Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

96 reviews

kell_xavi's review

adventurous hopeful slow-paced

2.5

I’ve been meaning to read Ryka Aoki since I heard her on a panel 6 or 8 years ago, and was interested in the potential story in this book. Unfortunately, Light from Uncommon Stars is an odd combination of factors that squirms out from its own internal logic, borrows from demonic deals and starship tales done elsewhere, better, and slows to dragging around Katrina’s struggles with identity and prejudice. Here’s what was good: the food, every description and scene of restaurant patrons, comfort eats, new flavours, neighbours’ fruit trees. Allusions to real music, performance details, movement of sounds, composers’ histories, and audience impressions. Shirley, and her sibling dynamic with Katrina. A fictionalized version of a very real type of selfish, white, queer community. 

The rest was disappointing. Katrina was so much a set of ideas about transness, trauma and self-hatred that morphs into self-love, but I didn’t get a deeper sense of who she was or the ways in which she was queer beyond the body she tries to erase. Despite gestures to the inspirational growth of the artist, the family, impressions of all the characters are blunted.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Child death, Murder, Racial slurs, and War

clarabooksit's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Outing, Dysphoria, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Bullying, Physical abuse, Classism, Gaslighting, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Minor: War, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Self harm

eni_iilorak's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Outing, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Transphobia

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Murder, Self harm, Bullying, Classism, and Homophobia

Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Suicide

theirgracegrace's review

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

Light From Uncommon Stars is a beautiful symphony from start to finish. Every pastiche-style chapter slowly develops the relationship between its three main characters: Shizuka Satomi, a violin teacher who needs to sacrifice one more student to Hell to be able to play again; Katrina Nguyen, a transgender woman escaping her transphobic and abusive family only to become Satomi's student; and Lan Tran, an alien refugee fleeing a galactic war with her family by pretending to be the owners of a donut shop. The prose reveals and hides at every moment, building to a powerful concert the night before Satomi's contract with Hell is up, and either she or Katrina has to die. The ending completely surprises and lends itself well to the book's themes of being oneself and sharing one's soul with the universe to stave off apathy and hate. Incredible book that I've recommended to everyone already!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Stalking, Violence, Bullying, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Self harm, Transphobia, Cursing, Death, Dysphoria, Kidnapping, Rape, Deadnaming, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Xenophobia

Minor: Blood, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury

riverleafing's review

challenging funny hopeful medium-paced

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

3.75

Appreciated the Asian representations and real reps of trans misogyny and challenges. 
Unfortunately, lots of different POVs mixing in--although somewhat related acceptance of life matters--ultimately took away any potential depth from everyone else and the BIG topics of Katrina's life.  

It felt like characters from different books were interrupting Katrina's with whole "hey, samsies!" bits.  e.g. The lutier's POV 

"sorry I wasn't born a son to carry on daddy's business"

and aliens

escape from plague feelings of purposelessness/wanting to just be free, live safely, love queerly

could have been greatly reduced or entirely deleted and we'd legitimately lose nothing significant.  Might have made an interestingly deep and wild Triptych of books, though!
Too many detailed other ppl's stories going on in Katrina's life for the length of book.  But good job making it unique (if a little unsubtle): Demons, aliens, and POC human transness

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria and Transphobia

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, and Sexual content

rainbowshelves's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.25

Oh! Really painful to read at times but in the end so lovely and hopeful. Will also potentially make you hungry. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Outing, Murder, Physical abuse, and Gun violence

Moderate: Rape, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Racism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Violence, Body horror, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Deadnaming

Minor: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, and Grief

It's difficult to choose Graphic, moderate or Minor accurately but I'll do my best

jj_tj's review

emotional inspiring reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Child abuse

Moderate: Deadnaming, Sexual assault, and Rape

Minor: Suicide, Self harm, Death, and Murder

bethmalena's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? No

4.25

I rarely stray from strict sci/fi, but in this case I’m glad I did. This is such an interesting blend of fantasy, sci/fi, and YA queer lit. It’s got a sweet tenderness to it while still being frank about the challenges trans people face. It’s got donuts, violins, demons, and lots of queer and female characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Rape, Murder, Lesbophobia, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

hailstorm3812's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

This book has so much in it. So many plots, so many characters, so many trigger warnings (seriously check them, i didn't and almost stopped), but it's also filled with so much love that it is hard to critique it. It loves its characters, music, donuts, the community of Monterey Park, me, you, and every messy thing. Much like Katrina's music, discordant notes are brought together into an interesting whole. I'm typing through tears and my heart is full. (Though the people who say this book is cozy is a dead liar)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Death, Child abuse, Outing, and Transphobia

Moderate: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Gun violence

Minor: Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Racism, Toxic friendship, Violence, War, and Child death

emi_momo's review against another edition

emotional 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Deadnaming, and Transphobia

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, War, Abandonment, Bullying, and Child abuse

Minor: Murder, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Racism