Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer Published by K Teen on May 28 2013
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 301
Format: eBook
Source: I Bought It
Goodreads
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…
Hunter Garrity’s life is falling apart. His father and uncle are dead – killed by the very elementals they opposed. His mother is being distant with him and his grandparents just want him out of the house. He may have made himself as enemy of the Merrick brothers. He definitely made an enemy out of Calla, a conniving, unstable schemer, who seems determined to use him for her owns means. This includes framing him for attacking her and getting him thrown out of his own home.
When his grandfather throws him out of the house, Michael Merrick extends an invitation for Hunter to come and live with him and his brothers. Hunter is unsure if he is really welcome though. Gabriel is still smarting after Hunter’s apparent betrayal in the last book and Chris has never quite forgiven Hunter for his pursuit of Becca inStorm. Nick is also reserved. They all know what threat Hunter poses to them and they are unsure if they can trust him, especially after he previously abused their trust. Hunter feels alone and has convinced himself that is how he wants to stay.
Hunter is a Fifth, which means he is destined to always be apart from the rest of the elemental users. He has to maintain his distance. His duty is to destroy pure elementals as they pose a threat to the rest of the world. He should despise the Merrick brothers but they are the only people who could possibly understand just what he is going though – not to mention the fact that they have saved his life a time or two.
Yet Hunter cannot begin to fully trust anyone, feeling it easier to try and make it alone. However new girl Kate Sullivan seems determined to push his buttons. She is feisty and bold and Hunter cannot help but be drawn to her. Kate is hiding a secret of her own though, one which may put her in opposition to Hunter. Hunter’s loyalties will once again be tested. He will need to decide whom he can really trust. A dividing line will soon be drawn and Hunter will have to pick a side…
Spirit was certainly a very, very intense read. Hunter Garrity has always been a bit of a wild card. I have never truly been able to work out his motivations. Now I know it is because he is so confused himself. Poor Hunter was put through the ringer in this book and though his deliberations were frustrating, his confusion and isolation (some of it self-imposed mind you) really pulled at my heartstrings.
He has been sorely neglected by his family – which has left him very mistrustful. Hunter is a very conflicted character. There is battle being waged inside him, the beliefs that he was raised with, that pure elementals area threat to be wiped out, are being pitted against the fact that he knows the Merrick brothers are not bad people. Yet he cannot bring himself to fully trust them, even when they go out of their way to help him. To say that he has trust issues would be putting it very mildly. He clearly wants to belong somewhere, but is so unsure about where he stands he cannot let anyone in:
“No one gives a shit about me until there’s a mess, and then suddenly everything is my fault! I can’t please anyone, and every time I try, I’m just one big fucking disappointment. Everyone is on me to pick a side. How the hell am I supposed to pick a side when everyone hates me?”
Hunter has walls up around his heart that makes it impossible for anyone to get past – except for Kate.
Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school, has a big secret of her own. She has an agenda herself, and is not above using her looks and smarts to get what she wants. Kate is also a Guide (or at least one in training) and has come to town to investigate the Merrick brothers.
Kate was a well-written kick-ass character that I unfortunately found very difficult to warm up to. I liked that she was capable, funny and smart but although the chemistry between her and Hunter practically leaped off the page, I just didn’t like her very much. The fact that Hunter and Kate just seemed to be using each other at first made it difficult to root for them as a couple. However, when they both starting letting their guard down a little and got to know each other better I found myself liking Kate considerably more though it took awhile to get to that point.
The Merrick brothers were, as usual, the best part of the book for me. Chris had a bit more to do in this one and I enjoyed Nick having a bit more presence as well. It was great seeing Hunter and Gabriel interact again (again – still love their bromance!!) but it was Michael that really stepped up in this one. He offers a helping hand to Hunter right when he needs it most overlooking most of Hunter’s anti-social attitude, yet big brother that he is, he sees through Hunter’s most transparent lies:
“I went by the house. Tried to work things out with my mom.” “You know I’ve got three younger brothers, right?” Hunter frowned. “What?” “It means I’ve got a pretty finely tuned bullshit detector.”
Michael really is such a sweetheart in this book. He is determined to get through to Hunter and willingly brings him into the fold and into their family. It is Gabriel that sums it up best though:
“The first day you meet, you are friends. The next day, you are brothers.” Gabriel lost the smile. Then he clapped Hunter on the shoulder. Hunter frowned at him. “What was that for?” “Brotherhood,” he said. “Welcome to the family.”
Looks like Hunter is now an honorary Merrick!! I wasn’t tearing up at this part at all – really I just had something in my eye!
Spirit was an action-packed book, full of twists and turns (holy moly was I not expecting one particular twist) – well done Brigid Kemmerer for being able to shock me senseless! This book was perhaps the most emotional read yet. I have to say this series is now a favourite of mine. I have become so attached to the characters. It is so hard to pick a favourite. I have always loved Michael (and he was amazing in this book) but Hunter was of course the star and his story had me emotionally wrecked.
This was such a heart-breaking tale. Hunter’s life really has been one of struggle but it is good to know he now has a family that will care for him. Although it has been a difficult journey for him, it is clear that he is at heart an inherently ‘good’ person, he wants to do the right thing even when all his training is telling him to do the opposite
The writing was as tight as previous instalments and as the drama unfolded I couldn’t helped but be awed by Brigid Kemmerer’s ability to pull the reader into the action. This book really achieved the remarkable, it was just as character-driven but the plot was just as engaging – full of danger and excitement. Not to mention the fact that it completely propelled the story forward – I cannot wait for the next book!
I would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a good paranormal tale that dares to be different. What are you waiting for – go and read it now!!
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