Elemental Secrets
by Elle Middaugh
(The Essential Elements, #1)
Publication date: February 27th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
With her mother long deceased, and her father recently deployed, she ends up being sent to live with her eccentric aunt in a tiny town nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania. But, being a Navy brat had made her into a bit of a loner, and making friends certainly wasn’t her strongest suit. As if the life of a typical teen wasn’t hard enough.
But Valerie soon discovers she’s not a typical teenager. Not by a long shot.
SECRETS are revealed…
…About her family, about her newfound friends and relationships, and about her whole world… Things that have been kept from her for her entire life…
But the biggest secret of all is revealed when Valerie discovers that she has Elemental powers, and a chain of inexplicable and irrevocable events unleashes throughout the little town…
Valerie's father is deployed, going out to sea, leaving her with her Aunt. She is once again starting a new school with the objective of keeping her head down and getting through the next six months.
But this was a school she had previously attended for a short period of time. And there are many familiar faces in her senior class. Especially Cade, who she has always secretly admired from afar.
Trying to break her stigma of a loner girl she starts to make friends, Cade being one, but his friendship remains a secret from everyone else.
But the people from this town, including her Aunt, aren't what they seem. She and a lot of others have Elemental powers and with that comes another wave angst as lines between different types are drawn in the sand.
This book started out a little choppy for me, but as the story line progressed so did the flow. I am actually looking forward to book two to see what happens next.
Valerie is a navy brat who grew up thinking that everything in the world is normal, until she finds out by accident that it isn’t. There are people in the world who are called Elementals, and when she moves in with her aunt, she finds herself surrounded by them…and drawn to a few of them in particular: Cade, the loner of the school, Holden, the high school quarterback, and Chase, Holden’s best friend and a college student. She can’t seem to pick, but that is the least of her worries. Elementals are fighting other Elementals and she wants to stop it, but doesn’t know how.
Cade, Holden, and Chase all want her, but who will win her? Who deserves her? What’s the secret to her family? For these answer and more, you need to read to find out!
The book took a little bit to get into, but when I did it kept me interested. There are points where it drags and I honestly think the teen angst is a bit overdone at times, however, the book overall is enjoyable and I really need to see what happens in book two. Yes, you guess it! It’s a cliffy!! There were some things she panicked when she learned, and some things she accepted without question. So I’m thinking there will be more answers in the next installment. I do recommend the book if you like paranormal stories. 3.5 stars.
Reading has been a favorite past time since Elementary School and choose-your-own-adventure books. Writing has been her dream since Middle School when she first began penning her own material. Being published is the most awesome achievement in her writing career so far, but she hopes for more exciting landmarks and stepping stones in the future!
She’s a proud Navy wife; a frazzle-brained mother; a homebody who dislikes cleaning; a fan of tennis, and fitness in general; a lover of hot tea, mountain dew, and all things fiction; and she’s a bigger My Little Pony fan than her children.
