The sound of stars

Earth has been invaded by aliens. The Ilori want to use this planet for recreation and relocate the surviving humans to reservates. Professing to be rational, without emotion, the Ilori have forbidden certain mediums of human expression like music and literature. Against this backdrop, Dow tells the story of two protagonists who have both experienced systemic rejection and marginalization for all of their young lives. Janelle „Ellie“ Baker is a Black teen running a secret library in an Ilori controlled center. M0Rr1S „Morris“ is a lab-made Ilori, deemed second-class by the true-born Ilori despite being of noble family. Morris has to hide his love for human music to survive among his kind. The Sound of Stars unsurprisingly celebrates art, particularly songs and books. Dow‘s characters share music and sing or tell stories for each other, referencing many titles from pop culture. As they try to escape Ilori control, they reveal more about themselves to each other and start to bond. I wasn‘t particularly enchanted by the song lyrics of the fictional band quoted throughout, but I loved how the author treated topics like anxiety and queerness, in particular with Ellie. And the joy and honesty with which Morris expresses emotions he had to suppress until now still stays with me. It is absolutely cheesy (Ellie thinks so, too) and might put off some readers, but it worked for me. It might work even better for YA readers (at best I can claim to be still young at heart). Both the love story and the plot of saving humankind are well executed and enjoyable, unless you prefer mind-bending twists. Dow creates an interesting setting beyond its obvious parallels with current social injustices (about which the book is upfront), and she uses it to deliver a solid story with memorable characters dealing with interesting situations and problems. Alechia Dow is working on a second book. I‘ll keep an eye out for it.