The Sound of Stars is set on Earth two years after an alien invasion. An African American teen, Janelle (Ellie) Baker, survives the invasion of the Ilori and now is sequestered in a NYC high rise, while the aliens, who can't breath on Earth, complete a vaccine which will wipe out humanity and leave bodies available for the Ilori to inhabit for recreation. She is running an illicit library and is discovered by MORr1S (Morris), a "labmade" Ilori commander who resembles a human. He is captivated by music and offers her protection if she can smuggle him records and ipods. When Ellie ends up scheduled for execution, the two set off on a cross-country road trip to California, where Morris thinks he will be able to execute a plan that will save humanity. Along the way they bond over literature and music, in particular a boy band that is made up of a benevolent race of aliens masquerading as humans. The novel is told in four parts, alternating between the protagonists' perspectives and is filled with pop culture references and original songs. Political issues, such as the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements are explored, as Morris and Ellie make their way toward a solution that will save mankind and give them an opportunity for a life together.

I am absolutely loving this book! I knew I would like it based on the synopsis but this one truly blew me away. I loved the characters, the post apocalyptic feel g of it all, and the scifi elements.

I wanted to love this book. I mean, look at that cover. Who wouldn't want to love the story behind it? Unfortunately, I'm sad to say that this book wasn't for me. I felt like I was putting too much effort into reading it and I wanted to dnf it many times. While this book has a really nice premise, it failed to transport me.

This book follows a girl living under the threat of being executed any day or turning into some kind of zombie like her dad. There's been an alien invasion on Earth trying to suppress any human expression including books and music. If they find out about her hidden collection, she'll die. That's when an alien who likes human music meets her and ask her for some more. That's how the story begin.

I loved the first chapter but after that it went downhill and after that, I just didn't care for the characters or the alien "M0Rr1S". The alien names spelled that way all the time didn't help either. My experience reading this wasn't smooth. I didn't believe or care for the romance and it didn't make me feel anything. The ending didn't really make sense to me.

I'm sorry to say that this was a bit of a disappointment.

(Thank you to the publisher for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

When I first got wind of this book, I honestly couldn't request it fast enough, and I am so happy that The Sound of Stars didn't disappoint.

Honestly, there were so many fantastic things about this book: character development, representation, fast-paced plot, thorough world building in a dystopian society...etc. If you're looking for a good read, this is it.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow is a fun fast-paced young adult sci-fi fantasy. The characters are well-written with mysterious backgrounds that keeps you turning the pages.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, quick, and full of fluffy romance which I love. I have a soft spot for alien romances and this was awesome!

I've been postponing this review for a while, because ironically, it's the books you love completely with all of your being that are sometimes difficult to express your enjoyment of in a review.

One minor disclaimer before I start this review: I'm not (nor claim to be!) an avid fan of sci-fi novels. I'm sorry to all you sci-fi lovers out there, but they just aren't my thing!

However, this book, this gorgeously written book, is making me rethink my view of the sci-fi genre completely.

The book begins with Ellie Baker, a fat demisexual teen girl with anxiety & hypothryroidism living in a dystopian (but not too far off) future USA run by a species of alien called "Illori." She may not at first glace be someone you would consider a hero first person you would call a hero, but through her immense passion of reading that she got from her parents, she works as an undercover rebel librarian, sharing her library of books to people who are desperate for an escape from their terrible reality (how amazingly awe-inspiring is that?).

Her job is not without its downfalls, though, because if the Illori were to discover her illegal library, she would be executed immediately for the whole world to see.

Enter Morris, a lab-made Illori (ILL-orr-eeee, I think!) with a passion for human music. Ever since he was young, his mother been training him to act as an insider to overthrow the brutal Illori regime. Morris has to be careful, though, because if he is caught, he too would also be executed, bringing an end to his extremely dangerous mission of bringing much-needed reform to the Illori race.

Through a not-so-chance meeting with Morris, Ellie reluctantly decides to place her trust in the enemy. And over time, she begins to fall in love with him. But can it work out between them? And, more importantly, will their mission be a success, or are they doomed to fail?

