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Showing posts with label Brigid Kemmerer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brigid Kemmerer. Show all posts

Tuesday, 2 July 2019

Review: A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

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A Curse so Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) 
Brigid Kemmerer
Release Date: January 1st, 2019
Publishers: Bloomsbury UK
Genre: Fantasy, Re-Telling, YA
Source: For Review
Pages: 496
Goodreads: Add to TBR 
 
In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse. 

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom. 

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin. 

The Review: I’m a huge fan of Brigid Kemmerer’s work. From her paranormal books to contemporary books, everything I have read by her I have always really enjoyed, so as soon as I heard about A Curse so Dark and Lonely I just knew I had to read it and I honestly couldn’t contain my excitement when a review copy turned up and I literally dived straight in to read it. And once again Brigid wow’s me because this definitely didn’t disappointed.

A Curse so Dark and Lonely is a YA fantasy re-telling of the classic Beauty and the Beast with a modern contemporary twist. It follows a teenage girl named Harper who has Cerebral Palsy while trying to look after her struggling family. It’s when she is trying to help her brother that she is kidnapped and taken to another world called Emberfall, a world that has fallen under a deadly curse and she may be the key to breaking it.  

The characters of this story are really likeable. Harper is an interesting girl that after all her struggles in life, remains strong through the story. She doesn’t let her Cerebral Palsy stop her from doing the things she loves and refuses to be judged on her condition. We honestly need more refreshing YA characters like her and she was a pleasure to get to know. 

Rhen is also immediately likable. It takes a while to really find out who is he because he’s so used to hiding behind the curse that has affected his whole life and he is suffering because of how much his people are suffering. I really loved the banter between him and Harper. I’m always a sucker for true love stories and this really hit the spot. 

And then we have Grey. A character that became a friend to Harper but who is also hiding so much. I’m so glad we will get to find out what happens with him because how this story ends was something I definitely wasn’t expecting. It was a very good twist! 

I thoroughly enjoyed A Curse so Dark and Lonely and will eagerly look forward to reading more. I’m so glad Brigid decided to write something like this because there is always room for more fantasy books and Brigid has fit right in. 

Thank you to Bloomsbury UK for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 


                                                                       Rating: Really liked it - 4 flowers

Monday, 1 May 2017

{Review} Spirit (Elemental #3) by Brigid Kemmerer

17984481Posted by Donna
Release Date: May 28th, 2013
Finished Date: March 22nd, 2017
Publishers: Kensington
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Source: Bought
Format: eBook
Pages: 345
Buy: Amazon UK Amazon US / The Book Depo 
 
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. . .

The Review: Spirit is book three in the Elemental series and unlike the rest of the series, this book isn’t about a Merrick brother but instead their friend/enemy Hunter Garrick. Hunter like the Merrick brothers has an affinity that he can control to his will, however he is the one of the rarest – the fifth element Spirit, and while I was definitely interested in learning more about the Spirit element, I have to say I wasn’t all that excited to get Hunter’s book so soon – especially seems I was more interested in reading about the brothers. And if I’m honest I wasn’t over keen on Hunter because of his actions from the first two books. However, once I started this book I have to admit it was pretty hard to put down and I quickly started to like Hunter more as a character than I actually thought I would.

Hunter is a hard character to like because you just never know where his actions are going to take him and also if you’re on Team Merrick then it’s hard to like Hunter because he’s pretty untrustworthy sometimes. His actions make him so and I was pleased he kind of redeems himself through-out the book. He actually has a really hard time throughout Spirit and I did really feel for him. He’s hurting and has no-one to turn to – not even Gabriel and I missed the friendship he had with him – even though they don’t admit it, they are friends and seeing them at war with each other only added to Hunter’s problems. He finds trust a big issue and while you can see that the Merrick brothers want to help him, Hunter does not and just finds more reasons to be at war with them.
Being Kate into the story was interesting and very unpredictable – that ending? Seriously? I loved and hated it. I wanted more for Hunter. He was already struggling with so much and then *SPOILER* they don’t even get a happy ending. I was heartbroken. I’m not a fan of those type of endings and even now I don’t see why it needed to happen, but overall the whole story really had me hooked so I still enjoyed it.
In all Spirit took me by surprise and in the end even though some events didn’t happen the way I would of liked, I still enjoyed the story and it was a good addition to the series.

Monday, 10 April 2017

{Review} Spark (Elemental #2) by Brigid Kemmerer

12977172Posted by Donna
Release Date: August 28th, 2012
Finished Date: March 20th, 2017
Publishers: Kensington
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Source: Bought
Format: eBook
Pages: 345
Buy: Amazon UK Amazon US / The Book Depo 
 
Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally. Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can't. 

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. And no one seems to believe him. 

Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Because Layne has a few secrets of her own... 

The Review: Spark is the second book in Brigid Kemmerer’s Elemental series and I’m so glad I decided to carry out with this series. It’s been too long since I have been able to dive into a series and not want to put it down.

Each book features a different character and this time it’s another Merrick brother – Gabriel. Gabriel has an affinity to Fire, he can start them but learning control is hard for him. Sometimes his element likes to play but other times it likes to take over and as everyone knows fire is catching so it’s a very dangerous thing to play with.

I really liked getting to know Gabriel more. In Storm he was very much the fun brother who doesn’t hold back what he wants to say, however as you read Spark you start to see that under his tough guy exterior he’s actually struggling with a lot issues – the loss of his parents and the guilt he feels over it, he feels stupid for not being able to pass math without the help of his twin brother Nick and also he actually feels pretty alone. He hasn’t got a lot of close friends nor has he got a girlfriend so when his brother’s start pairing off, he struggles with his loneliness and his guilt for his issues causes him to argue with everyone close to him. Then there is also the fact that someone is starting fires in the neighbourhood and Gabriel is suspect number one. Gabriel’s story is a sad one just because he’s dealing with so much but I still enjoyed every minute of his journey.

The bright spot in this story is Layne who does become Gabriel’s love interest. She is a great character to get to know but she is also dealing with her own issues which vary from parental problems, to having a deaf brother who is being bullied at school and then finally to Lanie being hurt from a young age and dealing with the after effects of that. The author tackles all of these issues very well and as a reader you can see why there are so many obstacles in the characters life – it’s for them to grow and to become stronger characters but it’s also eye opening to readers to some of the real day to day issues some people deal with and as I said, the author tackles this well and it honestly made for great reading.

I love the whole element aspect of the story. Being able to control either fire, water, air or earth has always been interesting to me and I’m enjoying exploring it with this story. I’m honestly not sure which brother or which element I like more! Hopefully I’ll be able to answer that by the end of the series.

As the series progresses you can see trouble brewing for the Merrick brothers and the people attached to them. The story is around someone starting local fires but there is a lot more to it. The Merrick brothers have to keep a low profile to not draw attention to themselves or they could be killed – so yeah, this is definitely one read you’ll burn straight through.
Now the big question for you readers – what element would you like to control?

Friday, 24 March 2017

{Review} Storm (Elemental #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

13616044Posted by Donna
Release Date: April 21st, 2012
Finished Date: March 18th, 2017
Publishers: Kensington
Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance
Source: Gifted
Format: eBook
Pages: 413
Buy: Amazon UK Amazon US / The Book Depo 
 
Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys-- the ones she doesn't want. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her. 

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. . . 

The Review: I read this book back in 2014 and since then it’s always been a book I’ve never forgotten. So I decided to re-read the first book with the intention of finishing the rest of the books in the series.

Exciting, dangerous and very intense, Storm is a fast paced read that brings a whole new meaning to elemental magic.

Our main character Becca doesn’t have many friends except her best friend and she shies away from other students because of the nasty rumours that have been spread about her around school. On night after leaving school, Becca comes across Chris Merrick fighting for his life in the car park. Becca does the only thing she can think of and that’s to help run Chris’s attackers off, however, after rescuing Chris, Becca is pulled into Chris’s dangerous world, especially when she finds out he’s connected to the elements and can control water. Becca’s life has never been as dangerous as it is now, and she needs to figure out who she can trust before it’s too late.

The brothers - Chris, Nick, Gabriel and Michael are completely fabulous! With each of them having a different element, it’s safe to say there is never a dull moment throughout this story. It’s captivating and spell-blinding to watch these super-hot guys experience with their super cool elemental magic. They bring a lot of exciting twists and turns throughout the story and it also makes it very unpredictable – in all, I loved the plot.

With Storm being Chris’s story, I really enjoyed getting to know him and watching his relationship with Becca grow. At times, it’s nearly non-existent that I honestly thought they would just remain friends, but the author focuses more on the story rather than the romance and I liked that. It gave the story a lot of suspense and intense scenes. Both Becca and Chris were really great to get to know. I liked Becca; she grew on me through-out the story, but Chris I liked instantly. I think because there was a lot of mystery surrounding him. And together, they were great!

At the moment, it’s pretty hard to pick a favourite brother. There’s definitely something about Nick that I like, so I’m intrigued to discover more in his story, but I’m also excited to read the other books in the series. But I have to say, I definitely enjoyed this story much more the second time around, especially knowing I have the next book ready and waiting.

Monday, 28 April 2014

Blog Tour for Storm (Elemental #1) by Brigid Kemmerer; Review + Author Q&A

20410663Posted by Donna
Release Date: April 14th, 2014
Finished Date: April 11th, 2014
Publishers: Much-in-Little
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance 
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake.

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys; all the ones she doesn't want. When she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot, everything is about to change. Chris is different from the guys at school... really different. He can control water just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. The brothers are powerful and dangerous. And now that Becca knows the truth, so is she.

When the mysterious new kid, Hunter, turns up, Becca thinks she can trust him. But when he goes head-to-head with Chris, Becca's left wondering who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The Review: Exciting, dangerous and very intense, Storm is a fast paced read that brings a whole new meaning to elemental magic.

Our main character Becca doesn’t have many friends except her best friend and she shies away from other students because of the nasty rumours that have been spread about her around school. On night after leaving school, Becca comes across Chris Merrick fighting for his life in the car park. Becca does the only thing she can think of and that’s to help run Chris’s attackers off, however, after rescuing Chris, Becca is pulled into Chris’s dangerous world, especially when she finds out he’s connected to the elements and can control water. Becca’s life has never been as dangerous as it is now, and she needs to figure out who she can trust before it’s too late. 

YA Paranormal has definitely taken a backseat with me. It’s feels like such a long time that I’ve been able to connect with that kind of story, but I’m so glad that Storm finally cracked the problem and now I’m itching for more – more importantly – itching for more from the Merrick brothers. 

The brothers - Chris, Nick, Gabriel and Michael are completely fabulous! With each of them having a different element, it’s safe to say there is never a dull moment throughout this story. It’s captivating and spell-blinding to watch these super-hot guys experience with their super cool elemental magic. The bring a lot of exciting twists and turns throughout the story and it also makes it very unpredictable – in all, I loved the plot. 

With Storm being Chris’s story, I really enjoyed getting to know him and watching his relationship with Becca grow. At times, it’s nearly non-existent that I honestly thought they would just remain friends, but the author focuses more on the story rather than the romance and I liked that. It gave the story a lot of suspense and intense scenes. Both Becca and Chris were really great to get to know. I liked Becca; she grew on me through-out the story, but Chris I liked instantly. I think because there was a lot of mystery surrounding him. And together, they were great! 

At the moment, it’s pretty hard to pick a favourite brother. There’s definitely something about Nick that I like, so I’m intrigued to discover more in his story, but I’m also excited to read the other books in the series. I’m not sure I can wait for the next UK release date – I want it now! 

In all, Storm surprised me and I found it a very exciting read that it’s left me wanting more. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read this book. 

Favourite Quote: Becca pressed her face against his shoulder again, and he knew he wasn't going anywhere. "You keep saving me." she said. "Yeah, well." He stroked the hair down her back. "I think we might be close to breaking even on that.”

Brigid KemmererAuthor Interview with Brigid Kemmerer 

How did you come up with the idea for the series? 
The first novel I wrote in high school was about four vampire brothers, named Michael, Nicholas, Gabriel, and Christopher. It was a silly story, but I still have most of it on paper. In my twenties, when I really began to take writing seriously, I wrote a few books but was unable to find a literary agent or a publisher. I couldn’t get those four brothers out of my head – but I didn’t want to do vampires again. I started tossing around ideas that would work with the number four. Four horsemen of the apocalypse. Four leaf clovers. Four, four, four. The four elements of earth, air, fire, and water seemed to work best—and I had a lot of ideas how I could make it fun. What teenagers wouldn’t want to be able to control the elements?

How long did it take to write?  
It took me about nine months to write Storm. 

What was the most challenging thing about writing this book?  
Figuring out how to write from a guy's point of view. I'd never tried it, and my first attempt was really stressful. Originally Storm was entirely from Becca's perspective. I had half the book written from her point of view, and I realized I had a great family dynamic to explore. I kept asking my husband all these random questions about how guys think. I know I made him nuts, but it paid off, because he finally snapped, "Hon, stop worrying about how ALL guys think, and worry about how THIS guy thinks." It was the perfect advice. I sat down, started writing, and Chris was born. 

Do you have a favourite character?  
No way! I could never pick a favorite. I love them all. 

Do you prefer the UK or US covers to your books?  
Dangerous question! I love different things about all my covers, but I think the UK covers capture the danger element of the books the best. 
 
Favourite quote from Storm? 
When Nick quips that Gabriel can barely count to ten, so Gabriel gives him the finger and says, "I can count to one." 

Fun Questions: 

If you were deserted on an island, what three favourite things would you want with you?
My husband, my e-reader, and a lifetime supply of potato chips. 

What would we find in your refrigerator right now? 
Steak and potatoes for me and my husband and tons of easy foods for the kids. Think yogurt and applesauce and juice boxes. I don't eat any seafood due to a terrifying experience with a catfish when I was five. Yes, really. 

List 3 books you have recently read and would recommend? 
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine (due out this fall)
Donna of the Dead by Alison Kemper


About the author.....
Brigid Kemmerer finds the time to write somewhere between caring for her family and working at her day job, but sometimes she ends up mothering her coworkers and managing her family. Storm: The Elemental Series is her first novel. 
 
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