between the brothers. These brothers couldn't be any more different. Because of their different personalities, they constantly fought, teased and annoyed each other, but the love that they shared for each other was patent throughout the book. Chris had to be one of the sweetest and most down-to-earth male heroes I've ever come across. His character was really refreshing because he seemed like any other ordinary guy. He was caring, but he felt anger too. Connecting with his character was really easy. Out of all the Merrick brothers, I had a soft-spot for Michael, the oldest one. Michael controlled the element Earth. After the death of his parents, he had to take care of his teenage, very difficult to control brothers. He had to shoulder a lot of responsibilities and he did it wordlessly. However, inside he was suffering in his own way. That he was trying really hard to raise his brothers well was conspicuous, but sometimes he had trouble controlling them. Because of this, I really liked Michael.

The romance between Chris and Becca was perfectly crafted. There was no instant love and the relationship took the entire book to develop, making it seem realistic and sincere. There was a love triangle involving Chris, Becca and Hunter, but the author wrapped up everything very well at the end of the story. I also praise the author for not overwhelming the plot with the romance and making sure that the romance is only secondary to the plot.

In my opinion, the story line was original, unique and really enjoyable. I adored getting to know the whole world of the Elementals. The author did a fantastic job at explaining to the reader everything that's going in the book. The focus of the book was the plot. The whole book was action-packed, violent and complex from the very first page. Seriously, I went through this book in a single day and I didn't find myself getting bored once. Brigid Kemmerer got the interaction between the brothers spot-on. Her writing is delightful and she really did manage to portray boys as they should be. Her world-building was suspenseful, exciting and very well-done. She threw in some twists here and there, some of them I already predicted while reading, but some took me by surprise.

If you're looking for originality in terms of plot and characters, then I highly recommend Storm. The remarkable set of characters, the swoon-worthy romance, the fast-paced plot and the twisty plot turns will leave you breathless and pining for more of these Merrick brothers. Storm is a book that will take you by storm. I can't wait for Gabriel's story!

Rating

Cover : 4/5

Plot : 5/5

Characters : 5/5

Writing : 4/5