THEY TELL US NOT EVERYONE deserves to matter. Dreams have to be earned, and every day, I grow more afraid that I’ll never be among the worthy.

In 2157, the Adryil—an advanced race of telepathic humanoids—contacted Earth. A century later, 15-year-old violist Iris Lei considers herself lucky to attend Papilio, a prestigious performing arts school powered by their technology. Born penniless, Iris’s one shot at a better life is to attract an Adryil patron. But only the best get hired, and competition is fierce.

A sudden encounter with an Adryil boy upends her world. Iris longs to learn about him and his faraway realm, but after the authorities arrest him for trespassing, the only evidence she has of his existence is the mysterious alien device he slipped to her.

When she starts hearing his voice in her head, she wonders if her world of backstabbing artists and pressure for perfection is driving her insane. Then, she discovers that her visions of him are real—by way of telepathy—and soon finds herself lost in the kind of impossible love she depicts in her music.

But even as their bond deepens, Iris realizes that he’s hiding something from her—and it’s dangerous. Her quest for answers leads her past her sheltered world to a strange planet lightyears away, where she uncovers secrets about Earth’s alien allies that shatter everything she knows.

“That’s terrible.” I’m suddenly aware of how fragile my hands are; they look especially delicate compared to the sturdy tray they’re holding. If someone broke my fingers and I couldn’t play anymore… That would kill me. My music is as much a piece of me as my beating heart, and taking it away would shatter my soul.

 The first quarter of the book was alright, if a bit bland. Between it and the second quarter of the book, there were things happening that I could tell were meant to be suspenseful, but actually reading it never gave me that feeling.

The second half of the book, when things finally did start happening, felt convoluted and dull. I thought that being introduced to the alien world that everyone on Iris’s Earth aspires to go to, Andrye, would be interesting, but it wasn’t really delved into. There was enough description to place the reader alongside Iris, but aside from a view descriptions of ornate clothes and buildings, I didn’t find anything special about this world. To me it lacked development and I think I abandoned it many times as I was reading it.

Just not engaging enough