Bild på författaren.

Alechia Dow

Författare till The Sound of Stars

5+ verk 420 medlemmar 17 recensioner

Om författaren

Foto taget av: Photo by Nadine Rodler

Verk av Alechia Dow

The Sound of Stars (2020) 277 exemplar
The Kindred (2022) 98 exemplar
A Song of Salvation (2023) 31 exemplar
Just a Pinch of Magic (2023) 10 exemplar
Sweet Stakes 4 exemplar

Associerade verk

Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder (2022) — Bidragsgivare — 60 exemplar

Taggad

Allmänna fakta

Födelsedag
20th century
Nationalitet
USA
Land (för karta)
Germany
Agent
Natalie Lakosil (Bradford Literary)

Medlemmar

Recensioner

The first book in this series is still the best of the whole trilogy. Mainly because it delivered an engaging plot, good pacing, and memorable characters.

Unfortunately, the final book couldn't maintain the momentum from the first one and stayed at the okay-ness of the second. Our trio couldn’t keep my interest though I liked what each character arc represented. I thought the premise for this one would’ve been a lot more fun. Despite it being understandable, it’s mostly just self-loathing. As a person who has had pity parties before, wallowing in despair isn't fun to read.

The first part dragged to the point where I wanted to dnf it, but the story finally picked up steam in part 2 and held it until the end. We get Found Family vibes albeit a bit forced. Also, because I just finished the whole Trolls trilogy, I can make this apt reference Wesley is Branch and Rubin is Poppy. The initial attraction was there but their connection was instalovey though to be fair for a celeb/influencer(finally, a man with a nontoxic podcast) x fan couple it worked better than others due to the circumstances.

In addition, the dialogue felt unnatural. I’m not saying people don’t express their emotions or traumas,” but it’s usually not neat, organized, and conclusive like this at their age. Some of the characters' responses sounded therapist-like, but maybe they were more well-adjusted than the average human teenager as aliens.

But I adore the story's message and themes. I will always love the large role music plays in each book. Dow is as wonderful a songwriter as a writer in my opinion. The conversation about how a lot of people suck and look the other way when injustice happens, but some are willing to change, some are willing to fight, and some are simply willing to exist and practice kindness in a messed up world. That’s reassuring to keep doing the right thing.

Concerning the ending, it’s like the Avengers assembled in a good way with all the other characters from the first two books showing up and playing their part. The ending is fitting and wrapped up tightly with a bow though it took too many pages for me to become fully invested.

SN: You can ignore. I'm rambling. Nappy vs Kinky usage Wesley refers to his hair as nappy a few times and not in an uplifting way. Nappy has a negative connotation though some (mostly black people as it tends to be used to disparage our hair) have reclaimed the word. Does it hold the same negativity for aliens? If Welsey hates his hair/has a low self-image, this doesn't get addressed, which makes me think it was intended to be making a statement or anything. It's just used as is.

Kinky as in hair type, which is a lot more common and I used myself often, was used as well in the story. Is this an intended distinction? Zaira seems to like her hair.

Maybe this is done to show the two words as interchangeable. I don't know.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
DestDest | Jan 2, 2024 |
It started out well, and I was actually enjoying it. But man. Once Morris and Ellie got on the way, the dialogue got unbelievably trite and clunky. The story didn't get any better either. Some aliens ex machina, unrevealed allies that never had any good reasons to lie, and some more trite dialogue. And speeches. Internal ones, external ones, with cookie cutter sentiments. The book had moments when it was working, but it lost me the rest of the time.

Oh, and it's not finished. Not sure if there is a sequel, but the story ends in the middle.… (mer)
 
Flaggad
zjakkelien | 10 andra recensioner | Jan 2, 2024 |
“Chaos will come. It’s inevitable […] But Love, and friendship … these soften the blows.”
The characters were fine, but the plot was meandering. From the escape to crashing on Earth, to helping Rashid’s loneliness, to legitimizing Owen’s daddy’s dreams, to Felix’s true upbringing, etc.

Felix and Joy’s time on Earth just felt run-of-the-mill and lackluster, so it dragged a bit although the final third does pick up.

The dialogue could also feel unnatural at times. The author mixed social commentary very well in her debut, but it was very clunky here. I also don't understand why the Earth friends are so sold out for them in a matter of 3 days.

But I really love how music plays such a big part in this author’s works. I would love to hear a full song from her. Wish I could’ve enjoyed this more, but I’ll definitely keep reading from Dow. I like her imagination. The concept of soulmates/Kindreds was interesting.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
DestDest | 3 andra recensioner | Nov 28, 2023 |
I keep wavering between a 3 and 4, but just know I enjoyed reading this a lot. The dystopian vibes felt plausible even if some the Ilori stuff felt under-baked. I especially liked the book and music references, and how Janelle “Ellie” had agency, whether she made the right decisions or not she still chose them.

Also, there are some seriously cute and poignant lines/moments. If I had read the book version, I would have highlighted them all.

Hey Netflix, yoohoo, do you want to adapt this one?

3.5

ETA:
I wanted to know more about AvR0la. Like, why were they so loyal to Morr1s. Did Glind connect them?

Also, Brixton I know... plot twist but why was it so messy tho? There was no foreshadowing... just bam! I've always loved you, bro.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
DestDest | 10 andra recensioner | Nov 26, 2023 |

Listor

Priser

Du skulle kanske också gilla

Associerade författare

Statistik

Verk
5
Även av
2
Medlemmar
420
Popularitet
#58,060
Betyg
3.8
Recensioner
17
ISBN
21

Tabeller & diagram