Title: Soundless
Author: Richelle Mead
Copyright: November 10, 2015
Genre: fantasy, YA fairytale and folklore adaptations
Format: book Pages: 266
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
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 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 and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is 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.
My Thoughts:
The Lure: I heard about this book on BookTube and wanted to check it out for myself. No reviews were made yet, so I was able to go into this with only my own expectations. The idea of incorporating Chinese folklore to shape this story was very appealing to me. I studied Japanese arts and Literature in college and since I was young something mystical has drawn me to Asian folklore in general. Another thing that drew me to this book was the idea of having a predominantly deaf set of characters. I wanted to see how the author would deliver this information.
The book: Let’s face it, the cover is gorgeous. I like the beautiful colors, typography and the strength the cover model portrays on the cover. I typically remove the dustjacket off of the books while I read so as not to damage them, but I actually kept this one on so that I could see pretty every time I sat down to read. It was a very short book with only 266 pages but I think the author delivered a great story in such a short framework.
The characters: I really enjoyed reading about the main character, Fei and was drawn to her work as an apprentice to capture the daily events with her paint brush. Her love of her craft was inspiring and her strength throughout the book was also a pleasure to witness. Li Wei, the handsome miner was also fun to follow and their on and off banter, made for a slow romance to be realized. I enjoyed the intertwining of the folklore to shape the existence of these people and how it shaped their beliefs and behavior.
Pacing: I felt like this author did a great job with the pacing of this book. It was a fairly short book. If I had one wish I would like more elaboration on the folklore that was brought in more strongly towards the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found that I breezed through it very quickly. I would give it 4 1/2 butterflies because I really enjoyed the story and I found the inclusion of the folklore refreshing. Particularly with a book market that likes to reuse the same story over and over again. A true breath of fresh air this one was for me.
Happy reading my friends!
Belinda
