A review by bluejayreads
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

emotional reflective tense
  • 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

This book is about a trans girl runaway with serious PTSD from years of transphobic abuse from her parents and a passion for (but no training in) violin, a legendary violin teacher who has one year to sacrifice a student to save herself from Hell, and a space alien starship captain hiding from a galactic plague by running a donut shop on Earth. With those characters, it's sure to be a wild ride, right? Well, this book is actually about the power of love to save both the lover and the beloved, the dangers of being a trans girl and especially being a trans girl in the public eye, and the (sometimes literal) magic that happens when passion, emotion, and music combine. And there's also a scene where a demon attempts to fight an alien. For as absolutely buck wild as the ideas are, it's an astonishingly resonant and intensely emotional story. 
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