Word and Deed (Wordless Chronicles #2) by Susannah Noel

About the book: Released December 15, 2012

Until three months ago, Riana lived a safe, quiet life as a Reader for the Union government, but her life is no longer quiet or safe.

She is now part of an underground rebellion called the Front, and she works closely with Connor, the covert leader of the movement and her best friend. Together, they’re trying to translate a mysterious book that might give them answers about the disaster that transformed their world.

Union officials want to arrest them, and radical Zealots want to destroy them. And Mikel, her Soul-Breather boyfriend, wants Riana to stop putting herself in danger for a cause he doesn’t support.

Then it gets even worse, when the Zealots start to frame the Front for violent acts of terrorism. Riana has to stay alive and juggle conflicting loyalties, deciding who to trust, where her heart lies, and what she really believes in.

Review:

Word and Deed begins three months after Word and Breath. Still trying to decode the Book, Riana and Connor walk into the Exhibition to find and read a passage in a book that will help them with their code. Being the leader of The Front, Connor, a.ka., the Librarian, knows the risks all to well. And Riana, who is a Reader, knows the risks as well. Riana’s grandfather had owned half of the books in the Exhibition which were confiscated when he died. Only those known as Readers could actually read in this dystopian world created by Noel.

The government, known as The Union, doesn’t believe in reading. They believe that the spoken word is the only way. There was an event, the Cataclysm, that launched the world into its hatred of the written word. There are three factions:

The Union, which is the governing body
The Front, which is an underground rebellion fighting to save the written word
The Zealots, who, for lack of a better description, don’t think that the Union is doing enough to stop the Front, are zealous in their efforts to stop every and anything that they don’t agree with.

We are not privy to what exactly was the Cataclysm and hopefully that will be explained in the next book.

Mikel, who is a Soul-Breather, is in love with Riana, walks back into their lives after having been gone for the last three months. And Conner isn’t happy. Seems he’s in love with her too, but with the weight of the whole rebellion on his shoulders, he has yet to tell her.

As the plot unfolds, there is a play for power by one faction trying to frame another. There is a “plague”, some sort of sickness, that is claiming far too many. Lines are blurred between friend and foe, and split decisions have to be made. There is an assassination attempt on the President, but who will be blamed? There will be losses on all sides as the fight for the written word continues. And the battle for Riana continues as well……..

Word and Deed is based on a concept that was, in my opinion, refreshing. Can you imagine a world where reading was frowned upon? The characters are well developed and I look forward to finding out more about them. If I had one complaint about this story, it would be that it wasn’t fast paced enough. With that said, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next.

ORDER LINKS: Amazon / Barnes and Noble /

Copy supplied by Author.

Reviewed by Vickie M.