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maranda_maria's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
4.75
Mark Oshiro will tear you apart just to put you back together in the end. Into the Light is a heartbreakingly beautiful reflection of the impact religious trauma has on queer people. There is a twist you will not see coming that ties the book together, and is as disturbing and unnerving as it should be. Overall, Into the Light is an ode to queer people who have or are in the process of healing from religious trauma with the overall message that hope is never lost. We are never too broken to find love and joy even after the worst of times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content
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
mothumn's review against another edition
3.5
Into The Light
by Mark Oshiro
YA, contemporary, thriller
Thank you Tor Teen for the arc copy in return for my honest review.
Into the Light follows Manny, a homeless queer teen who has spent his entire life in and out of foster homes and group homes. His whole life he has only ever had one thing that stuck with him, his sister Elena, until a year earlier when they were separated and now Manny is on a mission to find his sister. Throughout the book you slowly unravel the mystery of how they were separated and where she might be now, if she is even alive.
For a YA book, it did not shy away from difficult topics, Into the Light explores teen homelessness, the flawed foster and adoption systems, racism, homophobia, religious trauma, how religion is often used to manipulate the vulnerable, among just a few. These issues affect young people but I rarely or never read them in YA and I felt that the author did a good job of touching on them.
I liked the book, I thought it did a good job of exploring the themes and slowly revealing the mystery. Until the last 100 or so pages however, the twist felt like it came out of nowhere, changing the genre of the book completely, and was in my opinion kind of confusing as to what actually happened. There was practically no build up prior to the twist or foreshadowing. Aside from the ending though, I thought it was a good YA book with a bit of a mystery side plot but ultimately was a queer coming of age that I think a lot of young adult readers would really benefit from reading.
Also! I want to bring up another thing, it does kind of spoil a relationship, but there’s a scene where two of the characters get together, both of whom are minors so I don’t know, but reading it just felt kind of uncomfortable. It’s very brief but it didn’t feel necessary and for a YA book, it could have just cut to black. It’s a normal thing for teens to be getting together but in my opinion it just didn’t need to be described in a book. It just felt weird but I don’t know, it’s up to your decision I guess.
by Mark Oshiro
YA, contemporary, thriller
Thank you Tor Teen for the arc copy in return for my honest review.
Into the Light follows Manny, a homeless queer teen who has spent his entire life in and out of foster homes and group homes. His whole life he has only ever had one thing that stuck with him, his sister Elena, until a year earlier when they were separated and now Manny is on a mission to find his sister. Throughout the book you slowly unravel the mystery of how they were separated and where she might be now, if she is even alive.
For a YA book, it did not shy away from difficult topics, Into the Light explores teen homelessness, the flawed foster and adoption systems, racism, homophobia, religious trauma, how religion is often used to manipulate the vulnerable, among just a few. These issues affect young people but I rarely or never read them in YA and I felt that the author did a good job of touching on them.
I liked the book, I thought it did a good job of exploring the themes and slowly revealing the mystery. Until the last 100 or so pages however, the twist felt like it came out of nowhere, changing the genre of the book completely, and was in my opinion kind of confusing as to what actually happened. There was practically no build up prior to the twist or foreshadowing. Aside from the ending though, I thought it was a good YA book with a bit of a mystery side plot but ultimately was a queer coming of age that I think a lot of young adult readers would really benefit from reading.
Also! I want to bring up another thing, it does kind of spoil a relationship, but there’s a scene where two of the characters get together, both of whom are minors so I don’t know, but reading it just felt kind of uncomfortable. It’s very brief but it didn’t feel necessary and for a YA book, it could have just cut to black. It’s a normal thing for teens to be getting together but in my opinion it just didn’t need to be described in a book. It just felt weird but I don’t know, it’s up to your decision I guess.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Religious bigotry, and Child abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Pedophilia, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content
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
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