The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

The Quick Cut: A girl and an alien invader bond over artistic interests while trying to preserve what they care about.

A Real Review:

Thank you to Inkyard Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

 Art has this beautiful way of bringing people together. No matter how different they can be, it pushes through the gaps to see the ties that bind us all. In this debut novel about a girl living through an alien invasion, she finds a unique connection with an invader through music and books. 

 Ellie lives in a dynamically different world than the one she was born in. After the aliens named the Ilori came and a misunderstanding ensued, one third of the world's population was wiped out and their control was cemented. Two years later, her family lives in a confined area of New York City and all emotional expression has been deemed illegal. Art, music, and books were all collected and destroyed by them. Ellie keeps a secret library when one of the invaders named M0Rr1S discovers her stash. Instead of turning her in, he gets her help in his own secret: his love for music. Can their artistic bond find a way to save the world? 

 This book is a quirky blend of fantasy in combination with contemporary. Or truthfully, comporary in a fantasy setting. In every moment, the story plays out between Ellie and M0Rr1S with them trading off the narrating role. You see both of their internal dialogues and struggles to adapt to the world they are now in. It's so sweet to have a novel that really highlights how music and books can bond two unexpected people together (or show that anyone can be touched by emotion). 

 Unfortunately, the strong start this book has begins to degrade by the midpoint. A plotline that was well paced suddenly slows down when the duo take a new turn in their connection. As much as I wanted to enjoy the new scenery, I kept wishing the pace would pick up again. 

 With a sweet story, this book intrigues at the start only to turn to a sluggish pace by the end. 

My rating: 3.5 out of 5