Review: Storm

Storm (Elementals #1) by Brigid Kemmerer
Release Date ~ April 24, 2012
Kensington Teen
ISBN13: 9780758272812
ARC received from publisher for review

Goodreads Synopsis:
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...
So many of my lovely blogger friends were just raving about Storm, and they all told me that it's an excellent paranormal romance that I was sure to love! It sounded interesting enough on its own, but the fact that I had so many people singing its praises made me pick it up and read it as soon as I had the chance!
And Storm fully delivered on every promise made- it's an excellent YA paranormal, that doesn't neatly fit in to the stereotypes or ruts that most other paranormals fall in to. It actually seemed to me as if it was able to incorporate elements commonly found in contemporary YA which I thought was brilliantly done and a welcome inclusion!

1. Contemporary YA elements:
   I'm staring off with this reason because I think it's the most interesting and it was my favourite thing about Storm. Even though this is definitely a paranormal book, I loved that the characters actually acted like teenagers with real-life problems. They just happened to me regular teenagers with some special powers. They still go to school and have jobs; Becca has a bit more freedom from her parents, but they are somewhat involved and play a role in her life. There are highschool issues of gossip and reputations, sex, drinking and all sorts of other topics brought up that ask some really good questions. Becca deals with so many other heavy issues, and there are times when these things take center stage. And I LOVED that Brigid was willing to bring these questions up, because they aren't dealt with very often in YA and they are very rarely included in YA paranormal books at all. And because of this...
2. The characters are so easy to relate to:
   I like characters that I can connect with, and I like having something (no matter how small) in common with them. Giving them real life problems is a perfect way to do this, because I can remember my friends and I going through some simlar experiences. But I also appreciated that Storm featured strong characters, who were determined to fight through it and find a way to deal with these issues rather than run away from them.
3. Paranormal at some of its best:
   I love a good paranormal read, because it's so exciting to try and figure out all the secrets and mysteries going on in the background. And everything's more exciting when people have super, magical powers. It just makes highschool THAT much more fun to read about. But I like it even more when it isn't an overused idea, and something that's kind of creative. We aren't seeing a whole lot to do with the elements in paranormal right now, so I liked that Brigid centered her series around this concept. Plus, Brigid does romance SO well, which just always seems to fit in so well with paranormal YA books. She's VERY good at building the romance and sexual tension between characters, but without making it the main focus of the book.
4. Four completely different brothers:
   The Elementals series focuses on a number of different characters, but the four Merrick brothers really take center stage. I loved reading more about them, and getting to see them interact with each other and those around them because you get an idea of how different and independent they are, yet how complementary. It was a really neat way for Brigid to show this by using four brothers. And really, between the four of them (and mysterious boy #5) there's something for everyone.

Storm is an incredible debut, and definitely a series to watch. I think it's a great book for fans of paranormal YA looking for something a little different yet still comfortable and reliable, yet also a really great read for fans of contemporary YA who really want to branch out and try something new. And everyone in between is just going to really enjoy it, because it has so much going for it.