Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

243 reviews

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! 

---

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

gabr7ellereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Misogyny, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Racism, Rape, Transphobia, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Bullying

claralearnstoread's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Sometimes a family can be a young transgender, violin prodigy, her teacher who has a deal with a devil, their housekeeper who loves to bake, and an former captain of a galactic empire and her four children.

This book felt like a fever dream with its blend of sci-fi and fantasy but was also one of the most entertaining books I’ve read. The author did such a beautiful job of navigating difficult and painful themes transphobia, racism, and xenophobia. The characters were flawed and felt so real and yet still so lovable and relatable. I truly rooted for all the main characters in this book and enjoyed all of their story lines.

This book truly was about the power of empathy, compassion, and kindness and I loved it. The only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars from me is just because of the writing style the author uses. It was effective but a  difficult to follow sometimes. But that’s just a nit pick on my part. Great book!!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Racism, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Transphobia, and Rape

mystic_bookwyrm's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-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

This was such a good book with some very emotional, dark and complex themes. There are definitely some harder things to read in here, but it’s all handled so well. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Transphobia

clairejoanmarie's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual violence, Deadnaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexism, Racism, and Homophobia

Minor: Deportation, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Blood, Domestic abuse, Sexism, War, and Adult/minor relationship

touchegiantsquid's review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Dysphoria, Rape, Outing, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Homophobia

Minor: Violence and War

grey_poppy's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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

Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia

Moderate: Death

Minor: Rape

michellegaudet's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Transphobia

haileeraye's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Violence

Moderate: Self harm

ashlee2319's review against another edition

It's hard to follow, weird page breaks and formatting indicating POV changes. Some significant points were written in a very insignificant way. There's a huge amount of text about violens and food, but the story line was lacking. There's a lot of missed opportunities to expand on the story and I just got tired of trying to make it work. I didn't feel like taking the time to finish it when I have others on my tbr shelf to enjoy.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Outing, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death, Transphobia, Racial slurs, and Sexual content