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...
Other reviews in the series
Review:Ever since his twin brother got kidnapped and Gabriel wasn't able keep him out of harms way, he has been on edge. Gabriel's power has been going a bit wonky, as has his temper. When you thought he was getting into trouble before, you have seen nothing yet. He is getting into fights with everyone, even his brothers and now it seems they are not speaking to each other, not even Nick.
Gabriel's got quite the temper and fight in him. He's an arm for an eye type of guy. It's not about getting even, but rather making things worse for the other person. Now that his confidence has been touched it seems like he's an inferno waiting to happen. He accidentally starts putting things on fire, and often he has no real control over it. I have the feeling it very much relies on his temper and emotions. Which are all running very high throughout the book.
Layne might be the total opposite of Gabriel. She is well mannered, has no temper, barely dares to speak up and she's expected to be perfect. Gabriel has never noticed her until one day in class when he needed to borrow a pencil. Somehow her calmness got to him and they form a weird alliance.
An arsonist has been starting fires. While his brothers suspect Gabriel of being behind, he is actually the one trying to save the people stuck inside those buildings. It has become an outlet for him, to forget about the fights. Like he finally isn't a screw up. Hurt by the lack of confidence from his brothers, he turns away from them and runs towards Layne.
There is so much anger and teenage mood swings going on in that house, it is exhausting. All those misunderstandings and accusations towards each other only makes the gap bigger. Gabriel feels alone and almost abandoned by his brothers. Mostly by Nick, the one who is supposed to get him the best, but now seems to be the farthest away.
Gabriel hasn't been the nicest guy so far, but he has been the most fun and interesting one. He really takes you on an emotional roller coaster with this one. I totally sided with him during the story and with the way his brothers treated him. Also I finally felt like at least one of them is trying to do something positive with his ability, no longer being passive about it. Of course this brings a lot of danger with it.
I'm giving this four stars instead of the three I've been giving so far, because Spark is so much more intense than the previous books. Gabriel's story really makes you get into it. It's not just the action that makes you turn pages, but also the sweet and tender moments between Gabriel and Layne. Those moments are real, confusing and make you go 'aw'.
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