Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

144 reviews

amvs1111's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Deadnaming, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Dysphoria, and Outing

monstrouscosmos's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring 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

4.5

Characters: 9/10
Relationships: 8/10
Atmosphere/Setting: 10/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Plot/Intrigue: 9/10
Internal Logic: 8/10
Entertainment: 9/10
Overall: 62/70, 4.5* 

sometimes a family is 2 parents, 2 kids, and a household pet. sometimes a family is a transgender runaway, The Queen of Hell and her living companion Oki, and a group of intergalactic refugees-turned-donut shop proprieters. 

I think my biggest issue with the book boils down to the pacing. with 3 primary interconnecting storylines and 1-2 secondary storylines it definitely felt like none actually got the thematic exploration they deserved. specifically I would have loved to see more about the violin shop! this was also the most triggering read I've ever finished. while not necessarily a detriment never feeling like I knew when things would get very heavy very quickly definitely made it difficult to enjoy some of the more sweet and lighthearted moments. 

the pros are many though. I actually appreciated the quick POV changes, they were challenging but gave a depth of understanding I appreciated. the LARGE number of neurodivergent-coded characters was also great, love to see a group of people with highly specialized interests who just want to info dump to one another. some of the character beats felt unrealistic at first, but I was quickly able to suspend disbelief when considering some of the sociocultural experiences of the characters (and, again, just coding all the characters as being neurodivergent in some way). given how explicit the writing is in other ways I would have preferred seeing more explanation of how and why characters other than Kristina react the ways they do in-the-moment, but the context clues and overarching pattern of experience was definitely there for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Classism, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Racism, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Outing, War, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Rape

rape was on page and fade to black, harassment/violence was on page and explicit, assault covers all 3 so I consider it explicit

sofiadanielle's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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

4.0

A book with many stories, themes, content; from aliens to deals with hell, from classical music to anime/video game theme songs, and many a queer story overall. 

I didn’t know much about the story before diving in, and I was pleasantly surprised! The way this is written reads very easily and quickly; though I was maybe a bit confused in the beginning, after a chapter or two, the paragraph/character POV started to really flow. 

The ending seemed almost cinematic, in the sense that it flowed in a lovely way! Some themes pertaining to sexual violence (or just. really negative sexual experiences for Katrina) made me uncomfortable, but also, it’s worth noting that those aspects may not always be fiction, especially to queer individuals. It was great to see Katrina come into her own; her growth is certainly a highlight of this book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Dysphoria

Minor: Self harm, Murder, War, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, and Drug use

perlastars's review

adventurous dark inspiring 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? Yes

3.0

Fun twist of sci-fi and fantasy in a modern American setting, full of real-world hurts and ethical questions. It felt like I was watching an anime as I read it, which maybe made it a bit more fun for me. Definitely some major trigger warnings before going into this, but I think it’s worth the read if you like these genres and are open to a blend of them. 

I would have given a higher rating if it was a little smoother in the POV and character development, but I think some of the beauty in the book outshines that. Ending on a 3 star.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual violence

Moderate: Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Deadnaming

angiealexa27's review

inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Its weird, its 

queer, its scifi fantasy, its unique. The story follows 4+ different POVs, mostly surrounding a trans teen who is a violinist who is discovered by a teacher out to find a soul to steal for hell, i know nothing about violins and have literally never been interested in them lol, but the author captivates you with this cool story line that switches POVs, with small sections making it easy to read imo. 

Recommend for fantasy in the real world lovers or for queer story lines- lesbian couple in here

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

cloudaviator's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia and Xenophobia

Minor: Rape

_haven_'s review

emotional funny hopeful 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? No

3.75

This book was weird and beautiful but also a bit confusingly written for me personally. I didn’t always know who was speaking or thinking because of how regularly it switched between characters even in a section that started from one characters perspective. Which on one hand, I like and think is cool, but on the other hand, made my reading experience a touch more difficult. But ultimately worth it and I don’t think I’d ask for it to be changed in anyway. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Rape, Self harm, and Transphobia

pandsomeboi's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-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

“Equally heartwarming and heartbreaking.” That’s how this book was described to me by one of the multiple people who recommended it. I don’t know how this book flew under my radar for a year, but I’m so glad folks made sure I found it! Just read it. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Ever. It realistically incapsulates so many different experiences of life as “other;” the pain, the joy, and everything in between.

The best part is that it stands on its own as YA, and as sci-fi, and as fantasy, and as speculative fiction. Still feel weary about trans folks? Well how do you feel about space aliens? Or demons? Or music? Or food? Or immigration? Or coming-of-age stories? There are so many in-roads! It’s an amazing piece of literature. Creative. Well-written. Exciting. Compelling. And emotional! Everything you want.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Cultural appropriation, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Abandonment, Body shaming, Classism, Deadnaming, War, Bullying, Outing, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Grief, Transphobia, and Xenophobia

abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Bullying, Deadnaming, Cursing, Misogyny, Outing, Racial slurs, Transphobia, Sexism, and Racism

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Xenophobia

briannad4's review against another edition

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Transphobia, and Child abuse