Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

202 reviews

bananagreenie's review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia

allisong82's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Dysphoria, and Classism

corriejn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Uncategorizable, and wonderful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Transphobia

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Deadnaming and War

maya_venkatesh36's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

Moderate: Racism

the_real_al_cal's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-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

I was originally drawn in by the absolutely gorgeous cover of this book, and the first paragraph of the summary, which sounded so unlike anything I've read before. And that's exactly what it was!

In some ways, this book is a tough read because of the racism and transphobia that the main character, Katrina, faces. The story doesn't shy away from her struggles, including some very sad scenes early on in which she is brought very low. I imagine that unless trans readers are looking for a story where common struggles are highlighted, this would still be a tough read, because, as other reviewers have mentioned, Katrina is deadnamed and frequently fetishized and sexually assaulted, leaving no question as to what's happening. That said, the story places just as much importance on her growth as a musician and as the person she has always wanted to be. We follow Katrina during her highest highs and lowest lows, and it really just made you root for her in finding herself through her music and her supportive found family. Her parts of the story were the most compelling--reading about her growing relationship with Shizuka and Astrid was so wholesome and were some of my favorite parts of the book.

I'm typically more of a fantasy reader than a sci-fi reader, so I wasn't sure how I would like the sci-fi/alien aspect (not a spoiler; it's in the book summary). Sometimes it did feel a little bit much, with everything else going on, and could be a bit difficult for me to follow. Until the very end, I felt like the entire Tran family could have been nixed from the story without losing much. Though I did really like Shirley and Lan. But I think their part of the story reads more slice-of-life than anything. Looking at it in that context makes their contribution to the overall story feel more purposeful (I realize I just kind of boomeranged my opinion, but the Tran family kind of does that to me, lol).

All-in-all, I'm glad I read this book. I wouldn't say it shifted my reality or rocked my world in ways that other similar books have, but it was still a nice read and kept my attention all the way through. The descriptions of the foods left me drooling--they sounded delicious! I can definitely see it being a special book on the top shelf for other readers, especially (but not exclusive to) trans audiences. If you're at all curious about the book, I'd say give it a try! At the end of the day, the relationships were sweet and complex, and that was the most important part. Just like Katrina, this book deserves some love.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Murder, Outing, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Deadnaming and Lesbophobia

Minor: Child death and Chronic illness

brooke_m_stanley12's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

sara_iume's review

adventurous emotional hopeful

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

Moderate: Deadnaming, Racial slurs, Rape, Xenophobia, and War

citymouse's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Transphobia

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Murder

Minor: Cancer

sophmcgraw's review

adventurous emotional inspiring 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

Moderate: Alcoholism and Violence

Minor: Self harm and Sexual content

bruisedtigers's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

I really wanted this to be two books -- in a good way and a bad way. Both the 'Faustian deals violinist' plot and the 'Alien donut shop' plot are unique and compelling in their own ways, but I feel like the themes and characters would've benefited from being individually explored instead of blended together. Some of the blending is fun, but overall I think it sadly hampers the narrative overall. I did enjoy this, and I wish it was two stories that I could fully appreciate, rather than one that I'm a bit middling on.

This may not be a problem for other people, but the not-Undertale reference as a core value all throughout really distracted me. Once or twice, I wouldn't have really minded, but it was repeated very frequently, and I think that same theme could've been used without deferring to another media. This narrative was strong enough to stand on its own, without relying on a reference.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and War