Brigid Kemmerer

I love Beauty and the Beast retellings and this is one of the best IMHO. It's dark, very violent, but so good. Harper is a great heroine, a young woman kidnapped from Washington DC to break Prince Rhen's curse. Rhen is despondent, hating himself for invoking the curse which in this retelling has the beast killing his family and a lot of other people. Harper just wants to get home but also doesn't want to put up with Rhen's attitude. I especially like that she is portrayed as having CP, but show more tries to accommodate to the disease which is an incentive to Rhen to start taking care of his remaining people.
Every character is nuanced. Grey, Rhen's only friend and his bodyguard, is caught between the Harper and Rhen as the deadline for stopping the curse approaches.
The book is stand-alone though there's a bit of a reveal that could lead to more books (I already grabbed the next book). This isn't a Disney version of the fairytale but I really liked this grimmer style of the story. show less

Firstly, how refreshing it is to have a heroine with Cerebral Palsy?!
I, naively, believed that all people with Cerebral Palsy had need of mobility aids. I have learnt through this story (And subsequent research) that this is not the case. I just happen to of only met people with cerebral palsy who have need of them. This is but one of the reasons why more characters should represent real people: As well as being relative to real life and inclusive, it helps ignorant people like myself to show more learn!

Secondly, I was sceptical about reading this as I’ve read another Beauty and The Beast retelling this year in ACOTAR. I asked people if they had read both? Did they think they were similar? I started reading it and people asked ME, I’ve read ACOTAR, is ACSDAL similar ..... To cut a long, rambling story short. No! They are both fantastic in their own right!

I loved it. I loved it. I loved it! Bring on A Heart So Fierce and Broken! show less

When Brigid Kemmerer first announced the title of her latest project, I was all over it. WARRIOR PRINCESS ASSASSIN? Three characters I would gladly read about and enjoy every minute. For the most part, that is true. I loved the characters at an individual level. Additionally, the plot raises numerous questions to pique my interest.

My main problem with WARRIOR PRINCESS ASSASSIN is that I am uncertain if we need another throuple. Call me old-fashioned, or just old, but I miss the days when show more authors made their heroes choose between love interests instead of having each point of a love triangle fall in love with the others. Sure, love triangles cause a lot of consternation among fans, but that's half the fun! Can you imagine if Team Werewolf and Team Vampire became Vampire, Human, Werewolf? Ugh.

So, yeah, I have issues with throuples. It feels like an author is taking the easier path when they write them into the plot. I have yet to read a polyamorous relationship that feels truly genuine, where all three parties are truly in love with each other. Attraction and lust? Yes. True love - the only thing that would allow such polyamorous relationships to succeed? Not so much.

I will say WARRIOR PRINCESS ASSASSIN has a pretty steam payoff for such a slow-burning story. That almost makes up for my ongoing questions about the necessity of a polyamorous relationship. Almost.

The other slight issue I have with WARRIOR PRINCESS ASSASSIN is the fact that, for a story about a warrior and assassin and two countries on the brink of war, there is surprisingly little action. Most of the book focuses on character development, relationship building, and uncovering secrets held by the three main heroes. I hope this means there will be more action in the second book; you can't have a warrior infamous for his fire magic and a talented assassin without a lot of bloodshed.

Lastly, while I normally never try to predict where an author is leading her readers, I feel like WARRIOR PRINCESS ASSASSIN is a little too obvious about what is to come. There is one very obvious solution to all of the problems, and I hope that Ms. Kemmerer does not take that obvious path. Unfortunately, there is more than one hint that my theory will come to fruition, and I'm not certain I am happy about it. I don't like being able to predict anything. I read for entertainment and escape, and I deliberately try to avoid any inkling of prediction. That I can do so even though I actively avoid it speaks volumes for how obvious Ms. Kemmerer is with her clues. I rarely want to be wrong, but this is one instance where I want to be.

None of my little issues prevented me from devouring WARRIOR PRINCESS ASSASSIN. I loved each character for different reasons. All three are compelling and sympathetic with their share of tragedies and spines of courage. I enjoyed the way Ms. Kemmerer built the relationships between the three, even though I remain unconvinced that the assassin feels love for the warrior and vice versa. I am curious to see what resolutions are in store for the rather hopeless situation the three find themselves in at the end of the novel, and I can secretly hope that there is some sort of choice or sacrifice made to avoid yet another throuple. show less

Brigid Kemmerer released Spark, her second book in “The Elemental Series,” on August 28th and shows no hint of sophomore slump. Her début YA paranormal Storm was an exciting premiere for the series and Spark picks right up where Storm left off, but moves the focus to Gabriel, the fire elemental of the Merrick family. Turns out, fire is not only his element – it is his entire character.

