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A review by lowkeymarie
A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was expecting this to be a YA romance after reading the previous book by this author (loosely connected to this book), Last Night at the Telegraph Club, but this is more of a queer coming-of-age story. That was fine by me, but just know that going in.
Malinda Lo's writing is a bit sparse and plain in a way that doesn't totally appeal to me, and I think that was more obvious in the contemporary(ish) setting of this book. But where I think this book really shines is the characters and relationships. The familial relationships are complicated and tense, with a real sense of history behind them. And the romance has that kind of painful intensity that hurts so good, ugh.
I was worried about how this one would wrap up, but I think it ends on a perfectly bittersweet note.
CW: death, grief, infidelity, slut shaming, abandonment
Malinda Lo's writing is a bit sparse and plain in a way that doesn't totally appeal to me, and I think that was more obvious in the contemporary(ish) setting of this book. But where I think this book really shines is the characters and relationships. The familial relationships are complicated and tense, with a real sense of history behind them. And the romance has that kind of painful intensity that hurts so good, ugh.
I was worried about how this one would wrap up, but I think it ends on a perfectly bittersweet note.
CW: death, grief, infidelity, slut shaming, abandonment
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment