Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Light from Uncommon Stars

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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ladythana's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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paigeyoungberg's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.0

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kilic's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative 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

4.5

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emmyrandomreport's review

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adventurous 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

A beautiful story with a diverse cast. The relationships were realistic and had a moral without beating you over the head. It is nice to have a book with friendly aliens. A mix of science fiction and pagan folklore that merges seamlessly.

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rorikae's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.5

'Light From Uncommon Stars' by Ryka Aoki blends fantasy and science fiction to tell a heartwarming found family story.
The novel centers around three perspectives: Katrina, a violin prodigy running away from an abusive home; Shizuka, a violin teacher who has made a deal with the devil, and Lan, the captain of a startship who is now running a donut shop. When these three characters collide, they find pieces of themselves that they were missing. Katrina may be the last violin student that Shizuka needs to complete her deal with the devil, Lan may have found long lost comfort in her budding feelings for Shizuka, and Shizuka may provide Katrina with the sense of family that she has been missing since she came out to her family as transgender. Together, the characters will have to face the stigmas of society, a demon that is coming to collect for souls, and an intergalactic plague that infects people with apathy.
From the moment I heard the description of this book, I was hooked and I am so happy that the novel fully lived up to the interesting premise. Aoki has created a book that is so full of heart and perfectly blends space travel with demons from Hell in a world that is completely believable.
The heart of this story are the characters and their relationships. All of these characters are searching for a place to fit in, be it because they are fleeing intergalactic wars or getting away from their transphobic family. What they find in each other and what they build together will lighten your heart.
My one issue with this story is that it sometimes felt like it was less well edited than other books I have read from Tor. There were more noticeable typos and words that were swapped around than I have previously encountered. Most are super easy to fix and didn't fully take away from my enjoyment of the novel so I hope they will put out a new edition that has some of these issues fixed.
If you are looking for a book that will put a smile on your face and make you care deeply for its characters, I highly recommend 'Light From Uncommon Stars.' I will most definitely be picking up more of Aoki's writing.

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