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shinypurplepants's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
The book tries to be so whimsical and uplifting but it's got all these random edgy passages of violence that serve no purpose to the narrative. Physical assaults, sexual violence, use of slurs, harassment, abuse, self harm. Every character seems to have unaddressed internalized -isms that the books chooses to just ignore rather than help them through it. It drags down any elements of lightness the book was working to cultivate. I did not enjoy this one!
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and War
martinatan's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Chapter 35 was my favorite part of the writing in the book, but the entire novel is laced with such care and tenderness, as well as wit and charm, that by the first chapter I could tell it was something really special. Most of all I want these characters and anyone who identifies with them to be happy. Hopefully this book reaches others like me who will find much needed comfort in its story. Much love to Ryka Aoki for every word of this book!
Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Outing, Abandonment, and Dysphoria
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Blood, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Explicit deadnaming of a protagonist near the end of the book by her parentvirsamajor's review against another edition
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, and Cultural appropriation
mswarning's review
- 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
I've had time to ruminate and gather my thoughts. Yesterday, when I finished it.. I thought that this was a 4-star book for me. I did not have a strong feeling about it, but I knew that I liked it. The more I think about this book, the more I think how much skill it took to weave together all the different elements in a way that felt effortless. There are some heartbreaking moments in Light from Uncommon Stars, but there is a lot of levity, too. And the beauty and poignancy of the music as well as all the food in this book. *drools* Lan and Shizuka go to so many restaurants, and Astrid cooks amazing meals with varied ingredients grown by neighbors. And then, of course, there's the donuts.
Katrina is such a resilient character, and I love her relationship with Shizuka. As pass times in the book, it becomes less clear who is the student and who is the teacher.
Graphic: Deadnaming, Racial slurs, Racism, Transphobia, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
Minor: Hate crime and Violence
mentalshirt's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Racism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Toxic friendship
dealingwithdragons's review
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, and Classism
yggie's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The pain is not what made me go for just three stars. I’ve seen people complain about the switches in pov but those felt natural to me, I only got confused once and that was on me. The truth is, I got tired of reading about donuts. Donuts and chicken and duck and tea, it never ended and it didn’t add much for me. Also, Windee made me cringe every time she entered the narrative. Terrible character.
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
kathleencoughlin's review
3.5
Katrina is clearly traumatized by the way her family and other people have treated her in the past. It was honestly a bit hard to read at times.
One of the most interesting and I think underexplored characters to me was Shirley. I find upacking the personhood of AI really fascinating and I think it's important philosophically to consider what makes a person a person.
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Rape, Sexual assault, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Minor: Miscarriage, Grief, and War
lotten4's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, and Toxic friendship
readerette'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? Yes
5.0
But Katrina's experience as a transwoman kept me in it, as she experienced pain after pain and still learned to trust again. It was emotional to read, but beautiful. The trigger warnings are accurate, and there's enough lightness, goodness and love to balance them out.
Once I got used to the writing style (perfunctory and shifting between characters) and started to see where the story could go, I didn't want to put it down. The existential questions in this story were also refreshingly posed.
If you like sci fi/fantasy with a heart (the Becky Chambers comparisons are apt), I recommend this one.
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, and War