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Soundless: by Richelle Mead    4/5 Stars 
Published: November 10th, 2015
Page Count: 266 pages 
Genre: Mythology/Fantasy 
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.

Review:  SPOILERS FOLLOW FROM THIS POINT ON!
Another great book out of Richelle Mead, I absolutely her Vampire Academy and intend on reading her Bloodlines series. We get introduced to Fei living in a village where everyone is deaf and they adapted well, but some are beginning to lose their sight and Fei's sister Zhang Jing is losing hers. All the while Fei having to hide it since she and Zhang Jing work on Peacock Court as an apprentice how all the news is spread everyday by calligraphy and paintings. Worrying that her sister will become an beggar rarely getting food and is helpless. 

One day Sheng one of Fei's fellow apprentices is upset over a boy stealing food and is kicked out of the court since that is one of the highest crimes possible, spots to be an apprentice in very high demand. The boy being dragged out by Li Wei and Sheng with new injuries leaving the boy in the road, which Fei doesn't appreciate. But Li Wei and Fei apologizing later on in the form of gifts what they have done since they were 8 years old. Wanting to marry but she got accepted into Peacock Court sparking the gift giving apologises. 

One morning waking up to new unfarmiliar things which we learn are sounds but at the time she doesn't know. But since shes been deaf her whole life they cause her not to be able to concentrate all day and cause a migrane. Claiming a headache to her elders she spends the day in the library reading Feng Jie's writings the last one to be able to hear in the village generations ago. Trying to describe these new and weird sounds.

But sadly, because of Zhang Jie losing her sight slowly she loses her apprenticeship gaining an job as an servant since the boy stole food. Fei being sent out to overlook the mining one day Li Wei losing his father in an mining accident, Fei hearing the sound of grief for the first time. 

After some talking her and Li Wei steal some boys clothing and rations to climb down the mountain Fei being able to hear the falling rocks. It all works until Li Wei's ropes snap and he falls luckily unharmed. Stopping in a village that also was deaf but didn't survive no one knowing about other villages that exist just like Fei's. They climb for a few days reaching the village at which the zip line keeper lives, meeting him hogging a bunch of the food that Fei's village needs. 

This village being able to hear and speak Fei and Li Wei is being shunned but Xio Mei taking them into an inn. Xio Mei being able to sign a different language with some common words. The village is called Beiugo and cna be quite mean to deaf persons, and their king named Jianjun. Lu Zhu a friend of Xio Mei is against Jianjun and can sign as well. After an bowl breaking which would enrage the inn keeper Fei paints a new one just like it and it goes unnoticed by the inn keeper. 

Xio Mei taking Fei and Li Wei to a village who everyone is deaf to a woman named Naun, keeping Fei and Li Wei in safety. But all the while finding out why the village cannot hear and some are beginning to lose their sight. The blindness caused by the metals they unearth in exchange for food. Ending back up on Fei's village since the vengeful line keeper doesn't want them in his village. 

Fei being the one to help get the other deaf villagers to raise the Pyxisus after the line keeper makes them mine basically 24/7. All the villagers screaming at the top of their lungs therefore raising the Pyxisus. Now the villagers cannot gain their hearing back but the village is safe. Fei and another girl who can hear is learning to speak and the village is thriving again.

Final Thoughts
This was good but it needed like about another 100 pages to see what happens and how well the village is doing after the Pyxisus is raised. Though Richelle got the Mythology done so well and I 100% recommended this book. It's such a lovely mix of fantasy and mythology, and if you haven't read anything by Richelle please do so! 

Bye :)

Janet ​

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