The Sound of Stars Review
By Nic Daniels
Hello again, audacious readers! It is the end of Audacity Book Club’s first year! Thank you to all the readers and founder, Jessica Wise, for giving me this awesome opportunity. Super excited to go into year two with more incredible stories and if you have any suggestions, don’t hesitate to pass them along in the comments.
But before we get into year two we must round out Hot Love Summer! Last month, we enjoyed the rom-com vibes of She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen. This month, we’re finding love at the end of the world with The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow.
As an avid reader, simply trying to graduating high school, 17-year-old Ellie Baker is not a rebel at heart. However, her plans are quickly thwarted by an alien invasion hitting New York City, destroying her home and her dreams in mere moments as invaders, the Ilori, place survivors until lock and key. Yet, when forms of human expression—music, books, and art—are banned, Ellie can’t stand by and do nothing. So, she creates a secret library.
Despite her meticulous system, her library is discovered by young Ilori commander, M0rr1s. He quickly becomes fascinated by the library and the girl who would risk everything to hide it. With his own secret obsession with music, M0rr1s feels a connection with Ellie and what starts as a reluctant exchange, turns into life-changing adventure. Days away from stopping a complete takeover of Earth and countless dangers along the way, they just might be the right beings to save the world.
It's been a while since I’ve read such a good sci-fi book that’s unapologetically a romance. Most sci-fi novels mix in a mystery or action adventure. While this book is adventurous with twists and turns, the focus is always on Ellie and M0rr1s’ relationship and, man, is it a good relationship.
For one, I like how they’re kind of the opposite of what you would expect. M0rr1s is not a cool, tsundre (hey anime fans) soldier. He’s eager and passionate. Even though he’s grown up in a culture that values lack of emotion, he looks at the world with a wonder. Meanwhile, Ellie is reserved and pragmatic, ready for things to go wrong at any time, which is understandable as a demi-sexual, fat, Black girl in a world very much like our own. They’re not here to be cool and charismatic. Instead, they’re relatable with a chemistry that comes naturally. If nothing else, M0rr1s and Ellie show two worlds colliding, finding love, hope, and themselves in the darkest of days.
Another thing I appreciate is how this book doesn’t ignore the problems of the world, ones that can still prevail in the worst of times like racism and classism. Not to mention it gives good shout outs to great artists and black authors throughout the story. Also, is it just me or do the Andarrans give strong Silk Sonic vibes?
Picking this book was definitely self-indulgent but not only is the story a breath of fresh air, it’s timely. There may not be an alien invasion happening (hopefully. I don’t need that on my 2022 bingo card) but the turmoil of the world is impossible to ignore. Sometimes, it can feel like the world is going downhill so, it’s nice to have a book that shows that not only is there still hope and dignity in the end, but it’s never too late to change.
What did you think about The Sound of Stars? Was there a favorite book or music mention? What would you do at the end of the world? Let me know all the things and don’t forget to join the book club IG live, coming soon. Thank you so much again for reading and can’t wait to start year two!
Until next, don’t forget to read audaciously!
