SPIRIT by Brigid Kemmerer

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Rating: B+
Synopsis:
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…

My thoughts on the book:
Spirit is a much darker book than the previous Elementals series installments. I was a bit shocked at how tortured Hunter is. His character growth throughout this novel is impressive, and as always with Kemmerer, the other characters are fleshed out and believable. The plot is action-packed and intense, the pacing is spot on, and the continued world-building is fantastic. Kemmerer has really grown as an author over the course of this series, and Spirit did not disappoint. 

Hunter is a fascinating character, and I enjoyed getting to know him better. I also love how he evolved over the course of the novel. I also can relate to how much he loves his dog because I'm super close with my cat. Additionally, I can understand the feeling that animals are easier to trust than people. Therefore, Hunter made a lot of sense to me. I wasn't a huge fan of Kate. She's kind of skanky and shallow, in my opinion. I just didn't like her at all. I feel like Hunter can do much better. Michael really stood out in this installment, and I grew to love him even more. 

The plot kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire duration of the book. I had to see what was going to happen next. Poor Hunter has the worst luck ever! Kemmerer also touched on some really serious issues in this installment, such as child abuse, child neglect, and the complicated relationships between parents and kids. Also, I like how she challenges the idea of a traditional family and illustrates that sometimes the best families are the ones you create yourself. Somehow Kemmerer always manages to make profound statements without being preachy, and I love her for that. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book and series to anyone who likes good YA paranormal literature. Kemmerer is a rising star in the YA genre, and you do not want to miss these books!

Order Spirit!

Here is a code for free download for the Elementals ebook (available on Kensington site only, through link below):

http://bit.ly/105eIEt

The promo code is: VCARD

It’s active until May 31^st.

About the author:

Brigid Kemmerer started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years!
Spirit, the latest book in the series, will be released in stores and online on May 28, 2013. Connect with Brigid on her website, Twitter, Facebook, and GoodReads.

Click here to read the first chapter of Spirit!