This is Gabriel's story in the series, the brother whose element is fire. As you'd expect, Gabriel is the bad boy, the tempestuous one who fits his element. Layne, a brainy girl in one of his classes, isn't afraid to call him out and calm him down.
The story is fine; people in town suspect Gabriel when a rash of arson fires hit. Gabriel and his brothers try to solve the mystery as well as Layne. It was probably a little too YA for me, but it's a quick read. ( )

My Thoughts:Fair warning, if you haven't read Storm, you are going to want to stop right now. There will be spoilers for that book. It's kind of impossible to review a sequel without giving away what happened in the prior book.

In this installment, we get to see a lot more of Gabriel. He seems to be dealing with a lot of guilt over what happened to his brothers and his inability to have done more to prevent things or to help them more.

At first, I had a little trouble with the fact that we were reading from a different point of view in this book, and this seems to be something more and more common in YA series' lately. I am not sure if it is something that I like or not, but I digress. And then, of course, the point of view shifts around a little in this book.

We meet a lot of characters that you learn to love, and a lot more characters that you learn to hate. What's more, we learn a bit more about the characters we already knew and gain a bit of a different perspective about them. My eyes really opened on quite a few of the characters in this installment. Of one thing I am absolutely certain, however. Taylor and her cronies need to die a slow and painful death. And Ryan Stacey is the devil incarnate.

I think the biggest shock for me though was the revelation about who was really behind the fires. I totally didn't see that coming but in hindsight, part of me thinks I should have.

The relationship that develops between Gabriel and his love interest took me by surprise, to be sure. I was glad to see it though because it showed a side of him that I didn't think could exist after how his character was playing out in the beginning. Really, the same with Michael. Who would have thought Michael could have a soft side?

Then of course there is the developing friendship between Gabriel and Hunter. After everything that happened in Storm with Hunter, I never would have thought any of them would have trusted him.

All in all, I think Spark was an even bigger roller coaster ride than Storm and I was once again left with more questions than answers. I am sitting here ready to devour more of this series and I get the feeling I will be left with a sense of loss when I get to the end. If you haven't read these yet, you really should!

 This review was originally posted on ( )

Eventually, you'll be able to find this review on my blog:

CLICK ME!


WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL GABRIEL MERRICK TEST
(Because he loves tests so much!)

Question 1:
Gabriel Merrick is:
☐ Down to earth.
☐ A breath of fresh air..
☐ Hot tempered!

Question 2:
When you meet him he'll:
☐ Reduce you to a puddle of emotions.
☐ Make your blood boil.
☐ Take your breath away!

Question 3:
As the story progresses, Layne:
☐ Grows to hate him.
☐ Is flooded with too many emotions.
☐ Experiences feelings of burning desire.

Question 4:
By the end of the book:
☐ The scorching intensity is overwhelming and you want to read more!
☐ Tears stream down your face because of something unexpected and heart wrenching..!
☐ You need the next book like you need air to breathe!

Question 5:
Finally, Gabriel's element is:
☐ Earth.
☐ Fire.
☐ Water.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWERS:

Question 1:
Gabriel Merrick is:
☒ Hot tempered!That's right! Our dear Gabriel is no stranger to anger; in fact, he has a close relationship with fury and is prone to losing his temper and oops setting something on fire.

Question 2:
When you meet him he'll:
☒ Make your blood boil.Honestly! You see, Gabriel has a bit of an.. Attitude issue. Nothing major! He'll just infuriate you to no end with snide remarks and stupid jokes..

Question 3:
As the story progresses, Layne:
☒ Experiences feelings of burning desire.Yes, Gabriel gains the attention of Layne, the sweet, shy brainiac who sits next to him in Maths class. Fortunately for Layne, at this point Gabriel is no longer being such a douchebag. Mildly sweet at times even..

Question 4:
By the end of the book:
☒ The scorching intensity is overwhelming and you want to read more!Of this, I have no doubt! You'll be left wondering "What's going to happen to all these people I've grown to love?" an will be pouncing on [b:Spirit|6479259|Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, #5)|Richelle Mead|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1291168967s/6479259.jpg|6670482] when it comes out!

Question 5:
Finally, Gabriel's element is:
☒ Fire.And such a fitting element for this fiery, sizzling, scorching guy!

Over & Out, T xx
( )

Eventually, you'll be able to find this review on my blog:

CLICK ME!


WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL GABRIEL MERRICK TEST
(Because he loves tests so much!)

Question 1:
Gabriel Merrick is:
☐ Down to earth.
☐ A breath of fresh air..
☐ Hot tempered!

Question 2:
When you meet him he'll:
☐ Reduce you to a puddle of emotions.
☐ Make your blood boil.
☐ Take your breath away!

Question 3:
As the story progresses, Layne:
☐ Grows to hate him.
☐ Is flooded with too many emotions.
☐ Experiences feelings of burning desire.

Question 4:
By the end of the book:
☐ The scorching intensity is overwhelming and you want to read more!
☐ Tears stream down your face because of something unexpected and heart wrenching..!
☐ You need the next book like you need air to breathe!

Question 5:
Finally, Gabriel's element is:
☐ Earth.
☐ Fire.
☐ Water.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWERS:

Question 1:
Gabriel Merrick is:
☒ Hot tempered!That's right! Our dear Gabriel is no stranger to anger; in fact, he has a close relationship with fury and is prone to losing his temper and oops setting something on fire.

Question 2:
When you meet him he'll:
☒ Make your blood boil.Honestly! You see, Gabriel has a bit of an.. Attitude issue. Nothing major! He'll just infuriate you to no end with snide remarks and stupid jokes..

Question 3:
As the story progresses, Layne:
☒ Experiences feelings of burning desire.Yes, Gabriel gains the attention of Layne, the sweet, shy brainiac who sits next to him in Maths class. Fortunately for Layne, at this point Gabriel is no longer being such a douchebag. Mildly sweet at times even..

Question 4:
By the end of the book:
☒ The scorching intensity is overwhelming and you want to read more!Of this, I have no doubt! You'll be left wondering "What's going to happen to all these people I've grown to love?" an will be pouncing on [b:Spirit|6479259|Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, #5)|Richelle Mead|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1291168967s/6479259.jpg|6670482] when it comes out!

Question 5:
Finally, Gabriel's element is:
☒ Fire.And such a fitting element for this fiery, sizzling, scorching guy!

Over & Out, T xx
( )

BOY HOWDY DO I LOVE THE FAMILY DYNAMICS IN THIS SERIES.

also I LOHOHOHOHOVE GABRIEL he is my fave so this book will probably remain my fave.

There are definitely problematic bits though so be careful about body image and slut-shaming, everyone. Give it the side-eye. ( )