Ryka Aoki

Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Ryka Aoki's Light From Uncommon Stars, a defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts. Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six. When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate. But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline. As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.

Light From Uncommon Stars

Sophia 

 "One usually learns to play a piece a section at a time. Within each section, the musician will memorize passages, phrases, movements, until the sections reach from beginning to end.”Lan nodded. That made sense. Of course you would break a large task into smaller ones.

 "And so many live the same way. One becomes a good plumber, or mother, or Christian, or Dodger fan, or teenager. One lives section by section, one stage to the next. But sometimes, sections change keys, tempos. They change moods. Timing...Some melodies don't resolve in an expected way. Some don't resolve at all. So people begin to fear playing beyond the sections they have played out of habit, out of fear." “And eventually one runs out of sections," said Lan.

"And there, in the dark, the sound develops. There, in the empty spaces, a violin's voice matures, gains complexity, power, depth…” Shizuka pointed at Katrina's heart. “Everything the audience hears, what we strive to create... what we live to convey... it comes from there. ln your hollows. In your nothingness.

 "There is where your music gains its life."

 Why be like someone else? Where was the vision? The genius? As an agent of damnation, Shizuka understood she would be dealing in the tedium of human weakness. But there had to be more.

People think selling one's soul for music is as simple as "Sign this contract and poof! - you’re a genius!" Were it that easy, the world would be awash in transcendent song. Obviously, this is not so. Souls are cheap. The trick is finding the right soul.

One might insist that no lives were saved. One might scoff that nothing was returned. But that is as it should be. The songs will change, but the music is never truly gone. A life ends. A life begins.

But as I played, they listened. And slowly, their music welcomed them home.

What did they find? Perhaps themselves. Perhaps each other– who am I to say?

All I know if that i was not playing alone.

Of course, the Endplague could not be avoided. Life could not be avoided. Death comes for everyone. But that did not mean one could not be healed.

That did not mean one could not be saved.

Like the family they had become, they talked into the evening.

SOBBING BECAUSE BARBER ADAGIO FOR STRINGS IS HURTING MY SOUL

Applause fell like waves of daybreak, like torrents of song. It continued unabated until the audience realised the music was coming from themselves, and it would be there tomorrow, and the sun would be high overhead.

Alexa, play Zapotato– I mean– Zapateado

Throughout the sonata, through each movement, the audience saw, felt, believed– who they were, what they valued, whose they loved.

. What is magic, anyway? If magic is more that illusions on a stage, if magic can actually change the world, then what is reality but a song that one imagines and sets free?

If yOu cAn pLaY iT slOwlY yOu cAn pLaY iT qUiCkLY ✨✨✨

At the fourth movement, some people thought, "The Flight of the Bumblebee!" Finally, a passage they could recognise! But this was no overplayed Rimsky-Korsakov insect– this was the frantic chaos of refugees escaping a war.

How do we mourn when we know that we, too, have been cruel to both the living and the dead?

For all the lifetimes of being mistreated, mistrusted, broken, lost. For all the lifetines of bullying, betraying, cowardice, and shame.

Yes, there is music as this. And yes, this music is you.

Because that's all that freaks like us get.

. For if this dogwood bow can force beauty upon you, then I shall shove every part of myself into that beauty. 

I shall make you feel all the joy, the terror in loving who you are.

Listening is vastly different from just hearing.

Katrina had wanted to say she had watched her all these years, watched her mother lose herself because her father demanded it– and that even if they never saw each other again, to please listen to her music, please listen, and hear.

"How can you play to an audience with passion and honesty, when the same audience thinks that you are unworthy of love?"

Lan said it would be the most beautiful spectacle ever.

Yet surely it would be even more beautiful reflected with Donut Lady's eyes.

This book is so beautiful what 😭😭😭

. These were vessels to be launched into time, beyond mere West and East, to bring myths and gods to the world to come.

Shizuka would guide her, let her feel human, no matter how she might doubt. Let her feel old and broken. Let her feel childish and naïve. There was mo need to be perfectly beautiful, nor immortal, nor untouchable.

After all, none of that was needed to write a poem or to sing a song.

Once, Shizuka had said, "For music to happen, every note must sing, then end."

And once, Shizuka had said, "Each fragment, passing eternity onward, holre on to that music forever."

All well and good. All beautiful and wise.

One can run away. One can hide. But that does not mean it is not there.

All this sacrifice, all this genius, and still there was so much hate.

This was more than technique or brilliance. This was more than resonance, more than memory.

Think of a piece of music. Is it not a miracle that each time the notes are played, the music is reborn? No scratches, no fading, no loss of fidelity.

I have mixed opinions about this book. Overall I think it's very unique and well-written, centering on a topic that needs more exposure in literature. However, I am not pleased with the representation of all men/masculine characters in the story as evil, violent, or generally bad (with the exception of the child Edwin and the teenager Andrew). If there had been even one central male character with kind motives, this would have been a 4-star read for me.

Ashlyn

Wow. Just, wow. My review won’t do this book justice. I am blown away. This is the type of book where when you finish it, you have to take like 2 weeks off from reading just to process. 

I can't even begin to describe how privileged I feel to have read this story. Now time to blast Barber Adagio for Strings and cry in the corner.

Cloudface

The pacing of this book might not be for everyone, but I personally loved it. It felt like a piece of music itself and each character added something new to the melody. Every time I put the book down I was drawn back to it, not because I was desperate to know what happened next but just because I was enjoying the experience of reading it.

This book was so imaginative and handled difficult, heavy topics with such care and grace. I’m not usually much of an annotator, but I saved so many quotes from this novel. Aoki’s writing style is so descriptive and vivid, especially in her discussions of music and food. I really appreciate the level of care that went into the creation of this fantastic story, and Katrina is a character who will stay with me for a very long time. 

Angie Van Sprang

My expectations were way too high going into this. I've heard nothing but amazing things about this story, but it didn't work for me. There were too many plots going on at once, so it all felt jumbled together. I didn't feel like the narrative flowed well. The POVs were constantly changing every few paragraphs or sometimes even after just a few sentences. There was also way too much talk about food. I didn't mind the first few times, but it got too repetitive. I did like the representation and how Aoki didn't shy away from shining a light on the brutal realities members of the trans community face every day. However, I found the book as a whole a little disappointing.

Heather Harrington

Gillian Rose

4.25

An extremely interesting mishmash of genres that left me feeling hopeful and sad at the same time. I was captivated by these characters and wished I could hear the music being played, taste all the food described, and see the stars.

Exceptional. If you think the premise sounds more chaotic than intriguing, you probably won’t like it. But it’s only January and I already know this will be one of the best books I read this year.

Madi

lisa roeling 

if you are into violins, this book is really cool
i probably should have dnf'd this but i was already at 60%

Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Ryka Aoki's Light From Uncommon Stars, a defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts. Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six. When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate. But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline. As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Amanda

This story took me for a wild and wonderful ride. I didn't know much about it going in, so with the introduction of each new character everything I thought I figured out about the book got up ended.

Trans teenager escapes an abusive home clutching her violin.... Oh, this is one of those stories. I wasn't in the mood to be depressed, but okay. 

Violin teacher who gathers souls for Hell... Ohhhh, were doing THAT kind of story, OKAY!

Alien buys a donut store with her family and tries to blend in to the California suburbs... What the hell am I reading?!?

But it all works. It all comes together in a surprising and wonderful way. I loved all the characters and the nuance the author gave to each of them. Highly recommend.

A good, fun light read, with some very diverse characters and delightful story moments, from music to donuts. I had some problems with the direction the book took towards the end. Not the most original book, either. But an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Naomi J.

Janice Hopper

I have to say that I was pretty dubious when I read the description of this book. A violin? A deal with a demon for souls? Donuts? A transgender runaway? A family of refugee space aliens???? I just couldn't figure out how all that could make a coherent story that I would like. So I put off reading it.

And that was a mistake, because otherwise I could have read this lovely book SOONER and gotten the enjoyment I got from it EARLIER.

It's just a lovely book. These crazy disparate elements actually work together. This book made me want to go out and taste some of the exotic (exotic TO ME, a child of the mundane US south) dishes and drinks described. I wanted some of those damn donuts and the bread that makes you think of home. I even want to pull out my long-neglected violin and fiddle around (heh). Not with Bartok though.

It's a story about found family, acceptance, and sharing your truths. It's about redemption and not giving up, even though the ultimate end of everything will be coming for us all eventually. Be who you are, play your music, tell your story.

It's good, and it's lovely, and it made me happy.

Didi Chanoch

You will hear and read a lot about how this book is wonderful and hopeful. And that is true. You may also hear about it being difficult and dealing with extremely heavy topics. And that is also true. You will hear about it being science fiction, and you will hear about it being fantasy. Both of those are true.

This novel is a balancing act. A delicate, lovely, difficult, painful, and healing balancing act of love. It is harrowingly real and delightfully fanciful. 

At a time when some in the media would like you to believe that being trans is easy now, this books is a stark reminder - without ever saying it - that the suicide attempt rates among trans teens who are not supported by their family and friends are unfathomably high, while the same rates among trans teens who ARE supported by their family and friends are the same of those of the rest of the population. 

The balancing of tone this book does is incredibly hard, and I am sure it will not work for everyone. It absolutely did for me. I think this may be my favorite read of 2021 so far.

How is it possible that, in the same universe, both Hell and Aliens can exist? After reading this book, you still won't know. Throughout the novel, Alien technology is dealt with in a very hand-wavey sort of way, and is never really explained. Along with that, there are some editing issues. 

It's evident that this is not a flawless book. However...

I found myself time and time again drawn into the story. I fell in love with the characters, the situation, and the universe. I related to Katrina in a very personal way. 

Sure, things weren't explained, but they didn't need to be. It doesn't make the world any less enjoyable.

Skyler Blue

How is it possible that, in the same universe, both Hell and Aliens can exist? After reading this book, you still won't know. Throughout the novel, Alien technology is dealt with in a very hand-wavey sort of way, and is never really explained. Along with that, there are some editing issues. 

It's evident that this is not a flawless book. However...

I found myself time and time again drawn into the story. I fell in love with the characters, the situation, and the universe. I related to Katrina in a very personal way. 

Sure, things weren't explained, but they didn't need to be. It doesn't make the world any less enjoyable.

Stephanie Ridiculous

2.5 rounded up.
The pro's: Unique, quirky, unexpected mashing of genre's
The con's: Entirely too many POV's that rotate chaotically, enough sub plots that the main plot kind of gets lost, bit of a mcguffin ending

Aditi

This type of writing style where you're jumping povs almost every other paragraph is usually not for me but it worked for this story. The characters felt fully realised and I found them easy to connect to and root for. 

The plot was pretty simple and worked for the story. The world building was messy at times and I didn't really care for the chapters solely focused on Lan Tran. The sci fi elements were underdeveloped, just there as a backdrop to this almost contemporary story. 

It was a quick read and I enjoyed the audiobook but this won't be one that sticks with me for a long time.

Ava Noreen

4.5 stars

Aoki spins a unique and hopeful story about courage, queerness, existential dread, and the transformative power of music. I loved the prominence of music in this book, and I think anyone who has ever played an instrument will appreciate it as well. The character development throughout the book was also well done. The writing style was smooth and polished, although the unannounced switching of narrative perspective occasionally felt a little disorienting (hard to decide if that added or detracted from the fun of reading!) I also felt that family and parent-child relationships (whether found or blood) was a big theme in this book. 

This book also spoke a lot about the grief one feels for a life and a world that doesn't behave as it should. The main character, Katrina, grapples with grief for what her family and adolescence could have been if her parents had accepted her transgender identity (or, it sometimes seems, if she could have been someone her parents accepted). Meanwhile, the esteemed violin teacher Miss Satomi grieves for her music, but we comprehend that this grief goes deeper as we learn Miss Satomi's vision for how her music could have communicated to the world. Captain Lan Tran, donut shop owner, attempts to bulldoze onwards without fully confronting the reality of her new predicament. We sense the trappings of grief seeping from the tragedies of war as well as the fear of the character of existence itself. 

