Where Silence Gathers

June 1, 2014
In the follow-up companion to her daring debut (Some Quiet Place, 2013), Sutton offers readers the same formula: Teenage girl falls in love with a personified emotion she can see but never touch.Eighteen-year-old Alexandra Tate, like Elizabeth Caldwell before her, can see emotions. Appearing human in form, these creatures "from the other plane" have cluttered her world for as long as she can remember. Yet one in particular, Revenge, has stood steadfastly by her side ever since she put a face to the man who killed her family in a drunken driving accident. And now that Nate Foster has finally been released from prison, Alex, emboldened by the intoxicating power of her otherworldly best friend, is on the brink of exacting her own brand of justice on the man who stole her family from her. So why can't she pull the trigger? Unfortunately, what could have been an intense and intriguing love triangle among Alex and her ghostly suitors, Revenge and Forgiveness, is never allowed to blaze. Instead, it is watered down by distracting and unsatisfying secondary plotlines. The story tries to be too much at once, and it costs the novel its heart and soul.The only emotion that will sit with readers this time around is Disappointment. (Paranormal romance. 14-17)

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May 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Alexandra Tate has always been able to see personified Emotions, but now she is faced with a Choice. Revenge, her best friend since the drunk driving accident that killed her family, and Forgiveness, a tempting new Choice, compete for her attention. Even six years after the tragedy, Alex struggles with her grief and tries again and again to get justice for her family's murder. Completing her senior year of high school loses priority as Alex uncovers mysteries about her father's past, is chased by haunting voices that no one else can hear, and runs from faceless attackers theatening the lives of her remaining family and friends. A poignant, heart-wrenching story of grief, love, and loss, Where Silence Gathers combines an authentic narrative with tantalizing supernatural elements to create a powerful companion novel to Sutton's debut, Some Quiet Place (Flux, 2013). This will appeal to fans of paranormal romances like Kami Garcia and Meredith Stoll's Beautiful Creatures (Little, Brown, 2009) and Lauren Kate's "Fallen" series (Delacorte) and is highly recommended for both school and public library collections.-Eden Rassette, Kenton County Public Library, KY

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