Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

123 reviews

mgmotley's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Death, Bullying, and Deadnaming

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad 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 is a beautiful and wacky book about spaceship captains, doughnuts, violinists, luthiers, and the occasional demon. The fun part is seeing how they’re all connected. 

The backstory of Katrina and the agonies of being trans is wrenching. When I read something like this, I realize yet again how lucky I have been to have had a peaceful life of acceptance. It’s rewarding to see her growth from cowering victim to self-confident performer. 

The more fantastical and funny bits about the doughnut shop (spelled donut), the space aliens, and the frog-faced demon offset the seriousness of Katrina’s history. My only quibble is how often we hear about Lucia being told she’s unworthy because she’s a daughter - about half the mentions would have been enough. 

Overall a charming and lovely book about otherness and acceptance, including accepting ourselves as we are. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Misogyny

renstrange's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

5.0

update after finishing in 2024: this was a soft dnf last year, but i always intended to give it another shot. i’m so glad i did. i connected with it instantly this time. i especially love katrina and the mother-daughter relationship that forms between her and shizuka.

the writing style takes some getting used to and the main relationship lacks some development. due to this, i’d thought i would give this book 4-4.25 stars. and then i hit the last 20%. 

this book made me cry. i rarely cry, so any book that affects me so deeply automatically needs to be five stars. sorry, i don’t make the rules.

2023: dnf for now. i’m having trouble connecting with this book, but i don’t want to fully give up on it yet. i’ll try it again another time.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Outing, Racial slurs, Body shaming, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Bullying, and Lesbophobia

Minor: War, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape

Misgendering, transphobic slurs, lesbophobic slurs, underage sex work

jaimc's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria and Transphobia

Moderate: Bullying, Sexism, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Outing, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: War

kiandrareadsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Rape, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

galliexyc's review against another edition

emotional 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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Dysphoria, Suicidal thoughts, Deadnaming, and Transphobia

Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Toxic relationship, War, Child abuse, Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racial slurs

droggelbecher42's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Transphobia

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcoholism

jareadforfilth's review against another edition

dark hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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

4.0

I loved this book, the writing is so enjoyable and the characters are juicy and warm! Katrina has an incredible arc through this book and there are beautiful themes of what makes a family. The sapphic romance is so sweet and wholesome, and the plot is really good as well! It’s interesting—there are incredibly soft, touching and light moments of found family and blossoming friendships amidst an almost never-ending see if racism, transphobia, hate speech etc  that are very jarring to read but also an unfortunate reality that needs to be addressed. The juxtaposition of this light hope and dark despair is masterful, and the feminism in here is also miraculous. My only qualm is that the pace itself felt rather slow, I had to switch to audio because it was just taking me forever to get through and I could only read like, a chapter at a time before putting it down. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Toxic friendship, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Pandemic/Epidemic, Bullying, and Body shaming

Moderate: Physical abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

mari_library's review against another edition

challenging 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? N/A

4.0

That last chapter before the epilogue, legit felt like it came straight out Gravity Falls lmao

Overall, this was a great book! I love the queer and trans representation, and how it's mostly an all-women cast of characters. 

I did find that certain parts of the book dragged a lot and I could see how it could've been shorter. Apart from the three main characters mentioned in the synopsis, I did not feel connected or even interested in any side story lines. Since this is a character-focused story, there isn't a lot of plot and any conflict is resolved fairly quickly. I did enjoy this aspect of it because it did feel like we got to spend a lot of time with the characters. The downside is that the time jump also lead to scenes not being on page. This definitely harmed the relationship between two of our female leads. I didn't really believe in their relationship since we didn't spend a lot of time with them together but instead spend more time with individually. Each character grew throughout the story but Satomi was the biggest one for sure and I found her being my favorite character. 

The sci-fi element went over my head a lot and the end felt... Meh. I think that the story itself kinda dug it's own grave because concluding it in general would be difficult. But this is where, in my eyes, an open ending might've left a bigger impact. I can't believe I'm saying this but we had too many answers. 

However, I adored the messaging and this idea that music is the thing that connects all of us. I like how it explores humanity and human connection. I like how it explores found family and the impact of safety on trans and queer kids. The conversation identity and legacy is truly immaculate and original in many ways. 

100% recommend.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Mental illness, Homophobia, Deadnaming, Bullying, and Body shaming

Moderate: Rape, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content

Minor: Domestic abuse

Most of this is found Katrina's sections, and it's more present in the beginning of the book and slows down towards the end. Dead naming happens towards the end but there are a few scenes where Katrina is misgendered, but the author does address this immediately after.

there multiple scenes where the character is misgendered while going shopping or being a crowded room but at the very end of the book, Katrina calls her mother and her mother answers by calling her dead name. This was very jarring to read so be aware. Furthermore, at the end of the book, there is a sexual assault scene where an man in power grabs Katrina's genitalia without her consent in public. This is not addressed, nor is the rape scene in the beginning of the book when Evan rapes Katrina in the shower. While not explicit, it is not addressed.

flamesocks's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Racism, and Body shaming