Soundless by Richelle Mead

Soundless by Richelle Mead is a slight break from what is expected of the author that succeeds, and fails, at creating an immersive world and memorable characters. Please be warned, this review contains spoilers.

*Spoiler Alert*

Like nearly all Richelle Mead books, Soundless centers on a female protagonist put in a dire situation while attempting to protect those around them and dealing with the confusion of new romance. This is not a bad thing, as most of Mead's books are excellent.

Fei, the lead character, lives in a small mountain village in a Chinese like setting. While not in China, the land and people are clearly based on Chinese myth. Her village exists to mine the surrounding caves, and sends the ore down a zip line to an unknown town below. That town then sends food to the village, as the rocky terrain where Fei lives is not arable land. To make things worse for the village, a giant boulder blocks the only safe way down the mountain, meaning the zip line is their only method of gaining food to survive.

The villagers cannot even climb down the rock slide prone cliff face, as one must hear to avoid the constantly falling rocks, and Fei, like everyone else in her village, is deaf. In fact, the villagers have been without sound for so long, none can even remember what it was like to hear. To compound their problems, many villagers are now going blind, and while a complex art and news system, along with a sign based language, allowed them to live on, if they lose sight as well, they, and their village, will die.

It's an interesting premise, and is full of conflict and complexities, especially once Fei and her male friend, Li Wei, leave the village in search of help. See, Fei suddenly regains her ability to hear. No explanation is ever given as to how she regains an ability she has never had, but because of it, she feels like she might be able to make the climb down.

Mead does a great job, at first, of showing how these new sensations feel. Fei can now hear the crack of a pickax on rock, and the brush of her calligraphy tools on paper, things she's never experienced before. She is, understandably, overwhelmed. However, there are inconsistencies with her surprise, and recognition. Occasionally, Fei hears things for the first time and instantly knows what they are. It's odd that certain sounds first confuse her, and others she knows immediately.

Unfortunately, their adventure isn't all that adventurous, and isn't fully resolved either. The two start by risking the perilous climb down the mountain, as Fei's ears can now hear the falling rocks. The fact that neither appears to have rock climbed before is ignored. Ignoring that, this scene illustrates the book's most glaring weakness - sign language. Every time someone speaks in the book, it is supposed to be by sign language, as Fei and her people have no spoken words. And yet, while holding onto ropes and climbing down, Fei and Li communicate fairly normally, even though the same hands that are needed to hold the rope are the ones talking. In one scene, Fei warns Li that there are rocks falling, but how would he 'hear' her, so to speak? Was he staring at her while climbing down?

Eventually, the two discover a nefarious plot by an Emperor who's never seen in the book. Because of that, his motivations, aside from greed, are left unknown. It all comes to a head when said Emperor sends part of his military to destroy Fei's village. The village is saved by Deus Ex Machina, and the ending feels rushed compared to the rest of the book. Against hopeless odds, the village is saved by a legendary creature that no one in the village, except Fei, believed in.

Even worse, unlike most of Mead's other books, Soundless is a stand alone novel. The story ends with a contrived happily ever after caused by deus ex machina, and any repercussions or consequences of the events are entirely glossed over since the book ends. What will the Emperor do now? Is it really a happily ever after, or are dark days ahead? Is the return of these creatures a blessing, or a curse? Even the romance of Fei and Li doesn't really develop itself. The story, world, and character arcs feel unfinished, which is unfortunate because the characters a setting seem like there is a great deal more to explore.

Soundless by Richelle Mead - 7/10

Note: I have read nearly every book series Richelle Mead has published. Vampire Academy, Bloodlines, Age of X, Dark Swan, and Georgina Kincaid. I love her books (mostly), so Soundless is a bit of a disappointment to me. I read the advanced reader copy (ARC) of the book, and later the final printing. I highly recommend all of her books, but the Age of X series is definitely my favorite. Justin and Mae are great characters, as is the world they live in.