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A review by asterope
A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I love that Last Night at the Telegraph Club got a companion novel. This was interesting, but didn’t quite reach the same heights.
The writing was still as good as I expected. Lo knows how to explain something without it being an infodump, or too confusing for someone not familiar with the topic. I loved the gentle explorations of astronomy, art and photography. I was also glad to find a similar structure where the main character has her plot, but it’s supported by the larger picture of her family and their issues too. The character I found most interesting and real was Joan, the grandma. What a delightful lady.
But I thought this book was just okay compared to Last Night. The main character Aria was blander than Lily. Her relationship with Joan was far more interesting than the gay drama she ends up getting herself involved in. Things sort of slipped into place a little too easily there. And after everything falls apart, there wasn’t enough aftermath for Aria to really think about the decisions she made. The book ends too suddenly. I know Last Night also ended suddenly, but it worked well there. This should have continued for at least a couple more chapters.
The writing was still as good as I expected. Lo knows how to explain something without it being an infodump, or too confusing for someone not familiar with the topic. I loved the gentle explorations of astronomy, art and photography. I was also glad to find a similar structure where the main character has her plot, but it’s supported by the larger picture of her family and their issues too. The character I found most interesting and real was Joan, the grandma. What a delightful lady.
But I thought this book was just okay compared to Last Night. The main character Aria was blander than Lily. Her relationship with Joan was far more interesting than the gay drama she ends up getting herself involved in. Things sort of slipped into place a little too easily there. And after everything falls apart, there wasn’t enough aftermath for Aria to really think about the decisions she made. The book ends too suddenly. I know Last Night also ended suddenly, but it worked well there. This should have continued for at least a couple more chapters.