Perhaps rightly so, a book about people trying to figure out their identity completely defies categorization. A little bit of drama, a little bit of romance, a little bit of sci-fi and fiction, its all those things together but none of those things on their own. And in this way, I see why it seems pretty universally liked!

The book mostly follows the story of Katrina, a trans girl who runs away from her abusive childhood home, and Shizuka, the world’s best violin teacher, who struck a deal with a demon to deliver seven souls in 49 years. Coming in on the last year, Shizuka has her pick of young students desperate to be coached by her, but instead she discovers Katrina in a park, and while she clearly never had formal training, her spark inspires Shizuka to take her on. But as Shizuka grows to care for Katrina, she wonders whether she can go through with the deliverance of the final soul. We also meet a woman who is struggling to maintain her family business in violin repair, and a family of aliens escaping a war and deadly plague on the sleepy Earth by presenting as donut makers. 

Over and over again, this book is about people trying to become who they know they are, and others trying to be people they are not. This is shown in Katrina’s struggle to be accepted as a girl, to an AI trying to be accepted as an autonomous individual, and the violin maker thinking she can’t be so, for she is not a man like all those before her in the family business. 

It was sweet, and at times very dark (CW: transphobia, abuse, sexual assault), but it is balanced beautifully throughout, and the complexity only made it a more enjoyable read. I loved the discussion of music and feeling in the book. It was a very entertaining and fast read, so if you like a book that will give you a bit of everything (including all the emotions), Light from Uncommon Stars is for you!