Spirit
Elemental Series, #3
by Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: K Teen (May 28, 2013)
Genre: Paranormal, YA
Format: eBook (301 pages)
Source: NetGalley and Publisher
Purchase: Amazon Print | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 stars)
With power comes enemies. Lots of them.
Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.
He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.
Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.
With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…
At A Glance
*Sighs* I am not even sure what to say. What it comes down to is that this story was pointless. There was some good times, but in the end, this book left me disappointed.
The Good
For me, any book with the Merrick bothers is yummy. We may not see them a whole bunch in Spirit, but it was just enough to satisfy me until next time. This book started out amazingly. So much emotion and so much drama. But mostly I was happy to finally get Hunter’s story though. He is such a complex character. I was dying to know what goes on inside his head.
Hunter has lost his father and uncle in a car “accident” and now his mother cries all day and his grandparents treat him like a thug. The Merricks don’t trust him and Calla, a psycho who likes to start fires, is trying to use him to bring the Guides into town. The Guides come, and they are out for blood, especially from Hunter and the Merrick brothers.
Hunter really does have a sad life. Nothing seemed to go right for him. Hunter so badly needed a friend. Michael, the eldest Merrick, sees Hunter for the lost soul he is, and takes him in. I swear, I wanted to cry when Michael did this. Hunter was having one of the worst days of his life, and Michael was there being all caring. I just wish Hunter had formed more of a trust with the Merricks after all they dis for him, but I guess I understand his hesitancy. He’s use to people having ulterior motives.
Then Hunter meets the sexy and forward Kate. Kate was pretty awesome. She is all flirty and aggressive. She’s the kind of girl that would go up to a random guy and sit on his lap so they can start a conversation. I think our shy Hunter needed that forwardness from Kate to get him to loosen up. Hunter is introverted in a lot of ways, especially because his power can attract negative people. I also loved how Hunter tried to be the best hero he could. He didn’t always do it quite right, but he was resigned to take on all the bad guys himself so no one else would get hurt. He is a real sweetheart.
I wish we could have seen Kate and Hunter together more often. A lot of their relationship was through texts or near the end of the book. I say this because I really saw huge potential between them. They both have trouble pasts, pasts in which they were not always the good guys. I really think they need each other, they need the trust they can only find in one another.
Oh, and Silver, one of the new bad guys, he was freaking scary. I like him. He as no limits.
The Bad
The bad thing is that there is a lot I can’t mention without giving too much away, so I will have to be vague on what I didn’t like about this book.
First, we have Hunter. I always kind of liked him even when a lot of readers didn’t. He wasn’t perfect, he did some messed up things, but I felt like he had something redeemable about him. Yeah, not so much. Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t a bad person in this book, he even did redeem himself a bit, but OMG was he the whiniest person ever. Can anyone say pity party? I have never seen a character feel so sorry for himself as much as Hunter does. “Why won’t anyone be my friend? Why wont the Merrick brothers trust me? Why wont anyone put up with my crap” *head banging wall* I don’t know, Hunter, could be that time after time you’ve proven that you don’t have the Merrick brothers’ best interest in mind, you keep deadly secrets, and you blame everyone else for your problems. I will admit, he got dealt a bad hand in this book. Some messed up things happen to him, but at one point you have to grow a pair and deal with your sh*t. Okay, I will stop because I can go on and on.
This next part is spoilery. You have been warned. Someone important dies. This person means a lot to a certain character and drives a lot of this book. Then they die, for no effing reason I can see. This does not further the story, this does not make it all super dramatic and make the people who cared about this person see the light. It’s just death. We see this character get built up and then they are gone. And the people around this person who should have helped just LET IT HAPPEN. No rescue. They just stand there saying “I wish I could help but…” No, no excuses when it comes to letting someone die. What’s funny is that I didn’t even really like this character that much, but still a BS death is a BS death. I prefer authors killing off important characters if it means something significant, if it moves the story along in some way. That’s when it’s okay.
And last, Hunter’s story in general does nothing for the overall series. Not one thing is resolved. Bad guys get away or fizzle out of the picture and we don’t hear about them again. What the hell was the plot of this book? I guess it was just to learn more about Hunter. Um, yay…I guess. Now I know I don’t like him all that much. Oh, and we get a better understanding of Guides. Whoop-de-freaking-doo.
The Snuggly
Hunter and Kate. They were good together but we didn’t get to see them really “together-together” for very long. They had their cute moments though. But mostly they didn’t trust each other for most of the book.
This book is the most sexual of the bunch. It’s still very YA, but it’s definitely hotter and more spicy.
Final Thoughts
I have to be honest, I gave this book 3 stars because it started out really good, and even though it took a nose dive of death, I still love the series. So 3 stars means, yes, read this book if you are the fan of the series. But only for that reason. Hesitantly recommended.
“The first day you meet, you are friends. The next day, you are brothers.”
“Are you imagining me naked again?”
“Ah…only in the most respectful way.”
“Words, not hands,” said Layne. She poked Gabriel with her fork. “I think you need a T-shirt that says that.”
He leaned in close. “Give me five minutes and I bet I can change your mind.”
Elemental Series:
Book #1: Storm
Book #2: Spark
Book #3: Spirit
Jaclyn Canada
Such a bummer. Sounds like a mysterious character that maybe you didn’t want to learn more about LOL. You said yesterday you weren’t impressed, and you weren’t kidding.
I can’t handle that pity party business either. Drives me crazy. In my opinion, when you have a series with individual books focusing on different characters, you run the risk of some shining far better than others. Black Dagger Brotherhood has some books like that.
Great review! I hope you had a really good one to follow it up with. I just finished a fantastic book, but one you didn’t really like the first in the series – Scarlet 😀 Jaclyn @ JC’s Book Haven.
Jennifer Bielman
LOL, yes I did have a good one to follow this one.
I agree, BDB had a few of those kinds of books too.
I so wanted to love this one cuz the series is amazing. I hate that this one faltered so much.
Elisa
The whining and poor me crap is fine for a bit, but I am with you and it kills me to keep reading that stuff, even when events really should allow them the pity party for a bit, I want to read about the people who move beyond that! Great review, bummer the third isn’t the charm, but it sounds like an addictive series!
Jennifer Bielman
Yes, a very addictive series. But yeah, pity parties are okay for only a little bit, but at one point you have to take off the dress and end your little tea party.
Jaclyn Canada
I’m with you, Elisa, you gotta move on. Jennifer – I love that and am warning you that I will use that in the future LOL! Take off the dress and end your little tea party Bwahahaha. When do we get to read your work?? I have a feeling you are going to have some seriously funny dialogue.
Jennifer Bielman
LOL thanks. I have a weird brain. I am finishing up my first novel and working on co-writing another. But the end of this year for sure you will get to read something of mine.
Sarah Elizabeth
I agree totally, this is my least favourite of the series so far. I was bored, and I wanted more! I thought the death was quite a bold move, but I can’t say I really cared, it certainly didn’t make me emotional. Fingers crossed that the next one will be better, I was really looking forward to this after breathless.
Jennifer Bielman
I agree, no emotion with the death at all. That’s a bad sign.
Brandi Kosiner
I enjoyed Hunter’s complexity and the yumminess of the merricks as well, but sorry this one disappointed you overall.
Jennifer Bielman
Yeah, it can’t be for everyone. That’s okay, I will still read the series.
Giselle
I didn’t know many people didn’t like Hunter before I saw it mentioned on a couple reviews on this one. I kind of liked him a lot actually so I’m really excited to have this one in his POV. I find him kind of.. complex. I’m sad this one wasn’t mindblowing but I still can’t resist a Merrick Boy Book! 😉
Jennifer Bielman
Yeah, I was surprised how many people disliked Hunter when I first found out. I so wish this book proved them wrong. I hope you like it more than me.