I have pretty mixed feelings on this one! overall I had an enjoyable time with it, but something about that sort of supremely cozy, TJ Klune-esque form of queer wish fulfillment lit just... doesn't really do it for me. compared to Klune's The House on the Cerulean Sea,1 I did appreciate that Light attempted to cover some grittier material in places (I think the critique of queer youth culture was particularly interesting and well-levied, and I would love a whole book digging into that!), but I would also criticize those areas for feeling atonal against the rest of the book (to me). this isn't to say that I want queer characters in fiction to suffer, by any means. I'm coming to this more from a narrative or perhaps genre critique— the low-stakes, plot-heavy nature of this type of fiction (by which I mean all romance, not just queer romance), just isn't usually as much to my taste, and I think that's just a me thing.
also, can't help but notice that this book does not like men, and has some pretty damning things to say about them. I don't necessarily disagree with that thesis, but... woof. it's pretty bleak. (to illustrate, I listed the men characters and their positions within the novel below the break— spoilers for Light, of course). I think this is best demonstrated in the case of Markus, which seemed like a weird thematic schism from the rest of the novel (given the heavy investment in the redemption of Lan and Satomi). idk, just something I noticed. in a similar way to how women are so often monolith-ized and/or marginalized in fiction, I'm not sure I love the way men are monolith-ized here. I understand it, I don't disagree with it, I just... listen, I'm not "defending men" here or whatever, but at a base level, I do think men have a capacity for growth, too, and we really don't see that here.
anyway! Light From Uncommon Stars! what did you think of it?
1 I'm putting Klune in conversation here since Klune literally has a praise quote on the front cover of my copy Light
VV SPOILERS BELOW VV