Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

37 reviews

ka_ke's review against another edition

It starts off fine, the individual character perspectives are kept to individual chapters, but then around 25% of the book, perspectives change characters half way through scenes/paragraphs. 

I also think this book would benefit from a content warning in the beginning regarding the fmc’s body dysmorphia, suicidal thoughts, sex work etc. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Sexual violence, Violence, Outing, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, Racial slurs, War, and Xenophobia

princesspunx's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Sexual assault, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Self harm, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Murder, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, and Xenophobia

clarke's review

1.0

I nearly DNFed this book early on. It seems to sell itself as a positive book - with hope and found family. There is a little of that between the disjointed multiple narratives, but there is also transphobia, misgendering, violence, sexual assault and exploitation, racism and many other similar topics throughout the book. I didn't feel there was acceptance outside of most of the core characters who quite simply didn't really care about mundanities or things they considered trivial like gender. This book was trying to do too much with multiple storylines and I didn't care about any.

I still don't see the point of Lan Tran and her family's storyline or the scifi ascent at all other than a convenient escape from hell at the end or some handy technology? And just some casual murder? I don't get it

I found many of the chapters samey and this was a chore to read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Hate crime, Deadnaming, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Bullying

Minor: War

lorriss's review

adventurous hopeful

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm

Moderate: Homophobia, Bullying, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Rape, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and War

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Drug use, Fatphobia, Incest, Religious bigotry, and Suicide

snipinfool's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Shizuka Satomi was a gifted violinist who made a deal with the devil for her soul. Due to a technicality, she did not have to give up her soul if she could find others willing to give up their souls instead. She had to find seven individuals in forty-nine years (7 x 7) or forfeit her soul. Shizuka found six people and was on the hunt for the final one. She thought she had found the last soul in the Bay Area of California and was on her way to listen to this prodigy and possibly make the girl her final student.

Katrina Nguyen had recently come out to her parents as a trans female. Her parents were extremely upset by the news. Her father frequently beat and berated her. Katrina took a couple of group violin classes as a child before her father put a stop to it. She continued to teach herself how to play watching YouTube videos. Playing the violin was what brought her joy. Katrina knew her father would continue his violent actions, so she ran way from home. She wondered to a park and started to play her violin. Katrina was able to soothe her soul when she played. While playing in the park, a small group gathered to listen. One of the people was Shizuka who happened to stop by the park where she played as a child. After listening to Katrina, Shizuka thought she could help Katrina better her violin skills.

Lan Tran was a refugee from another galaxy who traveled to Earth with her family. Her planet was in the middle of a galactic war that had already wiped out other planets. Lan was a retired starship captain and looked for a world whose inventions and innovations were backward enough to remain off of the radar to those possibly looking for her and her family. Lan bought a donut shop named Starrgate Donuts from a retiring couple and used the technology she brought with her to replicate perfect donuts. The area below the shop housed their research lab, living quarters, and their spaceship. They were prepared to stay indefinitely until they found out the war was over or just prior to the "level-five gamma ray burst" 247 light-years away heading toward this solar system. Shizuka stopped at the shop one day to use the restroom and bought a giant donut. She continued to stop by for a donut and became friends with Lan.

One wouldn't think there would be a way for these three beings to connect, but there was. The three women were connected by a need for companionship, hope, and a want to belong. Each of the characters were interesting and I wanted to know what came next for them. The story worked for me. The side characters completed the cast well and enriched the tale. I would have liked to have had a little more knowledge about Tan's life prior to arriving on Earth. This was an interesting premise for a book and was very enjoyable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

Moderate: Deadnaming

alybwrites's review

adventurous challenging 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

5.0

This book is a love song to music, to violins, and to the connections and relationships that make us human. I’m not usually super interested in sci-fi but Aoki laces these elements with humor (“One did not have to be a rocket scientist to make a donut. But that didn’t mean it didn’t help”) and finds the perfect balance between the science fiction and fantasy, aliens and demons. Each piece felt absolutely necessary to the overall story. 
Everything about this world was unfamiliar to me, and I’m thankful to the author for allowing me to be a guest in these spaces—the ugly, the beautiful, the unique and the universal. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Bullying, Transphobia, and Body shaming

Moderate: Racial slurs, Self harm, Rape, and Sexual violence

Minor: Deadnaming and Xenophobia

alisonvh's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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? Yes

3.5

Music, cursed instruments, LGBTQ characters and storylines, aliens escaping a mysterious plague, and donuts. This book really does have it all.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Body shaming, Sexual content, Deadnaming, Alcoholism, Violence, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Bullying, and Domestic abuse

gwenisnonbinary's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

3.75

Many many triggers in this book but it was one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Death, Dysphoria, Racism, Transphobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexual assault, Bullying, and Cursing

Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Self harm, Rape, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Mental illness

Minor: War, Pedophilia, Murder, and Domestic abuse

andloveistoolong's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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

Light from Uncommon Stars has a WILD concept. There is so much going on in here (I mean, the plot is about deals with a devil AND extraterrestrial refugees hiding out on earth), but it all worked together so well! It is by turns funny and heartbreaking, but ultimately a beautiful and kind story that's going to be staying with me for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Dysphoria, Racism, Transphobia, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Physical abuse, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Cursing, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Violence, and War

Minor: Miscarriage, Ableism, Drug use, and Rape

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.25

Why I Read It: I saw a review of Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki on Kirkus Reviews, so I picked up a copy from my local library.

 

Review:

Light from Uncommon Stars was not at all what I expected, but I enjoyed it immensely anyway. Aoki cheerfully blends genres so that concepts that might seem unoriginal on their own—an Asian/Mexican American transgender runaway; a person sent from Hell to collect the souls of musicians in exchange for her own; a family of refugees from an intergalactic war who land on Earth—become original and compelling when placed together. 

 

Beyond the book’s smart and intriguing premise, Aoki creates a story that is interesting, touching, and fun. The three main characters, although they initially seem like they should not be in a novel together, are well-developed and form interesting dynamics with one another. They are likable and flawed. I was worried that the story would veer too far into “cutesy” territory, but Aoki masterfully balances moments that meaningfully depict the harsh realities of life—especially life for queer people of color—with more wholesome moments. I also enjoyed some of the more philosophical and moral discussions the book takes up.

 

I sometimes became bored when the story veers off into the technical aspects of a violin’s construction and the unnecessary storyline involving the violin repair shop. Additionally, I felt that Shizuka’s moral arc regarding her role in damning several souls to eternal torment was slightly glossed over.

She never really addresses or feels remorseful for exploiting the insecurities of musicians about their bodies, race, social class, etc. to get them to sign their souls to Hell, nor does Ryka Aoki show how these musicians might otherwise deserve such a fate. They are described as intensely competitive and rather self-centered, but not evil. I was particularly disturbed by the implication that the demon Tremon was planning to harvest the soul of Tamiko Giselle Grohl, a girl whose only crime has been crippling perfectionism to the point where she hurts herself when she doesn’t measure up.

In the grand scheme of the book, however, these problems were fairly minor.

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like Light from Uncommon Stars if: 

·      You like well-written, creative stories with likable characters

·      You love music and food

·      You appreciate stories that provide thoughtful and supportive representations of Asian, Mexican, and queer identities

 

You might not like Light from Uncommon Stars if:

·      You dislike books that freely blend genres 

·      You prefer to have a book with elaborate worldbuilding elements

 

A Similar Book: 

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. Similarities between these books include:

·      Intergalatic travel

·      Character-driven plot

·      Philosophical explorations of AI consciousness

·      Heartwarming stories with diverse characters 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Dysphoria, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Deadnaming, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Minor: War, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Racial slurs, and Outing