Sound of Silence

By: Ali Winters

Narrated by: Shaina Summerville

Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Welcome to the end of the world. 

We thought we were alone in the universe. Turns out we were wrong. 

Dead wrong. 

When alien ships land it’s all anyone can talk about. But for a year, nothing happens and the world starts to believe it’s just an elaborate prank. 

Until they finally emerge from their space crafts. 

And that’s when I saw him. Jace’el, son of Thral’el, leader of the Others. I don’t know if I can trust him, but I do know I can’t stay away even if I wanted to. 

They came offering world peace, and everything was perfect… right up until people started getting sick. Now a virus is running rampant through every city in the world, decimating the entire human population as well as the Others. 

And that's when the runners first appear. Humans and Others alike, ravaged by the disease and turned into flesh-eating monsters. 

The worst part? There is no cure. 

I am Raylinn Marrow, and this is the beginning of the end. 

For fans of The 100, Star-Crossed, and The 5th Wave, this heart pounding, must-listen-to YA, dystopian, romance is one you don't want to miss!  

©2018 Ali Winters (P)2019 Ali Winters

Pleasantly Surprised, Worth A Listen

I was debating whether to get this book or not. I decided I would give it a go. I am so glad I did!

I enjoyed the story, the characters, the plot, etc. I am not usually one for books with aliens, and dystopian novels are hit or miss for me. Many times I read them and feel hopeless which I don't always like. This book did not make me feel that way. Probably because of the sweet love story.

It does involve an instant love which I know some people do not like, but I don't mind that, as long as I feel it is founded.
Some of it (but not all) was predictable. I also, did not mind that. It was nice to just listen and enjoy instead of being worried I may miss something becuase of hard terms or a complex plot.

It is a book I will relisten to in the future. I also cannot wait for the sequel!!!

Shaina Summerville does a great job with the narration. Her voice and speed are perfect. I hope she will narrate future books in the series!

I received this audiobook at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Alien Invasion Forbidden Love

I started this book expecting it to be Romeo and Juliet retelling, and don't get me wrong, it really is (without too much of the angst, thank goodness). But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Instead, this is an alien invasion story with a ill-fated romance between a teen girl and the alien boy she falls in love with- which then takes a surprising turn into a deadly virus outbreak and zombies! I could not have been happier with the turn of events- I mean really, zombies? It was as if this story was written with me in mind. This is not a love story- sure there was a great relationship that started this, but it was not the flowers and rainbows you might expect. The Sound of Silence was non-stop action, the main character in one terrible, dangerous encounter to the next, be it running from mob attacks, zombie encounters, kidnapping, science experimentation, conspiracies, heartbreak... whew, it was a lot, and I mean that in the best of ways. As the main character states, there are a lot of ways to attain world peace...

Keep in mind that this is a duology, so where this book ends is just half way through the story. I for one am excited to jump back into this dangerous, complicated world and see what will happen now. The audiobook was really well done, the narrator was easy for me to listen to (keep in mind I listen at 1.8x speed) and get lost in the world (a world I never want to experience in real life, yet so compelling I couldn't stop listening!). This was my first read by this author but I have now picked up a few more of her books to escape into.

Unique Take on Post Apocalyptic Genre

This book was very well written and also very well narrated. I’m not even sure which one I enjoyed the most. I liked that neither the hero, nor the heroine were particularly smart or cunning, but still managed to survive. It made the story much more believable than most YA books where the heroine is always so incredibly good at everything. Raylinn is just an ordinary 17 year old girl. There were times when she pulled the typical teen girl oh so dramatic moments when she should have been on the move and making quick, smart decisions and I would get really annoyed. But then I would remind myself that this was what a real, human girl would do. Teenage girls are all about the drama, lol. Our hero, Jace, wasn’t especially strong, smart, or powerful. He was just a teenage boy. It made for such a believable story line! The narrator was great with most of her voices, although some of the characters that are only in the book for a short time had really annoying voices and I was glad they weren’t in the whole book. However, all of the main characters had great voices and Shaina was able to really display the range of emotions each character was feeling quite well. I was given this book for free at my request by AudioBook Boom in exchange for my honest opinion.

A wonderful read!

Humans and Others alike, ravaged by the disease and turned into flesh-eating monsters...
The worst part? There is no cure...

Wow - what a pleasantly surprising read! So amazed and awed by this book. Lovely reading this book from beginning to end - did not want to stop reading it.

So interesting. So mesmerising.

The narrator did an outstanding job of bringing this novel to life!

Romeu & Juliet Reversed

I hope I'm not revealing too much when I say this book is a new reversed version of Romeu & Juliet with an alien invasion and a zombie like virus as backdrop.
The new mix is actually surprisingly very good. We follow the story through the eyes of our "Juliet" and I like the way the author describes the places, the feelings and the action. Ne narrator (female) is also good, not the best at making different voices but very expressive and we can understand everything even in the quick paced scenes.
Now the ending is a bit anticlimactic, at least for me, not as in it's a bad ending, not at all, it's just feels too much as a real ending for a book 1 series... Maybe there should be some preview of the next book to keep us hooked in the plot, even though them we would curse the author for it :P eh eh.
Anyway, a very good and fun reading in the end, and I feel like the real story (with all the conspiracy theories I love) will only show way in the next books. Hope I'm right!

Loved This!

This was quite an entertaining experience! This was engaging and action packed. I found that I didn't want to stop listening. Of course, I absolutely love anything written by Ali Winters.

Good read

I liked this book alot. The main character is VERY stong willed and makes some decisions I understand, but always goes into the danger without thinking..I love the different types of characters. I recommend this book.

Pretty Good!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I think I'd label this as a YA Romance Sci-fi novel because it completely encompasses characteristics from all 3 genres. You've got aliens, the apocalypse, zombies, and teenage angst forming a captivating plot with quite a few twists and turns. My only gripe is the lack of emotion for a certain death compared to that of a complete stranger. I'd be wrecked, but Ray let it roll off her back like it was a stranger. Maybe the next book will delve deeper into that impact.
The action starts immediately, not really letting up, which kept me wondering what could happen next. I'm not one to catch on to instant love connections, but I took this as a Romeo and Juliet type of love and that made it easier to get over the cheesy and cringy conversations.
The narrator, Shaina Summerville, did a great job at giving a voice to Ray, thoughts and all. I especially loved how her pacing changed depending on the action occuring at the moment. When things were tense, she had a way of speeding up a bit and emphasizing the dramatic moments, and when things were lovey-dovey, she had a way of lightly swooning.
Overall, it had an interesting plot, so I'll definitely listen to the next one!

Interesting Read

I really found this a interesting read. I enjoyed the characters and the story spin. Different for me from what I normally read or listen to but I totally enjoy this.

Loved it!

Good series. Keep me guessing. I wish it wasn't over!!!! Ali has a say with words that is brilliant.

Sound of Silence

I think the audio narration of this book helped to enhance it. Don't get me wrong, when I read the book I thought it was good, but I couldn't understand or visualize some of the emotions the characters had until I listened to the audiobook. In essence, the narration of Silence made a good book a great book. I was finally able to grasp how dire Jace and Ray's situation was and I could see that they were possibly on the verge of a great love story. The narration was done so well that I'm excited about the second book. I really need to know what comes next for Jace and Ray. I'm wondering how their relationship will progress, how they will survive in a situation that seems bleak and why they didn't succumb to the... oh well, I can't say what they didn't succumb to because I might be giving too much of the story away.

LOVED!!!!

I lived this book I had treble putting it down!!! Will be recamending it to o friends and family!!!

be careful what you wish for.

it's strange to read a book about a pandemic when the world is experiencing one. it took my mind off worries. I loved the different premise that something not of this world creates a world of zombies. a good read and I hope she writes more.

A virus going around the world..

I was worried about listening to this at the moment with covid 19 pandemic. But it was a great story with aliens, a love story and also zombies although they're called runners.

Ray meets Jace at a ball welcoming the alien race to our planet. The aliens have put an end to war but at what price. A virus breaks out and the world will never be the same again.
I received an audible copy of this book from the author. The options expressed are my own. But I really enjoyed thius book. The narrator is brilliant (and I'm quite fussy.

amazing audio book

had to redo my review because it hasn't been wanting to go though but i love this audio
the author picked the right voice for this book and the person reading it has made it come to life
i couldn't put it down at all and its a five star audio book
i highly recommended this audio book

wonderful

I Enjoyed this audio book very much from start to finish great story line too
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Gripping

I am not sure if I would have liked the book as much, if I had read it however listening to the book~I really enjoyed it. At first I thought the storyline would be similar to the show “V”....however I was mistaken. It is not predictable. There are plenty of tense parts and the narrator did a good job of being the characters and emotions to life. I am already listening to the next book.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Sound of Silence

This book is awesome. This is a lot like Romeo & Juliet with aliens. When aliens come to earth all heck breaks loose. I would recommend this book for teens and anyone that enjoys aliens and forbidden love. Can't wait to start the next book.

exciting ride

This was an amazing story. It's the first book in 2 and world setting but done is such a beautifully descriptive way. I experienced a multitude of emotions- happiness when Raylinn found her connection with Jace, worry as Raylinn and Jace had to escape not just the zombie-like Runners (that's what they are called) but also Jace's alien brethren who were trying to capture Raylinn, and then terror as they realized that they are alone and need to navigate this new dangerous world with enemies everywhere. It does end in a sort of cliffhanger, with no resolution. I can't wait for book 2!

Shaina Summerville, the narrator, did a good job but there were moments when she overacted with really high voices, but generally for secondary characters. I thought her voices for Raylinn and Jace were well done and her reading kept me enthralled. I give her a rating of 3.5.

I requested and received this audiobook and this is my unbiased review.

Spot on pronunciation!

I don't know if I have ever heard a narration speak so clearly with excellent pronunciation. I felt the story took a while to get going and to uncover the real issue of the story. Still good, once it got going, I was in and enjoyed. I want to know what happens next!