A review by free_the_bookshelf
Silent Sounds by Annait L.J.

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.