Utilizing a third person narrative, Kemmerer switches points of view between hot-headed Gabriel and show more new character Layne, an introverted, brainiac in Gabriel’s math class. I found myself enjoying both of these characters immensely, and was surprised to find how broken they both were by events in the past. Gabriel was so brash and confident in Storm that it wasn’t until I got into his head in Spark that I realized how much of his persona was an act. He doesn’t lack courage, and has a deep love of family that he finds difficult to express. He is constantly going off half-cocked, or letting his temper get the best of him. Yet he is riddled with insecurities (from his math skills to lack of control over his element) that not even his twin, Nick, sees. Under it all lies the guilt he feels for causing the fire that killed his parents, and for being unable to help Nick when they were attacked by an assassin sent to eliminate them in the previous book. He is the epitome of the bad boy who needs to be fixed, and Layne is just the girl for the job.

Haunted by an accident that has left her covering up her body in turtlenecks and jeans, and that led to her mother walking out on her family, Layne is struggling with insecurity as well. She has no problem, however, standing up to Gabriel and the bullies at school who pick on her little brother Simon because he is deaf. Like Becca (Storm‘s heroine) before her, Layne is a wonderful mix of strengths and weaknesses. She has plenty of courage when it comes to protecting Simon, but also has what seems to be a slightly unhealthy fear of her father that concerned me a bit. When an outburst late in the story revealed why she was afraid, however, I found myself in total sympathy and thought her anxiousness to please her father came from a completely natural source. Once she took Gabriel under her wing and learned of the arson accusations against him, she found the courage to stand up to her father and demand his help. Her only weakness was one shared by Becca – the underlying need to fit in that ends up with Layne going against her instincts and getting burned (metaphorically).

Secondary characters shine just as brightly as the two leads (with two exceptions I’ll get to shortly). I did find myself missing Chris and Becca, as they slipped to the background in Spark, but oldest Merrick brother Michael moved forward and was fleshed out a bit more. I really like the way Kemmerer is slowly rounding out his character (after his introduction in the novella Elemental) and revealing the difficulties he faces raising three brothers after the death of their parents. Becca’s friend Hunter continued to be a quiet, confident force and the unexpected friendship he developed with Gabriel – as he helped him try to control his fire power – was an interesting twist. Layne’s younger brother Simon, though, was my favorite secondary character. This new addition to the series is a kid with guts and a deep-seated anger who recognizes a kindred spirit in Gabriel. Both share a love of basketball, and the only thing holding Simon back is how other people relate to his hearing impairment. The way Simon and Gabriel bonded over basketball was heartwarming. The family dynamics that came into play between Layne, Simon and their attorney father were fascinating and the way Kemmerer was able to use those dynamics to completely change my negative opinion of Mr. Forrest from being a frightening, cold father into one who is ultimately a decent person was brilliant.

Spark is swiftly paced and engaging. Once I started this book, I found it impossible to put down. Even though I had my work alarm set to go off at 5:00am, I was up until 2:00am that morning finishing the story. I kept telling myself, “Just one more chapter,” or “I’ll just finish up this one section,” but it was never enough. I had to know what happened next and tore right through the narrative. Despite the fast pace, however, Kemmerer takes the time to let the romance between Gabriel and Layne build gradually. Both are so defensive that it would be unrealistic for them to fall in love instantly, and it was more satisfying to see them slowly dropping their guards and getting to know each other.

The arson mystery that popped up about halfway through the book felt a bit disjointed when it first came into play, but once Gabriel was officially accused everything just dropped into place and really moved. It was slightly repetitive to have Nick once more in danger from outside forces (this time the arsonist), but considering the circumstances and his elemental power it was necessary to the narrative – and an exciting fire sequence was the result. I found myself surprised by the motivation behind the arson, and the identity of the arsonist; I love when I don’t see a major plot point coming and discover it along with the characters. Seeing the way certain events played out, though, it looks like a major confrontation between Elementals and Guides is on the horizon, with the Merricks and their loved ones caught in the middle.

Like Storm before it, one of the weaknesses of this entry to the series is the underdevelopment of the characters Nick and Quinn (Becca’s best friend) – the two exceptions I mentioned above. Happily my prediction in my review of Storm that these two appeared to be heading towards a romantic relationship was correct, so I continue to hold out hope that they will become more developed when Nick’s book hits stands. Also I’m still confused by the Guides, and where they fit into everything. Guides have powers of their own and yet they are used to police and eliminate, if necessary, the regular Elementals. I also apparently had them mixed up with the Fifths in the first book. What am I missing? What makes them different from regular Elementals? What are the Fifths? Maybe I’m just a little slow picking up clues (I have been in the past), but I wish Kemmerer had put a little more development into the Guide and Fifth plot points so I had a clearer understanding of them.

With its many twists, engaging characters, and exciting storyline, Spark is just as strong as its predecessor Storm. Brigid Kemmerer shows a flair for action, drama, slowly building romance and overall character development that sucks readers into her stories and refuses to let them go. According to the author, we'll be getting both Nick's and Hunter's stories in 2013 and I can hardly wait! show less