Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Light from Uncommon Stars

Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

221 reviews

pan_dulce08's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

2.5

I felt the book started out really strong with the main protagonist, Kristina, really intriguing me as I found her relatable but also somewhat mysterious with how she acted, and I wanted to see her develop and come into better circumstances. I also liked the setting of Southern California and how it is picked apart and commented on by the character of Shizuka. However, I feel with everything that was added as the story progressed and how long the cast-list came to be the book fails a bit with balancing the diverse set of themes present in it. It also fails in some ways to really think critically about what is portrayed in it, which makes the characters feel less... human.

(Yes, I know some of the characters are literally in-human, but even so, actions like murder of multiple innocent people should still be treated with the gravity that action deserves by the alien characters as well, as that act is still wrong where they come from!)

For example,

Shizuka offhandedly mentions how she had done sexual favors for people in exchange for nice things like the car she drives, and later on Katrina begins the same practice... as a seventeen year old minor. Katrina was involved with sex work before, however it was clear the abuse she suffered while on the job was simply endured by her because she needed the money from it to stay alive, and the harsh nature of the clients she had to see and what they would make her do was given the narrative weight it required, but that theming and narrative standard does not carry through with what Katrina does later on in the story.

I feel like this carelessness about the acts of sexual exploitation of young women in a male-dominated industry is very confusing with what a lot of the book's focus seems to be, which is that on two women, one younger and one older, who both have scratched and clawed their ways to succeed in what they are passionate about. If anything, those acts should be treated with far more heaviness than they are by the book so as to not confuse the reader so much!

Sorry this is so long... I enjoyed a lot of aspects and characters from the book when I read it, but a lot of things about it bothered me as well and I wanted to talk about those things...

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perlastars's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring medium-paced

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

3.0

Fun twist of sci-fi and fantasy in a modern American setting, full of real-world hurts and ethical questions. It felt like I was watching an anime as I read it, which maybe made it a bit more fun for me. Definitely some major trigger warnings before going into this, but I think it’s worth the read if you like these genres and are open to a blend of them.

I would have given a higher rating if it was a little smoother in the POV and character development, but I think some of the beauty in the book outshines that. Ending on a 3 star.

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watervixxen's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

Absolutely beautiful story that centers Queer love and hope. It also shows some of the darker, unfortunately very real reactions society has towards Trans folxs.

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ngrant88's review against another edition

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Poorly developed characters and relationships, way too much plot without anything actually happening, POV changes mid paragraph and EVERY TRIGGER WARNING there is. This could have been a good book if someone else wrote it (and removed several plot lines).

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saracat's review

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challenging dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

In some sci-fi or fantasy books, there is there sense of human exceptionalism that I personally don’t know how to feel about. And I’m not sure I would say I got that from this book. But I’m not sure I can say there wasn’t a feeling if it towards the end either. However, in reality, there are definitely instances when individuals from different cultures meet and that new culture teaches them something that results in them changing some views on things. And I don’t think any of this is by default good or bad. It just makes me think.

And this book did give a lot to think about. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that combines demons and aliens. So it was very interesting to see how those elements got combined.

Listening to the audiobook, it sometimes felt like there were very sudden jumps from one character to another, so it took me a few seconds or sentences to realize what was being said was not about the previous character. And I did sometimes struggle to keep some of the characters straight in my head.

My heart went out constantly to Katrina and Shirley because of their kindness and the flawed adults in their lives. I found Lan and Shizuka to be complicated and flawed, but still likable characters who had a lot of growth.

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laguerrelewis's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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

“When two violins are placed in a room if a chord on one violin is struck
the other violin will sound the note”
—Say Yes, Andrea Gibson

Light From Uncommon Stars is difficult to distill. A plot synopsis often leaves your audience thinking “how does that fit together?” This is actually Stars’ greatest strength—it contains multitudes, and its insight is fathomless. Like Gibson says in the poem quoted above, Ryka Aoki is able to play the exact chords that resonate and sound in the reader. The result is a moving and incredibly affecting story of legacy, love, connection, community, mistakes, the condition of being alive, and the connective power of music and donuts. These words will stay with me for years to come. Keep tissues on hand, and do not read this book hungry.

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mznomer's review against another edition

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By all accounts this should be a book I really enjoy. I just can't get into it.

There's so much going on it makes it hard to invest in any of the storylines

The POV jumps around like crazy in a way that pulls me out of the narrative and makes me dizzy

Or maybe it's just not the vibe right now

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elinhaldira's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

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mercapto's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Initially, I struggled with this because of my own personal expectations. I found the blurb quite misleading - it read like it would focus more on the Shizuka and Lan romance, the blend of sci-fi and fantasy, with a trans prodigy as a side character. Even the reviews on the back page made it seem like a fantastical love story. It was quite jarring to expect something removed from reality and to get a very real and very harrowing story of an abused trans girl, even if she found happiness in the end. Especially because it was at the start of the book, there was no easing into it. However, once I took a step back and reassessed my expectations, I did begin to enjoy it more for what it was.

But I wish the blurb had made the focus Katrina! It reads like Lan and her donuts broke the curse when it was Katrina being her wonderful self that made Shizuka change!

Aoki is wonderfully imaginative, and obviously has many stories to tell - I can tell that she wanted to pour everything into this book. I get it, a book crossing deals with demons with an intergalactic family and the story of a trans girl finding herself is very unique, is going to stand out more than individual books in each genre. But… I can’t help but think I’d rather have read a separate book for each theme. Or even just demons deals and the Katrina storyline. Or even just a longer book! A series that blends together in one final novel!

Katrina’s narrative is so much more in depth than the other two main characters, and it’s clear that writing what you know works well for Aoki - even without looking her up I could tell that whoever was writing Katrina had real experience either being trans or was heavily involved in the trans community, and the way she writes these scenes, so matter-of-fact, so real, is where her ability shines through - “The violin had given Katrina a voice with which to sing. And now, that newfound voice was pushing her, urging Katrina to speak.”

It’s not that she doesn’t write Shizuka or Lan well, it’s just that there’s not enough pages to flesh them out properly - they are big concepts and backstories that need a bit more handholding to understand than Katrina, who’s backstory, sadly, we are all familiar with in today’s reality. And so effective is her writing of Katrina, that no matter how well Shizuka and Lan are written, they will pale in comparison to her. I felt I really knew Katrina, but Lan and Shizuka? I just didn’t feel the connection to each other, unfortunately.

Unlike others, I don’t mind the changes in POV, I feel like with a book like this you need it to understand the complex world. It actually reminded me a bit of Les Mis, in a way, because there’s so much going on and so many characters you need to see into their heads. Of course, it’s a lot choppier in this novel, but I still think it’s fine. I also liked the food descriptions, in think they worked well and were quite immersive, and actually made me want to go out and appreciate all the hidden little eateries with hidden stories where I live!

This was an enjoyable read, and had a lot to offer. There’s a lot of in depth analogies and metaphors, and I think a very thought-provoking book.

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scmiller's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0

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