Reviews with content warning for War - Light From Uncommon Stars

This book was bizarre and cerebral and also so fun?? It has HEART. There’s so much pain and hope, despair and healing— some parts had me grinning and others had me crying. The genre mashup of fantasy (demon deals and violins that may or may not be magical) and sci fi (intergalactic war refugee and starship captain who relocates her family to a donut shop in the valley) was a really fun concept, but the worldbuilding was a bit messy, confusing, and unclear until just before halfway through — or maybe that’s when I just decided to suspend disbelief to the degree the characters did in accepting each other, alien or deals with a demon or what have you— and from there it was a fun and poignant read!

There are subtle, intelligent moments of humor (I mean, an alien being so impressed by an Olive Garden in Cerritos or karmic acts befalling people who are transphobic to Katrina being subtly and casually mentioned??? So good); the head-hopping was really well done; and the queer experience was depicted with vulnerability and authenticity. I really enjoyed not just seeing Katrina’s growth/healing and Shizuka’s (the Queen of Hell’s) surprisingly nurturing nature, but also Astrid’s motherly tendency to feed as a way to heal and Lucia’s experience with imposter syndrome and her father’s/grandfather’s careless misogyny and the magic she brought to repairing violins.

The personification of both instrument and music in a world depicted with magic and demons makes it hard to tell if the instrument is truly alive in this book, if the music truly transports players and listeners into a memory or state of feeling together. But after a while I found myself letting go and just enjoying as Shizuka and Katrina started to affect each other’s music and memories— as Katrina tries to protect her teacher from those memories and as her teacher learns how to support Katrina in her healing and growth and creative expansion. As even an AI person finds herself diving into memory or her own truth, drawn by Katrina’s music.

I was cheering Katrina on this entire book, and the integral hope and slight absurdity of some of the situations brought refreshing lightness to the dark themes explored and ensured the book never felt heavy. It’s a story of home, found family, familial love, legacy, food that feels like home, and healing. The characters a flawed and make mistakes but still clearly care for each other deeply.

Definitely check the CWs (sexual assault and rape— not graphic—, physical abuse by a parent, racism, transphobia, homophobia, misgendering, dead-naming)

Content Warnings

rhi_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.25

Content Warnings

jamiemamie's review against another edition

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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

5.0

Good Omens meets Becky Chambers meets Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I loved this book so much. I wish I kept count of how many times I said “this book is so good” out loud. It’s a little bit sci-fi, a little bit fantasy (in the “demons are real” way), and a lot a bit something all its own.

Content Warnings

miss_vonnegut's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was so interesting! It was definitely different than anything I've read before--filled with aliens and doughnuts and beautiful descriptions of violin music. I kept thinking about the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" when I was reading it. I love seeing more trans representation, and the way Aoki did it was fantastic. Warning: the trans character experiences transphobia, abuse, and deadnaming but (minor spoiler):

she gets a happy ending.

Content Warnings

madalynn_owens's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

this was a very different and interesting story filled with a wide array of unique characters. It was a little slow at times and I didn’t love the ending but transported me to a new world. And now I want a donut!

Content Warnings

fionamclary's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-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

You wouldn't think that the three storylines of this book would come together well, but Ryka Aoki has meshed them so beautifully. This book is so full of joy and hope.

Content Warnings

doodlesdistractions's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring relaxing 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

I am still processing but I am so in love with this book!!! I cannot put it into words that do it justice.

Content Warnings

randi_jo's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring 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

Hello, I am crying. I know very little about the violin world, but this novel made it so easy to see and imagine every scenario and evoke every emotion without losing you in jargon. Just. . . so gorgeous. Lan and Shizuka's relationship was so perfect, with their own problems to start but their ability to communicate was so refreshing and wonderful. I hope they save the galaxy.

10/10 would recommend to literally anyone.

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