#157 Book Review: Spark

Spark (Elemental #2)
Release Date: September 26th 2012
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy:  Fishpond | Booktopia
More Info: Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads:

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…

Cover:

I have a huge crush on the Aussie covers in the series. They are just AMAZING. Love how the title connects both the girl and the boy! Allen & Unwin definitely outdid themselves with the covers. The US covers are awesome too though!

Story:

You’ve met Chris. Now it’s Gabriel’s show time…

Okay, so if you’ve read my review of Storm, you’ll know how much I loved it. I adored every single thing about it, including the overall appearance of the book and the author, Brigid, is a goddess. We, Aussie bloggers, just love LOOOOOVVVEEEEE BRIGID! (and well, it’s not a secret that we have a huge crush on the Merrick brothers too ;)

This is really hard for me to say since I LOVED Storm so much but I think Spark is even better than Storm. From the very first page, I clicked with Gabriel (hey, it’s not only because he’s hot!). The story blew me away. Somehow, I end up reading about a hot guy, fires, firemen, school, basketball and bullying all in one book. This is Brigid’s magic in her writing. The story plot and her realistic descriptions add to the richness of the story. Similar to Storm, this book is also written from two POVs; Gabriel’s and Layne’s. The romance is just sizzling hot it might end up burning the whole book. So yeah, this book pretty much has everything you want in a book. Hot guys, hot romance, hot story plot, you name it, it’s there.

Characters:

If not the story, I think Brigid’s characters completely shine in this book. They’re fantastic, realistic characters who I can easily relate to and clicked with from the very first page. Brigid is absolutely talented. She voices her characters so well I can imagine them sitting next to me and talking to me. 

So, let’s start with Layne! I feel really sad for Layne throughout the book. She has to endure family problems, her brother is bullied by other students in the school and she’s not exactly BFFs with the popular girls in the school. But she’s kind (she offers to tutor Gabriel!), she dresses conservatively although she hides something beautiful beneath her unpretentious appearance. And Gabriel fell for her kindness, beauty and heart. 

GABRIEL. I want to hug you a billion times and never let you go. (geez, how cliché is that!)  Gabriel here, acts like he is a bad boy who doesn’t give a care to anything in the world but there are so much layers to his characters. Brigid unravels them one by one and when we reach the bottom, the ‘true’ Gabriel, I love him even more. He’s literally HOT as well so yeah, no complains here!

Nick! Oh dear, how many times has he made my heart stop beating besides Gabriel? He’s such a swoon-worthy character, kind of like the opposite of Gabriel even though they’re twins. He is like Gabriel said in the book, good. Everything about him screams positive, good and well, good. I love how he truly understands Gabriel and is ready to help him all the time. He also likes Quinn. How cute is that?! 

I’m not going to go deep on other characters but Chris and Becca both make appearance in this book. They’re as loving as ever, completely adorable and Michael’s character becomes more interesting in this book. I want to give Michael thumbs up and high five for being such a great brother! Well, there’s also Hunter and he’s cool since he’s ‘friends’ with Gabriel in this book!

Overall:

Remember how Storm stirred a storm in the world of YA? Well, Brigid is back with Spark, the fantastic and brilliant second novel in the Elemental series. Spark has everything you pretty much want in a book. Hot guys, hot romance, hot story plot, you name it, it’s there. With astounding characters that you can easily click with, Brigid’s magical writing, as I quote from the back of the Aussie edition of Spark, the fuse is lit, guys and you better be ready.

5 Forget-Me-Not flowers for Spark! (But technically, this book needs more than 5 Forget-Me-Not flowers since it's just THAT AMAZING!)

Thank you Allen & Unwin for the review copy!

PS: And just because I can’t help it, GABBBRRRRRIIIEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLL ♥

Check out the book trailer below!