TITLE: Soundless
AUTHOR: Richelle Mead
RELEASE DATE: November 10th 2015
PUBLISHED BY: Razorbill
SYNOPSIS:
In a village without sound…
For as long as Fei can remember, no one in her village has been able to hear. Rocky terrain and frequent avalanches make it impossible to leave the village, so Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.
When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink. Many go hungry. Fei and all the people she loves are plunged into crisis, with nothing to look forward to but darkness and starvation.
One girl hears a call to action…
Until one night, Fei is awoken by a searing noise. Sound becomes her weapon.
She sets out to uncover what’s happened to her and to fight the dangers threatening her village. A handsome miner with a revolutionary spirit accompanies Fei on her quest, bringing with him new risks and the possibility of romance. They embark on a majestic journey from the peak of their jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiguo, where a startling truth will change their lives forever…
And unlocks a power that will save her people.
Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy and Bloodlines continue to be two of my most favorite series ever. That said, it was only natural for me to pick up Soundless, regardless of the countless negative reviews this book seem to get.
Soundless, while not my favourite Richelle Mead of all, is also definitely not a bad book. It's way far from that and I quite enjoyed it actually. Soundless is so very different from her other Young Adult books and I think one of the reasons why people generally rated this lower than her other books is that there is no Adrian Ivashkov in it.
Admit it.
But kidding aside, the protagonists from Soundless are a far cry from Richelle’s other protagonists and I do honestly think that some of her readers are not ready for the stark differences. Interestingly enough, these same differences are what made me like the protagonists in Soundless. Though way less extreme than Rose or Sydney, Fei has her own brand of fearlessness, and Li Wei, his own brand of hotness. And even though the romance between Fei and Li Wei was not the hot love kind, I found their relationship to be really cute and I was satiated by it in the end. It was difficult for me to not root for them given their history together.
Further, I genuinely thought that the concept of Soundless is rather intriguing. The whole population of Fei’s village is deaf and nobody knows why. It was made even more mysterious when one night, Fei could suddenly hear. I thought Richelle Mead’s descriptions of sound as heard by a person for the first time were enthralling.
Soundless, also, has quite an odd setting given that this is not dystopian. Fei’s village is situated in a mysterious mountain on a historical China. It is surrounded by cliffs and the only way they get their food is through a zipline whose other end is even more of a mystery than the location of their village. It was virtually impossible to climb down from the mountain and most who have tried so died, until Fei and Li Wei did.
I found Soundless to be an enjoyable read—one that I finished in only one sit. Although the mystery became predictable as the story progressed, it never diminished my excitement to see the story wrap its way up into the end. The concept is unique too. I’ve actually never read anything with the likes of Soundless at all. Its odd mix of its own brand of mystery, the distinct setting, some elements of dystopia, characters that are unlike her other protagonists, and the touch of fantasy make me think that Richelle experimented with this one and you know what? I thought that everything worked together really well.
Rating: 4 Fairy wings!
Soundless, while not my favourite Richelle Mead of all, is also definitely not a bad book. It's way far from that and I quite enjoyed it actually. Soundless is so very different from her other Young Adult books and I think one of the reasons why people generally rated this lower than her other books is that there is no Adrian Ivashkov in it.
Admit it.
But kidding aside, the protagonists from Soundless are a far cry from Richelle’s other protagonists and I do honestly think that some of her readers are not ready for the stark differences. Interestingly enough, these same differences are what made me like the protagonists in Soundless. Though way less extreme than Rose or Sydney, Fei has her own brand of fearlessness, and Li Wei, his own brand of hotness. And even though the romance between Fei and Li Wei was not the hot love kind, I found their relationship to be really cute and I was satiated by it in the end. It was difficult for me to not root for them given their history together.
Further, I genuinely thought that the concept of Soundless is rather intriguing. The whole population of Fei’s village is deaf and nobody knows why. It was made even more mysterious when one night, Fei could suddenly hear. I thought Richelle Mead’s descriptions of sound as heard by a person for the first time were enthralling.
Soundless, also, has quite an odd setting given that this is not dystopian. Fei’s village is situated in a mysterious mountain on a historical China. It is surrounded by cliffs and the only way they get their food is through a zipline whose other end is even more of a mystery than the location of their village. It was virtually impossible to climb down from the mountain and most who have tried so died, until Fei and Li Wei did.
I found Soundless to be an enjoyable read—one that I finished in only one sit. Although the mystery became predictable as the story progressed, it never diminished my excitement to see the story wrap its way up into the end. The concept is unique too. I’ve actually never read anything with the likes of Soundless at all. Its odd mix of its own brand of mystery, the distinct setting, some elements of dystopia, characters that are unlike her other protagonists, and the touch of fantasy make me think that Richelle experimented with this one and you know what? I thought that everything worked together really well.
Rating: 4 Fairy wings!
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