The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

The Sound of Stars

by Alechia Dow

Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves pop music work together to save humanity? A beautiful and thrilling debut novel 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.

Today, seventeen-year-old 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 still keeps a secret library.

When young Ilori commander M0Rr1S finds Ellie’s 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.

Humanity’s fate rests in the hands of an alien Ellie should fear, but M0Rr1S has a potential solution―thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous journey 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.

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

5 of 5 stars

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You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

4.5*

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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 21 January, 2020: Finished reading
  • 21 January, 2020: Reviewed