I unfortunately didn’t love this book. I appreciated the diversity but felt the characters and the romance weren’t developed enough. I also found that the writing style wasn’t for me and seemed a bit choppy. I also think there was too much of an emphasis placed on the characters’ loves for books and music and not enough time spent talking about the actual issues at hand.

Janelle “Ellie” Baker is human trying to survive in this now dominated Earth by aliens aka Ilori. She resists by illegally passing out books to her fellow residents in their apartment building. She loves stories and books.

Our other main character is M0Rr1S aka Morris a lab made Ilori who loves music. His kind are not supposed to have feelings or emotions like the humans they’re modeled after. He persists to listen to music and enjoy it.

The two encounter each other and nothing is the same.

I really enjoyed the use of song lyrics and book quotes. As someone who loves songs and books I really appreciated these sweet elements.

I also really enjoyed the demi-ace rep with Ellie. And the normalization of non-binary characters.

The pacing of the book was a problem the beginning is too slow and the end is too rushed. So much happens in the last quarter of the book that not enough time is dedicated there. I thought the meandering middle with the road trip didn’t seem like the characters were in much of a rush but time is of the essence. It just didn’t feel like they were taking this seriously which didn’t match up with Ellie’s character.

Highly recommend for fans of Melissa Lander’s Alienated series.

Thanks to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for a free copy.

DNF at 26%

I am so, so sad I'm dnf-ing this one, but I felt like I was wasting my time reading a story I realized I wasn't enjoying. I love the concept of this and the author is clearly talented, but there was something about the story that I couldn't connect to. I don't know what it was but we just didn't click. There were so many good, unique aspects here!! I'm typically a sucker for anything including discussions about humanity/morality and the justification behind our decisions. Make it basically a love letter to art and it seemed like a recipe for my perfect book. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. I could tell I wasn't fond of the direction the story was taking, nor the developing romance. Perhaps this would have changed had I read further, but as I wasn't connecting to the story itself, I highly doubt it.

I would recommend this to people that love books with pop-culture references galore and diverse stories with fierce protagonists. There is so much wonderful potential for this story and I'm truly sad I don't feel differently about it.

The cover of The Sound of Stars is absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed the overall science fiction, dystopian society aspects of the plotline.  In addition, the references to books that I do love was awesome (Hunger Games, Harry Potter, etc.)

However, unfortunately, that was about as far as my enjoyment went.  Honestly, I just really was not the right target audience for this book. The fourteen year old, smitten, emo music loving version of myself probably would have loved this story though.  To quote some of the characters, I found this book "cheesy", "a bit too much", and felt like it hit on every played out "trope". 

I do feel like Gen Z will really enjoy this book though, so don't let my review sway you from wanting to read it if seems like a book you'd enjoy.

I am always looking for a new, fresh, unique story in every genre. I feel that so many novels are a retelling of another story. However, The Sound of the Stars is very different from anything I've read in a long time. I loved that the story begins with a girl who becomes a rebel librarian that must get books to people who want theme, even though it is against the law. Second, I love that music is what brings an extraterrestrial being to long for understanding of human feelings. I have always said that, if anything will make me believe in the divine, it is the existence of music. Even though this is, for the most part, a science fiction story, Dow still brings into play the concerns and realities of modern teenagers. Overall it is a great read that I recommend for teens and anyone who works with them.

* we received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own and do not reflect those of the publisher or author.

This novel grabbed my interest from the moment I read the synopsis and I was double hooked once I saw that gorgeous cover! I mean, a romance with a demi-ace heroine and an alien male who is supposed to be emotionless? Yes, sounds great, sign me up.

Reading this book, it was clear that the author was trying to do a lot of important things. We have global warming messaging, thinly veiled commentary on the current political system in the United States, intense discussion of race relations, a budding romance, introduction of non-binary characters just as default, a “Chosen One” plot line, and a cross country road trip. This book had plots on plots on plots and I really admired what the author was incorporating into her story.

My primary issue, though, is that it seemed like maybe she was trying to do a bit too much within a single book. I felt like some of her messaging was diluted just because there was just so much and it wasn’t super subtle, which sometimes took me out of the story. If the author had focused on a single issue it could have let me really sink into the plot a bit more as a reader. As it was, it felt a bit disjointed and was a book that was easy to put down.

That said, I did love the main character. Ellie was such a book lover, which of course attracts me right away! She was a good friend and just so smart. I felt like I would like to hang out with her.

I also really adore forced proximity romances, where two characters are forced to be with each other for long periods of time. I enjoy watching relationships bloom in this way, and Ellie’s point of view felt very realistic to me as she struggled with whether she could really fall for M0Rr1S. There was a bit of suspension of disbelief, and the end felt a little too neatly wrapped up for me, but at the end of the day, I loved that aspect of this story.

I definitely look forward to reading more of Dow’s work. I think she has a really important point of view and obviously cares a lot about our world and letting that reflect in her work. I typically like that in novels, and can’t wait to see where she takes her writing next. I'm

➝ Sum it up in points!

✔ humanity meets hope through resistance
✔ alien invasion and class-ism
✔ rebellious lover of books + fearless lover of music
✔ human-alien romance
✔ great references
✔ plus-size, biracial, demisexual MC with anxiety
✔ gender-queer & bisexual side characters

The Sound of Stars travels through a dystopian, post alien-invasion New York where rules are drilled and humans are expected to stay at the lower strata. In the midst of fear and silent chaos, a human girl who loves books and an alien boy who loves music find each other to better see some hope. While the macro picture of science-fiction and romance are explored wonderfully, the micro themes of racism and discrimination are also touched. An excellent sexual diversity and the perfect inclusion of mental health declination in the middle of survival are also great aspects of the story. A definitive recommendation for those who love sound and words sprawled across a sky of romantic, hopeful, and rebellious colours!

➝Trigger Warnings

✔ public execution, eyeing death in the face
✔ chronic fear for life
✔ alcoholic mother & acutely stressed father
✔ discrimination, feeling inferior to those in power
✔ lack of self-identity, constant struggle

When I heard about THE SOUND OF STARS, I was excited because the idea of a world without music, books, or art was a fascinating concept to me. I was also apprehensive because I am completely not a fan of anything alien-related, even as a sci-fi lover.

But Alechia Dow got me with this book. I loved Ellie and Morris, and the way they both grew throughout the story, and tried to help the world around them grow, too. I loved the representation, the diverse characters, that Ellie is a strong, Black, female lead who embodies what she says at the beginning of the book: “As for me, I like everything, especially YA where girls kick ass and boys don’t get in their way.”

And that’s the other thing—Morris doesn’t get in her way. He marvels at how much ass Ellie kicks, and he kicks ass in his own way while still being the most sensitive character in the book. The respect and communication between the two of them is part of what makes this book so great. I loved watching them discover things about each other, search for solutions, tell stories and sing. And as heavy as many of the themes in the narrative were, reading the book didn’t make me feel heavy or drained.

THE SOUND OF STARS tackled issues of race, queerness, mental health, family, friendship, emotion, and more, and yet Dow still managed to make it light enough, fun enough that once I got into it, I just kept going. And speaking of queerness—this is the first time I saw a part of my own identity in a book. As a white person, my experience with my queer identity isn’t the same as Ellie’s or other Black queer people. But I have never read a demi-ace protagonist before (at least not one who stated they were), and when I saw that, it made me stop for a minute because that was a part of me on the page. But it also let me see how someone else experiences that identity outside of me, how it was both the same and very different.

This is a book I want to sit down and dissect for all of its social commentary. It’s a book that I hope finds its way into schools and the hands of people who want to hear stories that are both theirs and not theirs, but maybe still intertwined. This story encourages people to open their eyes and see people as multifaceted and complex, to understand that individuals come together to create a group, but that within any group, there are a bunch of unique people. It says you can’t look at one part of a whole and assume you’ve seen it all. And we see multiple characters come to realize this over the course of the novel.

