A review by just_one_more_paige
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

 
This book was marketed as aliens/space and violins and donuts and queer and bargains with demons, honestly, there's nothing there I don't love (or, in the case of the demon-bargains, I at least love reading about them - the demon was my favorite part of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, as you know). So. This was promptly added to my TBR list and here is its moment! 
 
Shizuka Satomi is known as the Queen of Hell, having made a deal with a demon, she must now trade seven souls (violin prodigy souls) to save her own. Katrina Nguyen is a young transgender girl, a runaway, whose violin playing in a park caught Satomi's ear. Satomi only needs to deliver one more soul and Katrina is willing to trade almost anything for a safe home and, in this case, a chance to learn under Satomi's tutelage. It's a perfect match. Except for an interstellar refugee, Lan Tran, whose donut shop and eyes full of stars, along with Katrina's unorthodox musical choices, cause Satomi to realize that maybe there is another option, and the lives of these three women (plus, a few wonderful additional female side characters) become intertwined in a way that just might thwart fate. 
 
This was a much more lyrical, slower-paced story, than I had expected. For some reason, I had a fast-paced space adventure story in mind, but instead got an earth-based reflective music and self-discovery journey story, that was so much more soul-touching (pun intended) than I had been prepared for. In the best way. I will say that, if you plan to listen to the audiobook, I would recommend having the physical copy around as reference, because it felt a bit jumpy to listen to. The style of writing is lots of short sections and there is not a clear indicator for the transitions in the audio. So, with the character in focus changing that often, I found that, if my attention wandered even a little, I would lose track of the thread of who we were following. It got easier as I got to know the characters better, but wanted to give a heads up. 
 
On to the story itself. First, it’s just one of the most unique setups for a story that I’ve ever read: a soul-stealing demon agreement with violin prodigies, a trans runaway looking for a better future, an intergalactic family running a donut shop…like, what?! Who thinks to put those things together? I love it! And past that, this is one of the most quietly tender and compassionate novels I’ve ever read. There is no shying away from how terrible the world, and people, can be – no disingenuity on that front – but past that, the softness and warmth I felt from most of the main characters’ interactions with each other was unmatched. Honestly, even past the main characters, to the rest of the phenomenal supporting female cast, like Shizuka’s housekeeper Astrid, Lan’s Auntie Floresta and daughter Shirley, and the violin-repairer Lucy…there was such a depth of feminine support, facing myriad challenges: being a trans women, being a woman in a male-dominated field, being a refugee, being an AI woman. The levels of acceptance here spread both wide and deep, fully intertwined, with gorgeous recognition of the ways that moving through the difficult reality of survival can become a skill and a benefit, giving something beautiful to the person just like any other skill or trait (though with its attendant self-consciousness and concern as well, in equal measure, like everything else in the world). Honestly, Aoki writes with such lovely insight into the human condition and it, like I said, warmed the soul of this reader.    
 
I also must mention the profound reverence in the writing for the things that make a person feel safe and whole. Specifically, there is a heartfelt highlighting of the immeasurable and undefinable things that make music (violin) and food (primarily donuts) something special. The appeal to the senses, the way music and food can make you truly feel through sound and taste, was written with a precision and appreciation that I’ve rarely seen. The way Aoki is able to convey the power and pull of (especially) music through words is…stunning. One of the best parts of this overall wonderful novel. 
There was so much heart in the pages of this book. I am having a hard time expressing how much it meant to me, and I am not trans, not a musician, not a baker/cook, not a (literal) alien refugee. But I have feelings, and Aoki wrote a story that is impossible to not connect with emotionally. If you want to read something that fully embodies the sense/feeling of belonging, this is it. 
 
“But Hell favored people who recognized their brilliance, who believed they deserved success, would have success, were it not for a flaw, a disadvantage they could never overcome. […] What made each of them right for Hell was their need for a lie, a façade so powerful, so intoxicating, that they could believe it themselves.” 
 
“But now there was understanding. And with understanding, all things were possible.” 
 
“Tomorrow is tomorrow. Over there is over there. And here and now is not a bad place and time to be, especially when so much of the unknown is beautiful.” 
 
“One does not play memories of music; one plays music itself. And lifetimes, from beginning to end, are as sheet of music, ready to be played.” 
 
“It’s more than my hands It’s my body. Everything it’s been through, everything it’s felt. It’s all part of the way I play. Sure, it’s not perfect, but it’s mine. That’s good, isn’t it?” 
 
“…what matters is not the body, but who inhabits it.” 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings