Scan barcode
readundancies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
And the fact that it’s a YA contemporary read makes it rather impressive.
It’s queer cult tale with multiple timelines and some strong opinions on religion and as someone that grew up in a Catholic school board with decidedly differing opinions to what was taught - I wish I had access to this kind of read when I was younger.
Highly recommend but be prepared for a difficult experience, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the author and their experiences as noted in the Author’s Note.
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
wolfenoot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Racism, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Abortion
happily_undignified's review against another edition
4.0
⠀
Mark Oshiro, Into The Light⠀
⠀
Into The Light by Mark Oshiro was a heavy book with a slightly supernatural twist that included difficult themes like religious cults, abuse of foster care children, homelessness, and conversion camps. ⠀
⠀
Main character Manny is a jaded, queer, teen who is running from his past but also wants to confront it to try to save his sister from the evil people who have brainwashed her. The story follows his haphazard journey down the California coast as he comes to terms with his trauma and learns to trust the people who come alongside him to help. ⠀
⠀
I enjoyed the first person narration and Manny's cynical yet hopeful personality. The religious trauma was hard to read through but I found it incredibly authentic. This is a remarkable story with an autobiographical feel and I loved the supernatural twist.
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
sglance9's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Racism, and Murder
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
literarycavy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual assault
maranda_maria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content
grimdark_dad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
delz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape and Abortion
imstephtacular's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, Grief, Sexual harassment, and War
mellowreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
-I really liked this book until like 350 pages in. I liked the characters, I liked the themes and real-world commentary explored. I’m a sucker for anything found-family. I had a hard time putting it down, and felt it was really well paced. I was very engaged and on the edge of my seat waiting to see how things turned out
And then the twist happened
I still really liked the book, but the twist was a bit too far out of left field for me. It went from a thriller/drama to a sci fi/horror super quick? With no build up? And all of the characters just. Accepted it. The randomness and unbelievability of it + the unfazed reaction of the characters really soured it for me. I don’t even necessarily think this book would’ve needed a twist - the anticipation of finding the body was nail-biting enough alone. I think Oshiro was going for shocking and accidentally fell into the realm of ridiculous/unbelievable. I think that the book, with its themes of the foster system and religious trauma, would’ve been more impactful had it NOT been for the twist. The end of the book also felt a bit rushed to me in comparison with the rest, because the weird new plot point needed to be explained and addressed as quickly as possible for the conclusion. There were also a couple of plot points (Carlos’ adoption and just. Rakeem.) that seemed resolved extremely conveniently and frankly just didn’t make sense (I did read an ARC copy though, so maybe this was resolved in the final!). TLDR; a plot twist being shocking and completely unpredictable doesn’t necessarily make it good.
Despite all of my problems with the ending of this book, I still really enjoyed the majority of my time with it and it helped me get out of a reading slump. A book that I couldn’t put down.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Body horror, Incest, Pedophilia, and Abortion