Series: The Five Elements
Release Date: December 16th, 2017
After tragedy strikes, she ends up on a path she never knew was possible. Bre hoped her first year of college would be a life-changing experience and a new start. She will soon discover just how transformative college can be.
After another dangerous encounter, she meets five alluring strangers who are not as they seem. Together they uncover the truth, she is like them. She is an Elemental. Through them she learns that the Elemental world is not only filled with magical gifts and bonding, but also demons and danger.
Bre and the guys need to work together to figure out where she came from while keeping her safe from those who want her dead.
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
• Violence
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have OW drama
– She ends up staying at the guys’ house because she’s family friends with one of the heroes.
• Does have the Heroes and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Heroes and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Becoming Elemental had one heck of a prologue. It’s what sold me on the book, to be honest. However, as the book went on, the healing and ‘getting back on your feet’ feel completely disappeared… at least in the serious way that the prologue initially hinted at. In the end, it made sense, since Becoming Elemental is a paranormal romance, featuring a plot where the heroine discovers she has magical powers. This transition led to a book that felt very juvenile, and a book that belonged wholeheartedly in the young adult section due to some seriously questionable dialogue and spastic characters.
The heroine, Breanne, has always known that she’s something “other” but in a more abstract sense. She had the weirdest luck and still found herself in unfortunate situations. In these accidents, she also always found herself relatively unharmed (even if it defies gravity). Her powers actually manifest when two guys try to abduct her. Once she gets free (she saves herself using her abilities), a Good Samaritan asks if Breanne’s OK and gives her backpack back to her (she dropped it, escaping from the bad guys). This Good Samaritan happens to be one of the heroes and originally comes across as a really nice guy, but then his personality undergoes a significant change (within one sentence!) and turns into a complete asshole. It was severely spastic, especially considering he knew nothing about her.
It quickly became apparent as Becoming Elemental progressed that although the book is a reverse harem, it follows the traditional lines of the stereotypical paranormal romance. Breanne is a special snowflake and has a mysterious past. And while there are no relationships in this book, Breanne was by no means friend-zoned by her friends (who you know are all the heroes of this series). Once you accepted the book for what it is–cheesy and a bit superficial–it was fun to read. It was by no means a revelation or the best RH I’ve read, but it wasn’t the worst either. The “cheesy-ness” was also incredibly funny at some points: my favourite quote was when Breanne says to the heroes:
I am out of here. Bryce, please take me home. You are the hottest and craziest guys I have ever met.
I cackled–no one, I repeat, no one would ever say that! They’d just say that they’re crazy!
Breanne also fell into the stereotype of being suddenly amazing at fighting. Yes, one of the heroes was giving her lessons, but her skill level was not indicative of how much time she’s spent on it. Also, I usually hate other women drama, but I have to say that Elizabeth did an excellent job with it. The heroine’s insecurities and jealousies were more due to biology–the OW was a threat to her mating bonds (since her reactions were seriously violent, which was even funnier). I really enjoyed how Breanne’s jealousy wasn’t just a product of her insecurities, but because she’s an Elemental. It created a fascinating dynamic between her and the heroes.
Also, Elizabeth makes the cliffhanger ending more interesting since there are two villains in play: one wants to kill Breanne (for reasons we don’t know), and the other wants to abduct her (for reasons that are kind of explained in Becoming Elemental). There’s just the right amount of mystery (although that mystery is not really unique to this genre).
