Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

316 reviews

readingpicnic's review against another edition

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

What an incredible book! I was so nervous to read this for a while since it's sci-fi, but that's honestly not the genre of most of the story, so it wasn't hard to understand at all. The writing was incredible, the story had a very satisfying conclusion, and I loved the use of many different perspectives throughout the story, even if we didn't get to stick with some of them too often. I do wish that I had gotten to read more of Tamiko's perspective since she was very interesting and was set up as if she was going to play a major part in the plot, but that kind of fizzled out until the very end of the book when she was briefly mentioned by another character. I would have liked to stick with her perspective a little more because her obsession with Shizuka and creepy way of thinking about her was really attention-grabbing. I also wish I had gotten more of Markus' story, as I found myself questioning why he was in the story at all if he was going to be

put in a stasis and never return as a character. I wish I understood his actions and motivations a bit more before he vanished from the book. I understand that he gave more context on the Empire and the EndPlague, but his character seemed to be very expendable to the story other than that.

I really liked the trans rep in this story with Katrina, and I especially liked how she discussed transition with Shirley in her decision to not alter her body, as well as how she came to love her visibly trans body as the story went on. It didn't emphasize medical transition as necessary to being a trans woman or being trans at all, and I liked how it challenged Shirley's way of thinking of transness, even if she was trying to be helpful. I loved Katrina so much though, and she was definitely my favorite character that I was always rooting for. Shizuka is a little questionable with her actions to me, so I'm still not sure how I feel about her...but she's a complex character for sure and meant to invoke that reaction from the reader, I suppose.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Outing, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Racial slurs

maryellen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Transphobia

Moderate: Murder, Death, and Blood

madalynn_owens's review

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!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia

Minor: Racism, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Body shaming

mybestfriendisabook's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

i was pretty interested at the start then it started dragging the last half and was losing interest and wished it was shorter. sci-fi jargon isn’t for me. i enjoyed the character relationships and development more than the plot

trans representation, donuts, music, and spaceships 🚀

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Transphobia

fionamclary's review against another edition

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Bullying

Moderate: Murder, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, and Homophobia

Minor: Self harm, Outing, War, Alcoholism, Deadnaming, and Pandemic/Epidemic

thenextbookdilemma's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Transphobia, and Child abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual assault

Minor: Homophobia and Deadnaming

swashbuckling_mathematician's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, and Rape

Minor: Self harm

bucketsjen's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Good enjoyable read. It was a surprisingly hopeful story, especially given the premise. I went into the book completely blind, a friend handed it to me and said I'd like it. It was fun to be surprised as certain things kept getting added which you'd know if you read the synopsis or even the back of the book. A 19 year old transgender woman who flees an abusive family and is a violin prodigy... a violin teacher who made a deal with Hell and now has to deliver 7 souls or else her own is forfeit...  

a space alien family fleeing a galactic war and plague

who now run a donut shop . The book is weird, with those things, but it's delightful. 

There were a couple spots where it felt like "more" was needed to fulfill a particular storyline or character arc, which stopped me from feeling completely fulfilled.   A character from early on reappears briefly in the second half

and it gives the impression they'll do more... but then they drift out again until the last few pages

. It felt incomplete. Another character does something horrific and it's not REALLY addressed.

They kill a bigot, that's fine and dandy... but also murder the person the bigot is dating, who they have a crush on, while hating themselves for even liking them

. That was jarring.

They get put into a stasis and don't directly appear again but that's it. I wish something different had been done there

.

The ending is good but on the contrived side.

All that said, the book really was overall enjoyable. 

There's multiple minor plotlines woven in that I loved, and a big theme running through it all of what it means to be human and a person and alive, and of joy and soul.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Misogyny, and Death

blue_boy62's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

This book definitely took me by surprise in a lot of ways. It’s got a really interesting mix of genres through its sci-fi and supernatural elements, and it’s a nice twist on a lot of different tropes.  I loved the wide range of Asian cultures within it and how it depicted them through languages and food. I also really liked how it handled its queer and trans characters; it’s not afraid to show the messiness of our experiences/communities and has a balance of both the pain and joys we often face. I’m a sucker for the found family trope, and I really enjoyed it in this book. I was definitely invested in all the characters and how their stories intertwined.  Overall, despite all the fantastical elements, at its core, the story is very human. It’s about connection, community, love, and the power of art, especially music, and it handles those themes beautifully. Definitely worth the read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Child abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Dysphoria, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Self harm

Moderate: Body shaming, Lesbophobia, Xenophobia, and Mental illness

Minor: Misogyny and Alcoholism

internationalreads's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Transphobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts