Friday, July 5, 2013

Blog Tour Review: Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton (and Giveaway!)


Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton
Publisher: Flux Books
Publication Date: July 8, 2013
Rating: 5 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

I can’t weep. I can’t fear. I've grown talented at pretending.

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?

What I Liked:

I don't even know where to begin with how I feel about this book. I expected to like this book (I even pre-ordered it without reading it a couple of months ago!), but I didn't expect to like it so much! It's safe to say that this book blew me away in the best way possible.

So, Elizabeth can't feel anything, but she can physically see Emotions, as people. They are immortal beings who show up when someone starts to feel a certain way. For example, if a person felt embarrassment, then Embarrassment would show up around the person.

Why can't Elizabeth feel anything? What makes her so different? It takes the entire book to understand why. Fear is the only Emotion that is interested in the "why", enough to talk to her and be around her. The other Emotions have no use being around her, because she doesn't feel anything, so she doesn't need them.

It was really heart-breaking to go through this book, following Elizabeth and her emotionless state. As a reader, I just knew that there had to be a reason why she couldn't, but I also could tell that she truly could feel emotions. Sutton leads readers to this realization, and as we get closer to the end of the book, more and more starts to make sense.

Nevertheless, the plot of this book was never dull or boring. I wanted to know what would happen to Elizabeth at school, or with her father, or with her mother, or with Fear. I was completely sucked into the mystery of her emotionless being.

I was also completely sucked into Elizabeth and Fear's relationship. Not a lot happens between them, but when things happen, they happen. As we learn the truth about Elizabeth's condition, things between her and Fear become even more heartbreaking, but they start to make sense.

The scenes with Fear are my favorite. Whether he is acting jealous over Joshua, or he is accompanying Elizabeth to a party, or he is saving her from her father, Fear is there for Elizabeth. Any scene with Fear made my heart beat a little faster. In his own way, he is swoony and perfectly male and all-around a wonderful Emotion, despite his purpose.

Elizabeth's predicament at home made this novel all the more three-dimensional. Her father is a drunk who tends to yell at her and take his rage out on her because she isn't the perfect child like her brother. Her mother basically hates her, and wants to run away from the house as fast as possible. And Elizabeth's brother - he might be the worst. He ISN'T the perfect child his father thinks he is. He avoids Elizabeth, and wants to take the easy way out of everything. He dropped out of school and wants to leave the farm.

I'm glad this book ended the way it did, with Elizabeth choosing what she did. She didn't deserve how her family treated her. That being said, the ending is probably the happiest part of the book! I was pleased by the ending, because the tone of the entire book is very melancholy (not a bad thing!) - until the end.

Okay, there is a sort-of love triangle, but in my opinion, it's not love triangle at all. Elizabeth can't feel love. So whatever relationship (friendship) she had with Joshua wasn't real. Fear is the primary interest, and I said there was a happy ending. So... there.

What I Did Not Like:

There really wasn't much I didn't like. Maybe, there could have been more physically swoony scenes with Fear.

Would I Recommend It:

YES! Oh my gosh, yes! This one is going on my end-of-the-year favorites list for sure!

Rating:

5 stars. I'm so glad I got the chance to read this one! And I'm even more glad that I took the chance and pre-ordered it without reading it first - because it's a really good book.


Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!



24 comments:

  1. It's always a thrill when you like a book even better than you thought you would :-)

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    1. No kidding! I'm so happy with this book :D

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  2. Maybe fear? Not sure! I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book. Love the cover and its intrigued me for awhile. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it!

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    1. I hope you give this one a try! As you can see, I emphatically loved this book ^_^

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  3. Great review! I've been looking forward to this book ever since I heard about it. I love the idea that she can't feel emotions; it's really cool. I'm happy it's a favorite of yours now. I definitely need to read this! :D

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    1. Thank you! The concept is pretty awesome. I hope you get to read it soon! Scratch that - you MUST read it soon :)

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  4. I'd probably attract something like hate, since I don't know how to feel it. They'd probably think that was interesting.

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  5. Each review I read for this book gets me more and more intrigued! I'm a pretty joyful person by nature, so I'd probably get a lot of visits from anger, sorrow, and resentment - but I would win, of course :)

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    1. YAY! I'm glad mine could be one of them. Good luck with your friendly battles, Kayla :D

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  6. Great review! Glad you loved this book as much as I!

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  7. Ha, I feel so stupid right now :) All this time I'm complaining that I can't find anything new and original in YA and then, after having ignored this book for....weeks?, I stumble upon your review and realize : I was SO wrong!
    This sounds absolutely unique and your enthusiasm definitely is contagious :) Hehe, I'm already looking over my budget, deciding if I can manage to get the book right this second :D

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    1. LOL! It's a very unique book! I'm glad my review caught your attention. And hehe, you should have seen me fangirling on Twitter when i had just finished the book. I was a mess! I hope you can get it! Or just enter the giveaway ;)

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  8. Probably joy an frustration. Kind of opposites, I know. :) I've got a grea life and so I am extremely happy a lot, but I also get frustrated with my kids sometimes (like right now when the're supposed to be cleaning their room.).

    Tressa @ Tressa's Wishful Endings

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  9. I really don't know why, but I've found that people with hateful and harmful emotions are most attracted to me (not in a 'Hey, I think you're cute' way, but more like those are just the type of people that end up in my life whether I like it or not.) I very much prefer positive, outgoing, and happy personalities.

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  10. I am going to say the element of water and the emotion of rage. Normally when you think of rage you'd think fire. But water will calm the rage that is building. And with the insanity of my parents fighting.. I could use a lot of water to dump on them.

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    1. I agree! Water is very temperamental like that. And I'm sorry to hear something like that - remember that nothing lasts forever!

      But that WOULD be a good use for the water ;)

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  11. I would say the element of earth. Water wouldn't fit me. I always feel so small when I go to the beach, the ocean can just swallow me up in one wave.

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    1. That's cool! I actually took a quiz (for The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas) and got Earth. Water is a tiny bit scary!

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  12. Awesome!! I've heard mixed things, but after reading this, I'm just going to take the plunge.

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