But don't be misled, this book was not onerously heavy. In parts, it was poetically light hearted. After all, another big theme in this book was donuts (which was similar to the "power of music" theme since both emphasized the power of the individual to communicate and commune with the human experience in a way which transcends language). Which brings me to:

My biggest problem with this book was... the meat imagery. Okay, I know the author is often trying the emphasize the importance of food in culture and the power of food to heal at the emotional level. As a lifelong vegetarian, it was just a bit hard to "get into" scenes with characters relishing in the meaty-ness of their foods in a way that felt like a rebellion against the very principle of plant-based eating. Given the abominable behavior of the vegans we meet at the beginning of the book, it feels like the author had a bad encounter with some hypocritical vegans and I almost want to write a plea that we are not all like that! And don't even get me started on the ducks. 

But, feelings on food aside, this was a unique and charming story that hits much deeper than I expected from the synopsis.

Naty Corbett

This book had me from the start. A transgirl is prepping to run away from her California childhood home where she isn't free to be herself to LA. She double checks that she has what she needs and that includes her most prized possession, her violin. What follows is a story that weaves science fiction with fantasy and some magical realism; Katrina encounters the Queen of Hell, some space aliens running a donut shop called Starrgate, a demon, and some mean assholes in the form of transphobic shits. I'm not going to apologize for my language.
While this story is fantastical, I more often than not found snippets from my life in the pages; people commenting on my clothing, shoulders or voice, someone grabbing my crotch to see what I have between my legs, all the self-doubt and feeling undeserving of anything good because I'm broken.
But also, like in my life, Katrina finds a home where she belongs, she finds family who loves and accepts her, but most importantly she finds love for herself.
One thing I love about this book is the diversity of the cast of characters, calling out the racism and sexism that you find in historically white and male activities and arts while not shying away from the harsh realities that one would find when trying to break into these worlds. Ryka does not shy away from the horrors of being trans and the hardships that we endure, and while this book covers topics that many conservative leaning people would feel are not appropriate for children. I disagree. This book should be available for children, especially high schoolers. Sure this book deals with sexual violence, sex work, bullying, and abuse. But children already get exposed to that in real life, sometimes at much younger ages than in high school, but this book can help kids either process what they are going through or help them empathize and sympathize with those they know who are experiencing these things. And honestly, this book is tame in comparison to the violence portrayed in movies, TV, video games, and in the halls of the very schools where this book is almost certainly banned in some districts but our puritanical views on sex in the US sadly rule the day.
What Ryka did with this book is make me feel seen and for that, I am forever grateful. But more importantly, she's making some baby-trans kids out there feel a little less alone and perhaps saving their life.

Mia Kern

From the darkness, Katrina willed her violin to build their world. To let there be light, let there be colors, then calculus and molecules and starlit vistas, let there be home after home after home where no one yelled and no one was beaten. p. 213

Of the books I've read this year, this is honestly the one I've had the most difficulty reviewing, mostly because I wanted  so badly  to love this book...but I didn't.

Now, don't get me wrong, this book was a lot of fun, and had a lot of really beautiful, powerful moments. But (and I apologize in advance for the  terrible  analogy) the final product felt so much like Aoki threw a bunch of ingredients in a pot and just stirred. Individual ingredients - *chef's kiss,* absolutely wonderful. The representation, both for Asian and queer communities (👋🏼)!!! Katrina was a wonderful protagonist, whose personal growth and journey was really fulfilling. Not to mention the crazy, fun plot about demons, aliens, music, and donuts. However, too many ingredients were thrown in the mix, which resulted in a strange aftertaste.

Ok, weird analogy over, all this to say that this book had  too much  going on. Way too much. As another reviewer stated, it was told through multiple points of view, but often switched between them mid-chapter, resulting in a feeling a little like whiplash. Additionally, the plot, while fun, often seemed to lack direction. Yes, we knew that, by the end of the book, someone's soul was going to hell. But the ride there...? Fun but...confusing. Some seemingly important bits were thrown in only to never be discussed again (like why Shizuka didn't know how to navigate the internet). It also dealt with a lot of serious, complex topics. Some of which were handled really well, and others felt a little tactless (ex: Tamiko at one point is clearly shown to have a very serious mental illness resulting in self-harm, and this is written off as...? dramatics? and then never discussed again).

Tl;dr There is  SO  much about this book that I wanted to like, but it all came together in a very messy and confusing way.

Megan BV

This book is so beautifully brilliant. I will not stop thinking about it for a while. 

I tried to explain to my partner what it was about and my synopsis made it sound cheesy. It is not cheesy, it’s eloquent and graceful and insightful.

I love this book. 

Cindy Lieberman

A skittish, transgender violin player is.taken in by an infamous teacher whose previous students have all died. A violin teacher who long ago made a deal with the devil meets and falls for the owner of a local donut shop. The owner of a landmark donut shop is really the captain of a space ship and trying to understand her feelings for this strange violin teacher. The story is a fun and interesting romp that also highlights some of the awful trauma experienced by young trans people.

Stephanie Cox

This book has a lot of flaws. The characters (especially side characters) sometimes fall a little flat. The pacing is uneven and disjointed in some places. At a few places early on I found myself getting bored. But in the end it all comes together in one big gush of warmth and gooeyness, and I'm a sucker for this kind of sentimentality. Lovely!

Elizabeth Jones

Sahi K

CW: racism, xenophobia, transphobia, parental abuse, anxiety and panic attacks 

It’s probably more of a 4.5.

This is another book which wasn’t at all on my radar but then I read some reviews and immediately felt like this was something I couldn’t miss. And I was so right. 

The first thing I have to say is that this felt like something I’ve never read before. The way the author blends fantasy and sci-fi with raw humanity is masterful and I was left in awe. The writing in this book is exquisite, with every feeling that the author describes digging deep into our souls and leaving an indelible impression on me. The prose is raw and unflinching, and I did feel extremely sad and scared and so many other things at many points, but it was the quiet and sweet moments that make this one special. The book is also peppered with subtle commentary about the importance of found family and community - especially for queer people; the grief of displacement as well as the joy of finding a new home; and the myriad ways in which music enriches our lives. 

But despite the world here spanning a galactic empire mired in a war as well as a devil trying to take back souls to hell, the backbone of this story are music and food. I have always loved singing and listening to music since childhood, but I hardly have any detailed knowledge about instruments, especially nothing about western classical music. But the way the author describes each tone in the music being played, the differences and the charms of each classical piece, the way the music deeply affects the player as well as the listener - all this just touched my heart. And the food …. that was just something. The day that I started listening to this wonderful audiobook, I also started a diet and fitness program due to which there are very few foods I’m allowed to eat. And this book just happens to be filled page after page with mouthwatering and delectable food descriptions and the sweet and savory smells and flavors. Im pretty unfamiliar with most Asian cuisine but I could still feel how delicious the items being talked about are. But the ones that left me craving and very frustrated were donuts, Cinnabon’s cinnamon rolls and just any form of bread - because not only can I not eat them during this diet period, my mom would never let me touch any of them as long as I’m still stuck here at home. 

The ensemble cast is just brilliant in this book. Katrina is a young trans girl runaway who is escaping her abusive home and struggling to make a new life. Her parts were very difficult to read initially because there were some graphic descriptions of physical abuse as well as her struggle to survive in a new place with very few resources, while also beating herself up about being a freak and not being normal. Her only solace in these tough times is her self taught violin which gives some escape from the harsh real world. All that changes when she is taken in by the legendary violin teacher Shizuka, who sees her as a beautiful soul capable of producing enchanting music and doesn’t care about her body or gender. Together with Shizuka’s housekeeper Astrid, they both give Katrina the home she doesn’t have, the space to feel safe enough to explore her love for the violin as well as a future as a musician, and lots of delicious food to sustain her. 

And then there’s Lan and her family of unique beings. She may be a starship captain doubling as the owner of a donut shop, but she is also a mother and a woman with desires. Her developing relationship with Shizuka is a sweet slow burn, with two women who have been alone for a long while realizing that having someone along the journey of life is not such a bad thing. Lan’s children and aunt are also a bunch of interesting people with different personalities, trying to navigate life away from home on a new planet, discovering more about this world which maybe behind them in technology but is vibrant and full of amazing people, but also full of hatred towards the people whom anyone perceives as the other. 

In the end, this might have been a bit harsh and angsty and heartbreaking at times, but it’s also a beautiful story of broken people coming together to make a wonderful life for themselves, creating new experiences and sharing their joy with everyone around them. It’s a story of hope and family and community, as well as how important a part music and food play in enriching our bodies and souls. It’s also an excellently narrated audiobook and I’m glad I got to listen to it.

Light From Uncommon Stars

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