Book Review: Soundless by Richelle Mead

AUTHOR: Richelle Mead
PUBLISHER: Razorbill
PAGES: 272
STAND ALONE/SERIES: Series
SOURCE: Bought
OUTLINE:
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. 

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.

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Covers of 2015 I love

Hi everybody! How's everyone's week been going? 

 If you want to see all the other top ten post head on over to The Broke and the Bookish.

Todays topic

It's a freebie -said in the mario accent-

I picked Book covers of 2015 I love.

1.
I think I like this one because of the colors. I love red and black.

2.
I love that it looks like you're looking down the staircase, and the little spot of red is maybe a person.

3.
I pretty much love all the covers in this series.

4.
This one is just pretty, and fairytale-ish

5.
I love the covers two both her books. Entwined is beautiful as well.

6.
I like the cartoonish feel of this one.

7.
I like the the use of colors in this one.

8.
These are really pretty covers in this series.

9.
I like the dress.

10.

Book Review: From Bad to Cursed by Katie Alender

AUTHOR: Katie Alender
PUBLISHER: Hyperion

SERIES/STANDALONE: Series (Bad Girls Don't Die, As dead as it gets)
PAGES: 442

SOURCE: Bought

Outline:

Alexis is the last girl you'd expect to sell her soul. She already has everything she needs--an adorable boyfriend, the perfect best friend, and a little sister who's finally recovering after being possessed by an evil spirit, then institutionalized. 
Alexis is thrilled when her sister joins a club; new friends are just what Kasey needs. It's strange, though, to see how fast the girls in The Sunshine Club go from dorky and antisocial to gorgeous and popular. Soon Alexis learns that the girls have pledged an oath to a seemingly benevolent spirit named Aralt. Worried that Kasey's in over her head again, Alexis and her best friend Megan decide to investigate by joining the club themselves. At first, their connection with Aralt seems harmless. Alexis trades in her pink hair and punky clothes for a mainstream look, and quickly finds herself reveling in her newfound elegance and success. 
Instead of fighting off the supernatural, Alexis can hardly remember why she joined in the first place. Surely it wasn't to destroy Aralt...why would she hurt someone who has given her so much, and asked for so little in return?

Quick Thought (or not)

When I first read BGDD, I knew I was going to enjoy it because I love the supernatural, and ghosts are always fun to read for me. I get some kind of thrill reading books about them (Anna Dressed in Blood, Through Her Eyes). As much as I loved the first one this one didn't quite have that punch and "ahhh hell" moments. Instead of being a spooky, possessive ghost it was a demonish thing that whispered in their heads. It just wasn't a "villain" I cared to much about. Maybe, if it was more of a physical demon then yes. Whispers in the head some more like she was just sick. Does that make sense?

Pacing

It was  little slow getting to some of the major plot points, and sometimes I found myself wanting to skip ahead, and that just doesn't seem right. Shouldn't I want to read each and every word to get to the plot so I have the details on how the characters ended up there?

Characters

Ending 

Cliffhangers can either leave you content, and okay until the next book comes out (assuming there's more than one) or leave you banging your head on the table. (Just don't give yourself a concussion doing that)

The ending for this one was actually pretty good. It tied up most the loose ends, but left just a little for As dead as it gets. I'm interested to see how the next book plays out.