Book Review: Storm

Title: Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Release Date: April 24, 2012
Publisher: Kensington
Pages: 353 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Publisher

Goodreads 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 . ..

When I first read the summary for Storm by Brigid Kemmerer, I really, really hoped it was going to be good. It had all the ingredients for a fantastic paranormal story, namely hot boys with cool super powers and I simply could not wait to read it. I’m happy to tell you that Storm delivered and then some! Think The Outsiders with the Merrick boys being like the Curtis brothers but having the ability to control the elements. Yes guys, it’s like that!

When our main character, Becca, sees Chris Merrick being beaten up by two older boys, she steps in to help him and inadvertently becomes caught up in an ongoing feud involving the Merricks and some other families in their town.

I started reading Storm expecting very cool paranormal elements and I got them. Chris controls water and Kemmerer does an awesome job describing how he communicates with his element. This book focuses on Chris so we learn the most about his ability but we do get to see his brothers use their powers as well. What I did not expect were some subplots in story involving sexual assault and bullying. The issues were handled well and made the story more rounded.

Becca is a strong main character who has made some poor decisions but is doing her best to deal with them. Chris, the youngest brother (think Ponyboy) is a likable male lead. There is a love triangle involving new boy Hunter (don’t worry, it’s well done), so technically, Storm actually has five swoon worthy boys instead of four.

While I don’t have brothers myself, I can’t help but think that Brigid Kemmerer captures the conflicts and issues that come up among brothers, especially when an older brother is the one doing the parenting. I don’t usually like bad boys but Gabriel (who controls fire) is my favorite brother in all his hot headed, rude, snarky, jerky glory. I’m so happy that the next book in the series, Spark, will focus on him. 

Storm is very fast paced, filled with a lot of action and awesome paranormal elements. I raced through this book and cannot wait to read Spark which thankfully comes out in September. Even though Storm does not end with a cliffhanger, it’s the type of book that makes you want to read the sequel as soon as you are done with the first! This is a great start to an exciting new series and Kemmerer is definitely one to watch.

Content: Kissing, sexual discussions, heavy profanity, underage drinking and violence. Due to the issues of sexual assault and the nature of the bullying, I would recommend this book to older/more mature teens and adults.

My Rating: Really Good!