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librariangeorgia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
I absolutely adored LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB that I just /had/ to read this one. And the fact that it’s linked to that book made it so much more exciting!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - like I’m struggling to put into words how much I loved it. I wanted to take my time with it so that it wouldn’t be over too soon but also speed through it to find out what happens.
Now, tell me why I got so invested in the characters that I actually started welling up at /that/ moment. I felt like I was going through all the emotions that Aria was going through!
I just loved the Lily and Kath mention!! I was waiting for them to crop up!
I highly recommend this book, and LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB if you’ve not read that one either!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Grief
onebook_more's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
“I felt a thrill as if a mask I’d put on had suddenly become my own face”
[This review is based on an ARC I received from work].
A Scatter of Light is advertised as a companion to one of my favourite novels I’ve read this year, Last Night at the Telegraph Club. The story centres around 18-year-old Aria, who is sent to spend the summer with her Grandmother after a troubling incident at the end of her senior year. Aria develops a friendship with her Grandmother’s gardener, Steph, and finds herself immersed in a new community of queer artists. As the two grow closer, lines blur, leaving Aria with complex questions about her identity. This novel weaves together coming-of-age romance, queerness and complex family dynamics to make a narrative that is often relatable and satisfying.
I had huge expectations for A Scatter of Light because of my love for LNatTC and in many ways, it did hold up. This story was a little less engaging but this is largely based on the fact that the more modern timeline was unlikely to be able to compete with the charm and novelty of a queer love story set in 1960s San Francisco. The writing is frequently poetic and expressive and often comforting, I am a huge fan of Malinda Lo’s prose. The cast of characters is interesting, likeable and diverse but towards the end, Aria becomes a somewhat irritating protagonist as she is quite one-track-minded (though this felt completely accurate for the mind of an 18-year-old with her first real crush). Romance becomes an intense focus in the latter part of the book and will likely be a hit for people who are a fan of slow-burn romances with a hint of *spice*. At times the story was a little slow but as soon as I began to feel like it was plodding along, it would pick up with an unexpected turn. I found myself wishing for more connections to LNatTC but when they did arise they were extremely satisfying. Overall I feel as if my expectations with a little too high but this book has many redeeming qualities and is sweet and charming in its own right.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia and Abandonment
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
4.25
Thank you to Netgalley and Coronet for a copy of this book for review.
This is companion novel to Lo's historical romance, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, but they're still completely stand-alones.
It's 2013 and Aria Tang West was looking forward to spending one last summer at Martha's Vineyard with her friends before going off to university. However after comprising photos of her end up online, she's uninvited. Instead she has to spend the summer with her grandmother, Joan West in California. Joan's house is full of reminders of Aria's beloved Grandfather who died 5 years ago.
She unexpectedly finds herself drawn to her grandmother's gardener, Steph. Steph however isn't available as she has a girlfriend, Lisa.
This coming of age book tackles a lot issues such as cyber bullying, slut shaming, grief, sexuality and self discovery but it feels organic, never forced. This book is at the older end of YA.
An overall enjoyable read but I felt some of the plots weren't well developed or wrapped up.
This is companion novel to Lo's historical romance, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, but they're still completely stand-alones.
It's 2013 and Aria Tang West was looking forward to spending one last summer at Martha's Vineyard with her friends before going off to university. However after comprising photos of her end up online, she's uninvited. Instead she has to spend the summer with her grandmother, Joan West in California. Joan's house is full of reminders of Aria's beloved Grandfather who died 5 years ago.
She unexpectedly finds herself drawn to her grandmother's gardener, Steph. Steph however isn't available as she has a girlfriend, Lisa.
This coming of age book tackles a lot issues such as cyber bullying, slut shaming, grief, sexuality and self discovery but it feels organic, never forced. This book is at the older end of YA.
An overall enjoyable read but I felt some of the plots weren't well developed or wrapped up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia