I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was incredible! It was a little slow for me to start and I kept on having to stop which will be explained in the podcast episode on the 11th
But yes, I loved Elle and Morris. I loved the world building and the characters are so believable!

This book hit all the heartstrings in all the right ways.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book - a YA dystopia, a social commentary maybe, an inevitable human/alien romance probably. These types of stories can go either way for me, and it really depends on the execution and the characters. To my pleasant surprise, this book turned out to be all of these things and more - a classic save-the-world romp with a unapologetically queer spin, adorably nerdy in places and filled with deeply relatable characters. Honestly, it was the characters that really sold me on this one: I love that the main characters are flawed, nuanced, and awkward. Ellie’s introversion and self-judgment, Morris’s attempts to blend in and process his emotions - these traits and personal journeys kept me engaged in both POVs. (Also I am admittedly a sucker for characters who are not human trying to understand/emulate/become more humans, so Morris quickly became my favorite!!)

Speaking of characterization, one thing I really appreciated about this book was the representation: many of the characters are LGBTQIA, and the Ilori specifically state their gender identities and ask others to do the same, which I found refreshing and valuable. I have never read anything else that normalized gender as a spectrum and elimination of the gender binary concept so naturally and so well. I also really loved that Ellie’s pansexuality(?) was respected and in no way erased, even as she ended up in a “straight-passing” relationship. I would love to see more authors portray LGBTQIA characters in this way.

The plot was a little disorganized/predictable, but it was detailed enough to keep my interest. I was a little surprised at the ending - I’d hoped the story would come to more of a resolution, but at the same time I understand why the author chose to end it so openly and if they do write a sequel I will definitely read it!

All in all, this was a fun read with well-developed characters and an unexpectedly poignant heart, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

I had a really hard time getting into this book. In fact I stopped reading it about 10 pages in, I just couldn't keep reading. I only read for pleasure, and this wasn't my kind of pleasurable read. I may try it again in the future, but for now it just didn't work out. Thanks to #netgalley for the advanced copy. #thesoundofstars

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the arc!

3.3/5 stars

The Sound of Stars is a sci-fi novel set in a future where emotional expression is not allowed, which makes music and books illegal. Our two main characters are Janelle: a human girl with a secret library, and M0Rr1S, a lab made 'emotionless' alien.

It is their forbidden love of music that brings the two together and on the run.

I had a hard time getting into the novel at first, but it did pick up about halfway through. I really liked the main characters and I love reading stories with aliens who are friends with humans in it. I can't say that the whole music gimmick was my favourite- but I know it would work for a lot of people.

All in all I think this novel is alright. It's not perfect but it is enjoyable and has an interesting plot.

Boy, do I love a good sci-fi with an alternative format! As soon as I cracked the book open (figuratively, of course) and saw the transcript on the first page, I was hooked. It was fast paced with a great plot and very memorable characters. What I loved the most was that it was a striking standalone. It was so satisfying to read the whole way through, and I can't recommend it enough.

**I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

I have been looking forward to this book since I heard about it, early in 2019, because it mixes two things I love - expression through art and Sci-Fi. I loved the way the book's core theme seemed to be that people can get through just about anything as long as they have those creative outlets. Books, music, art, etc. The Ilori knew that, stamping down those pieces of "contraband" to squash the humans' hope - but Ellie wouldn't let the impending threat of death stop her from having her library. Even Morris, an Ilori himself, is fascinated by music, and will risk everything to experience it.

The characters have so much stacked against them - but they still find something that brings them together and OH MAN they are shippable. I love them.

Threaded in with the story is timely commentary on power dynamics and political control. Ellie is black, and reflects on her experience there while also comparing it to her new life underneath the Ilori.

I can't wait to see this book out in the world!!

The Sound of Stars surprised me.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but what I found was a heartwarming story about love, hope, and how forbidden books and music can bring two people together.

Morris is an alien, part of an invasion force to subdue the humans on Earth, with a love of music-something his race has taken away from him. Ellie is a human girl with a forbidden library of books-something the aliens have taken away from her. Human expression=bad news for these aliens. Morris and Ellie are are drawn together for their love of these things, and find themselves on the run together in a race to save humanity, and each other.

This was such a sweet book, full of twists and surprises that kept me guessing as to what would happen next. Sometimes these twists would come out of the blue, with no indication beforehand of what was going to happen (that I was aware of), so it did feel a bit jarring at times plot-wise. However, I was okay with that, and it doesn’t detract from the story. If anything, it keeps you on your toes!

I found the idea that this book starts post-alien invasion was unique. Most alien invasion stories start out with the actual invasion. This book starts out with the humans having lost, and what that looks like. The aliens were also really interesting, with their abilities and the way they look. Their social structure is also a fascinating part of the book.

