Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Light from Uncommon Stars

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Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

37 reviews

ezrah's review

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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therainbowshelf's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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

Super fun! Want an unlikely combination of sci-fi, demons, music appreciation, and donuts with queer and Asian American main characters? I wasn’t sure what to expect from this read, but it was a good ride.

📘The Gist 📘: A trans girl runs away from home and is discovered by the Queen of Hell, who plans to groom her to trade her soul for her violin

📒Representation📒: Asian American mc, Hispanic mc, trans mc, lesbian mc, wlw mc, refugee mc

💕 For readers looking for 💕: a creative story that combines many unlikely elements, violin culture, queer rep, cunning characters, interesting relationship dynamics, and a donut shop

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naomiysl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was so intensely emotional that I stopped reading for a week 3/4 of the way through because I was worried someone would die and I wasn't able to handle the idea of my beloved characters dying. But then I came back to it, because it's just that good. And my mind keeps coming back to reminisce over the best moments. Without spoiling the book, I can say with confidence that it takes a very skillful author to weave together such seemingly disparate topics into a cohesive story, and that Aoki has done it. Deals with the devil, trans experience, refugee experience, classical music, lesbian romance, and spaceships all come together in the lovingly detailed down to earth setting of San Gabriel Valley.

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olliereads's review against another edition

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emotional 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

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bebidocrimes's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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 is such a beautiful exploration of what makes humankind so special. The descriptions of music and food both are so carefully crafted, you really feel the love for creation. But more than that, it shows how your passion can help you love yourself, your world, and help you grow into the person you need to be. Shout out to Shizuka for 1) burning down someone's house and 2) killing someone else both for misgendering Katrina. Lan heard music for the first time and said 'you could make a religion out of this' and she did.

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beforeviolets's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

TWs:
non-consensual sexual content (two instances: onscreen, not graphic, easily skippable [p. 49-50]; incestuous, offscreen, easily skippable [p. 181]), sexual harassment/assault (onscreen, brief, [p.333]), consensual sexual content (onscreen, brief), sex work, fetishization of Asian women and trans women, violence, domestic abuse (parental, physical and emotional /spousal, mention), injury from abuse, child abuse, trauma, transphobia (internalized, external, t-slur, misgendering, deadnaming), severe dysphoria, homophobia/lesbophobia (f-slur, d-slur), racism (specifically towards East Asian individuals, g-slur, c-slur [indirectly used]), self harm (offscreen, graphic mention [p. 177-179]), blood, abusive living environment, religious bigotry, use of the r-slur, sexism, death (mention), war, gaslighting (external and internal), outing, cancer (mention), fire (brief), anxiety, vomit (mention)

This book was GOING to be a 4.5 until I read the spent the 50 pages in absolute tears.

Light From Uncommon Stars is a gorgeous tale about learning to believe in your own worth in the face of a world that tells you that you’re worthless. It’s about the importance of a life, no matter how “damaged.” It’s about fame, motherhood, and the necessity of having a voice.

Aoki showcases resiliency through her protagonists, all reminiscent of phoenixes rising from the ashes and being reborn into a new life, into a new home, or even into a new family. She sends a beautiful message to readers that no matter how hard your past or how lost or isolated one might feel, there is always hope in a friendly smile, a kind word, or a helping hand. All of the characters have a history of so much pain and fear and despite all of that, they are able to save themselves, often with the help of others, and stand up for their own happiness or the happiness of their loved ones.

But I think my favorite part of this book is how it constantly and beautifully illustrates the the transportive and the transformative magic of something loved, whether it be a piece of music, a video game, or even a donut. The way something, when made with care and passion, can feel like home. Though the story itself is ouchie, the message and the overall tone is one of comfort, like someone is sitting you down with a nice cup of tea and giving you a warm hug, one you didn’t even know you needed.

Gorgeous melodic writing, powerful and brilliant characters, the incredible ability to seamlessly switch POVs mid chapter or even mid paragraph, this story is one to be cherished and celebrated.

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allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.0

This fantasy/science fiction/something special whips up a story with demons, aliens, and musical prodigies all while centering queer identities and people of color. It tackles transphobia and racism with a donut in one hand and a violin in the other. This is also why I found myself desperately contemplating where one can find donuts, intergalactic or otherwise, in the dead of night.

Katrina is the student in our master and apprentice duo. A trans Asian American girl, she has experienced much hatred and struggle in her life: from body dysmorphia to misgendering, from racism to dangerous sex work situations, and from a family that harms her to "friends" in the queer community that use her. Our master violinist is Shizuka Satomi, a teacher with a hellish contract that has led her to sacrifice six former students' souls. Only one more will release her own soul and music from their contractual prison. And she's drawn to Katrina's music, the last of her prodigy pupils.

Our final main perspective is Lan's. Hers is a refugee story on an intergalactic scale. She brought her family to Earth, a backwater planet, against all odds, to escape a collapsing empire. Now, the family business has shifted from war and survival to donut-making. Plus, Lan finds herself smitten with Shizuka even though she can't fathom the other woman's preoccupation with the trivialities of music and souls.

To me, this book was about the triumph of art for the human condition, whether it is video game music or a lovingly made baked good. It draws our eye to art's transportative, emotive power. My favorite aspect of the story was the found family. The development of these bonds is deep and heart-wrenching rather than some of the more cutesy iterations of the trope. I think this approach is more meaningful and lifelike because of it. Also, I recommend listening to Bartók's Sonata for Solo Violin during the relevant final chapters for a fully multisensory experience.

This landed a bit too far into literary territory for my tastes, but I appreciated the raw storytelling and the carefully crafted meaning of the book. This is also a great opportunity to support a trans author telling a sometimes soul-crushing but ultimately hopeful story about a trans woman finding her way. It's a powerful read.

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