Review: The Sound of Stars

Title: The Sound of Stars
Series: Standalone
Author: Alechia Dow
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Release Date: February 25, 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
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Synopsis:
Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity?
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. Deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, humanity’s emotional transgressions are now grounds for execution. All art, books and creative expression 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 (Morris) 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 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 making a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.
My Review: 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!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alechia Dow is a former pastry chef, food critic, culinary teacher, and Youth Services librarian. When not writing about determined black girls (like herself), you can find her chasing her wild child, baking, or taking teeny adventures around Europe.
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*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All opinions are my own.*