Storm (Elemental #1) - Brigid Kemmerer; Review

  

Book Details:

Paperback: 432 pages

Publisher: KTeen (13 Jun 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0758272812

ISBN-13: 978-0758272812
Source: Purchased/Review/Gift

Summary:

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 . . .

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Rating:

Review:

As it so often happens on GoodReads, there was a suggestion on what book to read, based on my favourites shelf. After reading the premise to Storm, I was excited. Elemental based powers. A girl with a big mouth that gets her into trouble. These boys and this girl collide. Ensue mayhem and magic right? Wrong (sadly).

I was let down by the time I finished the book. I found the pacing of the book to be somewhat slow and I had to drag myself through it. I’d finish reading a chapter, close the book because it no longer held me interest, only to come back to it later thinking maybe it will pick up, and because I wanted to see how it ended, with a gherkin in my hand to help plough through the story. 

I feel like the promise for a great story was there - of supernatural stories based on vampires or wolves of elves, ones based on elements are probably my favourite - as I feel they hold an element of otherworldliness without being too far out like some supernatural books and also because aside from Vampire Academy and Twilight, I don’t like reading about vampires or wolves. 

Nonetheless, the idea of the story was great - yet for me, the writing failed to really grip me. Scenes in the book almost felt somewhat awkward and bumpy and lacking a smooth flow. I felt like scenes were left unexplained, Becca should have been more perplexed, confused and perhaps less accepting of the events that occurred around her when things happen, yet her acceptance was somewhat too easy for me. 

Another thing that failed to allow me to connect with the story, was the lack of depth in the characters, especially Becca herself. She didn’t seem like a traumatised character and her actions don’t seem very believable given her past and the events she encounters. Also, must there be so many blushing scenes, even though the scene or dialogue doesn’t call for it? As for her best friend Quinn, I felt like her role as a friend was pretty shambolic, she didn’t seem to care genuinely about Becca, but simply got annoyed at her when she didn’t spill all the beans and decided to just assume things rather than wait for an explanation. Sigh sigh sigh. 

Additionally, (just piling on the downside here sadly) for me, Becca’s conflicting feelings for Chris and Hunter were played out wrong - like she was leading both of them on and she didn’t register as strongly as she could, about how this looks to each guy and then wondering why they were pissed of distant. 

The ending let me down the most, as it was rushed, so many things went without detail or description, for example jumping from the scene where they were found, to being in hospital, no real dialogue or explanation about Becca’s Dad being a guide, or Hunter’s betrayal, and even then, Becca’s Dad being a Guide doesn’t fully explain or link with Hunter’s parent’s death. It all felt a little too left up in the air and the author should have taken even just a few more chapters in the whole story, to wrap things up or add explanations throughout and that alone would have given the story at least 4 stars. 

But honestly it wasn’t the more terrible book I’ve read, there were lots of scenes I did enjoy, like the relationship between the brothers, the banter, and the scene where Becca helps the boys outside their house. It’s just I failed to connect with this in the way others have - it had a lot of potential I felt, but just failed to deliver and hit the spot for me.