Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Donuts. Aliens. Demons. I’m pretty sure I’ve never read a book which combined these three elements before. If I have, I’m very sure I’ve never read one which did it so well.

Violinist Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the demon Tremon Phillipe forty-nine years ago. The terms she must fulfill are to provide seven other violin prodigies ready to deliver their own souls for success. If Shizuka holds up her end of the bargain, then she will be free once again to play her music. If she does not, well, there will be consequences.

When Shizuka walks into the Starrgate Donut Shop, she has no idea that it has been bought by aliens. Lan Tran brought her family to earth to escape the Endplague spreading through the Galactic Empire. Now they are replicating beautiful, identical (down the last sprinkle), donuts. As a bonus, the giant donut outside is perfect for the stargate the Tran family is supposed to be building for the Empire. When Shizuka orders their large Alaska donut, an unlikely friendship begins between the two women.

Known as the “Queen of Hell”, Miss Satomi is famous in the violin world. Many wish to be her student, and many have failed even to catch her attention. Over the years, Miss Satomi has found six young violinists willing to exchange their own souls for brilliance. Now with just a year left in her contract, she must find her next sacrificial student.

Katrina Nguyen is a teen transgender runaway. She left home with only her absolute essentials—an escape bag including her violin—running to Los Angeles where she hoped to find refuge with a friend. Katrina has been abused and insulted by family, friends, commenters on the internet, and strangers in the night. With her violin, Katrina can take herself to another world, one which might one day be kinder to her. Then she meets Miss Satomi.

Miss Satomi takes Katrina home and provides her a safe place to simply be. She also takes care of repairs for Katrina’s violin, and then begins the process of teaching a formerly untrained, but beautifully intuitive player. But will Miss Satomi offer up Katrina to Tremon Phillipe to save her own soul?

As mentioned above, this novel combines elements (donuts, aliens, demons) that seem oddly disparate. But it also brings together the characters in a beautiful story full of hope, love, and redemption. I did not want the story to end. There were arcs which could have been expanded, giving me hope that perhaps there could be a continuation. Maybe not a sequel, but other supporting characters might have their own stories to tell. If not, then I guess I will just have to imagine their lives.

I would definitely recommend this for fans of John Scalzi, TJ Klune, and Becky Chambers, all of whom actually wrote back cover blurbs for Light From Uncommon Stars. Ryka Aoki also published the novel He Mele A Hilo, and the collections Seasonal Velocities and Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul.