Review: The Sound of Stars, Alechia Dow

The Sound of the Stars was a book I was very much looking forward to reading and I’m so glad I finally did. While, in some ways, it ended up being a bit disappointing, I still really enjoyed the ride. Check out my full review below!

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
Published by Inkyard Press on February 25, 2020
Genres: science fiction, young adult
Format: Hardcover
Buy on Amazon, Book Depository, Bookshop, Blackwell's
Goodreads

“This debut has it all: music, books, aliens, adventure, resistance, queerness, and a bold heroine tying it all together. ”—Ms. Magazine
Can a girl who risks her life for books and an Ilori who loves pop music work together to save humanity?
When a rebel librarian meets an Ilori commander…
Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the death of one-third of the world’s population. Today, seventeen-year-old Ellie Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library.
When young Ilori commander Morris finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. But Morris isn’t a typical Ilori…and Ellie and her books might be the key to a desperate rebellion of his own.“The Sound of Stars is a marvelous genre-bending debut." —The Nerd Daily“The Sound of Stars is a stunning exploration of the comforts that make us human and the horrors that challenge our humanity.”—K. Ancrum, author of The Wicker King "This book has everything! Aliens set on conquering earth! A determined heroine with a hidden stash of books! And the power of music and stories to give those with every reason to hate the power to love. Who could want anything more?"—Joelle Charbonneau, New York Times bestselling author of The Testing and Verify “An absolute must-read for everyone.” —Book Riot “Dow's debut is a testament to hope and the power of art.” —Buzzfeed Also by Alechia Dow:
The Kindred

 

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:

colonization, anxiety, panic attacks, racism, confinement, death, child death, blood, alcoholism, genocide, murder, execution, violence, blood, emesis.

☂️ DIVERSITY:Fat Black, demisexual-ace main character with anxiety and hypothryroidism.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

• What caught my attention first in The Sound of the Stars and made me add it to my TBR, is the unique concept. In a world where aliens invaded Earth and now prevent any form of emotional expression, music, arts, books, to exist, Ellie, a seventeen-years-old human, keeps a secret library. M0Rr1S, an alien born in a lab, finds it, but instead of turning her for execution, he decides to try and use her to find more human music, something he’s desperately drawn to.
  • I love that idea of a world where art is forbidden and how those characters seek it, live for it and defend it so much. I love how much words and music matter to both the main characters and how it shows thorough the entire story. It’s just beautiful and such a fantastic idea.
  • I really liked the world the author created, just as well. The entire background story behind the aliens’ invasion, the way they think, work and just, everything about them was really unique.
• The Sound of the Stars is told through two different POV : Ellie and M0Rr1S. I loved Ellie’s POV so much! Right from the start, I felt something for her, her voice jumping off the page and carrying me with her thorough her story. I liked her strength, I could feel her fear, yet also her hope and her determination to try and make things okay. I rooted for her, A LOT.
• I really enjoyed the healthy relationship pictured in this story. I liked how it slowly grew and evolved into something more, I liked how cautious they were with each other and just, taking their time and being careful about consent, too. It’s so good and so important to see relationships like that.

• Despite being a work of science-fiction, this story also dealt with so many important issues you’d find in YA contemporary stories, too. Like micro-aggressions, how Ellie’s lived through them her entire life and how they continue now. Or the wonderful anxiety representation and the importance of her treatment or, in other cases when she can’t have it, her coping mechanisms. Such a wonderful, important addition, and a representation you too rarely see in science-fiction stories.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…

☂️

• I had some issues with the pacing of the story overall. At first, I was intrigued and flew through the pages, wanting to know what would happen next. At a moment, I’m not even certain I can pinpoint when, I started to feel a little disconnected to the story, the pacing slowing down a little bit and my attention with it, too.
• This story is told from two POV, as I mentioned it before…. I unfortunately am talking about the second POV in this part of my review, because I kind of had a hard time with it. I didn’t manage to create, with M0Rr1S’s voice, the same kind of connection I had with Ellie’s thorough the story. I often felt a little distant to his part of the story, something that made me really sac.
• The ending! No spoilers here, but I was a bit frustrated by the ending. I kind of wanted to know WAY more than I did.

OVERALL

☂️

Overall, The Sound of Stars was an entertaining debut. While I had some issues with it, I still really enjoyed the concept and the main character and am looking forward to reading more from this promising author!

FINAL RATING : 3,5 stars!

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📚 Books similar to The Sound of Stars that I’d recommend:

• For more young adult stories with anxiety representation, check out our list of 10 YA books dealing with anxiety.

Did you read The Sound of the Stars or do you want to? Do you have any recommendations of science fiction or fantasy books with anxiety representation? Let me know in comments!

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