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A review by alouette
A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo
challenging
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
for someone who adored Last Night at the Telegraph Club, i was surprised how much i did not like this book. in fact, between the unaddressed cheating and the blandness of the main character, i actively disliked it!
the story is very straightforward, and there is a distinct lack of memorable moments. the characters are set into stereotypes for most of the novel and there's really no exploration of them once they break out of that right at the end. aside from realizing she's queer, Aria didn't develop at all- she doesn't have to face any consequences from the dumb decisions she makes and she doesn't seem to have any interests.
about the cheating, because it was a big thing that completely threw me for a loop and tainted the book for me: i don't mind cheating as a plot point. but the fact that neither character acknowledges it or makes a move for it to become a normal relationship instead of cheating REALLY got on my nerves. lisa is made to be so obviously antagonistic that it feels like a parody instead of the emotional coming of age book it's advertised as being. never have i rolled my eyes at a relationship so hard! in the end it was kind of cute that Aria's first love was just the beginning of so much else in her life, but when it came at the cost of glossing over all her other relationships- especially to her grandmother, who got about 1 meainingful conversation with her- it doesn't really raise the rating.
also this did not have nearly enough of kath and lily for a book advertised as a companion to Last Night at the Telegraph Club! they get one newspaper snippet and one photograph and that's it!
the story is very straightforward, and there is a distinct lack of memorable moments. the characters are set into stereotypes for most of the novel and there's really no exploration of them once they break out of that right at the end. aside from realizing she's queer, Aria didn't develop at all- she doesn't have to face any consequences from the dumb decisions she makes and she doesn't seem to have any interests.
about the cheating, because it was a big thing that completely threw me for a loop and tainted the book for me: i don't mind cheating as a plot point. but the fact that neither character acknowledges it or makes a move for it to become a normal relationship instead of cheating REALLY got on my nerves. lisa is made to be so obviously antagonistic that it feels like a parody instead of the emotional coming of age book it's advertised as being. never have i rolled my eyes at a relationship so hard! in the end it was kind of cute that Aria's first love was just the beginning of so much else in her life, but when it came at the cost of glossing over all her other relationships- especially to her grandmother, who got about 1 meainingful conversation with her- it doesn't really raise the rating.
also this did not have nearly enough of kath and lily for a book advertised as a companion to Last Night at the Telegraph Club! they get one newspaper snippet and one photograph and that's it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Sexual content, Infidelity, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders