Richelle Mead

"A fantasy adventure steeped in Chinese folklore about a teenage girl named Fei. When her village is suddenly in danger, Fei finds herself on a journey from the peak of her jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiguo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever"--

Soundless

Melissa Palmer

Book #88 Read in 2015
Soundless by Richelle Mead (YA)

This is a fantasy/folklore book from the author of the Vampire Academy books. I read it in one sitting. Based on a top of a mountain, a village of artists, miners or servants have been deaf for generations. They trade metal from the mines for food from the line keeper down the mountain. Unexpectedly, a young artist regains her hearing. She and her boyhood crush scale down the mountain to try to get more food for their village. They come across a whole new world...but is it safe? Will they help or harm their village?

This book was well written. The main characters were interesting and complex. The weaving of folklore and fantasy was well done and balanced. I could see both high school girls and boys liking this book, as well as adults. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

Aishling

** spoiler alert **
           I'm surprised at how few good reviews there are on this book. I thought it was very enjoyable. Richelles take on how it feels to hear sounds when you've never heard any before is amazing. It really makes you think. 
Usually I find books I read to be very predictable but this book definitely wasn't. Every step they took surprised me. I never would have expected the village at the bottom of the mountain to be the way it was or for the line keeper to be the way that was either.
It wasn't as gripping and heart wrenching as meads vampire academy series but it is a great stand alone novel which has really made me want to learn sign language

Rachel Kanyid

This was pretty good, bit I feel like the depth of what the story could have entailed was not fully realized....

Kelsey Joëlle

I LOVED this book. It was so good, so unique and I loved the characters. Yay for female heroines <3

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village. Her people are at the mercy of a mysterious faraway kingdom, which delivers food in return for precious metals mined from the treacherous cliffs surrounding them. When villagers begin to lose their sight, their rations shrink and many go hungry. Fei's home, the boy she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation. Then Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon . . . Perfect for readers of THE HUNGER GAMES, this epic fantasy from the international bestselling author of VAMPIRE ACADEMY will have you instantly hooked and on the edge of your seat.

Emelie

3.5 owls

I give the story 4 owls.. I really enjoyed it! But the book was really slow paced and i only read the dialogues sometimes, which makes the book 2 owls.. However, the writing style and the cover makes it up to 3 owls. And since i feel generous, it gets 3.5 owls all in all! :)

jess

This was my first Richelle Mead book, and it was pretty good! Chinese mythology. Characters - not great, but a solid plot.

3.5

mevi

Due to the mixed reviews, I had very low expectations going in and for the first 80 pages it sucked.

About page 100 it started picking up, and I absolutely loved the action. It was quick, easy, and intense read till the end.

I wish it wasn't so short because I feel there were a lot of vague scenes, and I couldn't form a connection with the characters but because Richelle Mead was able to get me hooked from page 100 till the end, it is getting a 3.5/5 stars.

Sarahi Flores

I was able to finish this book in one sitting and let me just say that it was magical read.
Just knowing that a village doesn't have the ability to hear and making it hard to do labor, especially when some are going blind makes you feel appreciative that you have all of your sense. That's how the book made me feel. Being able to describe the sounds of each item can be hard but Richelle Mead made it sound magical. 

I really thought the story couldn't be finished in just 266 pages but Richelle Mead made it possible. Being the first book I've read from this author I can actually say I am intrigued and can't wait to read more of her books.

lauren carla

3.5 actual rating. I didn’t really like li wei (at all) until near the end of the book, and i’m big about liking the love interest if the author intends for them to be likable lmao. other than that, I thought the story was interesting and unique. the book had a slow start, but ultimately picked up.

Saskia P

Ok, wo beginne ich am besten?

Insgesamt fand ich das Buch ganz gut. Wie bei jedem Buch von Richelle Mead haben mir die Hauptcharaktere sehr gut gefallen. Die Protagonistin ist stark, besonders und hat eine enge Bindung zu ihrer Schwester. Auch der männliche Hauptcharakter hat einige typische Merkmale, die man bei vielen Charakteren in Richelle Meads Büchern findet, aber genau deshalb liebe ich ihre Bücher sehr.
Was auffällt ist aber, dass das Buch ihr erster Standalone Roman ist, und leider fühlt sich die Geschichte auch so geschrieben an. Die Story hat wirklich Potenzial, aber leider ist für mich noch vieles unverständlich und sie ist bei vielem nicht genug ins Detail gegangen. Das Buch hätte also noch mindestens 200 Seiten mehr vertragen. Ansonsten war es die meiste Zeit trotzdem schön zu lesen, daher würde ich insgesamt 3,5 Sterne geben.

Ella Zegarra

Original de: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Con una portada preciosa, Richelle Mead se separó en 2015 de sus tan conocidos vampiros, trayéndonos una historia completamente nueva y bastante interesante, aunque no del todo comercial.

Soundless sigue la historia de una joven, quien vive en una aldea donde el 100% de sus habitantes tiene sordera. Una premisa extremadamente interesante, personajes discapacitados en los libros es extremadamente difícil de encontrar, y ¿uno donde sea el protagonista? ¿Encima, toda una aldea de personas discapacitadas, donde no sea tan solo un recurso fácil de agregarla drama? La verdad, es que son rarísimos de encontrar.

Pero Richelle Mead lo logra, la sordera puedes leerla en cada página, puedes sentir toda la investigación y cuidado que la escritora tuvo al escribir este libro, desde las señas para comunicarse, hasta la manera en la que la aldea se acomodó para sobrevivir a pesar de su sordera. Vivir con una discapacidad no significa que no puedas llevar una vida normal, claro, con algunas modificaciones, pero ¿quién no modifica sus alrededores para hacerse la vida más fácil? 

Y, ¿cuándo Fei empieza a oír por primera vez? Richelle Mead es el tipo de escritora que me gustaría ser, tiene un cuidado con los detalles exquisito.

NO ES UN LIBRO PERFECTO

Su error ha sido que es muy lento, demora mucho en entrar a la historia que se supone nos tendrá devorando párrafos. El ritmo del libro no lo sentí Young Adult, creo que si me hubieran vendido este libro como que iba para un público adulto, lo hubiera tomado un poco diferente. 

La verdad es que no lo sé con exactitud, lo que Mead me mostró, me gustó bastante. He visto muy, muy pocos dorama de época como para comparar, además que las culturas chinas, japonesas y coreanas, son diferentes. Pero no lo sentí cliché o falso.

NO TODOS TENEMOS LAS MISMAS OPORTUNIDADES

Lo que más me gustó del libro, es que su mensaje durante toda su lectura es que no todos nacemos con los mismos privilegios, hay una conversación entre los protagonistas que me dejó asintiendo cual muñeco cabezón. Soundless es una gran crítica social, sobre todo para USA, quizá eso sea un problema para algunos.

Sobre todo me gustó su punto en la falsa modestia o el disculparte porque todos tus esfuerzos y sacrificios te llevaron a conseguir lo que querías. SIENTETE ORGULLOS@ DE LO QUE HACES Y DE TUS LOGROS, es lo que yo digo.

Sus fallos para mi han sido el ritmo demasiado lento, pero ha sido completamente adorable leer el romance, ¿por qué hay parejas tan adorables en los libros? Quizá no sea mi número uno en recomendaciones, pero es un libro que me ha dejado pensando mucho, varias de sus citas las recuerdo a diario, así que si puedes, dale una oportunidad, solo debes tomar tu tiempo considerable para agarrarle cariño.

Este es uno de esos libros con muy buena premisa, pero mal desarrollo, me da mucha pena porque esas cosas que resalté del libro siento son muy importantes, PERO SE HACE DIFÍCIL DE LEER UGH.

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Sophia De La Garza

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**
To start off I gave this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I really did enjoy this novel, however there were somethings I didn’t like mixed with the things I did enjoy. 

I noticed that this novel had a more mature writing style than Richelle’s Vampire Academy series and I feel like that maturity worked very well for the novel and it’s plot. Personally, for me this book had a pretty slow start, however, as I’m thinking back to it that slow start was essential for the storyline and character development. Another thing I enjoyed was how the romance aspects of the novel didn’t over power the fantasy aspects that arrived later in the novel. Finally, this novel left me quite satisfied at the end and I didn’t feel like i needed a sequel and that is what more fantasy stand alones should feel like. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Soundless and while it’s not one of my all time favorite novels, it’s still a very enjoyable and epic story that I would still recommend to any YA fantasy lovers.

ashley hopkins

MY THOUGHTS
This is VERY different then Richelle's other books. If you get one thing from this review, it's this don't go into this thinking it will be a typical Mead book. IT'S NOT! I can't stress this enough. I love how Mead portrayed the soundless-ness of the village in the book by letting us know when they were talking. I loved the concept of the idea, and I believe up until the end it was an interesting idea. I would of loved if this was maybe a duolgy or something because we're left with some many un-answered questions I think. 

