Good OmensmeetsThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planetin Ryka Aoki’sLight From Uncommon Stars, a defiantly joyful adventure set in California’s San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.

When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka’s ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She’s found her final candidate.

But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn’t have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan’s kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul’s worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline.

As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.

Ryka Aoki (she/her) is a poet, composer, teacher, and novelist whose books includeHe Mele a Hiloand two Lambda Award finalists,Seasonal VelocitiesandWhy Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul. Rykas work has appeared or been recognized in publications includingVogue,Elle,Bustle, Autostraddle, PopSugar, and Buzzfeed.Her poetry was featured at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, and she was honored by the California State Senate for extraordinary commitment to the visibility and well-being of Transgender people.

• Publisher:Tor Books (July 26, 2022)
• Language:English
• Paperback:384 pages
• ISBN-10:1250789087
• ISBN-13:9781250789082
• Item Weight:10.6 ounces
• Dimensions:5.4 x 1.25 x 8.2 inches