Reviews tagging 'Cultural appropriation'

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

9 reviews

alienguy's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Racism, Dysphoria, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Rape

Minor: War and Alcoholism

scmiller's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Transphobia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Rape, Blood, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, and Gore

pandsomeboi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense 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

“Equally heartwarming and heartbreaking.” That’s how this book was described to me by one of the multiple people who recommended it. I don’t know how this book flew under my radar for a year, but I’m so glad folks made sure I found it! Just read it. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Ever. It realistically incapsulates so many different experiences of life as “other;” the pain, the joy, and everything in between.

The best part is that it stands on its own as YA, and as sci-fi, and as fantasy, and as speculative fiction. Still feel weary about trans folks? Well how do you feel about space aliens? Or demons? Or music? Or food? Or immigration? Or coming-of-age stories? There are so many in-roads! It’s an amazing piece of literature. Creative. Well-written. Exciting. Compelling. And emotional! Everything you want.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Cultural appropriation, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Abandonment, Body shaming, Classism, Deadnaming, War, Bullying, Outing, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Grief, Transphobia, and Xenophobia

amby's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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

3.5

I'm having a hard time rating this book... it is complet chaos. I don't think this are really spoilers, but if you wanna go in blank, don't read this. Refugees from a galactic war start a donutshop. 70+ years old violin teacher has a deal with hell. And a teenaged transgender runaway girl. It sounds like a weird combo, it stayed a weird combo! 
Some triggerwarings (below) are necessary, defintly for transpeople who don't have a supporting familiy. I as cis-women already found it very hard to read the horrble stuff Katherina had to endure. 
Yet, I got annoyed by how often the writer refered to her trauma as a reasons to feel shit about herself. I understood it about the caracter but it's just the way it's written.
But my biggest problem is the switching of points of views. Sometimes it took 3 alinea to realise from who's point of view I was reading the story. It made it a lot less relaxing to read. 

The ending of the book made up for a lot! And the description about violin music was so beautiful ❤️ as well as the found family element.

Triggerwarings, and I'm sure this is not all of it. Deadnaming, very often misgendering, prostitution, (sexual) abuse.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Deadnaming, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Death, Bullying, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Cultural appropriation, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Addiction

ash_ton's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Fr should have read the content warnings for this because some of this stuff kinda bothered me, and normally reading things doesn't affect me that much. I guess it's kind of on me because obviously I have access to content warnings. Oh well. Anyways.

Complaints first, because I'm an asshole. I'm not sure I liked the different shifting POVs. I like to think I'm not an idiot, so at first I'd be a little lost on who was talking. And there were so many. Some of them just side characters. Wack.

I did really like the book though. I don't normally go for sci-fi, and I actually read this or the LGBTQIA+ book club I'm in. At first I wasn't a huge fan of it but I'm glad I stayed with it. Definitely thought provoking and an interesting story. Shirley was my favorite character. All my homies love Shirley.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Dysphoria, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Self harm, and Transphobia

Moderate: Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Racial slurs, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicide, Cultural appropriation, Suicidal thoughts, Deportation, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and War

alyb_batgirl's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, and Physical abuse

augustar14's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.5

One of the first books I've read that shifts character perspectives amongst many characters but not at chapters. Just, whenever it needs to happen. That took some adjusting but once I figured it out, I really began to enjoy how immersive it was.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Rape, Cursing, Body shaming, and War

Minor: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Deadnaming, Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Misogyny

Internalized transphobia as well as external. Abusive family (escapes from). Alcoholic, violent, transphobic father and mother who makes excuses for him. So called friend who "suggests" she pay for rent in sex. Sex cam work with transphobic comments. Bad hookup for money. Other moments of sexual harassment, verbal and physical, past and present. Two characters killed with an alien blaster gun in another character's fit of rage at seeing something that ended up being not true. Somewhat graphic descriptions of their feelings and their deaths. Mother deadnames main character in one scene.

virsamajor's review against another edition

The plot was intriguing, but there were some writing patterns that aren't my jam, and the sudden introduction of the sci-fi elements felt jarring. Combined with the CWs, I wasn't in the place for this.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Racism, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, and Sexual assault

Minor: Racism, Cultural appropriation, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

dealingwithdragons's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Homophobia, Death, Classism, Child abuse, Trafficking, War, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Outing, Murder, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Dysphoria, Drug use, Deadnaming, Cultural appropriation, and Alcoholism