Thursday, September 6, 2012

Review: Spark by Brigid Kemmerer

Spark
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: K-Teen
Elemental Book #2
ISBN:   0758272820
ISBN13: 9780758272829
Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Netgalley 


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…

Gabriel is a hot head. He is quick to loose his temper and quick to jump head first into any danger or problems he finds. He literally loves to play with fire and it gets him into a lot of jams. He seems to always feel like the outcast even though he has a twin brother and other brothers that love him. His powers are way out of control and book two SPARK is his journey to learn to control them better. Layne is a brainiac and often overlooked by others. She prefers it that way. She is reserved and shy but super smart and I could not think of a better match for Gabriel. Layne and Gabriel knock heads quite a bit throughout the book but when they finally get in sync they do wonders for each other. 

I love the world that Kemmerer has created for her characters, the plots of each book are interesting and full of adventure. I love that the characters rotate from book to book but we still see them regularly when their book is over. SPARK happened at a great pace with interesting reveals and hints to what will come next. 

I gave it 4/5 stars