A review by readerette
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

When the book started so slow and I realized how many characters there were, and with how loose of ties to one another at first, I almost decided to stop. 

But Katrina's experience as a transwoman kept me in it, as she experienced pain after pain and still learned to trust again. It was emotional to read, but beautiful. The trigger warnings are accurate, and there's enough lightness, goodness and love to balance them out.

Once I got used to the writing style (perfunctory and shifting between characters) and started to see where the story could go, I didn't want to put it down. The existential questions in this story were also refreshingly posed.
The Endplague just feels to me like civilization levels of mortal despair, and raises the question of what to do in the face of that knowledge: the same question each of us individual mortals has to answer for ourselves.


If you like sci fi/fantasy with a heart (the Becky Chambers comparisons are apt), I recommend this one. 
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