Reviews

A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo

brynk's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.75

psitstorrie's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Infidelity

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Lesbophobia and Pandemic/Epidemic

kpeoples23's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

lavender_menaceee's review against another edition

Cheating trope

katharina13's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

asev's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

sincrusade's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

elleneam's review against another edition

emotional hopeful relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

thisiskartrying's review against another edition

3.0

Malinda writes beautifully and for that reason alone I can't give it less than three stars, but I am very angry with the plot of this book.
I didn't expect the main romance to involve CHEATING and that absolutely ruined it for me. I was rooting for them at the beginning, I was hoping Steph would break up with her girlfriend before something happened between her and Aria, BUT NO.
I loved Joan and I hate what happened with her, she was suddenly in the hospital and for what? Just so Aria could have the house to have sex with a girl in a committed relationship? I hate that, GIRL YOUR GRANDMA IS DYING, IT'S NOT THE MOMENT TO BE HORNY.
If only she had felt remorse...
And besides all that, I expected more of Lily and Kath in the book, after all it says is "a companion of Last night at the Telegraph Club", but I only had a couple of mentions, and it was nice to know they were happy, but it wasn't nearly enough.
I'm sad because I really wanted to love this book as much as I love Last night at the Telegraph Club :(

reflectiverambling_nalana's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

While there are many familiar milestones to a coming of age novel here, "A Scatter of Light" feels like it particularly caught the age of the characters well. They have a solid sense of concerns and priorities, view of the world, and self that matches that messy transitional 'new adult' feeling. They are messy-young. They are still in touch with hopes and memories of childhood. And not every story of discovery is a fairy tale. That doesn't make it less significant, formative, or touching. 

Enjoyable characters, a great capture of the recent past, and a really great casual commentary on how the scientific and artistic aren't as separate was we frame them to be.