Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

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.

My mini-review:

“Some things don’t need words. Sometimes it’s enough to just feel. You don’t have to label and articulate all that’s around you.”

I will try to keep my review short and sweet, just like this book. To the best of my knowledge, the concept, a soundless village, is something that has never been written about before. It sparkled and spooked like a fairytale does. The world-building is minimal because it does not require much more than a reader’s own imagination. Also, the romance is very cute. Very modest.

★★★ (3.5 stars) because I feel like the mythology could have been taken to a whole new level.