SETTING
I love that this takes place someplace very different then most books I read. I love the tiny village feel, and how everyone knows everyone. Mead did a good job at this setting and place she created.

CHARACTERS
I really loved Fei. I think Mead does an excellent job with her main characters, and making them enjoyable and kick-ass. I know that Fei and Rose are WAY different, and they come from VERY different backgrounds but they have a lot of the same qualities I love when reading. I love that these girls can be kick-ass and yet still have this heart of gold. The family connection between Fei and her sister is one of the qualities I loved. Fei would do anything for her sister and it shows through show much in this story. Fei tries to keep her sister from becoming something less. 
Then we have Li Wei, who is a miner and going by their social standing is at the bottom of the chain. He was Fei's friend when they were little, and you could tell that they has chemistry from the start, but Fei kept denying her feelings because she was promised to someone else, but we all know how stories change, and once both them were in situations that they could be killed things change. I'm pretty happy that this was one of those stories where we know the love situation. Sometimes it better to have one love than many. :)

ENDING
It was way to easily tied up with a bow, and just seemed to quick and thrown together. There isn't much I can say without giving away the ending, but something about it kinda says cheesy. I kind of wish it had another story coming because I would have loved to see what happens with the characters more.

Jessica Williamson

This one was a pretty quick read, I finished it in about four hours.

I loved the plot. It's definitely different from what I normally read but very interesting. Probably my favorite thing about it is the society issues part.

And Fei. I love Fei. She's your typical YA heroine: strong, stubborn, brave. But she's also interesting in a way that a lot of them aren't. I can't really describe it or give details without giving away the plot itself but she's just a fun character to read.

The only other character with any real significance is Li Wei. He's your typical YA heartthrob: muscled, broody, considerably taller than the heroine, a pain in the rear. You know the type. I'd say he's got more depth to him but one thing that fails Li Wei is the fact that he has very few people to worry about.

There are other characters and the "good guys" are good and the "bad guys" are bleh. I guess so much of the story is just two of them together there's never really time to flesh out a cast of characters.

But you know what? I still really liked it. I love Mead's writing and I'll keep on reading it!

laura

Such a great and fast pace standalone! such a cool world. Love it!

Anastaciya

Not bad at all. It's a good tale, nice twist. Well, maybe it was a twist just for me, but I didn't believe that what happened was going to happen till it did. I make no sense. Yes, the book is good, but not "wow, I'm gonna reread it". Solid 3 stars.

Hannah

3.85??

This book is so endearing and I just feel warmth when I think about it, but I feel like it was marketed somewhat wrongly... but that's just my opinion. Overall, I did really enjoy it.

From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore. For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zip-line that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom. When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zip-line shrink and many go hungry. Fei's home, the people she loves, and her entire existence are plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation. But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon. Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei's jagged-mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever. 'Wholly original . . . Soundless resonates with the sort of love and life that only happens in the hands of a master. That Richelle Mead has perfect pitch shouldn't surprise anyone - yet this story will surprise everyone.' Margaret Stohl, co-author of the bestselling Beautiful Creatures novels 'A thrilling mix of taut storytelling, majestic Eastern magic and a richly imagined world.' Alison Goodman, New York Timesbestselling author of Eon and Eona

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

3.5 stars. Not the best book I've ever read, but not bad. 
The characters felt a bit flat at times, and with such a short book (~260 pages) there wasn't much time to get to know everyone too much. I enjoyed the Chinese mythology, and the fact that the villagers used sign language to communicate. A bit more backstory between the township and and village might have been nice, but all in all, a quick and enjoyable read.

Dakota 

Soundless is a great, quick read. I wish, however, that it hadn't lacked so much in the world building department.

Giulia 

Shannon Leigh Williams

I just read this in one sitting, & found the book to be quite enjoyable!
There were certain scenes that felt rushed, & others that dragged, so I would definitely prefer different pacing at moments. The whole book needed more length to properly have enough substance. 
Still, this book was good!

Soundless

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