Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton

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?

This story took me by surprise. I expected the usual in the young adult genre, the instant love and weak, underdeveloped heroines, so it was a definite surprise to see that most of these things were avoided.

The heroine, Elizabeth, although a little annoying at first, certainly grows on the reader. She is different, since she can feel no emotions, which makes her an interesting character to read about. The other main character is Fear, one of the Emotions. He is quite snarky, which makes him a good contrast to Elizabeth’s passivity.

The plot is different enough so that it doesn’t fade into the large pile of YA books out there today. It keeps the reader interested from the very beginning and doesn’t lose steam as the chapters move forward. The author is able to give us a proper ending, though I suppose there is room for a sequel if she wants it. It’s refreshing to read a YA book with a proper conclusion and not an open-ended one.

All in all, I do recommend this book to all of you who love the YA genre. It’s an addition to the genre worth reading.