Alechia Dow's debut, The Sound of Stars, tells the story of Earth after it's been invaded by aliens called the Ilori. The Ilori have banned art, books, and music, but that doesn't stop teenage Ellie from reading and loaning her books out to others in their detention center. But everything changes when Ellie meets a nice Ilori named M0Rr1s (Morris) who collects illegal music. Together, they may be the key to rebelling against the Ilori and saving Earth and its humans.
The cover really drew me into this book. The rich blues, pinks, and purples really make this book stand out and promise a whimsical science fiction. But unfortunately . . . the book didn't live up to my expectations. While it has an interesting premise and plenty of tense action scenes, the characters didn't grab me. Ellie is a black, bisexual, anxiety-ridden teenager who struggles being vulnerable, and it seems like she was just a stock character chock-full of characteristics that check various representation boxes. I'm not saying that characters can't have all the characteristics that Ellie has. I'm saying that Ellie felt the need to explain and dwell on these characteristics for several pages for the reader. Instead, I would have liked to see a character that normalizes these characteristics and trusts the reader to not be a racist or sexist or whatever. Anyways, Ellie just seemed a little too didactic at parts.
Another issue I had was the plot. It was paced rather slow, especially the transitions from place to place, and I was often bored. It also ended rather abruptly, with a rushed explanation using a big reveal and the "big problem" still unsolved. I guess I placed my expectations too high for this book.
Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3.5
Plot/Movement: 2
Character Development: 2
Overall: 2.5
Thank you, Inkyard Press, for the ARC!
For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!
No comments:
Post a Comment