The Sound of Stars by Alecia Dow
"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."
“A book can change someone’s world.”
― Alechia Dow, The Sound of Stars
GAHHHHHH! I loved this book! Alien apocalypse, unlikely friendships, secret libraries and queer rep? YES! This book rode a strange line between being really brutal and surprisingly wholesome. I don’t know how it worked, but it did and I enjoyed every minute of it. There was also a really relevant commentary on our society today and this was written BEFORE the events of 2020 but are all the more relevant during this unprecedented year we’re having. I felt that Dow wove her very real message of “things need to change” so beautifully into this sci-fi adventure and topped it with a love for pop music and books. Just, phenomenal! Yes! You should definitely read this book!
Genre: ya, sci-fi, alien apocalypse, lgbtqia+
Representation: bi demi, non-binary, bi
Content Warnings: sci-fi violence, death, hanging, brainwashing
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