Kelsey Sutton
Author of Some Quiet Place
Works by Kelsey Sutton
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Elizabeth Caldwell sees Emotions as human beings, rather than feeling them herself. Most of the Emotions have given up on her, but dark and beautiful Fear is drawn to her, determined to figure out why she is not affected by the Emotions. When Elizabeth starts to be stalked by a malevolent, unnamed Emotion, she must face the truth about her nature, even if it's painful. "Some Quiet Place" was a dark, twisted book with an extremely interesting concept. Instead of being hokey, the physical show more manifestations of Emotions were believable and as dynamic as any human character. I would definitely recommend this to someone who enjoys dark stories. show less
*This is a review of an uncorrected proof, and quotes/excerpts may therefore differ from the final copy.
As someone who very rarely reads books from the young adult paranormal category—and I do mean rarely (read: mostly never)—I approached Kelsey Sutton’s Some Quiet Place with a strange mix of apprehension and anticipation. It is only recently that I’ve begin to warm up to this genre, and even so, I’ve opened myself up to a mere few, such as the likes of Kendare Blake’s Anna show more Dressed in Blood. I have to face it: my paranormal shelf is a pathetically small. I suppose that is partly why I became interested in Sutton’s book. I wanted to expand my tastes and shatter misconceptions I have about this genre, but I also found the premise genuinely interesting.
Elizabeth Caldwell can feel no Emotion, not since she was a hit by a car as a child. While Emotions don’t affect her, she does, however, see them. On the day of a car accident, something in Elizabeth changed. Her eyes made discernible what no other human can see: Elements, like Fog, or Emotions, like Courage or Regret. As real as anyone, they roam the earth as invisible beings. One touch from an Emotion is enough to affect humans, but not Elizebath—and they’ve given up on ever influencing her. All but one: Fear. He’s determined to find the cause of what prevents Elizabeth from feeling, and when an evil presence begins stalking her, uncovering the truth may be Elizabeth’s only key for survival.
Because Elizabeth lacks any ability to feel, I worried. I worried because although Elizabeth doesn’t feel, she falls back on pure logic to understand people and the world she lives in. I wondered how little room—if any—this would leave for a personality. As much as I welcome smart characters, I won’t stick around if they’re sucked dry of life, but Kelsey Sutton shattered those worries on page one. Sutton impressed me, and quite instantly, because Elizabeth proved shockingly rounded. More than that, the prose puts evocative language to such good use that the main character’s resigned and muted qualities failed to bother me.
For a good while, I believed Some Quiet Place would get a four-star rating out of me. The writing has quality and, for the most part, characters are complex and interesting. They're solid and never hollow, and while the book is not perfect, I wanted to love it and let it enchant me. But then, slowly, the novel wore off its charm, and I looked passed Sutton's well-written sentences. A little dismayed, I hate to say that I began noticing bothersome aspects.
If there is one predominant feature through all of young adult literature, it has to be love triangles. It’s tough enough trying to find young adult novels that don’t pair main characters up with at least one love interest, and it’s just as challenging—if not more—to stay away from love triangles. They’re rampant with no hint of dying out, and it surprises me how many authors choose the same romantic route. Some Quiet Place starts out well, like a nice showcase of good writing and the possibility of something more blooming between Elizabeth and Fear. Unfortunately, Kelsey Sutton introduces Joshua Hayes, who unknowingly becomes a wrecking ball. This is a problem, and for obvious reasons.
Scooting aside the issue that love triangles are annoying, I’m frustrated by a lack of committed relationships in young adult literature. Elizabeth Caldwell could have had something solid with either Joshua or Fear, yet her absence of feeling complicates her relationship with both boys. It’s Fear, though, whom she shares the most with, and it always felt like they had stronger compatibility. (I should also admit my inclination toward Fear over Joshua. Fear is “the bad boy,” while Joshua remains the opposite. Fear displays a disturbing quality a few times that screams possessiveness, and that didn’t go unnoticed by me. At the same time, Joshua’s character bored me while Fear proved more interesting.) The idea that Elizabeth will, for some reason, “need” Joshua in the end—which is what Elizabeth believes—constantly pops up as if to remind the reader why he’s there. This made the love triangle feel strained and forcefully added in.
Some Quiet Place is not, however, a paranormal romance—at least it doesn’t feel that way. There is little to no lusting or yearning, which has much to do with Elizabeth’s unique situation, and there are other issues besides romance that Sutton tries to address. Issues such as bullying, abuse from Elizabeth’s father, and the great mystery that surrounds Elizabeth’s accident. These other issues, however, feel somewhat like background noise. Take Maggie, for example. She is Elizabeth’s only friend who is dying of cancer, but her role didn’t feel as important as it’s meant to be. It’s true that Elizabeth’s own disconnect contributed to my own, but Maggie seems insignificant if she can’t mean anything to the main character. And when Elizabeth should be uncovering the truth about who and what she is, Joshua becomes a distraction or she’s thinking about Fear. While there were moments where I wasn’t sure who Elizebeth would end up with—Fear or Joshua—it is unfortunate that the romance out-does the book’s other conflicts.
This book starts out on good footing, but as the story progresses, it trips over its own feet. Despite that and slow pacing, I can’t deny the talent in Kelsey Sutton. She can write, and she does write—perhaps with more overshadowing romance than I prefer or deem necessary, but potential for growth is there in an already good writer. For that reason alone, I look forward to seeing more from this author and intend to read her future work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Flux for providing a free copy of Some Quiet Place in exchange for my honest review.
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As someone who very rarely reads books from the young adult paranormal category—and I do mean rarely (read: mostly never)—I approached Kelsey Sutton’s Some Quiet Place with a strange mix of apprehension and anticipation. It is only recently that I’ve begin to warm up to this genre, and even so, I’ve opened myself up to a mere few, such as the likes of Kendare Blake’s Anna show more Dressed in Blood. I have to face it: my paranormal shelf is a pathetically small. I suppose that is partly why I became interested in Sutton’s book. I wanted to expand my tastes and shatter misconceptions I have about this genre, but I also found the premise genuinely interesting.
I don’t know what it is to feel.
I can’t experience the freedom of grief, the abandon of ecstasy, the release of fury. And of course I can’t be curious about these experiences.
I don’t have the luxury of people around me. I can’t weep, I can’t lust, I can’t cower in terror, I can’t celebrate. Not in a true sense; I’ve grown talented in the art of pretending. The only sensation I’m capable of—not an Emotion but something physical—is a sort of … nothingness that’s always there.
Elizabeth Caldwell can feel no Emotion, not since she was a hit by a car as a child. While Emotions don’t affect her, she does, however, see them. On the day of a car accident, something in Elizabeth changed. Her eyes made discernible what no other human can see: Elements, like Fog, or Emotions, like Courage or Regret. As real as anyone, they roam the earth as invisible beings. One touch from an Emotion is enough to affect humans, but not Elizebath—and they’ve given up on ever influencing her. All but one: Fear. He’s determined to find the cause of what prevents Elizabeth from feeling, and when an evil presence begins stalking her, uncovering the truth may be Elizabeth’s only key for survival.
Because Elizabeth lacks any ability to feel, I worried. I worried because although Elizabeth doesn’t feel, she falls back on pure logic to understand people and the world she lives in. I wondered how little room—if any—this would leave for a personality. As much as I welcome smart characters, I won’t stick around if they’re sucked dry of life, but Kelsey Sutton shattered those worries on page one. Sutton impressed me, and quite instantly, because Elizabeth proved shockingly rounded. More than that, the prose puts evocative language to such good use that the main character’s resigned and muted qualities failed to bother me.
“You were going to live next door and we would grow old in the same nursing home. Chuck oatmeal at each other and watch soap operas all day in our rocking chairs. That was my day dream. My perfect life. I don’t want to keep asking myself why until the end, but…” A lone tear trails down her sunken cheek. This time I don’t reach out to wipe the water away; I let it go. Down, down, until it drips off the side of her jaw. This is humanity. This is life and death in one room.
For a good while, I believed Some Quiet Place would get a four-star rating out of me. The writing has quality and, for the most part, characters are complex and interesting. They're solid and never hollow, and while the book is not perfect, I wanted to love it and let it enchant me. But then, slowly, the novel wore off its charm, and I looked passed Sutton's well-written sentences. A little dismayed, I hate to say that I began noticing bothersome aspects.
If there is one predominant feature through all of young adult literature, it has to be love triangles. It’s tough enough trying to find young adult novels that don’t pair main characters up with at least one love interest, and it’s just as challenging—if not more—to stay away from love triangles. They’re rampant with no hint of dying out, and it surprises me how many authors choose the same romantic route. Some Quiet Place starts out well, like a nice showcase of good writing and the possibility of something more blooming between Elizabeth and Fear. Unfortunately, Kelsey Sutton introduces Joshua Hayes, who unknowingly becomes a wrecking ball. This is a problem, and for obvious reasons.
Scooting aside the issue that love triangles are annoying, I’m frustrated by a lack of committed relationships in young adult literature. Elizabeth Caldwell could have had something solid with either Joshua or Fear, yet her absence of feeling complicates her relationship with both boys. It’s Fear, though, whom she shares the most with, and it always felt like they had stronger compatibility. (I should also admit my inclination toward Fear over Joshua. Fear is “the bad boy,” while Joshua remains the opposite. Fear displays a disturbing quality a few times that screams possessiveness, and that didn’t go unnoticed by me. At the same time, Joshua’s character bored me while Fear proved more interesting.) The idea that Elizabeth will, for some reason, “need” Joshua in the end—which is what Elizabeth believes—constantly pops up as if to remind the reader why he’s there. This made the love triangle feel strained and forcefully added in.
We’re silent, a fragmented pretense of belonging, and we all know it.
Some Quiet Place is not, however, a paranormal romance—at least it doesn’t feel that way. There is little to no lusting or yearning, which has much to do with Elizabeth’s unique situation, and there are other issues besides romance that Sutton tries to address. Issues such as bullying, abuse from Elizabeth’s father, and the great mystery that surrounds Elizabeth’s accident. These other issues, however, feel somewhat like background noise. Take Maggie, for example. She is Elizabeth’s only friend who is dying of cancer, but her role didn’t feel as important as it’s meant to be. It’s true that Elizabeth’s own disconnect contributed to my own, but Maggie seems insignificant if she can’t mean anything to the main character. And when Elizabeth should be uncovering the truth about who and what she is, Joshua becomes a distraction or she’s thinking about Fear. While there were moments where I wasn’t sure who Elizebeth would end up with—Fear or Joshua—it is unfortunate that the romance out-does the book’s other conflicts.
This book starts out on good footing, but as the story progresses, it trips over its own feet. Despite that and slow pacing, I can’t deny the talent in Kelsey Sutton. She can write, and she does write—perhaps with more overshadowing romance than I prefer or deem necessary, but potential for growth is there in an already good writer. For that reason alone, I look forward to seeing more from this author and intend to read her future work.
The truth is, I hide my real nature, because if I don’t, my nothingness would consume me. I would become a wondering creature, with no connection and no soul. My life in Edson isn’t perfect at all, but it is a life—the only one I’ll ever have. So, even though I can’t hold any feeling for my place in this family or this town, I will hold onto it because I can.
Thank you to NetGalley and Flux for providing a free copy of Some Quiet Place in exchange for my honest review.
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Fantasy, paranormal and mystery fans who are looking for a different type of read will enjoy picking up this one.
Key wakes to find herself in a dark, tightly enclosed space with only a voice coming from nowhere. Then, she falls. Landing in the Under, a strange place that many have fallen from their graves into after their deaths, her memories have who she was and who she knew during life are gone. Instead, she needs to find her place in a society of dead people...most who are at least show more partially decomposed and suffering the same memory loss. Soon, she finds some friends but, at the same time, her memories start to return. Then, the impossible happens. Someone is brutally murdering the already dead, and Key begins to suspect it has something to do with her and the object whose namesake she now carries—the key around her neck.
I'm not sure where to start with this review, since there's no way I can possibly bring the story across in all of its rich strangeness and curious atmosphere. It takes place in a space under the dirt, where types of living spaces have been carved out of the dirt. And the characters are partially decomposed, except for Key, who although laying in her grave for years, has somehow remained pretty much intact. The dead are friendly enough and have formed a type of townish society. It's an odd setting with a dismal atmosphere, and it works.
Each character, named after whatever object they might have possessed when they 'fell', gains a surprisingly rich personality. Everything is coated with a sense of mystery and curiosity, and as the plot unfolds, all of it gains in depth. The characters hook and each possess their own surprising history. The mystery itself isn't so much a hunt for clues, but unfolds as the memories return in dreamlike flashbacks. While a bit predictable in some respects, the mixture works and makes it hard to put the book down.
There's romance in here too, which is warm and yet, strange in its own right thanks to the characters being dead. This leaves an odd feel to it, which isn't necessarily bad or good. Simply different.
I received a complimentary copy and am giving this 4.5 and rounding up. show less
Key wakes to find herself in a dark, tightly enclosed space with only a voice coming from nowhere. Then, she falls. Landing in the Under, a strange place that many have fallen from their graves into after their deaths, her memories have who she was and who she knew during life are gone. Instead, she needs to find her place in a society of dead people...most who are at least show more partially decomposed and suffering the same memory loss. Soon, she finds some friends but, at the same time, her memories start to return. Then, the impossible happens. Someone is brutally murdering the already dead, and Key begins to suspect it has something to do with her and the object whose namesake she now carries—the key around her neck.
I'm not sure where to start with this review, since there's no way I can possibly bring the story across in all of its rich strangeness and curious atmosphere. It takes place in a space under the dirt, where types of living spaces have been carved out of the dirt. And the characters are partially decomposed, except for Key, who although laying in her grave for years, has somehow remained pretty much intact. The dead are friendly enough and have formed a type of townish society. It's an odd setting with a dismal atmosphere, and it works.
Each character, named after whatever object they might have possessed when they 'fell', gains a surprisingly rich personality. Everything is coated with a sense of mystery and curiosity, and as the plot unfolds, all of it gains in depth. The characters hook and each possess their own surprising history. The mystery itself isn't so much a hunt for clues, but unfolds as the memories return in dreamlike flashbacks. While a bit predictable in some respects, the mixture works and makes it hard to put the book down.
There's romance in here too, which is warm and yet, strange in its own right thanks to the characters being dead. This leaves an odd feel to it, which isn't necessarily bad or good. Simply different.
I received a complimentary copy and am giving this 4.5 and rounding up. show less
A novel-in-verse, the lonely ones, packs emotion and depth in few words.
Fain writes of her life of loneliness. Her creative mind sees, but she participates rarely because she feels unseen. Her father has lost his job, her mother has to quit going to school to be a waitress, and her brother and sister stop playing with Fain and stay out with their friends as much as possible. With all of their pre-occupations, they fail to see Fain. Fain lives a fantasy life at night and attends school and show more watches her brother by day. It’s a quiet life:
“I want to inform them
that I am not silent
because I have nothing to say.
I am silent
because no one is listening.”
After school begins, Fain meets four people. Anna is her next door neighbor, who seems to come from a perfect family while Fain’s is falling apart. Matthew is the new boy at school who actually sees and talks to Fain. Carl is the quiet artist. Mrs. Olsen is the teacher who sees Fain’s talent. Maybe these new people can take away Fain’s loneliness and bring color into her life so that she doesn’t need a fantasy life anymore.
This novel can be read in less than an hour, but in that hour, you will completely feel Fain’s life through emotion and well-written comments. There aren’t really details, but the despair, loneliness, desperation, and loss permeate the novel. It’s a sad book, but it’s also hopeful in that it shows people can and do care if they stop to listen. Listening might alleviate loneliness--whether the listening is through hearing, reading a story, or viewing someone’s art. There are many ways of listening, but each of them communicate and should be acknowledged with care. It’s a powerful story. show less
Fain writes of her life of loneliness. Her creative mind sees, but she participates rarely because she feels unseen. Her father has lost his job, her mother has to quit going to school to be a waitress, and her brother and sister stop playing with Fain and stay out with their friends as much as possible. With all of their pre-occupations, they fail to see Fain. Fain lives a fantasy life at night and attends school and show more watches her brother by day. It’s a quiet life:
“I want to inform them
that I am not silent
because I have nothing to say.
I am silent
because no one is listening.”
After school begins, Fain meets four people. Anna is her next door neighbor, who seems to come from a perfect family while Fain’s is falling apart. Matthew is the new boy at school who actually sees and talks to Fain. Carl is the quiet artist. Mrs. Olsen is the teacher who sees Fain’s talent. Maybe these new people can take away Fain’s loneliness and bring color into her life so that she doesn’t need a fantasy life anymore.
This novel can be read in less than an hour, but in that hour, you will completely feel Fain’s life through emotion and well-written comments. There aren’t really details, but the despair, loneliness, desperation, and loss permeate the novel. It’s a sad book, but it’s also hopeful in that it shows people can and do care if they stop to listen. Listening might alleviate loneliness--whether the listening is through hearing, reading a story, or viewing someone’s art. There are many ways of listening, but each of them communicate and should be acknowledged with care. It’s a powerful story. show less
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