Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

178 reviews

readingpicnic's review against another edition

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

What an incredible book! I was so nervous to read this for a while since it's sci-fi, but that's honestly not the genre of most of the story, so it wasn't hard to understand at all. The writing was incredible, the story had a very satisfying conclusion, and I loved the use of many different perspectives throughout the story, even if we didn't get to stick with some of them too often. I do wish that I had gotten to read more of Tamiko's perspective since she was very interesting and was set up as if she was going to play a major part in the plot, but that kind of fizzled out until the very end of the book when she was briefly mentioned by another character. I would have liked to stick with her perspective a little more because her obsession with Shizuka and creepy way of thinking about her was really attention-grabbing. I also wish I had gotten more of Markus' story, as I found myself questioning why he was in the story at all if he was going to be

put in a stasis and never return as a character. I wish I understood his actions and motivations a bit more before he vanished from the book. I understand that he gave more context on the Empire and the EndPlague, but his character seemed to be very expendable to the story other than that.

I really liked the trans rep in this story with Katrina, and I especially liked how she discussed transition with Shirley in her decision to not alter her body, as well as how she came to love her visibly trans body as the story went on. It didn't emphasize medical transition as necessary to being a trans woman or being trans at all, and I liked how it challenged Shirley's way of thinking of transness, even if she was trying to be helpful. I loved Katrina so much though, and she was definitely my favorite character that I was always rooting for. Shizuka is a little questionable with her actions to me, so I'm still not sure how I feel about her...but she's a complex character for sure and meant to invoke that reaction from the reader, I suppose.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Outing, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Racial slurs

emmambles's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming and Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Outing, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, and Deadnaming

doodlesdistractions's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring relaxing fast-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

I am still processing but I am so in love with this book!!! I cannot put it into words that do it justice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, War, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

eliotadrift's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Transphobia, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual violence

bucketsjen's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

Good enjoyable read. It was a surprisingly hopeful story, especially given the premise. I went into the book completely blind, a friend handed it to me and said I'd like it. It was fun to be surprised as certain things kept getting added which you'd know if you read the synopsis or even the back of the book. A 19 year old transgender woman who flees an abusive family and is a violin prodigy... a violin teacher who made a deal with Hell and now has to deliver 7 souls or else her own is forfeit...  

a space alien family fleeing a galactic war and plague

who now run a donut shop . The book is weird, with those things, but it's delightful. 

There were a couple spots where it felt like "more" was needed to fulfill a particular storyline or character arc, which stopped me from feeling completely fulfilled.   A character from early on reappears briefly in the second half

and it gives the impression they'll do more... but then they drift out again until the last few pages

. It felt incomplete. Another character does something horrific and it's not REALLY addressed.

They kill a bigot, that's fine and dandy... but also murder the person the bigot is dating, who they have a crush on, while hating themselves for even liking them

. That was jarring.

They get put into a stasis and don't directly appear again but that's it. I wish something different had been done there

.

The ending is good but on the contrived side.

All that said, the book really was overall enjoyable. 

There's multiple minor plotlines woven in that I loved, and a big theme running through it all of what it means to be human and a person and alive, and of joy and soul.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Misogyny, and Death

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! 

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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

internationalreads's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Transphobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

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!!!

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Content Warnings

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

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

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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

spikehype's review

challenging 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, and Toxic relationship