In her debut, Alechia Dow uses sci-fi and romance to tell an important story about resistance, hope and the arts.
Two years ago, humans were defeated by the electric-powered alien species the Ilori. All human art was banned, but 17-year-old Ellie maintains a contraband library in her apartment building. M0Rr1S (Morris) is a "labmade," humanlike Ilori. His kind "are not supposed to form connections or feel," yet Morris feels deeply, particularly about music. When searching for music to add to his collection, Morris discovers Ellie's library. Instead of turning her in, he enlists her to gather music for him--someone who has amassed this stock is surely capable of going unnoticed. To his dismay, she is caught and the two are forced to embark on a dangerous cross-country trip, during which an unlikely romance blossoms.
Alechia Dow's The Sound of Stars is an homage to art's power to create "love during conflict" and build "bridges during division." Dow takes this homage a step further by including articles about and lyrics from an imagined band called The Starry Eyed, whose songs might inspire listeners to save the world. Ellie is a black-presenting "mixed" teen who has been exposed to her fair share of "dead black children shot in the streets, immigrant children locked in cages, murders, politics, white supremacy." All of which make her question whether humanity is even worth saving. But Morris, who has been told all his life that there is "something defective" about him, believes that they can "make this world, any world, what [they] want it to be." This debut is a hopeful testament to resistance that weaves in commentary about climate change, racism and politics, and includes LGBTQIA and mental and physical health representation. --Lana Barnes, freelance reviewer and proofreader