Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Posted Thu May 23 2024
An 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.
I really enjoyed Charlie Jane Anders' book All the Birds in the Sky, so when I saw her praise of Light from Uncommon Stars and its unique blurb, I decided to pick it up. Light from Uncommon Stars is a moving, delightful book that kept me hooked from the beginning. However, it felt inconsistent at times.
The book was delightfully absurd. Having demons from Hell, alien refugees, and violin prodigies all in one book made it very entertaining. I never wanted to put the book down because every storyline was so intriguing. I also liked that despite the book being so fun to read, it still covers grim topics like homophobia, racism, and sexual assault. Keep in mind that besides Katrina's character, the plot is light-hearted. The book doesn't go in-depth on the fantasy or science fiction aspects, and the storylines aren't too complex.
I love all the characters in the book. Katrina was so sweet, and the book did an excellent job teaching me how being trans shaped her personality, life, and music. From the flashbacks to her inner monologues, I got to know and adore Katrina by the end of the novel. Every member of the Tran family was cute, and I enjoyed seeing these aliens from an advanced race run a donut shop.
My biggest disappointment with the book is the lack of development and explanation of Shizuka's character. It felt disjointed how Shizuka is caring and kind to Katrina but also condemned six past students to eternal suffering. They never addressed why she does this in the book, so I felt lost. Everyone in the book is accepting of Shizuka being a mass murderer, and Lan is alright with Shizuka wanting Katrina's soul as long as Katrina agrees to it. This made me uncomfortable as Shizuka was taking advantage of and manipulating a teenage Katrina, and Lan was okay with it.
Overall, it was a great experience reading this book. Shizuka's character didn't sit right with me, but everything else about the book was lovely. For anyone wanting to read a unique, fun fantasy novel that deviates from the typical script, I recommend Light from Uncommon Stars.