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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
grimdark_dad's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Religious bigotry
delz's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Mark Oshiro brings the dirty laundry of adoption and religious zealots into the light. The main character, Manny and his older sister Elena have been passed around to one foster home after another until Elena finds Deacon Thompson and Christ’s Dominion. They are adopted by a “nice” white “Christian” couple who want to take the evil out of their adopted son by doing something called “Reconciliation” that Deacon Thompson performs. Encountering a cult religion is terrifying, but just imagine being a child with absolutely no recourse. The story is told in the present, after Manny escapes and meets up with a family who are determined to help him. In between are flashbacks, showing the reader how he reached his destination. There’s a twist about 80% of the way In which I would like to think of as more symbolism than fantasy. Into the Light s relatable to headlines in the news today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Racism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Police brutality, and Homophobia
Minor: Abortion and Rape
imstephtacular's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Violence, Gaslighting, and Cursing
Moderate: Racism, Toxic relationship, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Bullying, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Homophobia, Body horror, Xenophobia, and Blood
Minor: Physical abuse, Vomit, Drug use, Sexual violence, Child death, Death, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and War
daniellestarredpages's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Into The Light hooked me from the very beginning and kept my attention until the very end. I really enjoyed Into The Light but I must say that it is not a happy story. In Mark Oshiro's own words, Into The Light is a story that tackles the experience of Christian Nationalism and Adoption in the US.
While this book has two POVs -Manny, a homeless boy trying o save his sister from a Christian Cult and Eli, a boy who is currently the star child of thick very same cult- Into The Light is really Manny's story. We get about 5 chapters from Manny's POV to every 1 from Eli's and I can't say I minded. Oshiro writes Manny's experiences on the road, before and with the Varela's very well. The slightly non-linear timeline of the book, while it takes a bit to get used to, really adds to the atmosphere of this novel. The formatting of Manny's thought process felt slightly stilted but unlike in other stories, this felt very purposeful and added to the atmosphere of this book as well.
The character work in this book was also a standout in the reading experience. Manny and Eli, while they don't have universal experiences, they are very easy to connect to and care for. The other characters in this book were just as fleshed out as Manny and Eli they all contributed to the story.
I really loved Into The Light and highly recommend it. Be sure to look into the trigger warnings before reading.
While this book has two POVs -Manny, a homeless boy trying o save his sister from a Christian Cult and Eli, a boy who is currently the star child of thick very same cult- Into The Light is really Manny's story. We get about 5 chapters from Manny's POV to every 1 from Eli's and I can't say I minded. Oshiro writes Manny's experiences on the road, before and with the Varela's very well. The slightly non-linear timeline of the book, while it takes a bit to get used to, really adds to the atmosphere of this novel. The formatting of Manny's thought process felt slightly stilted but unlike in other stories, this felt very purposeful and added to the atmosphere of this book as well.
The character work in this book was also a standout in the reading experience. Manny and Eli, while they don't have universal experiences, they are very easy to connect to and care for. The other characters in this book were just as fleshed out as Manny and Eli they all contributed to the story.
I really loved Into The Light and highly recommend it. Be sure to look into the trigger warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Abortion
fadingapple's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
Thanks so much to NetGalley for this ARC!
3.5/5 stars
I had to take some time and process this one - it has an exhaustive list of trigger warnings and deals with some extremally heavy topics and I needed time to make sure I wasn't just gut reacting, either giving it a higher rating to support what I believe the intent was or a lower rating because it was uncomfortable.
In the end I can't say I loved it, completely outside how important I think stories like this are. It was an unexpected blend of magical realism (I think? I'm honestly still a bit unclear) and therapeutic/traumatic realism. It discusses extremely important yet under-realized topics like religious trauma, child abuse/neglect/sexual assault, foster care/adoption, child death/murder, homophobia/conversion camps, racism....but the author keeps the reader in the dark by deliberately withholding the timing of the 2 POVs and mixing up the trauma of a child with a completely unexplained "miracle". I struggle to describe it without spoilers, though I'm honestly not sure I could even with them.
In the end, I think this is an incredibly important story but the execution wasn't for me - I don't mind being confused if the writing is well done and the author brings it to a satisfying ending - that, I think, is what was missing for me here. I didn't truly feel satisfied with the ending and it felt rushed and too unrefined - I spent more time confused and saying "well this already odd book just got super weird" than I did really feeling the impact of the story, which in my opinion took away from the power of the book.
I would still recommend this book, but only to people I know very well and would trust could handle the subject matter.
3.5/5 stars
I had to take some time and process this one - it has an exhaustive list of trigger warnings and deals with some extremally heavy topics and I needed time to make sure I wasn't just gut reacting, either giving it a higher rating to support what I believe the intent was or a lower rating because it was uncomfortable.
In the end I can't say I loved it, completely outside how important I think stories like this are. It was an unexpected blend of magical realism (I think? I'm honestly still a bit unclear) and therapeutic/traumatic realism. It discusses extremely important yet under-realized topics like religious trauma, child abuse/neglect/sexual assault, foster care/adoption, child death/murder, homophobia/conversion camps, racism....but the author keeps the reader in the dark by deliberately withholding the timing of the 2 POVs and mixing up the trauma of a child with a completely unexplained "miracle". I struggle to describe it without spoilers, though I'm honestly not sure I could even with them.
In the end, I think this is an incredibly important story but the execution wasn't for me - I don't mind being confused if the writing is well done and the author brings it to a satisfying ending - that, I think, is what was missing for me here. I didn't truly feel satisfied with the ending and it felt rushed and too unrefined - I spent more time confused and saying "well this already odd book just got super weird" than I did really feeling the impact of the story, which in my opinion took away from the power of the book.
I would still recommend this book, but only to people I know very well and would trust could handle the subject matter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Racism, Child death, Mental illness, Abandonment, Bullying, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
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
4.0
Thanks to Tor Teen and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Into the Light by Mark Oshiro to review! This is their first YA in a few years, after publishing a few middle grade books. Before you start reading, I highly recommend checking out their trigger warnings. There are some difficult topics broached in this book, but know that it ultimately ends on a note of hope!
Oshiro is always good at writing strong, emotional characters. And this book is no different. We get two different points of view throughout, from Manny and Eli. Some of the point of view switching is a little confusing at first, but once you pick up on what's going on, the two narratives definitely make sense. There's a little bit of a surreal element to the plot, but it also helps to emphasize the trauma that Manny goes through throughout this book.
In addition to Manny and Eli, I loved the Varela family. At first, Manny doesn't want to trust them. And as readers, you don't really want to either. But as we get to know more about them, you realize they can be trusted, just like Manny does. There's hope woven throughout the story, despite all of the trauma that Manny goes through.
I wasn't a huge fan of the twist towards the end of the book, so that's the only reason this isn't getting five stars. But it's a beautifully written book, just make sure you're in the right head space to read it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Abortion
caseythereader's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.25
Thanks to Tor Teen for the free advance copy of this book.
- Wow, fans of teen thrillers, you must get your hands on INTO THE LIGHT. This book is heart pounding, page turning, gut punching.
- The subject matter of the book is very difficult, but the light supernatural element here is a fantastic way to address how queer kids and kids of color are often quickly cast aside in the real world.
- Amid the mystery, Oshiro also builds a beautiful found family story. None of them are perfect people, and yet they are committed to doing better and to helping each other survive and grow.
- Wow, fans of teen thrillers, you must get your hands on INTO THE LIGHT. This book is heart pounding, page turning, gut punching.
- The subject matter of the book is very difficult, but the light supernatural element here is a fantastic way to address how queer kids and kids of color are often quickly cast aside in the real world.
- Amid the mystery, Oshiro also builds a beautiful found family story. None of them are perfect people, and yet they are committed to doing better and to helping each other survive and grow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Abandonment, Child death, Death, Murder, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Abortion, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
13anna17's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
A brilliant page-turner of a story that bends towards both literary and speculative traditions. I don't have many thoughts I can share without spoilers, but I can say that this book is going be relentlessly banned and that you should read it anyway.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Trafficking, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
Religious abuse, Christian nationalism, conversion therapy.
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