I could spend all day talking about the depth of THE SOUND OF STARS. I’m so glad I read it, and I would definitely recommend it to others (and I already have). Even if you’re like me and you don’t love alien stories (or you’re worried it’ll be a little too Fahrenheit 451), try it anyway. It’s so much more than an alien book, or even a sci-fi book. It has so much heart, and it is so, so worth it.

You ever high key wonder how you'd react in an apocalyptic situation? I do, constantly. Which probably explains why I adore this type of book so much. But sometimes I can't quite relate to the hero of the tale because excuse me, am I heroic? Well, Ellie makes surviving the apocalypse seem relatable. First of all, our girl is hoarding books. Who among us can't relate to that?! Plus, she's been without her anxiety and hypothyroid medication, which again is something a great many of us can relate to. What happens if the aliens invade and you're suddenly without health (mental and physical) care? I love that the author addresses this (and not just in passing- she does a wonderful job of making Ellie's health a legitimate concern throughout).

Ellie basically has had enough of kowtowing to the aliens. She figures, she's going to die, might as well die being true to herself. And, she's going to help others in the only way she knows how- providing them stories, escapes. Her father is all but lost to her, and her mother is more absent every day, and Ellie knows she has to make choices for herself now- even though she and her parents love each other immensely, it seems like the aliens have taken even her beloved family away.

And while I don't want to give much away about the aliens and what happens (obviously), I do want to mention that it's incredibly interesting to see both the human (Ellie) and the alien (M0Rr1S) learning more about the other. Clearly, each has preconceived ideas about the other, but that will change as they get to know each other better. The aliens aren't all evil just as the humans are not disposable. And that's all I will say, because you really ought to undertake this incredible journey for yourselves.

Bottom Line: Can you actually believe that the insides of this book are as awesome as the cover implies? Impressive, right? I adored this book, full of characters I fell in love with and a super exciting and thought-provoking story that gripped me from the start.

This is one of those books I fully expected to like... and didn't. I wasn't expecting the most from this one either: just a dystopian and a race to the finish ft. a cute little romance and some a-spec representation. Instead, I got... irritation? Not great writing? Character who I simultaneously okay with and didn't like at the same time? Confusion? Melodrama? Instalove? Infodumping?The whole shebang? I wasn't enjoying this and inevitably DNFed it.

I am a little torn on my thoughts about this one. I loved the idea and the characters were really interesting but it fell a bit flat for me in the execution. I never really connected with either character and the book had some pacing issues that made me put it down and not really want to go back. I also think that some parts were overly descriptive. It did have some great ideas that I loved though and the writing was good so I will definitely check out future works by this author!

“Rebellion was a plan even before I was created.”

The Sound of Stars was one that I was very interested in last year when it started popping up on my feed. I thought the premise was super interesting and hadn’t seen anything like it in YA for a while. Also the cover was so aesthetically pleasing to me. Then I learned that the main character is demi-ace and my excitement for this book doubled.

The beginning of the book was absolutely wonderful in a post-apocalyptical way. Reading about how the invasion came about and how the humans lived since really reminded me of conditions in events like WWII. Knowing that the author is American but lives in Germany made me wonder if the depiction that she was doing of the living human quarters were inspired by concentration camps. There were so many elements that could be compared to the Holocaust. Like for instance, the Ilori got rid of art in every form. Music, paintings, books you name it, it all went out the window once they took over earth. Or the humans being brought outside for exercise. There was I think of lot of correlation that could be done between the two though I haven’t found evidence right now that it was the idea behind the story.

The Sound of Stars is layered with a lot of subthemes. I do enjoy when authors put in little messages and ideologies in their writing but this one felt a bit on the verge of moralizing at times. The most important and recurring theme was how we humans treat each other. The world is invaded by aliens, a greater enemy but still humans are blinded by prejudice. Maybe even more so since the world is going to shite and everyone is paralyzed with fear. The main character Janelle is black and though you would imagine it is a time where humans should band together to fight this invader she still deals with racism.

The other subtheme that is all over this book is the environment. We learn that the alien race known as the Ilori are here to fix what we did to our planet by years of neglect and pollution. Alechia Dow goes for a wake up call with this novel in more ways than one. Treat each other better and take care of our land. I do like that she weaved these in the story but for me at some places it was a bit too much, came off as moralizing though that might have been what she was going for. I would have liked it a bit toned down.

The Sound of Stars is told in a dual POV Janelle, the human girl, and M0Rr1S a labmade alien. Honestly, I understand why she went for that but I think that the same thing could’ve been achieved with only Janelle’s POV. M0Rr1S’s POV makes us see that though you are part of the problem you can change and see that what your people/army/family is doing is wrong and fight for a better way. I do believe that by dialogue between Janelle and M0Rr1S we could’ve gotten that idea. I know authors go for multiple POVs a lot these days but I find that sometimes it seems more like a trend instead of something that brings substance to the story. It did, though, give us more information on the aliens and their ways. Janelle was such an interesting character that just seeing this world through her eyes would’ve been enough for me. She was a fully developed character with a great character arc. Janelle had closed herself off from the world but through some little acts of kindness like her library we could still see the hope she had in humanity. She tried to not give a damn about what happened to people since it seemed no one cared for her but you could see that she was kidding herself. She wanted to help, make a difference in someone’s life, change the world.

If you are looking for a fast pace sci-fi alien invasion book that will leave you breathless by the end, this is not that book. It is very much a slow build. From the growing friendship between Janelle and M0Rr1S to the start of a rebellion the book moves slowly. I have to admit I found some parts a bit too slow. I would’ve loved a more balanced action throughout the book instead of stretches with mondain scenes. The love story for me took a bit too much space but since Janelle is demi-ace I certainly understand the choice. If you are not familiar with the term demi it signifies that one has to create an emotional bond with the other person before feeling attracted to them sexually or romantically. The slow build of the characters relationship did fit the character arc of Janelle. We had a good introspection in their developing connection. The author being #OWNVOICE for demi-asexuality really showed in this.

In the end, I did enjoy reading The Sound of Stars and am excited to see what is next for the characters and Alechia Dow.

Okay, so I have to be honest and say I DNFed at 20%.

Within only a few pages, I could tell readers would have to pay close attention to all the information, terms, letters, and numbers being thrown about in order to discern what would be imperative to the story and what wasnt. It was quite confusing.

The premise of the story was of a solid dystopian sci fi variety and had a lot of promise. Aliens taking over the world and only a book loving girl to stop it with the help of her would-be enemy. I loved the nods and references to various novels, authors, songs, and musicians. It was very fun.

However, my major qualm with the book was that there was just sooo much labeling going on. Its like the author was trying to be as diverse as possible and wanted it to be very apparent that it was so. Very overt. Even if you have a diverse cast of characters, there are subtle, natural ways to go about introducing them and drawing attention to their differences. The writing around this just felt contrived. Very juvenile in a "Look at me! I am woke!" sort of way.

There was so much potential in the idea of the plot, but sadly I couldnt be bothered to make my way through the rest of the book. It was just too slow, too messy, and too contrived. The execution just needs some work.

The main selling point of The Sound of Stars was, to be honest, the illegal library that the main character is running. Janelle is a survivor of the alien invasion on Earth, and she’s running an underground library in order to help give people hope. Does that not sound like the best thing?

I was honestly more intrigued by the concept than anything. The idea of an alien and a human coming together to bond over music and books and save the human race sounded like a lot of fun. And it was, it just wasn’t as exciting as I was hoping it would be.

My main issue with The Sound of Stars was that the plot was a bit choppy. I feel like the book could have been padded out a bit more to allow for more description and more time between the action scenes. Don’t get me wrong, it was fast paced and exciting, but it didn’t really strike the balance that was necessary to properly tell the story.

The Sound of Stars does a really good job representing a demi-ace main character (Janelle), and injustice, racism, and inequality. Janelle is mixed race, and she’s very vocal about the issues that black people face.

Honestly, I hope there’s a sequel because I spent a lot of time recapping this one for Recaptains, and it would be a shame to waste my notes!

The Sound of Stars beautifully weaves different genres together to create a character-driven story with shocking plot twists. It’s a science fiction story that surpassed my expectations and captured my attention from the very first sentence. I was enamored with the characters and the world, and I cannot wait for the sequel.

Ellie is a girl after my own heart. The world she lives in, now Ilori-controlled, demands that all art, music, and books are illegal and grounds for execution if found in a human’s possession. But Ellie keeps a secret library, which I know is what I would probably do, even if it meant certain death. But books hold truth and emotion, which is a reason why Ellie keeps them. She’s a strong-minded character who wants to remember humanity for it’s creativity, not it’s captivity. She’s a character that I believe many people could relate to, including myself.

Ellie’s relationship with M0Rr1S is interesting, but also heartfelt. He may have been created in a lab and born to be emotionless, but he discovers that he possesses the same emotions and feelings that a human does. He loves music and starts to grow a bond with Ellie. This bond has the potential to save the world. Their relationship is the key to uniting two species and bringing back creativity into the world. But most of all, their relationship has the power to save each other.

Even though I loved the characterization of Ellie and M0Rr1S, I have to say that I loved the plot twists even more. There were some plot twists I saw coming and some I didn’t and the ones I couldn’t figure out beforehand were surprising. I love a book with a good plot twist, but one that has multiple makes for a fun and shocking ride. And none of the plot twists were disappointing.

Most people who read my reviews are familiar with how much I love world building. Great books have great world building. And the world building in this book did not disappoint. I felt like I had a front-row seat in this world; I could easily picture this world and its inhabitants. The world building is overall my favorite thing about this book. Everything is so intricate and magnificently designed that it’s hard not to love this world and the author’s writing. This book, overall, is pleasantly surprising and exquisitely written.

The Sound of Stars is a strong debut that I find would be perfect for many science fiction readers. It’s a book that can easily resonate with readers for different reasons. This book, this story, felt real with real and personal characters, and that alone makes me excited for the sequel.

Dow as woven a particularly grim version of the future. In this post-invasion Earth, the author borrows a bit of that star-crossed love trope with her character Ellie (Janelle) and Morris. The most striking part of this debut novel has to be the intricate world-building that has gone into the Ilori invaders and the state of humanity both before and after their arrival. It is a grim picture that, horrifyingly, resonates with today’s current events. One thing that Dow does include is a diverse group of characters. Characters introduce themselves with gender (male, female, non-binary) and appropriate use of pronouns that I found refreshing! Our heroine Ellie, is a complicated young woman stuck in an impossible situation. At times I found her relatable, and others I was very confused and had to remind myself that teenagers think differently. Like A, B, Q… Cookie instead of A, B, C. Morris was my favorite character; his growth arc continued on a fun trajectory and his personality was multi-faceted.

Even though I adored the world-building, the pacing was a bit of a mess. Readers would be moving along at a good clip and then suddenly we would be halted by a new set of obstacles that didn’t really seem to have a purpose. This results in a trudge rather than the quick clip that the intense mission calls for. Along the same issue, the ending dragged for me. I think it could have been edited down to make more of an impact. The romance itself felt unbalanced. I wasn’t really convinced of Ellie’s love even though I could see the adoration on Morris’s part.

Overall, I’m left feeling a bit confused about my stance on this book, though it is a decent debut novel. On one hand, I loved the diversity and representation in the cast of characters and I really enjoyed the world-building. And yet, the pacing issues and my lack of connection to Janelle and Morris made it really tough to feel invested in the story. Ultimately, I’m not the target age group for this book so I say if you enjoy YA and Sci-Fi then definitely give this one a try!

