Reviews with content warning for Hate crime - Light from Uncommon Stars

Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

43 reviews

badmc'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

4.0

A young teen flees home; a violin teacher searches for her next victim; a refugee alien family tries to find their place. Not what I expected at all!

This book was a weird but enjoyable mixture of characters, themes, and food (oh, the food). The tone shifted a lot, going from slice of life to trauma and murder quite abruptly. There was also a mixture of showing and telling, which left me disoriented at times.

The thing that elevated the book for me, though, was music. I understood and really appreciated all the terms, exercises, and metaphors, and I always appreciate a book with a soundtrack.

Content Warnings

whirl's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring relaxing 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? No

5.0

Such a lovely and beautiful book. I don’t know the first thing about violins or classical music but the book isn’t any less accessible or enjoyable because of it. The main characters are all amazingly strong women, all in their own field of expertise and with their own unique talent; and also with their own unique struggle to overcome

I can’t even begin to describe how weird the combination of scifi / classical music is, but at the same time it totally works here and just makes sense - until you try to explain the book to someone else and it really stops making sense.. so just read it to find out for yourself

It makes you both love and hate the world we live in and the people in it, but also shows that by being kind yourself to the people you meet even if it seems just basic courtesy to you, can make a big difference. I think that’s my main take away from the book: be kind, you don’t know what anyone else is struggling with so why not take a chance on improving their day even a little bit where you can. And find the right people to connect with and stick with them and take care of each other like family

Content Warnings

mswarning's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? Yes

4.5

I don't think I was expecting such a lighthearted book due to some of the heavy subject matter. I know a lot of the blurbs mention Becky Chambers, which would have clued me in if I had read any of her books, lol.

I've had time to ruminate and gather my thoughts. Yesterday, when I finished it.. I thought that this was a 4-star book for me. I did not have a strong feeling about it, but I knew that I liked it. The more I think about this book, the more I think how much skill it took to weave together all the different elements in a way that felt effortless. There are some heartbreaking moments in Light from Uncommon Stars, but there is a lot of levity, too. And the beauty and poignancy of the music as well as all the food in this book. *drools* Lan and Shizuka go to so many restaurants, and Astrid cooks amazing meals with varied ingredients grown by neighbors. And then, of course, there's the donuts.

Katrina is such a resilient character, and I love her relationship with Shizuka. As pass times in the book, it becomes less clear who is the student and who is the teacher.

Content Warnings