Evan Elemental

Evan Elemental #1

by Crystal Groszek

Orphaned at seventeen, Evan O’Fion has a choice: let her loss define her or rise above it and become more than she ever believed she was capable of. The problem? Giving in to the darkness that calls her is just too easy. Add in to the mix the ability to control the elements and travel across space and time, and Evan is pretty sure she’s going to lose it completely. Giving in would be a relief, but Evan is beginning to realize that there are people counting on her and that the mystery of her past is the key to it all.

As Evan struggles to put her party-girl ways behind her, she must learn to control her new abilities and face the fact that everything she thought she knew about herself was a lie. On top of it all, she has to face a new town, new home, new school, and a sexy dangerous guy…or two.

Dealing has never been Evan’s strong suit. How she’s going to handle it all and come out alive, she has no idea, but she’s stronger than ever and she’s not going down without a fight.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, New Adult, Paranormal

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2013

About the author

Crystal Groszek is the author the Evan Elemental series. Crystal began thinking about and plotting Evan Elemental while attending Utica College where she earned her bachelor's degree in English Literature. She currently lives in upstate New York with her husband, Patrick, and her lovably insane puppy, Lenni. You can find more information about Crystal and the Evan Elemental series by visiting her at www.evanelemental.com or www.crystalgroszek.com. You can also reach Crystal on twitter at www.twitter.com/crystalgroszek and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/crystalgroszek.

Reviews

[Carrie (Book Fairy) Fort · Rating 5 out of 5]

FAIRY THOUGHTS
Favorite Line(s) “Never," I whisper, fierce and breathless, "never.”

“I've relied almost entirely on myself and it's exhausting.”

“I am going to dissolve into the air and no one will notice. Why should they? Wherever I go, darkness will follow. That's clear to me now”

Man what a cliff hanger! Holy smokes!!
Evan has just lost her parents, her world is tipped upside down, and she is sent to live with a grandmother she doesn't know! This grandmother is well snobby, uncaring, and never around. When she is around it's to tell her she must fill her shoes with the community while she's gone. Her only good thing is Lex a oh so yummy vampire elemental. She notices things are changing with her. She feels powerful, very powerful.
I feel so bad for Evan, know one will tell her ANYTHING!! I don't want to tell you all of what happens but, it's got magic, vampires, secrets, and stuck up old ladies. HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE IT!!!
I can't wait to see what happens with book 2!!!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review (GHB)

FIVE ELEMENTAL FAIRIES

[Sorcha O'Dowd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won an ebook of Evan Elemental in a giveaway and as it was a new book and hadn’t had any reviews I went into reading it completely blind. It’s very hard to explain how I felt when I read this book as I felt so many conflicting emotions at once, and the fact that at some points in the novel I really didn’t like the main character because I expected so much more of her, really made it clear to me how invested I was in the story. Overall the only word I can think to describe this book is ‘WOW!’



Brilliant job Crystal Groszek.



The story drew me in right from the word go as we see that Evan loses her parents in a car crash and is then told that she must live with her Grandmother. The prose which talked of Evan’s everyday life after the crash, walking from one activity to another in a zombified state really pulled at my heart. The author made no attempts to make Evan instantly likeable instead focusing on the numb grief which is all that Evan can feel. It was such a refreshing change from seeing characters walking around with a brave smile on their face and refusing to cry. As a teenager, Evan should cry and accept that not everything will be fine, and I really embraced her character for doing that.



This book might not be appropriate for some readers as it depicts drug use among teens which I was a bit wary about when I first read these chapters. I couldn’t really understand why Evan was smoking weed when I would have thought she’d want to make her parents proud of her, but then I have never lost a parent so I can’t say I’d never act this way in that situation. It was a strange story for me to read, as I think it is a realistic depiction of teenagers actions today, whether drug taking is as an experiment, part of a rebellion, or just to distract from emotional pain.



Another reason I liked this book was that I really didn’t like the main male character. This might sound ridiculous, but whenever I read a young adult/new adult book, I always seem to fall in love with the male boyfriend. This was a refreshing change as I really had a bad feeling about Lex. I didn’t like his attitude, possessiveness, jealousy and the way he continually lied to Evan. I really loved Anders, a young man who Evan had a friendship with when they were much younger, but who Evan doesn’t remember. I really connected with his character and can’t wait for the next book in the series so that I can see if their relationship develops romantically as I hope it does. This book gave little focus to their relationship, only throwing in little hints, which I hope I correctly guessed mean we shall see more of Anders and Evan in the next book. I’d also like to see Evan start to realise that Lex isn’t actually the best thing since sliced bread, and I’d like for her to understand that she shouldn’t accept the dominating way he treats her. Maybe it was just me that felt so unsure of Lex, but it didn’t at all detract from how much I loved the story as, if anything, it had me even more excited about how their story will progress.



This was a wonderful, thought-provoking read, and I loved the fantasy element to it which makes the mystery of the story even more exciting. However, do beware as there is an evil cliffhanger at the end.



5 stars and a definite recommended read.

[Pratr- Authors · Rating 4 out of 5]

After her parents die in a car crash, Evan is shipped off to live with her grandmother, who she hasnt seen for years. Once in Price, all sorts of things happen, none are very clear, but Evan grows stronger, and begins to deal with it. Just what IT is, she still doesnt know, but something is coming, and she needs to be strong.


a slow burner, this one! i was very VERY tempted to put it aside, til about 30 %, as it just wasnt doing anything for me but then....a snippet here and a snippet there makes ya think! so, i continued, and so glad i did! its still not clear just whats going down, but there is a second book, which i will be reding next, so im not too concerned.


Evan is, or finds out, that she is an Elemental. She has powers that come to her after arriving to live with her grandmother. these powers range from electric manipulation, to shifting from place to place with just a thought. she meets Lex, (who for a long time i didnt know WHAT he was) Ezra, who can change memories, Grace, who hardly says a word but when she does, you need to listen and Mattie, who finds herslef taken over and used as a vessel to speak to Evan. Just WHY, we'll see.


its a very different paranormal book, with twists and turns, that keep you going. There is MORE to come, i know that, and still i am unclear just where its all going, but thats a good thing. it keeps you on your toes!


some violence (although not described in any detail) and some heavy petting, i'd rate this 16+


4 fangs (its written in first person present tense, and the fact it was a slow burner keeps it from 5)

[Tammy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! I was completely submerged into this story. I felt as though something had me tied to it. Evan Elemental is sensational. This story lacked for nothing as far as I am concerned. Every character seemed real and held enough mystery around them to keep you guessing and wondering about their true nature. The scenes from this book were painted perfectly in my mind that anymore description would have been over kill. I am so taken by this book that I want to read it again just to go back and pick up on the things I may have missed the first time. All I will tell you is this Crysta Groszek has written an A+ winner of a story. I will for sure be watching for more books by her as I am confident that Evan's story is no where near finished I believe it has only just begun!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this copy of the book from Smashwords.

Even though this story doesn't have a real end, it was still worth the reading, as you get to know Evan as a girl that seems to have a dark past (and perhaps a future there too) but with the will and possibility to find the good in herself and the others anyway.

The story touches you as it goes on, has a lot of strange things happening, leaves a lot of open questions, but shows clearly how a teenage girl tries to grow up and find her own way, without always being allowed to do so.

Looking forward to the next book in the series, this one promises it to be just great too! And hoping that will give us then some answers to the many questions that came when reading this one!

[Kelly Mccurdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has good twists to it! I was recommended this book, and I am so glad that I listened to her! I read into the night just to finish this book. This book is following the life of Evangeline (Evan) after her parents are killed in an accident. It has the grandmother that isn't at home for her granddaughter when she needs her most. There is Lex, who is gorgeous, and has a strange pull towards Evan. Strange things start to happen to Evan, and she has no idea what is going on.

So many twists in this book that I never saw coming at all! You will not regret getting this book to read! I wait patiently for the second book in the series to come out!

[Felicia Tatum · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY MOLY! I was not expecting to fall in love with this book. It sounded interesting, but I fell head over heels for it within just a few pages! I read it in one sitting, something that's difficult for me to do these days. It was amazing, a new kind of paranormal that I love.

Elementals.

I can't wait to find out what Evan is, why she's so powerful, what the pendant means, and all the other questions that were left unanswered. I really hope book two in this series is released soon!

[Lindsey Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was awesome! I loved every second of it. I can't wait until the next comes out.

[Jennifer Rininger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

[Jessica - Where the Bookends · Rating 3 out of 5]

***** THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS ****

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

When I first started reading this book I was excited because the synopsis was so promising and sounded so vague and mysterious. The more I read this book, I realized that it was just set up for the rest of the series. Which isn't always a bad thing.

You first meet Evan O'Fion when she's in the hospital after a car accident she gets into with her parents. You quickly learn that both of her parents have been killed in the car accident and that Evan is now going to go live with an estranged grandmother. At this point you meet some supporting characters, Evan gets some special abilities to control the elements (but you never really learn why/how that is). Evan also inherits a necklace/pendant that her mother left her, but again you never really learn why this is important or if it has something to do with her special abilities. You also never learn anything about her mother's past. Did her mother have special abilities too? Did her mother know that Evan was going to have these abilities? Did Evan have these abilities before her parents died? These are all questions that this book left me with.

The book also became very confusing to me at this point because it seemed like time jumped around so much I had trouble telling how much time had truly gone by. I think maybe having the book set up like a diary would have helped or if there would have at least been some type of date indicator on the pages that would have helped the reader to gauge how much time had passed.


Now, let's talk characters. I tried really hard to like Evan. I really did. I just couldn't. And, yes, I know that you don't have to like all the characters, and sometimes it's even fun to hate the main character. In this case, Evan just came off as whiny, entitled, spoiled, and just plain rotten. She treated people terrible and always thought of herself first, and honestly the whole book read like one big pity party.

Lex was just a strange character all in all. He kind of comes out of nowhere and he just magically falls in love with Evan. He knows that she's different and he knows why (I think) but he doesn't ever tell her. He comes close a couple of times, and I seriously wanted to reach into the book and shake him and force him to tell her. He comes and goes throughout the book but he doesn't play much of a role except to entertain Evan when he is around. Then in the last 10% of the book you find out he's a vampire. When the hell did that happen?! It was such a curve out of left field and it really didn't fit in with the book at all. Granted I can't speak for the author or know what she has planned for the upcoming books so maybe it will all tie in together. I am going to remain optimistic.

Anders, Ezra, Jessie, Mattie, and Magda were all characters that just remained distant from the whole story. You learn that Anders and Evan were friends as children but again the author doesn't really give us much in regards to this back story.

Overall, this book was challenging for me to get through; however, it left with me enough questions to want to go on and read the other books in the series as the author writes them. I have to know what is going to happen to Evan and what is really going on in her world. I would recommend this book to friends. I would love to know what other people thought of this book as well.

[Jacinda Buchmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story a lot. It was a quick read and kept me wanting to find out what would happen next. As with any story there are always aspects that I enjoy and things I would change. The story is told from a first person point of view from the main character, Evan. At age seventeen, Evan is orphaned at the beginning of the story and sent to live with a relative she's never met. Her world is surrounded in mystery from the moment she enters her new life, and she is kept relatively in the dark throughout most of the story. Crystal has a knack for keeping the story progressing smoothly, and I flew through the book because I kept wanting to find out what would happen next. Soon after Evan arrives to her new town, she begins to discover that she is developing supernatural abilities and can manipulate the elements of nature.

As much as I enjoyed the story, I had mixed emotions about the main character Evan and had a hard time relating to her. When I read YA books, I always consider the teenagers I work with and whether I would recommend the same book for them. Keeping in mind that YA books are typically considered to fall in the 13-17 age group, I would definitely say that this story is for the older age range of mature YA readers due to language and Evan's poor choices of turning to drugs. The story would have been just as entertaining if Evan didn't use drugs because there wasn't an explicit "good" reason following the plot development for her to turn to drugs, not that there ever is a good reason anyway. In this case, Evan just seems like a spoiled brat. I can see that teenagers who struggle with drugs and alcohol would be able to relate to the character, but the main plot of the story has nothing to do with overcoming a drug addiction, it was just a character flaw. I would have enjoyed it more if Evan could be seen as a better role model to younger readers. With that said, because I had to get in out there since this is a YA book, it was an enjoyable story.

There is definite character development throughout the story, and I enjoyed reading about Evan as she discovered her new supernatural abilities. I haven't read a story exactly like this one before with a character who can manipulate the elements of nature. It was very interesting. The only thing I would have liked to have seen more would have been more time spent on Evan exploring her new abilities. There were a few instances in the story that focused on her new talents, but they were all fairly brief. I anticipate that in the stories to come, Evan will continue to discover what she is capable of. I think this first story is just the beginning of more to come :-)

I also enjoyed the love story entwined within. As Evan is struggling to deal with the loss of her parents, discovering her new abilities, and the obvious secrets those around her are keeping, she is also faced with a surprising love interest, who IS a very likable character. :-)

There were a few instances in the story when I questioned the first person perspective and choice of verb usage and a few punctuation errors here and there, but nothing that was distracting unless you were looking for it. Overall, this was a great story. *Warning* it does end with a huge cliffhanger, so it's a good thing the second book, EVAN EVOLVED, is already out. I anxiously started reading it the day after I finished this book :-) Look for my review of EVAN EVOLVED on Sunday :-)

[Kimber Wheaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Evan Elemental starts out with main character Evan sitting in the waiting area of the ER after being in a car accident that killed her parents. Before long she is whisked away from everything she ever knew to live with her maternal grandmother. To make matters worse, Evan's only memory of this grandmother is her mother's dislike for the woman.

Evan is a rather depressing character. She is very moody and completely unwilling to accept her current situation with aplomb. I cut her a lot of slack because I can't imagine what she must be going through losing both parents. As the story progresses, she yo-yos back and forth between normalcy and utter craziness. I think the poor thing must have whiplash from her mood swings. It seems the only thing that calms her is Lex. I did like the fact that Evan is gifted magically. With power like hers at least we don't have to worry about her being a damsel in distress.

Lex, the romantic interest, is a mysterious male that works for Evan's odd grandmother. He seems to be instantly drawn to Evan as she is to him. There is quite a bit of foreshadowing surrounding Lex's character, leading to a big reveal toward the end that didn't surprise me at all. I guessed this early on since I thought it made more sense than anything else. The relationship between Evan and Lex becomes intense rather quickly. I never felt a connection with Lex's character beyond mild curiosity.

This is a paranormal story centered around Evan discovering that she has the ability to control the elements. She receives a pendant that belonged to her mother than appears to possess otherworldly properties. Evan spends most of the novel asking questions that are never answered. She knows her grandmother is involved in something mysterious but not what. She has these amazing new powers but she doesn't know what they are or why she has them. Any time she receives an answer to a question, it just brings more questions to light.

Evan Elemental is the first book in a series. The ending of book one is so abrupt, I was left blinking at the last line for several moments, unable to believe the story just stopped there. Very few questions are answered in book one, I guess we have to wait for the next book to get more of an inkling what's going on. This novel contains sexual situations, alcohol, and drug use. If you like paranormal romance with a strong female protagonist, add Evan Elemental to you to-read list.

[DebbieReadsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

After her parents die in a car crash, Evan is shipped off to live with her grandmother, who she hasnt seen for years. Once in Price, all sorts of things happen, none are very clear, but Evan grows stronger, and begins to deal with it. Just what IT is, she still doesnt know, but something is coming, and she needs to be strong.


a slow burner, this one! i was very VERY tempted to put it aside, til about 30 %, as it just wasnt doing anything for me but then....a snippet here and a snippet there makes ya think! so, i continued, and so glad i did! its still not clear just whats going down, but there is a second book, which i will be reding next, so im not too concerned.


Evan is, or finds out, that she is an Elemental. She has powers that come to her after arriving to live with her grandmother. these powers range from electric manipulation, to shifting from place to place with just a thought. she meets Lex, (who for a long time i didnt know WHAT he was) Ezra, who can change memories, Grace, who hardly says a word but when she does, you need to listen and Mattie, who finds herslef taken over and used as a vessel to speak to Evan. Just WHY, we'll see.


its a very different paranormal book, with twists and turns, that keep you going. There is MORE to come, i know that, and still i am unclear just where its all going, but thats a good thing. it keeps you on your toes!


some violence (although not described in any detail) and some heavy petting, i'd rate this 16+


4 fangs (its written in first person present tense, and the fact it was a slow burner keeps it from 5)

[Two Nerds With Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewer: Brittany
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Fairies

I'm the type of person that judges a book by its summary. Maybe it's superficial, but that's how I tell whether or not I think it'll be a good read for me. When I read this summary, I thought that it would be a good book, but something told me that it was going to end when the going got good. And boy did it.

I loved reading about each of these characters, and the story itself is quit enjoyable. There are certain aspects of the characters that is all kind of confusing. I'm hoping that when the next one comes out, that it'll clarify a lot of my confusion. Other than the fact that Evan had accepted her parents passing, is gaining control of her powers, and has found a love that she is distancing herself from; I'm really dumbfounded on just about everything in this particular book. I honestly don't know what I just read other than those three aspects. And that doesn't sit well with me. I don't like leaving a book unfinished and that's how I feel with this one. Like I didn't finish what I started, even though I did. Like I said though, I'm hoping the next one will tie up all my thoughts with a pretty little bow. Fingers crossed until next time.

Disclosure: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an HONEST and not necessarily positive review.

[T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I won in a giveaway, and it was bumped down my TBR, mainly because the blurb didn't really hold my interest. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the great writing and the good plot. I am always frustrated by the characters telling a main character "I can't tell you why these things are happening" and everyone seems to withhold important information (I find this irritating, rater than suspenseful), so there was a level of exasperation with Evan being kept in the dark about stuff. Plot was fresh and offered a lot of twists that I really enjoyed. Ends very abruptly in a cliffhanger, which I hate- especially when the current story is unresolved.

[Maryalice · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is not ending for this book, no answers, just more questions. I don't consider books, books that don't have a beginning middle and end real books, so don't write reviews. The author gave me a copy of this book so as a thank you I will review what is written. The book is well written and I enjoyed watching Evan change. It is easy to understand and feel the pain and confusion Evan is feeling. Her parents died in a car accident, she is sent to live with a relative she doesn't know and doesn't seem to want anything to do with her, she is changing, nothing seams to be the way it should be and no one will tell her what is going on.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant