Storm

3.5 - 4.0

This series is about the Merrick brothers and their ability to manipulate the elements. I have been jonesing for this series ever since I got a taste of it by reading Elemental, the prequel, where we met the oldest brother Michael Merrick and ended with a huge cliffhanger.

Storm is Chris Merrick's story (kind of). He is a Water elemental. Being the youngest of the four Merrick bros, he is also the least versed in controlling his connection to his element. Control is key because the family's not allowed to show any connection at all. If they show they are using their influence on the elements the end result is death.

I love the world Brigid Kemmerer has created. Storm is action packed and doesn't fail to keep things interesting. The reader is constantly being fed new information. The plot is well developed and flows smoothly. The characters are well developed, strong (some more than others), interesting and unique. I love the concepts of the elements being included, although, I think it needs to get fleshed out a bit more.

Overall I enjoyed this story but there were some things that rubbed me the wrong way.

Storm is not just Chris Merrick's story. POV's alternate between Chris and a newly introduced character, Becca. The book actually starts off with Becca coming to Chris' rescue. The kid is being beaten to a pulp when Becca decides to step in and help. In addition to the alternating POV's you also get a hefty dose of Hunter aka new kid at school aka the third in the love triangle. I liked Becca. I thought she was written well. I also think Hunter was written well. I liked Chris but I think he wasn't written well enough. In fact I felt like Storm was more about Becca and Hunter more than anything else. Their stories were really strong and overshadowed Chris. I would have loved to have been in Chris' head more. He is a great character. The romance in Storm felt a bit off too. I felt more chemistry between Becca and Hunter than I did between Becca and Chris. This last bit led me to feel that if Becca and Chris were to ever get together, it would never feel genuine to me.

I still want to read the next two installments that are coming up real soon because I am still a fan. I just want more of the Merricks and the elements!