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happily_undignified's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
"I control what I can: the stories I tell. Who I tell them to." ⠀
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Mark Oshiro, Into The Light⠀
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Into The Light by Mark Oshiro was a heavy book with a slightly supernatural twist that included difficult themes like religious cults, abuse of foster care children, homelessness, and conversion camps. ⠀
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Main character Manny is a jaded, queer, teen who is running from his past but also wants to confront it to try to save his sister from the evil people who have brainwashed her. The story follows his haphazard journey down the California coast as he comes to terms with his trauma and learns to trust the people who come alongside him to help. ⠀
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I enjoyed the first person narration and Manny's cynical yet hopeful personality. The religious trauma was hard to read through but I found it incredibly authentic. This is a remarkable story with an autobiographical feel and I loved the supernatural twist.
⠀
Mark Oshiro, Into The Light⠀
⠀
Into The Light by Mark Oshiro was a heavy book with a slightly supernatural twist that included difficult themes like religious cults, abuse of foster care children, homelessness, and conversion camps. ⠀
⠀
Main character Manny is a jaded, queer, teen who is running from his past but also wants to confront it to try to save his sister from the evil people who have brainwashed her. The story follows his haphazard journey down the California coast as he comes to terms with his trauma and learns to trust the people who come alongside him to help. ⠀
⠀
I enjoyed the first person narration and Manny's cynical yet hopeful personality. The religious trauma was hard to read through but I found it incredibly authentic. This is a remarkable story with an autobiographical feel and I loved the supernatural twist.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Murder, Religious bigotry, Grief, Homophobia, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Racism
literarycavy's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual assault
bookbragger's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
KEEP YOUR SECRETS CLOSE TO HOME
Manny is on the run after being kicked out of his religious adoptive parents house and put into reconciliation alongside his sister Elena, after he was constantly disappearing at night to go and meet up with a boy he happened to fall in love with. Manny has never believed in god and thinks that god has nothing to do with him. But luckily for him he managed to escape, now a dead body has turned up in the woods and Manny wonders if the body could possibly belong to his sister who he hasn’t seen in quite some time. Now homeless Manny quickly finds himself in the care of the Vareleas and their cute son Carlos, but after some time with them Manny decides to run away and asks for a ride from a truck driver who agrees to drive him for a while on his road trip in search for answers to the identity of the missing body. Manny knows he should not trust everyone but his consciousness can sometimes lead him into tricky situations but Manny always finds a way out of them using his intelligence, as Manny continues his journey the people taking care of him keep changing and before Manny knows it he is back in the care of the Varela family and once Manny explains the reason for his running away they are more than willing to do whatever it takes for him to find his sister. In Manny's journey he will make a shocking discovery that could change everything.
There is a lot to love about this book I love when you can can get the vibe and atmosphere of a book from the first page and this is a book that will give you all the feels and by the ending you will be utterly shattered, but Mark has also written something very dark and personal to themself that many other adopted teens or adults may recognize. Although you might be confused at first it is for all the right reasons. Readers should definitely take care whilst reading this book as there are plenty of dark themes within that some might find triggering. In my honest opinion this book comes highly recommended and will spark plenty of discussions and just for having the courage to write this book Mark deserves any praise they can get.
#Netgalley
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Murder
edwardianbookwhore's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley and TorTeen for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I really, really loved this book! The prose really surprised me, I think this is Mark Oshiro's best work. I think I really needed a good, sort of unsettling thriller and this definitely checked that box for me. My only complaint is that the book was split into multiple different POVs and there was no way to tell the difference between them. I wish there was some sort of indicator like "Before", "During", "After", etc. But I also understand this is an eARC and maybe they just haven't added those in yet. Overall, this is a really good book!!
I really, really loved this book! The prose really surprised me, I think this is Mark Oshiro's best work. I think I really needed a good, sort of unsettling thriller and this definitely checked that box for me. My only complaint is that the book was split into multiple different POVs and there was no way to tell the difference between them. I wish there was some sort of indicator like "Before", "During", "After", etc. But I also understand this is an eARC and maybe they just haven't added those in yet. Overall, this is a really good book!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, and Child abuse
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Abortion
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