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imaisha's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
free_the_bookshelf's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I cannot express in words how excited I was to get this book. The premise of the story is so interesting. Colonizers of a planet are unable to verbally communicate, so sign language and/or text are the primary form of communication. What really solidified my interest, is the plot of Zillayah, a teen who is able to use “the Old Tongue.” Of course this means that she’s subjected to experimentation. The story is kind of bananas, and I loved it.
I will say that there were a few points in this book that kind of didn’t vibe for me; mostly that of Elijah. Firstly, it seems like he developed a crush (really it was described as a bit more) on Zillayah out of nowhere. She’s pretty mean to him, and yet he’s like “she’s pretty” on one page and the next “she doesn’t want me as much as I want her”... sir, she does not seem into it at all, relax. Secondly, he talks about having to wear gloves and a long shirt to hide something because other interns make fun of him, but there’s no detail as to what it is that he’s hiding. Are we talking vitiligo, moles, scars… What's going on there? I wanna know.
Looking forward to reading book 2, really hoping that there’s more exploration in the culture and history of the planet.
bookswithtory's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
*ARC REVIEW*
Silent sounds
Silent sounds
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Perfectionnnnn.
It's so good to finally read another black fantasy that I genuinely enjoyed reading and could not put down.
The entire concept of the book is that of a world where ASL is the standard. I find that alone so creative. People who can actually speak her are considered strange and ‘dangerous’
Character-wise I actually love every character. Even the ‘evil’ ones. Every character is well written and they execute their roles perfectly well.
The fact that this book is a debut😩 I love love it so much. I can't wait to read the second bookkk.
The suspense build was perfectly executed.she had me doubting my own predictions(I was correct at the end but they fact that she made me doubt it(good writing)
Let's talk about Em and Jericho👀 I cant wait to see more of them
Zillayah and Elijah too 👀
All in all, Silent Sounds is a must read😊
nerdxordinaire's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
authorashleyyoung's review against another edition
5.0
This book. THIS BOOK!
I have to say that I am in love with this book. I am in love with every aspect of this book. Hell, I am in love with the author!!
[Fangirl moment over now…] Ahem…
I want to start off by saying that if you would love to read a book full of beautiful, strong, amazing POC and ASL representation, you should definitely give this lovely jewel a read.
Next, I want to mention how absolutely stunning, mind-blowing, gorgeous, and breathtaking the cover of Silent Sounds is. That’s one of the first things that drew me in. The cover feels like it can come to life at any time. I am intensely drawn to it.
I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by how perfect this book was to me. I deeply appreciate the level of detail going into each character, each moment, each emotion, each action. It was real for me. I was living it in my brain, that’s how real it was. Annait has such a talent for creation, writing, worldbuilding, and representation. Magical!!
I truly adored the different POV of each main character represented in this book. That’s one of my favourite writing styles, and how I write myself. It allows you to see the work from different eyes. And Annait’s world is stunning. Nature is thriving, and with it the respect due to nature. I love the back story given about how Silent Sounds literally became Silent Sounds. ASL is the prominent language in Silent Sounds, and for good reason. AND, despite the prominent language being ASL, you will have no problems following along, as it is perfectly represented and laid out.
And then out of that silent language, a beautiful voice erupts. One that people want to suppress out of fear, and one that other’s want to grow and protect because it is beautiful. Words hold meaning, and they have even more meaning in Silent Sounds.
I truly love, love, LOVE most of the characters. A few I want to bitch slap and stomp into the ground, but hey, that’s to be expected. I love the presence, strength, love, caring, and sincerity that Emriah presents. She is a teacher, and by gods above, she’ll fight beyond what she thinks she can fight to win and protect those she cares for and for those she teaches. Teachers are the guides for our future. Especially in Ameslan. Jericho is an asshole…. But I forgive him, and he kind of grew on me at the end of Silent Sounds. I can’t wait to see how much more he grows. Zillayah is a sassy firecracker that never stops fighting. Even when you think she’s down for the count, she’s coming back up swinging. She is so smart, so resourceful, so observant and unrelenting. She protects and helps those she can, to the best of her ability, and has a huge heart. Even if she hides it from most. And Elijah. He was a surprise. A good one. I’m excited to see his growth, now that he’s broken free from the burden of situational and environmental blindness. Annait knew what she was doing when she brought her characters to life. And I can only thank her for sharing them.
If you’ve never listened to Kelly Rowland’s Rose-Colored Glasses, now while you’re reading would be a good time to.
If you know, you know.
I have to say that I am in love with this book. I am in love with every aspect of this book. Hell, I am in love with the author!!
[Fangirl moment over now…] Ahem…
I want to start off by saying that if you would love to read a book full of beautiful, strong, amazing POC and ASL representation, you should definitely give this lovely jewel a read.
Next, I want to mention how absolutely stunning, mind-blowing, gorgeous, and breathtaking the cover of Silent Sounds is. That’s one of the first things that drew me in. The cover feels like it can come to life at any time. I am intensely drawn to it.
I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by how perfect this book was to me. I deeply appreciate the level of detail going into each character, each moment, each emotion, each action. It was real for me. I was living it in my brain, that’s how real it was. Annait has such a talent for creation, writing, worldbuilding, and representation. Magical!!
I truly adored the different POV of each main character represented in this book. That’s one of my favourite writing styles, and how I write myself. It allows you to see the work from different eyes. And Annait’s world is stunning. Nature is thriving, and with it the respect due to nature. I love the back story given about how Silent Sounds literally became Silent Sounds. ASL is the prominent language in Silent Sounds, and for good reason. AND, despite the prominent language being ASL, you will have no problems following along, as it is perfectly represented and laid out.
And then out of that silent language, a beautiful voice erupts. One that people want to suppress out of fear, and one that other’s want to grow and protect because it is beautiful. Words hold meaning, and they have even more meaning in Silent Sounds.
I truly love, love, LOVE most of the characters. A few I want to bitch slap and stomp into the ground, but hey, that’s to be expected. I love the presence, strength, love, caring, and sincerity that Emriah presents. She is a teacher, and by gods above, she’ll fight beyond what she thinks she can fight to win and protect those she cares for and for those she teaches. Teachers are the guides for our future. Especially in Ameslan. Jericho is an asshole…. But I forgive him, and he kind of grew on me at the end of Silent Sounds. I can’t wait to see how much more he grows. Zillayah is a sassy firecracker that never stops fighting. Even when you think she’s down for the count, she’s coming back up swinging. She is so smart, so resourceful, so observant and unrelenting. She protects and helps those she can, to the best of her ability, and has a huge heart. Even if she hides it from most. And Elijah. He was a surprise. A good one. I’m excited to see his growth, now that he’s broken free from the burden of situational and environmental blindness. Annait knew what she was doing when she brought her characters to life. And I can only thank her for sharing them.
If you’ve never listened to Kelly Rowland’s Rose-Colored Glasses, now while you’re reading would be a good time to.
If you know, you know.
domid73's review against another edition
5.0
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was intrigued by this book from the details that were provided by the author so I requested an advanced copy. It’s so much more than I expected. The book jumps right into the action as a student is being whisked away for speaking “Old Tongue”. In Ameslan the world is silent. Those who speak using their voice and not sign language are taken never to be seen again.
I loved the ASL representation. It was one of the main reasons I wanted to read this. I had to learn ASL as I child to communicate with my mom and it’s something integral in my life. Can’t wait to see what happens in book 2
I was intrigued by this book from the details that were provided by the author so I requested an advanced copy. It’s so much more than I expected. The book jumps right into the action as a student is being whisked away for speaking “Old Tongue”. In Ameslan the world is silent. Those who speak using their voice and not sign language are taken never to be seen again.
I loved the ASL representation. It was one of the main reasons I wanted to read this. I had to learn ASL as I child to communicate with my mom and it’s something integral in my life. Can’t wait to see what happens in book 2
booktribe's review
Thank you to the author for this arc. All opinions are my own.
Sadly, I DNFed this book at 59%
I wanna start my review with the things I liked about the book. Firstly, the character development. I can tell that the author really cared about her characters and developed them well. They all have distinct personalities and I can tell that there will be lots of characters growth and changes in the series! I particularly liked Elijah and Emriah. Another thing I enjoyed was the ASL representation. The world needs more ASL representation in the media and I enjoyed picturing the characters signing while imagining the scenes. I’d like to see more of that in books.
But there are a few major things I didn’t like about this book. Firstly, there was a huge lack of world building. This book takes place on another planet, but that’s barely mentioned. And we have no idea what this planet is like. How is it similar to Earth? How is it different besides the fact that humans can’t talk on this planet? And speaking of that, we didn’t learn the reason why humans couldn’t talk on this planet until 35% into the book. We’re thrown into the story with no setting of the scene. The second thing I didn’t like about this book, and the main reason why I couldn’t finish it, is the many inconsistencies within the plot. I have so many questions about this book that I know will not be answered. There have been multiple scenes where something happens that makes absolutely no sense to me. I can’t tell if it’s the characters purposefully being stupid, or if it’s just lazy writing to hurry up and get us to the next scene with no regard for the reader’s or the characters’ common sense. The characters make a lot of stupid decisions. It was also a little too slow for my liking. I think it could be shorter. But I could’ve easily gotten past that if not for the other problems I mentioned. Those things made the book very frustrating for me to read.
I do feel like one day in the future I will try another one of this author’s books because I see a lot of potential for great storytelling. I’m hoping I’ll enjoy something more in the future!🤞🏽
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
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