My favorite part of this book was towards the end, with the Starry Eyed. That was a fantastic twist! I’d love a spin off novel about the Starry Eyed. Just going to put that out there!

I’d also love to see someone put together a soundtrack of all the music mentioned in this book. This is definitely a book that needs a soundtrack.

If you’re looking for a science fiction, pop culture fueled romance, this is the perfect book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read The Sound of Stars as an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Five: 
The number of weeks until The Sound of Stars hits shelves. 

Four: 
I don't care if it's beFOUR or after the World ends, nobody is borrowing Lady Midnight. 

Three: 
The 'older than 3 months' section Netgalley moved my arc to because it took me entirely too long to actually read this book. 😩 

Two: 
“I’m Ilori and, sometimes, it feels like I’m human, too. I’m of two worlds.” 
 *Insert Hannah Montana 'Best of Both Worlds' gif*

One: 
The amount of times Alechia got a Red, White & Royal Blue reference in.  JSKSKSJSKS

The Sound of Stars is author Alechia Dow's debut novel. 

(quote)The Sound of Stars is about love and… annihilation.(quote)

I mean... basically. It is a mixture of Science Fiction, Dystopian, and Contemporary. In my opinion, it leans a little more to the Contemporary side. I've actually sat down to read it a few times, and I should have easily already finished it. I'm a mood reader, though. And because I recently read my arc of The First 7 and enjoyed it, I thought it was about time to tackle another Alien Invasion. I hate that it took me so long because it really is a good book. It was fun and full of Pop Culture references that read like a love letter to fandom. They got a little cheesy and over the top at times and there were times the story became a bit preachy, but it was an important message, still, full of hope and love. Ellie is very relatable. If she weren't fiction, I'm positive we would be friends. H-E-L-L-O amazing anxiety rep. 😍

The Sound of Stars is a mash up of The Love Interest, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Amid Stars and Darkness, Defy the Stars, Partials, and The Hate U Give. Trust me. Check it out. 😉 

***Thank you to Inkyard Press, Harlequin Teen, and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy.***

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know where to start with this one! It took me a bit of time to get into the story, recognize the characters, setting, and understand the alien race/their reasonings of being there. However, that’s typical with a lot of first book, science fiction, YA. I would say Part Two is when the plot really kicked off and stakes became real.

This book goes back and forth between the perspectives of Janelle (“Ellie”) and Morris with little snippets of interviews and quotes from the Starry Eyed (band). It was nice to get the perspectives of each of the characters but I found it got really repetitive really fast which just got annoying and maybe a tad unrealistic? I can see myself acting like Ellie maybe when I was 13 around a crush but not at the age of 17.

What this book has:
Representation of different genders (male, female, non-binary)
Representation of different sexual orientations
Commentary on race
Commentary on being born vs. artificially made
Commentary on global warming, climate change, and pollution
A crap-ton of pop culture references and YA books

I liked closer to the ending when things started making sense. I saw the twist coming closer to halfway through the book but I did love how it brought everything together. I don’t think this book needed to be set up as a sequel however. I would have rather read 100-150 more pages of this story coming to a conclusion. The last 20% was just a set up for a sequel that was disheartening to read because I think this would have been a great stand alone.

Overall, 3 stars. Average book in my opinion but I do see that I am not the target audience and sci-fi / light fantasy young teen fans would enjoy this. I probably won’t continue with the series but I will pick up another book by Dow.

**review on blog closer to publication date**

I had such a mixture of emotions while reading this one. Like most of the sci fi and fantasy books I've read it took a little while to get into this story. There was some info dump in the beginning but the story got better once Ellie and Morr1s went on the run even though at times the pace would ebb and flow.

I enjoyed the world building in this story. I felt like Alechia Dow put a lot of thought into developing the Illori and the labmades. And she wrote some beautiful things about the problems in our world including climate change, corrupt governments, and race relations. There were quotes in this story that really touched me. And I love how she contrasted all the bad in the world with the good things like community, family, and art.

While I loved that this book pretty much had it's own soundtrack sometimes the book and music references could be a little overkill. I did like the song lyrics by the fictional band The Starry Eyed before every chapter. But there were references to YA books I did not recognize at all and it was a little strange when Ellie would go on to tell Morr1s a story and provide us a synopsis of a book and we were supposed to guess which one it was. Other times Morr1s and Ellie would break out into song or be focused on music and dancing when I was focused on the danger they were in.

Everything having a label was a little too much for me at times as well. Sometimes I would think "Are we really still this obsessed with labeling everything in the future instead of letting people be who they want to be?"

