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A review by cloreadsbooks1364
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Light From Uncommon Stars
By Ryka Aoki
5/5⭐️
What did I just read? I knew this would probably be one of my favourite books of the year, but I didn't expect it to be that good! I didn't even read the blurb, so I think I made that prediction based on the gorgeous cover and the knowledge that there was a trans protagonist.
This book has such a unique style, every paragraph flowed so well, it was so easy to pick up at any point and get pulled into the story again.
This book has such a loaded plot, but it all comes together so well. We have Shizuka Satomi, the violinist who made a deal to deliver seven talented violinists to Hell so that she can play once again. "This was more than power, ambition, beauty, or even genius. In the legendary teacher's presence, such words seemed meaningless-devoured by an unrelenting, inescapable flame. Yet what was most startling, even terrifying, was her focus. Nothing about Shizuka Satomi seemed random, without purpose. Everything was measured. Everything was arranged. Everything was completely and sublimely composed."
Katrina Nguyen, the teenage girl who ran from her transphobic family, meets Shizuka and becomes her seventh student.
"Might they think she was trans, queer, an abomination? Might they whisper she was ugly? Might they find her entrancing, exotic, grotesque, horrifying?
Might she not care? Because as she played, Katrina began to realize that yes, she was staring into a wall of darkness. But didn't that also mean the lights were on her? Didn't that mean that the stage was hers?"
Then there's Lan Tran, an alien starship captain who has escaped her doomed planet to run a donut shop on Earth with her four children (one of which is a hologram) and kind aunt Florestra.
"Shizuka realized then that the stars she had seen in Lan Tran's eyes were not figurative. They were real."
Lan and Shizuka fall in love, Katrina's talents blossom as she bonds with her new mentor, Lucy Matía realises that she can continue her family's legacy of fixing violins. All of these stories weave together into one.
My favourite aspect of this book was the soft relationship that formed between Lan and Shizuka. Two people who made many mistakes, but were overall loving and lonely.
The Sci-fi is very subtle, if you're unused to the genre this book will ease you in. The fantasy element is likewise not too elaborated on.
Who do I recommend this to, this beautiful work of art? I suppose anyone who enjoys classical music, aliens, donuts, demons, and found family.
Queer rep:
2 sapphic protagonists
1 Queer Transgirl protagonist
TWs: transphobia, deadnaming, misgendering, sexual assault, child abuse, rape, racism, self harm, war, murder
By Ryka Aoki
5/5⭐️
What did I just read? I knew this would probably be one of my favourite books of the year, but I didn't expect it to be that good! I didn't even read the blurb, so I think I made that prediction based on the gorgeous cover and the knowledge that there was a trans protagonist.
This book has such a unique style, every paragraph flowed so well, it was so easy to pick up at any point and get pulled into the story again.
This book has such a loaded plot, but it all comes together so well. We have Shizuka Satomi, the violinist who made a deal to deliver seven talented violinists to Hell so that she can play once again. "This was more than power, ambition, beauty, or even genius. In the legendary teacher's presence, such words seemed meaningless-devoured by an unrelenting, inescapable flame. Yet what was most startling, even terrifying, was her focus. Nothing about Shizuka Satomi seemed random, without purpose. Everything was measured. Everything was arranged. Everything was completely and sublimely composed."
Katrina Nguyen, the teenage girl who ran from her transphobic family, meets Shizuka and becomes her seventh student.
"Might they think she was trans, queer, an abomination? Might they whisper she was ugly? Might they find her entrancing, exotic, grotesque, horrifying?
Might she not care? Because as she played, Katrina began to realize that yes, she was staring into a wall of darkness. But didn't that also mean the lights were on her? Didn't that mean that the stage was hers?"
Then there's Lan Tran, an alien starship captain who has escaped her doomed planet to run a donut shop on Earth with her four children (one of which is a hologram) and kind aunt Florestra.
"Shizuka realized then that the stars she had seen in Lan Tran's eyes were not figurative. They were real."
Lan and Shizuka fall in love, Katrina's talents blossom as she bonds with her new mentor, Lucy Matía realises that she can continue her family's legacy of fixing violins. All of these stories weave together into one.
My favourite aspect of this book was the soft relationship that formed between Lan and Shizuka. Two people who made many mistakes, but were overall loving and lonely.
The Sci-fi is very subtle, if you're unused to the genre this book will ease you in. The fantasy element is likewise not too elaborated on.
Who do I recommend this to, this beautiful work of art? I suppose anyone who enjoys classical music, aliens, donuts, demons, and found family.
Queer rep:
2 sapphic protagonists
1 Queer Transgirl protagonist
TWs: transphobia, deadnaming, misgendering, sexual assault, child abuse, rape, racism, self harm, war, murder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Murder
Moderate: Racism