Preview
  • Light from Uncommon Stars

  • By: Ryka Aoki
  • Narrated by: Cindy Kay
  • Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (996 ratings)

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Light from Uncommon Stars

By: Ryka Aoki
Narrated by: Cindy Kay
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Publisher's summary

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

©2021 Ryka Aoki (P)2021 Macmillan Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+
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Critic reviews

2022, L.A. Times Book Prize - Finalist

2021, Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year

2022, ALA Alex Awards Winner (Adult for Young Adults)

2021, NYPL Best Books of the Year

What listeners say about Light from Uncommon Stars

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant.

This was a delight to listen to. A page turner. A lesson in found family and in loving people just the way they are. You don’t have to understand you just have to open your mind and heart to differences. The music. The violins. Aliens.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Cozy Blend of Magical Realism and Light Sci-Fi

This book was beautiful. The characters are well developed. Spending time in Katrina’s head was joyous, frustrating, and sad. It gave me more empathy for trans people, especially trans kids. The love story is really a subplot in this book, but that works really well. I loved seeing the way characters influenced each other for the better and seeing them grow. I listened to this in a day and a half it was so good.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

character shifts are jarring

The story was wonderful, I loved how it intermingled genres and used that as an alagory.

My only issue is with the recording/production. There are no breaks when characters change pov. It is rather jarring and can take a second to reorient and get back into the story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely loved it.

The world would certainly be a better place if everyone openly listened/read this book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book

I read the synopsis and wasn’t thinking I would like it… loved it. Pulled in immediately.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

amazing story of hope, shame and stars

This novel is surprising as much as it is beautiful. it is a wonderful tale of the trans experience and the musician's plight.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Weird and charming

The premise and situation are all completely unbelievable. Just go with it, it's charming and lovely.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So wonderful

Beautiful, sad and wonderful. I enjoyed every moment listening to the story that needs to be told more often.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely fell in love with all the characters

It could be a little confusing with all the POV and jumps, but I feel the. Pics of each character quickly comes through and is so uniquely themselves that it isn't so confusing you're getting lost.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

This is a book about violin music

The story itself is very nice, female forward, interesting characters and plot. But the way it was marketed was totally off. It’s barely sci-fi. More like a deeply original story about the beauty of the violin and violin music. Send this to someone you know who loves violins, not sci-fi.

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