The Giveaway:
The Lonely Ones by Kelsey Sutton
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Published by Philomel
Published on April 26th, 2016
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26025987-the-lonely-ones
Purchase Links:
Penguin Random House
Indiebound
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
With parents too busy to pay her attention, an older brother and sister who would rather spend their time with friends, and peers who oscillate between picking on her and simply ignoring her, it’s no wonder that Fain spends most of her time in a world of her own making. During the day, Fain takes solace in crafting her own fantastical adventures in writing, but in the darkness of night, these adventures come to life as Fain lives and breathes alongside a legion of imaginary creatures. Whether floating through space or under the sea, climbing mountains or traipsing through forests, Fain becomes queen beyond – and in spite of – the walls of her bedroom.
In time, Fain begins to see possibilities and friendships emerge in her day-to-day reality. . . yet when she is let down by the one relationship she thought she could trust, Fain must decide: remain queen of the imaginary creatures, or risk the pain that comes with opening herself up to the fragile connections that exist only in the real world? Told in breathless and visual verse, THE LONELY ONES takes readers through the intricate inner workings of a girl who struggles to navigate isolation and finds friendship where she least expects it.
About the Author:
Kelsey Sutton is the author of teen novels SOME QUIET PLACE and GARDENIA. She is also the author of two novels for middle grade readers, THE LONELY ONES and BENJAMIN. She lives in Minnesota, where she received a dual bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from Bemidji State University. She is currently working on a master’s degree from Hamline University. Her work has received an Independent Publisher Book Award, an IndieFab Award, and was selected as a Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2013. When not writing, Kelsey can be found watching too much Netflix, ordering a mocha at the nearest coffee shop, or browsing a bookstore. You can like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @KelseyJSutton.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6425045.Kelsey_Sutton
Twitter: @KelseyJSutton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kelsey-Sutton-139415419471775/
Website: http://www.kelseysuttonbooks.com/
Read below for an excerpt from The Lonely Ones
THE CALL
Claws scrape
against my window sill.
Then, a voice,
raspy, childlike, familiar.
It calls my name
and becomes a symphony.
“Fain, are you coming?”
“Come with us, Fain!”
“Wake up!”
“Open your eyes, Fain!”
I try to be firm,
I try to say no.
There’s a voice in my head
that whispers I’m getting too old
for these games and adventures.
The ground is so thick with mud
that someone could notice
my tracks.
But my little friends persist
again and again.
Their pleas batter
against my resolve,
until debris crashes down
and I am too weak to resist.
The unbearable truth is
no one will notice my tracks
because no one notices anything.
I take one of their scaly hands,
a feather tickles against my cheek.
Then I climb outside
and disappear into the night.
2 signed copies of The Lonely Ones by Kelsey Sutton, open to US and Canada
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received an ARC of this novel in return for an honest review
I fell in love with Kelsey Sutton's first novel Some Quiet Place and quite enjoyed her second book as well. So I had pretty high hopes for The Lonely Ones. It's hard to get character development and a decent story line, I feel, from a book written in verse, but Ms. Sutton does a good job of it. It's obviously middle grade fiction, but written quite beautifully. However there are a few adult themes, like drinking. This wasn't a very long read, or even overly complicated. Just a simple story about a girl who plays with monsters because her home life sucks. Fain is a sympathetic character full of anger and life. It's never quite clear if the monsters she plays with are real or in her imagination.
While I enjoyed this very much I would have liked it more had it been a proper novel. However, that's just my personal taste. I am not fond of stories told in verse.
Great review!! Thanks so much for joining The Lonely Ones blog tour!!
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Thanks for asking me!
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