Morr1s and Ellie were a cute couple. He was a little cheesy at times but he had a big heart and it was nice to see a male love interest in YA so open with his emotions and not trying to play the cool guy. She was a very different kind of heroine for me. She wasn't like other girls but not in the obnoxious way often seen throughout these stories.

3.5 rating for me.

This book. This. Book.

The Sound of Stars follows main characters Janelle (human) and M0rR1S (Ilori) during the alien invasion of Earth by a race called the Ilori. Lovers of books, music, and art, Janelle and Morris meet and connect immediately. Embarking on a road trip to save themselves and humanity, the two bond over the universalities that connect them and the forms of expression they both love.

Right away, I loved this book. About seventy pages in, I preordered it. Janelle was a massive bookworm and having her reference the YA books I read was so fun. She was strong and brave and ace and loveable. I was slightly less attached to Morris, but I've always loved SciFi for the opportunities for the invention of wild and beautiful new worlds, and through Morris, Dow was able to do this in a fun way.

The book was also peppered with mini-chapters about Janelle's favorite band: The Starry Eyed. We get song lyrics, podcast episodes, and interviews about them, and I actually found that to be a delightful inclusion.

I think the stars just kind of aligned for me with this book. One of my absolute favorite childhood books was The True Meaning of Smekday, and this book felt A Lot like that one, in the diverse, slightly older targeted way I've always wanted. I'm also the kind of person who not only always has to be listening to music while she reads, but the person who has to listen to The Right music, and I nailed it with this one (Dow even references the band I chose later as inspirations for The Starry Eyed (: So, like. Listen to M83 with this one just sayin).

The reason this book is four stars instead of five is the action. Dow did really well with the slower, more slice of life scenes. The action, though, felt rushed and half-baked, at times. Because of this, the climax of the book kind of fell flat for me, and the last 25% or so had me kind of losing the insane "Ilovethisbooksomuch" energy that I'd had for the entire book up until that point.

All in all, I highly recommend this book. I really, genuinely loved it, even despite its flaws. A big round of applause for our first entry on the "Favorite Books of 2020" list.

This book is about an alien take over and how the people are learning to live in a new world. This girl who loves book has a secret library in a storage unit in her holding area and she meets an alien that loves music.


These 2 people are Earth’s only hope. The adventures along the way are unforgettable. I loved this book and it’s set up like there maybe a sequel but I didn’t see one in Goodreads.

I liked the soundtrack in this book, such as The Cure and Fleetwood Mac. Great song choices.
However, I'm not into alien books or books about the destruction of the human race.

Sorry.
Thank you for the ARC.

Delightfully cheesy lovestory of two star crossed book and music music lovers set in the midst of a alien invasion.

Ellie Baker lives in a world where an invading alien species has taken over Earth, rounded up the majority of humans and banned all creative outlets, in an attempt to dampen humanity. When she accidentally befriends one of the aliens, they must travel across the country to implement the plans of an underground alien rebellion intent on saving humans, the Earth and the Galaxy.

The Sound of Stars was another weird one for me. I really enjoyed the book. The story was interesting and well written. The characters were flawed but had growth. That being said, it literally took me forever to actually get invested in the story. I can usually bust out an enjoyable story in a few days. The Sound of Stars took me a few weeks. I’m not sure why. By all accounts, it doesn’t make sense (Insert Cronk with line graph here)

The way that Dow wove the Starry Eyed into the story was awesome. I sorta guessed at their importance around a little over half way through and it was rad to see my predictions come true.

All in all, I really liked The Sound of Stars and would recommend it to any sci-fi/rebel with a cause sort of fans!

More like 3.5 stars
So lets just get the cover out of the way, Wowza that is beautiful. And despite it beautiful cover the book isn't near as stunning.
I did enjoy The Sound of Stars I liked how the author wove the importance of music and literature to humanity's hope and that without it we wither away. The Sound of Stars is book after any music enthusiast of book lovers heart. Each chapter has a reference to a musician or band when our POV (M0Rr1s) is speaking and the other are book references when the second POV (Ellie) but if your not a book nerd I don't think some of the readers are going to get the connections. I think the author should have stuck to more classic references where everyone would know. I also enjoyed the LGTBQ references in the book I know some may not like all the labels being thrown around but humans like to label things and found the author nailed that part. I also liked the road trip our two MC's went on you never really see that in a YA SciFi book featuring aliens. I thought was unique. I will say when reading the book I got some similarities to a book I read a couple years ago called Zero Repeat Forever. by: G. S Prendergast. so if you enjoyed Zero Repeat Forever you will most likely enjoy The Sound of Stars.

Overall The Sound of Stars is a nice and unique addition to the teen science fiction genre. That will sure to please book lovers.

This book moved a little slow for my liking but in the end I loved it.
What I disliked the most were the song lyrics and the interviews with the band that the main character was a fan of. I just skipped those sections. We find out toward the end that they "might" be beneficial to read but I felt no need and found those areas to be daunting and withdrawing from the story.
Overall, the story line was great. The characters were great.
The setting was amazing.
I would read more by this author with the hopes that lyrics are not included in future books.

**Thank you to Inkyard Press, Netgalley, and Alechia Dow for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

The Sound of Stars reminds me a lot of The Host by Stephanie Meyer, where alien forces invade Earth and take over the humans. There is a fun sci-fi twist where the aliens, Ilori, are labmade to resemble humans in order to survive the atmosphere. Ellie is a human looking to stay alive, M0Rr1S is a special labmade Ilori in command of Ellie's quadrant in NYC. The universe brings them together in a way that they did not expect - and they become an unlikely pair.

I wasn't sure how to rate this, because my feelings changed frequently during this book. I had a hard time getting into it, was very interested in the middle, and got lost again in the end. The end made it seem like this will be a duology, which I wasn't expecting because it doesn't look like any has been announced. I went in expecting a stand-alone, so the fact that it didn't end well wrapped up threw me off.

I do love the concept, because I loved The Host. As more information is released you become more sympathetic to the Ilori, which was well thought out and constructed. I just wish for more in the beginning that would have captured my attention, and a less confusing ending.

The Sound of Stars brings a new voice into sci-fi with great LGBTQIA representation (all the aliens introduce themselves by name and gender identity). Many characters are non-binary and our female MC is self-reported as demi-ace... (makes me think this may be an Own Voices work?). There is also a lot of political, racial, and environmental discussions that draws direct lines to today's climate, which is refreshing to read and an addition that caused me to rate this book higher.

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Alechia Dow creates a story in the not-so-distant future where alien races have landed on and conquered Earth. We follow two characters: Janelle Baker, a black human girl who runs an illicit library, and M0Rr1S, a lab made Ilori commander who loves music. As Janelle and Morris become friends, the responsibility of saving the humans from the Ilori conquerers falls to them.

I was intrigued by the premise of human and nonhuman characters connecting over art. And the story did deliver that.

Music was so very important to this story. The characters sing to each other. There are intermittent songs written out in between chapters. There are interviews with Janelle's favorite band featured. The language of the Ilori was described as unfamiliar mechanical sounds. Basically, I feel I would have better appreciated and engaged with this story as an audiobook. As it was, I found the 1337speak spellings of Ilori characters' names to be visually abrasive and kind of unnecessary. I also found the song lyrics to be distracting, even though they served as foreshadowing.

I loved the representation in this book. Janelle is a black female who is demiace, self-described chubby and expressed interest in both male and female characters. She also has hypothyroidism and anxiety. AvR0la is a nonbinary Ilori, and (based on how the Ilori introduce themselves to others) it seemed commonplace and accepted for Ilori to be male, female, or nonbinary. These are just a few things that stood out to me, but it was great how they were incorporated so smoothly into the story.

Even with me liking the premise and some of the things that the story accomplished, I found myself not connecting with the characters and not invested in the story until almost the very end. Even then, I was more interested in characters other than our main pair. Perhaps I might have had a different experience with an audiobook format, but as it is I'm left a bit lukewarm.

Dow definitely leaves room for a sequel, and I look forward to seeing future works from her.

I didn't feel that there was one big thing that made this not quite gel for me, but a lot of little things. The pacing felt off - somehow it felt like it took a long time to gear up and then continued to have very little action for huge chunks of time, and as if when action happened it was sort of zipped through? I never really felt as if the characters were in significant danger - and Morris's POV especially included a lot of infodumps. Janelle and Morris's romance didn't feel nearly as epic as the text tried to make it out to be, and didn't feel more plausible because it was canonically called out for falling into the YA instalove trope. I liked that Janelle was established as demi-ace early on, but I sort of felt as if the ace part fell off the map part way through? I would have appreciated even a little check-in as the book went on - the idea of shifting understanding of your own sexuality is an interesting and important one, but it just seemed to be swept past. Though I was glad that it did come to something, I didn't get much from the inclusion of the articles/lyric sections between chapters. I thought the emphasis on books and music (or human creation/art in general) was nicely described and impassioned, but the inclusion of specific stories/books ended up feeling sort of clunky, especially when Janelle was thinking about her favorite ships before being kissed. I did appreciate how the narrative integrated current prejudices and problems into the post-alien world, recognizing that racism/health issues wouldn't go away and might be exacerbated by the traumatic situation.

As the other ratings and the niche it fits into suggest, I think this will totally work for a lot of readers, it just didn't quite do it for me.