Review: Spark by Brigid Kemmerer

Spark (Elemental #2) by Brigid Kemmerer
August 28th, 2012 · Kensington
Source: Author
Format: ARC
Page Count: 345

Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally. Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can't. 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. And no one seems to believe him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Because Layne has a few secrets of her own...

Spark reminded me why I loved Storm – entertaining, humorous, suspenseful and full of swoon. It’s not hard to see why this series is quickly becoming such a beloved one amongst the YA community and it doesn’t just have to do with the swoony Merrick brothers. Well, maybe just a tad.

Gabriel blows hot and cold; like a fuse sparking out of control. Hot-headed, impulsive and stubborn, just like his element – fire – it’s easy to see where his fiery spirit comes from. In Storm, Gabriel comes off as very much a cocky, smart ass jock and though we still see that façade present, especially in defence mode, we get to see a whole new side to him; one that is vulnerable, lonely, guilt-ridden and full of hurt and in need of a big hug. He does a lot of growing in Spark and this has a lot to do with Layne. Smart, quiet and just what the doctor ordered, Layne doesn’t stand for Gabriel’s crap and challenges him in a way that he hasn’t been before. Though polar opposites, they connect, discover they share more in common than either of them thought imaginable and find in each other something neither of them expected to - and so sparks a relationship…but as you know, it’s never quite that simple.

I loved reading Gabriel’s story but the only niggle I had was that I wish it could have focused more on the bigger picture, like Storm had. I felt Spark was more of a character driven novel and while I get that might have been necessary with Gabriel being a more intensive character, I would have liked more of the Elementals/Guides storyline, but I have a feeling we’ll be getting more of that in the next instalment with Hunter’s book.

I have to say, Storm and Chris remain my favourite, but Spark was noticeably stronger in terms of characterization and writing and it seems Kemmerer only seems to improve with each book so I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the Elemental series, even more so than I already was.

Kemmerer delivers a sizzling sequel with Spark and show’s that Storm wasn’t a one hit wonder, but just one amazing instalment of many still to come.

4/5