This book is very, VERY close to my heart for many, many reasons. First, before reading this (and Lucy Powrie's The Paper & Hearts Society) I had yet to be familiarized with the concept of demisexuality, aka being somewhere in between completely sexual (straight, bi, pan or otherwise) and being asexual (not wanting anything to do with sex). I have never considered myself part of the former or the latter, and prior to reading this, I felt lost in a weird limbo, and at many points thought that there was something wrong with.

Seeing Ellie not just be proud of, but completely owning her demisexuality, made me come to the conclusion that I, too, fit into that category. While I'm still straight (only attracted to guys), thanks to this book and the exposure it gave to demisexuality, I now proudly consider myself demisexual.

I also would like to talk about the librarian rep. In society, there is a certain image of people who automatically come to mind when you hear the term "librarian." You know the type: middle aged, hypersexual women with a penchant for loudly saying "SHHHHHHH!!!" to their patrons. When I decided that I wanted to become a librarian in junior year, I felt really scared that people would assume incorrect things about me just because of this toxic stereotype. I decided to tell as few people as possible, because I was terrified that their opinion of me would change. But seeing Ellie own that part of her as well has not only inspired me, but also convinced me that this is exactly what I want to do with my life.

And finally, the rep! So, so, SO many important issues are covered in this book, from racism, to anxiety and the painful reality of panic attacks, to climate change, to fat rep, to nonbinary (and, as I previously mentioned, demisexuality) rep. It was so amazing to see these FINALLY being written about in YA (especially the anxiety and panic attacks, which I have experienced in the past and am still experiencing now). It's clear that Alechia Dow did her research and knows what she's talking about, and if you fit into any of these categories, this book is for you.

I know I got a little personal in this review, but overall, I just can't sing this book praises enough. I think it goes without saying that this is definitely going to end up as my favorite book of 2020, but I also am now considering this book one of my all-time favorites. MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR CONGRATULATIONS to Alechia Dow on a *fantastic* debut book, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work in the future!

I think this book did develop and the world build well! I was really happy with how the relationship developed between the two MC's and how music and books were woven into it! Wonderful story!

I loved this book! I was immediately taken in by the beginning seeing our heroine keeping a secret library during an alien invasion of Earth and our hero an alien hiding forbidden music (big star crossed *literally* lovers vibes going on). The two meet and then work together to save not just Earth's cultural of stories and music, but her people as well. I didn't want to put it down until I found out what happened to these two characters I grew to love. I also think the supporting characters and settings were very well done. I really enjoyed picking up on all of the cultural references in the YA books (The Hate U Give, Simon Vs the Homosapiens Agenda, Harry Potter, The Witches, and Corduroy to name a few) and music that the characters were fighting to save during the book. I didn't see the twist ending coming but it really put this book over the top for me. I've never read an alien/planet invasion book like this one before and I wish it was a series so I could keep reading more. Highly recommend to those looking to get into science fiction or who enjoy their science fiction set in a world like ours now.

The story sounded promising—girl protects humanity’s greatest works of fiction and finds an unlikely ally after alien takeover of the world—but for me the book didn’t live up to expectations. I liked that it served as a love letter to books and music, but didn’t quite buy the other love story that drove most of the book. Pacing issues also made it seem like a longer read than it was. Mostly enjoyed overall, with reservations.

Somewhere between requesting an advance copy of this book and actually reading it, I forgot what this story was about. (This is the only thing I don’t like much about e-books– it’s harder to flip to the back cover copy and read the summary again if you want to refresh on the premise of the book.)

Right away, though, I loved the idea of the secret library. And the references to some of the social situations and how they morphed after the alien invasion felt pretty realistic. I also think it’s really fun when a book creates its own fandom, whether that’s a famous book or movie or in this case, a famous band. I loved all the snippets about the Starry Eyed– interviews, lyrics, news spots, everything that made them seem real.

It took me a little while to get into Ellie. She’s a little prickly, which I grew to understand and love once I understood why. At first I think I worried she would be too judgy– but it becomes obvious fairly quickly that she’s just guarded and for good reasons.

I really liked the way Ellie and Morris’s relationship developed. I also loved that the story followed Ellie’s feelings about physical affection. I feel like that can be a really alienating thing to feel, especially as a teenager when there’s so much emphasis on dating and attraction. So I loved that this story models someone who’s different, and a relationship in which that’s okay.

Plot-wise, I feel like some people are going to argue that the end is kind of too easy. I don’t want to give anything away. For me, I enjoyed the end– there were some elements of it that I could see coming, but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment of it. This is one of those books that sets up the second book in the last few pages of the first, so I’m sure there will be a sequel. Right now I plan to read it. I’m interested enough in Ellie and Morris’s story to invest in another book for sure!

Fans of THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancey or DEFY THE STARS by Claudia Gray will definitely want THE SOUND OF STARS on their reading lists!

The Sound of Stars, by Alechia Dow, is the story of a human and alien coming together through the power of artistic expression. Set in the near-distant future, Earth has been overrun by an alien race, and the result is a world without emotion or art. Ellie, the main character, runs an illegal library as her own personal form of rebellion, and the alien Morris is drawn to her through his love of human music.

....this book makes me feel guilty because I just couldn't finish it. There are parts I really enjoyed - I loved the references to literature and music, and I always enjoy anything with a hint of semi-dystopian vibes. (In this case, the ideal world is one where humans are rid of things like pesky emotions.) I just never was fully sucked into the story, and I kept switching to other books but then feeling a sense of guilt that I needed to finish this one.

I got about a quarter of the way through before finally giving up because I knew I'd grow more critical if I felt like I was forcing myself to read. The writing itself is fine, and the created world is interesting enough - I just wasn't immediately hooked like I'd hoped I would be. I was honestly more interested in what happened before the books started - how did the aliens first appear? How did humanity react and what did they feel? This whole backstory is just told to us through exposition, and we open with the enslavement of humanity already complete... but I think it's a classic case of telling us, and not showing us. We very rarely get to see a story where the humans ultimately lose, and this would have been a perfect set up for an unconventional sci-fi story and would make the private rebellion of Ellie and her library that much more poignant.

I appreciate the opportunity to read, and I do think this will find an audience. Also, the cover is gorgeous!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

After a misunderstanding between the invading Ilori and the leaders of the Earth, that brought the deaths of many people, Janelle, Ellie, Baker lives in a New York that is controlled by Ilori. Humans are considered unstable and their emotions dangerous, so everything able to raise emotions is forbidden. Art, music and books are illegal, but Ellie defies everyday this rule, risking her own life, with her hidden and secret library. When a book goes missing, she's scared Ilori could kill her, tracking the forbidden book to her.
M0Rr1S was born in a lab and when he finds Ellie's secret he should report her and have her killed. But even though he should be without emotion, he's not and he's right away drawn to music and more.
M0Rr1S (Morris) and Ellie decide to try to find a solution, in a long and wild trip.

I was attracted by the plot and the cover, because the story seemed so unique and peculiar and I wasn't disappointed, at all! Alechia Dow wrote a wonderful and intense book, with amazing and complex character and a plot that keeps surprise the reader every time. I really liked Ellie's and Morris' relationship and the love for books, music and art. I loved reading about their dilemmas and problems because Ellie and Morris are believable and relatable. The characters, main and side, are well-written and I loved everything about this book. It keep me hooked right away, wanting for more, pushing me to read and read until the ending, because I need to know what would happen, what would they do or say. It's a book about love, hope, books and so much more.

4.0 Star Rating

I received this ARC in Ebook form from Netgalley for an honest review. Thank you so much for the ARC.

Not being able to pull myself from my slump I decided to get pick this up in audio form 30% of the way into the book. This allowed me to experience the book in a better way. I really enjoyed the book, even though at first I wasn’t able to focus on the events, I was interesting and it was fast paced. It was also thrilling as our main character had many obstacles to overcome to not get caught distributing books when they had been banned and burned. Ellie first came off as a very annoying character because she worried too much of the what ifs. Once I changed to Audio, I understood and was able to connect with why she was like this. She grew throughout the story as well which gave her character a better story I think, to be more likable. Now Moores was my favorite character because he’s not allowed to feel but he craves to feel. He wants knowledge and sound and beauty. Throughout the book this guy wants to break out and song and i’m all about being serenaded. He was blunt and naive in a way. When it came to his feelings, when he stopped suppressing them, he became this loving, caring being and was unapologetic for it.

Throughout the book, I was on the edge of my set to see if they would get caught. I really did enjoy this book and the new love feelings had me jittery, if your interested in a in-depth review of me feels and thoughts on this book then head on over to my blog! I will have a post up very soon!

* 4.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley for the copy of The Sound of the Stars by Alechia Dow.This book was honestly a surprise and a good one. At first I was a bit hesitant about the plot. An alien who loves music and falls in love with a human? But I’m glad I gave it a try. Things I liked: the pop culture references, diversity of the characters and representation, and the mention of mental illness. When I was half way through, I didn’t expect to be surprised anymore . But boy was I wrong! The only thing that bother me was the main character, who was a bit of an annoyance and it’s a bit of a static character in my opinion. I guess it will take time until she shows real growth. Overall, it was a story that enjoy and i would recommend it to others who enjoy a bit of romance, music, and alien invasions.

DNF about 100 pages in. This just isn't the book for me for sooo many reasons; one of them being the excessive use of labels. NOWWWW, before I get destroyed... let me explain. I LOVE the diversity in this book. I believe it's necessary and extremely important. I just don't like the way it was written. This book would quite literally go, "This is so-and-so. They are non-binary." I just wish it didn't put SO much emphasis on labeling characters right away, as if there's nothing more to them than the diversity they add??? I loved how the book went about Ellie being ace-spec. It got brought up naturally and didn't simply state, "Hi, I'm Ellie and I'm ace.". I loved every single thing about the diversity within this book, I just guess I wish it was brought up and discussed differently. Let me know if I'm missing something though.

I really wanted to love this SO badly and was in the mood for something exactly like this, but the writing style just didn't work for me. I know a lot of people are crazy in love with this book and that makes me so happy! Just not the one for me. I may try again in the future so no rating for now!

Actual rating: 3.5

This story was not what I expected, and that's mostly a good thing. I felt really connected to the main character because of her anxiety. The scenes where she's having a panic attack, or starting to lose herself to the anxiety, really touched me because I could see myself in her. They made me tear up, I also enjoyed the relationship between Morris and Ellie. It was unique and unexpected, and I really liked how much Morris cared for Ellie - books where we get to see the man's/male's emotions freely expressed for their love interest always have a special place with me.

However, I feel like there's going to be at least one sequel, if not several, and I didn't realize that at the time of requesting this novel. I wanted a one-and-done because I've already committed to too many series and am not looking to engage with more. I also thought the book was a bit too long; I was really involved with the book for the first half, but then the second half dragged on, and I found my attention wandering, especially towards the end, when the Starry Eyed entered the scene, really stretching my belief.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for this digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Description
Don’t miss this spectacular debut novel… Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity? This road trip is truly out of this world! A beautiful and thrilling read for fans of Marie Lu and Veronica Roth.

Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world’s population.

Seventeen-year-old Janelle “Ellie” Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. With humans deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, emotional expression can be grounds for execution. Music, art and books are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library. When a book goes missing, Ellie is terrified that the Ilori will track it back to her and kill her.

Born in a lab, M0Rr1S was raised to be emotionless. When he finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more. They’re both breaking the rules for the love of art—and Ellie inspires the same feelings in him that music does.

Ellie’s—and humanity’s—fate rests in the hands of an alien she should fear. M0Rr1S has a lot of secrets, but also a potential solution—thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous road trip with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while creating a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.

Not a fan of the labeling system the author used. I didn't understand it. I didn't get it. I didn't like it. With that being said, the content of the story was cute. Loved the forbidden library she kept and the idea of the robot with a thing for music. All the pop-culture references are sure to be loved by most.

Hello, hello! It’s only the first week of March, but I have another book review for you. It’s the last minute approval I got for February’s ARC requests. Don’t worry. The next one won’t be until the end of March because I have no more ARC requests out (except one for April’s review). Anyway, the book is called The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow. It’s a sci-fi fantasy YA novel because I was looking for something different. Inkyard Press released the book on February 25th. As usual, I must thank the publisher and NetGalley for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get on with it.

The Sound of Stars follows Janelle “Ellie” Baker, a seventeen-year-old jaded human, as she struggles to cope during an alien invasion by lending out contraband (books) to others imprisoned in the same center. When she’s caught by one of her alien overlords (an attractive guy called M0Rr1s), she knows she’s dead, but in return for his silence, he just wants music (also forbidden). Little do they know that this give-and-take will lead to big adventures as they escape across the country together. And it might even lead to more than that if they can survive.

Sounds pretty standard and fun, right? It is! There’s romance and danger and misunderstandings and personal revelations and all that. Plus, there are some weird musicians sprinkled in for fun. It’s definitely a YA novel that pulls out all of the emotional stops. There’s teenage angst in all its glory threaded around a lot of deeper and more difficult topics. It makes for a nice rollercoaster ride if you open yourself up to it.

That being said, I did feel like some of the diversity issues that the book deals with were far too heavy handed at times. Which is common and annoying in all forms of media these days. And before you get on your soapbox and give me a lecture about the importance of representation in the media, please remember that I’m a wheelchair-bound female with a questionable sexuality. I don’t get represented in media very often outside of inspiration porn. Cool your jets. I’m just saying that I don’t need to know the gender identity of every throw away character in the story. There are at least two characters who literally just open doors then disappear, but I know they’re nonbinary. Why? It feels trite. Especially when there are plenty of lovely fleshed out characters who are nonbinary or ace/demi or bi/pan, etc. And I love those characters. I hope to see more of them. I kind of understand it with the aliens because it’s how they are, it’s part of their social standards to announce their gender. With the humans it felt forced. Especially when a kid in Texas (who by all indications hasn’t had any contact with the aliens in order to learn this behavior) asks if M0Rr1S is a boy, a girl, or nonbinary. If the book was set in the future more than two years, I might be able to believe a kid here would ask that, but it doesn’t seem to be, so it came off as awkward.

Tl;Dr? I love learning about characters and seeing things from other perspectives, but when you tell me intimate details about characters I don’t get to see for more than a sentence or two, it’s weird and forced.

*Spoiler alert*

Moving along to character development. It’s fantastic. Ellie and M0Rr1S are superb. Even the backup characters are awesome. I love Avi and Alice and the Starry Eyed. Even Brixton gets his moment in the sun. We’re told he’s basically a bad guy, but when he finally shows up he has this really adorable backstory that turns super creepy by human standards the more you think about it. He wanted to be a part of his little brother (M0Rr1s) and have a connection with him, so when their mother created M0Rr1S (who is a labmade, which is exactly what it sounds like) with her genetic material, Brixton added some of his own when she wasn’t looking. It’s sweet until you start thinking about the daddy-bro implications. But they’re aliens, so it’s okay! And it’s those kinds of details that make the story interesting and fun.

*End of spoilers*

The writing was a little repetitive at times, but smooth enough to let me fly through the story. I read 430 pages in 12 days, which is super fast for me. Plus I love the inclusion of song lyrics and all of the references to music and books. I even discovered a couple of titles I can look into for fun reading.

Ultimately, I loved The Sound of Stars. It was left open-ended, so I have high hopes that future books will come out. If not, I’ll still pick up whatever Alechia Dow publishes next and hope it’s just as good.

Overall, I gave it four out of five stars. If you’re into YA sci-fi/fantasy, I definitely recommend picking it up. It’s definitely worth a read and it would be beautiful on any library shelf or nightstand.

This novel was wonderful in concept, but on "paper" it didn't work well for me. I didn't feel like the characters were fleshed out well, and everything was told and not shown.