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sgtz00's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Abandonment, Outing, and Sexual assault
Religious trauma, religious cult organizationshappily_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
sglance9's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
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
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
booksmellers's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
One of my favorite subgenres that's gained traction in the past few years is queer genre YA that tackles difficult topics such as religious trauma and colonialism head on---books like H. E. Edgmon's The Witch King, Andrew Joseph White's Hell Followed With Us, Vincent Tirado's Burn Down, Rise Up, etc. Into the Light is a wonderful new addition to this category.
I fully believe that the most difficult books are some of the most worthwhile ones, and this is especially true of this book. Oshiro does not shy away from showing the traumatic elements of Manny's life (please check content warnings) and they do it in the most heart-wrenching but beautifully healing way. The writing is beautiful and really relatable, even though the characters are in situations I've never been in. It's clear that this is an issue close to Oshiro's heart and they write about it with such compassion. Manny is a complicated character but it's hard not to fall in love with him.
There are some supernatural/fantasyesque aspects to this novel but I don't think it takes away from the realism the story presents. The supernatural elements serve as an interesting form of symbolism that I think is unique and weird in a really cool way. It definitely kept me on my toes.
I devoured this story, and it's an absolutely important one so I highly recommend.
Thank you, NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I fully believe that the most difficult books are some of the most worthwhile ones, and this is especially true of this book. Oshiro does not shy away from showing the traumatic elements of Manny's life (please check content warnings) and they do it in the most heart-wrenching but beautifully healing way. The writing is beautiful and really relatable, even though the characters are in situations I've never been in. It's clear that this is an issue close to Oshiro's heart and they write about it with such compassion. Manny is a complicated character but it's hard not to fall in love with him.
There are some supernatural/fantasyesque aspects to this novel but I don't think it takes away from the realism the story presents. The supernatural elements serve as an interesting form of symbolism that I think is unique and weird in a really cool way. It definitely kept me on my toes.
I devoured this story, and it's an absolutely important one so I highly recommend.
Thank you, NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Racism, Murder, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Mental illness, Abortion, and Deportation
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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