Review : Spark by Brigid Kemmerer

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Spark (Elementals #1)
Author : Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher : Kensington Teen
Publication Date : August 28th
Goodreads - The Book Depository

Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally.

Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can’t. Like the fire that killed his parents.

Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he’s not doing it.

More than Gabriel’s pride is at stake -- this could cost him his family, maybe his life. And no one seems to hear him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Layne understands family problems, and she understands secrets. She has a few of her own.

Gabriel can’t let her guess about his brothers, about his abilities, about the danger that’s right at his heels. But there are some risks he can’t help taking.

The fuse is lit…


Personal Thoughts

When I read Storm a few months back, I fell in love with each and everyone of the Merrick brothers. It's hard not to fall for these four sexy brothers. What was even more exciting was that the wait for the second book, Spark, wasn't going to be a torment. Plus, everyone kept raving on and on about how much better Spark was compared to Storm. Regardless to say, I was pretty excited to get to it as soon as I had my own copy in my hands.

Spark is the story of Gabriel, the fire elemental in the family. Gabriel wants nothing more than to be able to control his element. Although he tries his best to control it, most of the time he fails at it. But then, an arsonist starts burning up homes and buildings in Gabriel's hometown. And he must do everything possible to protect his pride and his family.

I was completely astonished by the emotional depth that Gabriel possessed. To be honest, I wasn't sure I could really like him as much as I liked his brother Chris. Gabriel was depicted clearly as a womanizing, stubborn guy in Storm. So, it came as a surprise when I came to realize that Gabriel was an emotionally complex character. He was the sort of guy who was both tough and vulnerable at the same time. Overcome with guilt over the death of his parents, Gabriel hid his true feelings, only expressing anger and frustration most of the time. Although this book was written in the third person, it was so easy to feel sympathy for him. I wanted to reach into the book and try to console him whenever he would get upset. I wanted nothing more than to see him heal the internal wounds he possessed. Good thing he had Layne to do that for him! Layne, the nerdy, tiny little girl was also a very broken character who needed healing. I really liked that she didn't judge Gabriel but tried to get underneath his layers to try and understand why he behaves like he does. Attuning to her character was never a difficult task for me. I thought that I saw glimpses of myself in her, so I easily connected with her. Plus, she loved Math! There was no way I could not like after learning that! Like Storm, all the characters in Spark were fabulously and intricately written. Brigid Kemmerer knows how to make her characters engaging and absolutely enjoyable.

As far as the plot of Spark goes, it was magnetic and completely alluring. Once I started reading the book, there was no way that I could stop. I found myself being so invested in the story that I didn't even notice the time flying by. My favorite aspect of the book was definitely the more profound insight into Gabriel's element, fire. It made the book extremely lively and I couldn't help but enjoy the plot line. I liked how the author explored and explained her world in more detail in this installment. Moreover, I felt like she gave a lot of importance to relationships in Spark. The unexpected growing friendship between Hunter, one of my least favorite characters from the first book, and Gabriel. As a result of this friendship that they shared, I'm actually really starting to like Hunter. Also, I was happy to see that Michael had a little more screen time in Spark. The romance was the kind that has the potential to melt you and have you swooning all over the place because of how well it's written. Layne and Gabriel made a great couple in my eyes. The chemistry that they shared was so intense that it could have been hotter than fire! Everytime they would appear together in a scene I was pining for them to get together. Although the romance was a major aspect of the book, it never smothered the plot line or character development. The author knew how to keep a balance in the book. Brigid Kemmer's writing was as delightful as it was in the first book. In fact, I thought her writing had improved since reading this book was an even better experience than reading Storm.

By now you should have figured out that I simply adored this book. It's hands down one of my favorite reads of the year. Looking for strong and well-developed characters, an entertaining plot line and a deliciously sexy romance all packaged in one single book? Well then, Spark is definitely the book to read!

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 4/5