• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2023 March #1
  *Starred Review* The world hasn't been kind to 17-year-old Manny, but meeting the friendly and supportive Varela family has at least given him the chance to escape Christ's Dominion church and its manipulative leader, Deacon Thompson. After years of being moved between foster homes, Manny and older sister Elena (who are coded as Latinx) were adopted by the Sullivans, a white, religious couple whom Manny immediately—and rightfully—distrusted. Now, after finally managing to escape the pull of the Sullivans and Christ's Dominion, Manny embarks on a journey toward self-discovery and healing with the help of the Varelas. But when a dead body is reported near a religious camp by Idyllwild, California, Manny can't help but wonder if it's Elena. The novel is populated by a diverse supporting cast of queer characters and people of color, with the exception of the mostly white adults who make up Christ's Dominion. Oshiro's storytelling is unsettling and even upsetting, in the best possible way. The novel forgoes chapter numbers or titles, jumping between time frames and points of view to create a purposeful narrative whiplash. Into the Light is a thoughtful, beautiful, riveting thriller that fans of dynamic character building, gritty mystery, and searing social commentary will devour in a heartbeat. Grades 9-12. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.

MARK OSHIRO is the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning Latinx queer author of Anger Is a Gift, Each of Us a Desert, and Into the Light, as well as their middle grade books The Insiders, You Only Live Once, David Bravo, and Star Wars Hunters: Battle for the Arena. They are the coauthor (with Rick Riordan) of The Sun and the Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure. When not writing, they are trying to pet every dog in the world.