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. (Thank you NetGalley and the team at HQN Inkyard Press!).

My Thoughts:

When I saw the beautiful book cover for The Sound of Stars, I knew this was a book that I wanted to read!

When aliens invade earth, one-third of the population is killed, while the other two-thirds are rounded up and contained under the strict surveillance of the Ilori labmades. Music, Art, and books are illegal. People are not allowed to come and go or socialize with one another, except for during designated times and under careful surveillance. The Ilori labmades are preparing the earth for the true Ilori to be able to land and survive in the atmosphere's conditions. A vaccine is being prepared for humans, that will allow for the true Ilori to use their bodies as a way to "vacation" on earth.

MORr1S "Morris" is a labmade commander that has been tasked with the creation of the vaccine. He doesn't have any true power, as the Ilori labmades are second class citizens and the true Ilori are their masters. Ilori are not suppose to have emotions. Morris is different, because he was raised by a mother who encouraged him to embrace his feelings.

Janelle "Ellie" Baker has a passion for books, and hid all of her family's favorites. She has an illegal library, where she smuggles books to other humans with the help of her best friend, Alice.

Morris discovered music when he came to earth, and when he discovers Ellie's illegal library, he enlists her help in rounding up more hidden music for him to discover and enjoy. He promises Ellie that he will keep her, Alice, and her family safe, if she helps him in his endeavor. As these two connect over their passion for music and books, they find themselves in a dangerous predicament, and while they're racing against the clock to save humanity, they might just discover what it means to fall in love...

I loved the strong characterization of both Ellie and Morris. I got a good sense of who they were, as well as what their hopes and fears were. Ellie was courageous, resilient, a little awkward, and very intelligent. I loved and connected with her passion for books, as well as her love and loyalty towards her best friend Alice, and her parents. Morris was a wonderful character in his own right. I enjoyed the way that he evolved as the story went on. He realized that emotions weren't something to be ashamed of, but rather, were a sign of strength. He was compassionate and caring, and I loved his excitement, exuberance, and passion for all types of music, as well as for Ellie.

It was a lot of fun reading about various musicians, and their songs. David Bowie, The Beatles, Cold Play, Queen, and Beyonce were a few mentioned, and I got excited over each new artist/song mentioned. I also loved hearing about different authors and stories, such as Pride and Prejudice, Corduroy, The Hate U Give, and Harry Potter. Important societal issues were addressed such as climate change, and civil/human rights as well as racial inequality and discrimination.

Where I struggled a bit was with the pacing of the plot. The prologue was amazing, and had me so excited to delve in to the story. Each new chapter has an interview or article about Ellie's favorite band, The Starry Eyed. I was confused at first, because these excerpts didn't fit with the story and were distracting. However, at the end of the story, the author connected and explained everything. I think the plot needed more suspense and action to move the story along at a faster and more exciting pace. The ending was great and flew by! We are left with a to be continued ending, but we get a few answers and aren't left with a crazy cliffhanger.

If you enjoy science-fiction, stories about aliens, romance, pop culture, and relevant societal issues, you might want to check out, The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow!

I really enjoyed this book!! First off, this book is set on Earth after an alien invasion takes place! Earth is taken over and humans are given "vaccinations" that essentially wipe their minds so they are easier to control. Ellie, is the main character we follow and she is pretty darn cool. She is a strong and rebellious hero!

Ellie meets Morris (an alien) pretty quick into the story! Morris is different and really takes a liking to Ellie and they start their adventure to save Earth!

I loved this book! I found Ellie to be so normal and just realistic. Like that would be how someone really acts in this situation! I enjoyed the alien things like the tech and weird communications! Although at times I found myself thinking they were more like robots than aliens but that could just be me!!

The story plays on themes that happen everyday (like racism, difference in class, ect.) Morris is different than other aliens - hes a "labmade" which essentially means hes lesser than the "true" aliens. Ellie is a black girl in New Yotk and she speaks to a lot of racism and discrimination she and her family experienced! Ellie and Morris kind of bond on these experiences. I liked how that was tied into the book!!

The chapters switch back and forth from Ellie to Morris. I liked this a lot! I got to really be inside both of their heads which created a really well rounded story! I found the ending was kind of long, its dragged on. I loved everything that was happening I just felt it took too long to happen! So that is my only real complaint about the book.

Speaking of the ending - WOW I loved it! A twist I NEVER expected happened! The ending was both heartwarming and nerve wracking! I was left with so many loose ends.... I wish I could have gotten a bit more! It ends in such a way that there could be another book or you just need to use your imagination and decide what kind of ending Ellie and Morris would have!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I tried really hard but I could not get into this story. Disappointing due to the awesome blurb! It felt way confusing in the beginning. I had no idea what was going on and therefore couldn't fall into the story. I may try this again as an audiobook. The format on my kindle could have contributed to my inability to keep pushing forward.

I have trouble reviewing YA – like being a teenager, it’s a strange in-between zone. You don’t need to be kid-friendly, but the genre also tends to dull certain aspects of adult life (sex and violence) if the novel isn’t dealing with a specific trauma.

That being said, my real rating is 3.5 stars (versus the 3 of the GR/NG system).

The diversity in the novel was fantastic – I loved that the female protagonist was a young woman of colour that wasn’t conventionally attractive, and she has a medical disability. This is important for young people to see and it didn’t feel forced. I loved the non-binary characters and the way the pronoun “they” was used without the need for some sort of unnecessary explanation. The novel’s attempts to bring in social justice concerns fell a little flat - they didn’t get enough focus to fully resonate.

One thing that was interesting to me upon reflection was Ellie’s sexuality. As someone who also wasn’t interested in sex or dating at 17 (having too many other things on the go even without living in a dystopian atmosphere), her lack of interest in sex (and her struggling to understand why she wasn’t as sexually active as her friend) was relatable.

Do alien + human love stories have to make the aliens look exactly like humans (but hotter) for the human to fall for them? Give me an ugly alien love story! Yet, the reason for Morris looking human is valid because they need to live in our atmosphere and etc., but it would have been more interesting if he was less conventionally attractive. And if he weren’t so … boring. I found him rather dull.

The love story wasn’t very exciting either, unfortunately, and took up too much time. I did like the slow burn romance aspect, but there was too much nattering on about love. Yes, this is a YA story, so I don’t expect some bodice-ripping, but maybe replace the long monologues about love with showing us why they are a good match. Perhaps the issue was that I found Ellie a little boring and Morris pedantic and too perfect. Other than their shared bravery (in different forms) and love of books/music and I didn’t see a lot that drew them together in terms of loving of another. Sexual tension and desire, sure, but the “falling in love” felt rushed (then again, they are teenagers – or at least she is). Once they establish their friendship, they don’t really argue, and they never flirt (possibly because they’re so young and inexperienced). Yet even when there’s a big misdirection in their relationship, it’s resolved so quickly we don’t see any growth on their part.

I wish the “road trip” had been drawn out and included some more instances of “fun” for them, where they got to be playful and relax around one another – this would have allowed their relationship to develop stronger. This book, despite them driving across the country, didn’t feel like a road trip novel at all.
I did enjoy the concept of the alien invasion (though I think resistance on humanity’s part would be a bit stronger in real life) and I enjoyed the hierarchy within the alien culture.

The little epigraphs to start the chapters didn’t do a lot for me and I skimmed the parts dealing with the fictional band. While I, being 34, know Bowie’s music, would someone born in 2003 know it as much? I’m not sure. My brother is 15 – maybe I’ll ask him. He’ll likely just tell me I’m old or something.

Overall, it’s a rich novel that attempts to broach large social themes as well as providing an interesting story. Would I recommend it to my daughter in 12 years or so? Sure.