Review: Soundless by Richelle Mead

Title: Soundless
Author: Richelle Mead
Publication: November 12th 2015 by Puffin
Genre: Young Adult ~ Fantasy
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Play | Kobo
Rating: 4/5

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 seats.

I know a lot of people disliked Soundless but I ended up really liking it, which was a huge surprise to me. I thought this was just such a unique story and Fei was a great heroine, in my opinion. It's definitely another favorite book of mine now by Richelle Mead.

This wasn't a very long book but I didn't feel like it took away much from the world and character building. I also thought the writing was really good and the setting was just beautiful. And like I said I thought Fei was a great heroine. I loved her protectiveness to her sister and how she was willing to do anything for her, even go down the mountain.

I also loved the unique story about a village where everyone can't hear and where some people even are starting to lose their vision. I just wanted to know what caused this and how Fei fit into it all, once she suddenly started getting her hearing back.

The romance was also really well done. I loved that Fei and Li Wei had some history together, which always is a plus. I was really rooting for them. 

I really wouldn't mind more books in this world because I just loved it. It doesn't have to be necessarily about Fei, although I wouldn't mind that. There's so much more potential with this world.

       About the Author:

       Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Richelle Mead has written over twenty-five novels for teens and adults. She is the author of the international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series and its spinoff series, Bloodlines. Her recent standalone novel, Soundless, draws upon Chinese mythology and history, and her forthcoming series, The Glittering Court, follows the adventures of girls destined for arranged marriages in a fantasy world inspired by colonial America. A lifelong reader, Richelle has always had a particular fascination with mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses to wear on tour. She is a self-professed coffee addict, works in her pajamas, and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

Waiting On Wednesday: Now I Rise by Kiersten White

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly anticipating.

Now I Rise by Kiersten White
The Conquerors Saga #2
Expected publication: June 27th 2017 by Delacorte Press

The highly anticipated, mind-blowing sequel to Kiersten White’s New York Times bestseller, AND I DARKEN—the series that reads like HBO’s Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. Fans of Victoria Aveyard’s THE RED QUEEN and Sabaa Tahir’s A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT won’t want to miss this riveting and gorgeously written novel—the second in the trilogy.

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost.

The first book, And I Darken, was probably my favorite YA book that I read in 2016 so to say that I'm excited about the sequel is really an understatement. I hope it will be every bit as brilliant as book #1.

What book are you waiting for?

Leave me the link to your post so I can stop by!

Monday Madness: The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Works by Oscar Wilde

Monday Madness is a bookish meme hosted by Bookfever & Booklover's Teaparty

You know that feeling when you feel like you are gonna go mad if you do not get a certain book right away, when you are obsessed and all you want is that one book and you will be happy? That is what Monday Madness is about. All those books you that drive you mad.

Pick a book. Talk about it- why do you want it? What has drawn you to it? Why is it making you mad with want for it.

The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Works by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Short Stories is a compilation of short stories by Oscar Wilde, along with his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. It was originally published in 1888 under the title Stories: Oscar Wilde. Some of the short stories within include "The Sphinx Without a Secret," "The Model Millionaire," and stories from the previously-published collections "A House of Pomegranates" and "The Happy Prince and Other Tales." This book is sure to interest Oscar Wilde fans and fans of Victorian literature. OSCAR WILDE (1854-1900) was a celebrated Irish-born playwright, short story writer, poet, and personality in Victorian London. He is best known for his involvement in the aesthetic movement and his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as his many plays, such as Lady Windermere's Fan, The Importance of Being Ernest, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and Salom . During his imprisonment for gross indecency, he wrote De Profundis, and later, The Ballad of Reading Gao.

I have already read The Picture of Dorian Gray and it's my favorite classic (alongside The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux) but I'd love to have this special edition. It's so gorgeous and I'd also love to read the other works. 

And as always don't forget to check out Christina's post! ♥