Some Quiet Place (Some Quiet Place #1)
by Kelsey Sutton
Summary: Elizabeth Caldwell doesn’t feel emotions . . . she sees them. Longing, Shame, and Courage materialize around her classmates. Fury and Resentment appear in her dysfunctional home. They’ve all given up on Elizabeth because she doesn’t succumb to their touch. All, that is, save one—Fear. He’s intrigued by her, as desperate to understand the accident that changed Elizabeth’s life as she is herself.
Elizabeth and Fear both sense that the key to her past is hidden in the dream paintings she hides in the family barn. But a shadowy menace has begun to stalk her, and try as she might, Elizabeth can barely avoid the brutality of her life long enough to uncover the truth about herself. When it matters most, will she be able to rely on Fear to save her?
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance/Fantasy
Release Date: July 8, 2013
Where to Buy: Amazon . Barnes and Noble . Flux
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Source: I received a digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review:
Oh, how gorgeous is this cover?! Some Quiet Place was such an intriguing novel! I loved the plot and the overall unraveling of the mystery. Elizabeth was a unique character because she felt no emotions, but she saw emotions personified, along with elements. She dreamt of people and loss and death and painted them. Her family was alienated by her and she didn’t make friends. She pretended to have the right reactions, but she also alienated people because she wasn’t always good at pretending. I loved the Emotions, especially Fear. He was invested in figuring out Elizabeth. I loved how he created some of the most terrifying illusions in order to taste her fear, but it never worked. Still, he tried, and I thought it was so captivating. I have no idea why I liked Fear so much, but I was drawn to him.
What made Some Quiet Place interesting to read was the fact that Elizabeth had no emotions about things. I thought it would be hard to read, but instead, I was feeling all of the things she wasn’t. And those emotions were strong. My stomach clenched every time she let Fear walk away from her because she couldn’t let herself care about him and I was caring too much. I felt so horrible for her sad and isolated life and she wasn’t sad about it at all. For a story about a girl who can’t feel, I felt more than my share of emotions. The overall plot was great. I liked the mystery of Elizabeth and, like Fear, I wanted to know what happened to her. Why did she feel as a child and why does she think of her lack of feelings as a wall of nothingness, like it’s blocking something? I just wanted her wall to crack and her emotions to come flooding out.
There isn’t a love triangle, mostly because Elizabeth can’t (or won’t admit to) love. But there were two guys. Fear and Joshua. Joshua was a boy at school who seemed to think highly of Elizabeth and was full of kindness. Fear was the Emotion who was a constant presence in her life, mostly due to showing up whenever her mom was scared. Which was often. But he studied her and he treated her like a puzzle he was determined to figure out. I was rooting for one while the other got results as far as getting Elizabeth to make progress. I loved not knowing who was supposed to win out in the end, if either. I wasn’t sure if she’d ever start to feel. I wasn’t sure who she was, what happened to her, and who was helping/hurting her.
I suppose in some ways, Some Quiet Place was a cliché YA paranormal romance. It had the unfeeling, bland heroine, two different guys aiding her in various, a mysterious force helping her, a malevolent force after her, and a slow uncovering of the truth. However, I really liked it. Instead of having a heroine who feels too much and who falls for two guys and makes horrible choices based on emotions, I got a heroine who felt nothing and can’t seem to feel anything for either guy as I’m screaming at her mentally to FEEL! I liked the differences and the way the lack of emotion played on my own emotions. I feel like if it was trying to be a cliché YA novel, Fear’s brother, Courage, would have been the other interest and both of them would have pulled her in their own directions. That’s just me, though.
I loved Some Quiet Place. Plus, I just really really liked Fear. I found him utterly fascinating. Dark and twisted and sweet… And the tragedy of Elizabeth’s life really touched me. I was emotionally invested in her and her story.
The cover of the book is gorgeous. The ending was fabulous. Perhaps most importantly, there was NO CLIFFHANGER ENDING. It looks like book two will be different people and Emotions, but the same world. I love it when series end in satisfying ways, especially if there's a long wait for the next book! There were, however, moments where the story lulled, but overall, I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down. I recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of YA paranormal romances and want something a little different to throw a wrench into your routine.
Also… Fear. *swoon* *sigh* =)
Labels: paranormal romance, Review, YA
