Review - Where Silence Gathers (Some Quiet Place #2) by Kelsey Sutton

Title: Where Silence Gathers

Author: Kelsey Sutton

Series: 2nd (Some Quiet Place)

Pages: 360

Published: July 8th 2014 by Flux

ISBN: 9780738739472

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: Seventeen-year-old Alexandra Tate sits outside Nate Foster's house, clutching a gun. After serving ten years for the drunk driving accident that killed Alex's family, Nate has been released from prison. Every night, Alex waits out of sight, building up the courage to exact her own justice. There's just one problem: Forgiveness. Alex has been able to see personified Emotions for as long as she can remember, and Revenge is her best friend. But when Forgiveness suddenly appears, he offers Alex a choice--getting even or moving on. It's impossible to decide when Revenge whispers in one ear . . . and Forgiveness whispers in the other. 

I Give This ...

I've been early awaiting this next part of the series.  Part of me really wanted more of Fear, but realizing this was more of a companion book I was just happy to back with these characters.

Alexandra is one angry teenager.  I'm not discounting her anger, because I think part of it is very justified.  She's been through hell and back at a very young age.  But, part of me wonders if those raising her shouldn't have been doing more to help her.  I think they might have been afraid to push to hard.  She makes reckless choice throughout this story.  Since I've never been in her position, I found it hard to agree with many of the.  Granted I don't think it helped that her companion since childhood was Revenge.  

I truly love the concept of this series.  For some reason that idea of emotions and elements being able to take on human forms in fascinating to me.  I love how Revenge and Forgiveness battle it out in this one.  They have to be constant enemies vying for the top prize.  I loved each of them, even when I knew in my heart that it would be better for Alexandra to pick Forgiveness.  I love the other elements that we see and how they perfectly embody the emotion they represent.

I hope Kelsey Sutton write more of these books.  I don't think I would tire of getting to know different emotions in this light.  Plus, I really enjoy the humans they interact with.

 

Review - Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton

Title: Some Quiet Place

Author: Kelsey Sutton

Series: 1st

Pages: 331

Published: July 8th 2013 by Flux

ISBN: 9780738736433

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description:  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? 

I Give This ...

 

So many conflicting thoughts about this book.  It had so much potential.  And when I first started reading it, I was sure it was going to be one of those books.  The few and far between that leave me reeling and I give my seldom seen 5 stars!  

The main strike against this book is Elizabeth herself.  But, I can't imagine writing a character that feels no emotion.  How does one even begin to do that?  Her parents basically resent her because she's not the daughter she use to (suppose to) be.   Her mother has retreated so far into herself that she can't recognize the daughter she has.  Her father is an abusive raging alcoholic.  I think her brother tries, but to get no response back would be draining on your soul.  The odd thing is though that Elizabeth tries.  She knows what emotions she's suppose to feel in certain situations.  She tries to make them believable, but on the pages it comes across as flat.  And if she's trying so hard to keep up appearances, how is it that she doesn't have emotions.  In all reality, she cares.  And that's an emotion all by itself.  Plus, she seems to feel pain.  But, how much of her lack of a normal pain response is tied into the fact she feels nothing.  In the end, I gave up trying to understand her because she often seemed to be a walking contradiction.

However, the one thing that kept me reading was that I was absolutely fascinated by the human personification of the emotions and all the other characters.  Each emotion we meet is awesome.  They know their parts and they play them well.  I also felt like we got an excellent explanation of how they worked in conjunction with us.   So many emotion to meet, and I'm sure plenty more than I would never even think of!    I also love to elemental beings and other things were given the same treatment.  We meet Fog, Moss, Death, etc.   Every possible thing that makes up the Earth seems to have this entity tied to them.  Who wouldn't be fascinated by it? Every time Elizabeth would interact with one of these characters, I would be glued to the pages again.

The explanation of who Elizabeth is was quiet interesting.  It fit into the story nicely and made things make a lot more sense.  However, I just couldn't give this story more than a 3 when our main character is so hard to relate to.  However, I just learned that there will be a second book in this series.  Without Elizabeth....maybe this can be all I want it to be!