All the Scattered Stars

by Via Luino

The glitter of Venice's lights hides a dark truth: when the floodwaters rise, no one is safe.

Koru knows better than to trust anyone but her own. Hidden deep in the winding twists of Venice's narrow alleys, Koru and her found family must disguise themselves to survive. They are Rhunlokni, an ethnic minority gifted with the ability to channel the power of the Earth, their Goddess. They have long been vilified and prosecuted for their strange abilities—and Koru's gift is the strongest of her generation.

So when the police arrive in St. Mark's Square to arrest Koru for a crime she didn't commit, she does the only thing she can—she runs. Though Koru manages to escape the police, a larger threat is drawing near. Koru must figure out what the Goddess is trying to tell her, protect those she loves, and uncover the truth of her past before it's too late—because Venice is sinking. Tonight.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Queer, Found Family

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 21, 2026

About the author

Via Luino is the bestselling author of the local phenomenon All the Scattered Stars. Raised in the wilds of Western Massachusetts, she is a queer writer, librarian, and activist living just north of Boston. When not ferociously crocheting or doting on her chaos gremlin—better known as Moose the dog—she can be found dreaming of dragons or plotting how to make her latest book even gayer. She has more than 25 short stories, essays, and poems published, including a Pushcart Prize nominee, and holds an MFA in fiction from the University of New Hampshire.

All the Scattered Stars is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Read w Tinaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a reader, you can tell there’s intention behind every choice with the plot, setting, and events that happen to the characters. It’s a harsh reminder that we are our own destruction by polluting the Earth. Via does a beautiful job of incorporating that into powers for the FMC and connection with the Goddess. The representation of underrepresented people and the oppression the characters go through is very real and harsh. I cried 3/4 into the book, which does not happen often! I look forward to reading more of Via’s work in the future 💚

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book weaves fantasy and fact together into one heck of an action-packed read! Koru, the main character, was easily my favorite part. She’s smart and snappy, and I loved watching her become confident in her magical earth powers over the course of the book. Koru is also full of heart, and the story revolves around her determination to keep her found family alive as Venice sinks around them. The way the environmental awareness was threaded throughout was really well done, and I liked getting to learn about the actual floodgates Venice has, as well as seeing the imagined technology (this book is set about 50 years in the future). I really enjoyed this book! Highly recommend.

[Samantha Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast forward to the 2060’s when Venice is on the verge of being lost forever in this captivating fantasy!

The story follows Koru, a teenage Rhunlokni girl, who’s hated due to her ethnicity as she navigates racial discrimination. Rhunlokni are hated because have a magical connection to the spirit of the Earth, whom is their Goddess. They are either killed or forced out of cities by locals, known to them as baraji, and are forced to migrate all over Italy. After an attack on their camp, Koru is separated from her family and forms a new family in other Rhunlokni she meets along the way trying to find them. Koru and her new found family end up in Venice when she experiences a vision shared to her from the Goddess in which she witnesses Venice’s demise. She isn’t sure when Venice will sink, only that it is coming. As signs point to the city’s end sooner rather than later, Koru races to get her family to safety. Before they flee the city, Koru feels an obligation to warn the only baraju that’s shown her kindness, Bishop Ricci of the Catholic Church, to help save him too. With the help of the Goddess, will Koru and her family warn the Bishop in time and make it to safety before Venice sinks?

My favorite part of this book was Koru’s dedication to her faith in the Goddess. Despite facing the challenges she did, she never lost hope in the Goddess to guide her. Her strong connection to the Goddess and her love for her family shaped Koru into the person she became by the end of the book. It was a wonderful journey to watch unfold in her finding herself and her beliefs. As an animal lover, I loved the dog and cat sidekicks and the message that was sent that every life is worth saving. The author did a great job navigating the sensitive topics of racial discrimination and environmental degradation. Both were the fundamental key issues throughout this story and it was very thought provoking. I’m hoping this isn’t the last we see of these characters as I was left with wanting to know what happens next in Koru’s story!

Thank you Via Luino for this advanced reader copy!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an enjoyable read with an interesting world/fantasy aspect. I really liked the flashbacks and learning more about the Rhunlokni culture and the magic. Also, while the acknowledgements only mention ace-coding, I read Koru as aroace and love that!

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the full review with representation information and trigger warnings on my blog.

Koru is a member of the Rhunlokni, a hated ethnic minority with an innate connection to their Goddess that allows them to work Earth-based magic, living in a Venice only a few decades in the future. While telling fortunes with a member of her chosen family, she receives a vision that spells doom for Venice and must figure out a way to save her chosen family and anyone else she can despite how much the other residents of Venice hate her people.

This was a compelling, fast-paced urban fantasy novel that was set in the 2060s, but still feels relevant to the issues of today’s society. The Rhunlokni are a creative and interesting fantasy culture, and I enjoyed learning about their relationship with their Goddess. The author also did a good job of creating the words for the Rhunlokni language that showed up in the book without overpowering the book with words that were hard to understand.

The main conflict in this novel is Koru wrestling with her own negative feelings towards the non-Rhunlokni people, many of whom hate her, and deciding whether they are worth saving from the incoming climate disaster. There are powerful themes of forgiveness and healing in this novel, as Koru learns that it is not only the fellow refugees who are worth saving and that she is not universally hated. I think this novel will resonate with anyone who has been discriminated against for their religion or for their ethnicity, or for being part of an ethno-religion like the Rhunlokni.

Koru’s relationships with both her birth family (in the past timeline) and her present chosen family were also powerful. There were impactful relationships in this novel, perhaps even more impactful for the fact that there is no romance as Koru is asexual. The side characters were well-written, and felt like they truly were people. There is much death of side characters in this novel, so please be prepared that although the novel has an uplifting and inspiring tone overall there is sadness before you get there.

All the Scattered Stars releases April 21 from Running Wild Press. Thank you to Running Wild Press and Via Luino for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Jennifer Pullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This debut fantasy of an Italy that never quite is a enjoyable and thought provoking read.

[Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so lucky to receive an ARC of All the Scattered Stars by Via Luino and even more excited to be celebrating her book launch tonight in conversation at The Purple Couch.

Set against the haunting beauty of Venice, this story immediately pulled me in with its atmosphere. There’s something deeply unsettling about a city already sinking paired with a story full of secrets, power, and survival. The tension never lets up.

I’ll be honest—fantasy isn’t always my go-to. I can sometimes feel overwhelmed by heavy worldbuilding or complicated names that make it hard to fully settle into a story. But this one really worked for me. The world felt rich without being confusing, and I was able to stay grounded in the story and characters the entire time.

Koru is the kind of main character you root for instantly. Fierce, guarded, and deeply loyal, her journey felt both intimate and expansive. What stood out most to me, though, was the found family. Every character felt purposeful and layered, and I found myself genuinely excited to see how each of their paths would intertwine (especially the children). Watching them learn from one another and build trust in a world that has given them every reason not to was one of the strongest parts of this book.

The dual timeline was another highlight for me. The past chapters carried such raw emotion and depth that they lingered long after I finished reading. You can really feel the care that went into crafting those moments, and they added so much weight to the present storyline.

This book does explore some darker themes, so I definitely recommend checking trigger warnings beforehand. That said, the way the story handles pain, identity, and persecution felt honest and impactful. The darker imagery only heightened the emotional stakes and made the story feel even more real.

Overall, this was a gripping, emotional, and beautifully written fantasy that blends magic, danger, and heart. If you love stories with rich worldbuilding, powerful magic tied to nature, and deeply rooted found family dynamics, this one is absolutely worth picking up.

If you’re local, come celebrate with us tonight on 4/21/26 at The Purple Couch. I cannot wait to talk all things Koru, magic, and this incredible story.

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[Ilona Nurmela · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eco-thriller and essentially a retelling of Noah’s Arc, set in Venice in the near future

It’s 2063. Venice is sinking. (Yeah, we know.)
TONIGHT. (Wait, what?)
And the only one who can foresee it is Koru, a member of the Rhunlokni, shunned followers of the Earth Goddess.

Koru has apocalyptic visions and lives in the ghettos of Venice with her found family. When a vision warns her of a catastrophic event, she doesn’t want to alarm all her nearest and dearest as she doesn’t know when it’ll happen and they’ll have to up and leave their home again.

This debut book is a philosophical mesh of stories from the hard lives of the downtrodden and one girl’s faith-based journey before a water-related apocalyptic event (with survivors). Effectively, this was a near-future Noah’s Arc retelling, except the MC was female.

At first, I got Jeanne d’Arc vibes - as the Goddess speaks to Koru in visions. Then the Noah elements arrived - with a water taxi instead of the arc. The story builds slow and is full of trauma, but it does draw you in, almost like a modern fairytale. The garden and sacred tree reminded me of the witch from the original Rapunzel fairytale - where she kept a secret garden wherefrom her neighbour stole the herbs.

I liked the original fantasy race and the mythology - Romani are real whereas Rhunlokni are fictional minorities, but both are shunned. Take the trigger warnings at the front seriously. There were also a few nonbinary family members spruced in.

Rhunlokni and Koru’s plant magic likened her to a hedgewitch but since she also has an affinity to animals and could tame fire and Earth and even metal, then she could be seen as an elemental or universal witch. So, if you like cosy witchy stories, you might find some parallels, but this ain’t a cosy one.

At some point I found myself thiniing - What if Earth was a single consciousness manifesting itself through those who believe and are attuned to it?

Fave quote: “We’re all just scattered stars seeking out a constellation to belong to.”

Recommended for open-minded lovers of biblical retellings like Noah’s Arc where the protagonist is a female teen.

[Ryan Semple · Rating 4 out of 5]

In her debut novel, Via Luino depicts a near-future Venice beset by two contemporary issues: rising sea levels and discrimination against the city's ethnic minorities, the Roma and the Rhunlokni, the latter of which is an imagined group of people with an ability to commune with a Goddess who inhabits all life. The story follows one particularly spiritually endowed Rhunlokni, Koru, who, after surviving the loss of her family, tries to to keep her new adopted family intact as the city crumbles under the weight of these two issues.

Overall the book provides a unique spin on a familiar genre. Koru is an endearing protagonist who goes through the familiar arc of confronting her past traumas and working through her self-doubt to confront a great threat, while the strength of her magical powers grows in proportion to her self-confidence. What makes this book unique is its depiction of a realistic, morally grey universe and the questions it asks about culpability. The reader is often viscerally reminded of the evil faced by the Roma and the Rhunlokni. However, Venice's evil is diffuse, with not all residents of the city painted with the same broad brushstroke, and with the few characters that could be described as "villians" by and large remaining nameless and faceless. Further, the book goes out of its way to include characters whose moral culpability is not clear, such as the wealthy Western tourists who flood the city as it sinks, and the well-meaning "baraji" (as the Rhunlokni calls them) who do not display prejudice, but coexist alongside it. This is where the book really shines. I particularly loved the interactions Koru had with Padre Ricci, who is portrayed as a benevolent, caring leader admired by his people, and undoubtedly respects Koru despite their vastly different religious and ethnic backgrounds (and Koru's skepticism of him). Despite his pure intentions, however, the reader cannot help but question if the bishop has done enough to keep his own house in order. Koru too, is morally challenged, as she is is forced to ask herself what, if anything, does she owe her oppressors when they are face up against a mass casualty event that threatens to take them all out? For these reasons, readers hoping for a simpler hero-villain story will surely be disappointed, but I think these choices make the book more valuable, not less.

As a reading experience, the book can be hit or miss. There are powerful scenes, but the pacing is overall inconsistent. The story's frequent flashbacks have the unfortunate effect of making most of Koru's destroyed homes and hurt family members blur together. However, this can be forgiven in light of the book's brave take on a complex subject matter which I have not seen another author tackle with the same fidelity, especially not in a novel intended for YA audiences. If the premise of the book interests you, I cannot recommend enough that you pick it up and give it a read.

[Julia Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book is about the sinking of Venice, it is really about much more than that! It’s a beautiful story about the importance of protecting the natural world, choosing love and kindness even if no one has shown it to you, and the importance of standing up for and defending persecuted minorities.

The layering of past and present is really well done, and I was just as invested in Koru’s past as I was in her present experiences. This is a delicate balance to find, and I was really impressed with how the author told the story in a unique way. By doing this, it made it even more poignant how much Koru had lost to get to the new family she’s made out of the ashes of her old one. Although the Rhunlokni are a fictional ethnic minority, the horrors, discrimination, and persecution they faced are the reality of many today.

I really adored the magic system! Koru’s connection to nature and the goddess was so cool, and I really loved that her abilities were so closely connected to her fierce faith and commitment to caring for plants and animals. I so wish this kind of care and commitment for the environment existed across our world today. Koru’s emotions feel so real because of the true conflict in them. How can she have compassion for those who would not show her the same? Even with the horrors Koru faces, she still has hope and care for others, and I think readers will resonate with her desire to rebuild a better, kinder, more accepting world.

[Heidi H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heartbreaking but hopeful tale of the consequences of centuries of disregard for the Earth, and of the evil committed by humans to other humans who are different than them. Koru and her found family have struggled all their lives, born into the class of people who are treated as less than and allowed nothing in life. But they also understand and respect nature and the environment through their Goddess. And they may be the only ones who can save the world. This is the author's debut and she's done a fantastic job of world building and character development. The story pulled me in and I eagerly read through the pages, needing to know what was going to happen next. I so hope we see more in the future!! Wonderful representation and a fantastic message that everyone needs! 

[Fussl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for sending me an ARC for this book.


This was a really good book. It was fast paced and hooked me immediately from the very beginning. The fantasy aspect of the worldbuilding was fantastic imo while dealing with the very real issues of racial persecution and climate change in a way thats almost kind of frightening because its so Realistic.

I love Koru and her family and I really really hope that there could be more from this world I would love to see how their story continues, I think there's a lot of stuff that could still be told about them and I 100% would read and love all of it.

[Jenna Cantino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun! This is not my typical genre so I wasn't sure how this was going to go for me at first but when the flashbacks started I was hooked and by the last 50-75 pages, I couldn't put it down. My only complaint is the somewhat open ending but I guess that leaves room for more adventures from this group, which I would definitely read!

[Ann Mungmode · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely poignant plot with handsome-hearted characters. It's clear the author cares for humanity and the planet, and holds that love equally against the many 'man'-ufactored injustices historically and presently. 

[Mx Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

All The Scattered Stars has lots of action, drama, and very heavy topics in this futuristic cli-fantasy. Be prepared because some scenes might gut you.

“Thank you, Rize Press, for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.”

[Gabi Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to read this! Love me that queer, feminist, environmentalist magical realism!

[Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review TK

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut fantasy book is a must read for any fantasy fans and people who love all things Italian! Absolutely enjoyed the characters, elements, and everything about this book, especially Koru!

[Justine Lombardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming!

[Kristen Argyres · Rating 5 out of 5]

How dare Luino make me cry!

Koru's story is heart-wrenching and as a mom I wanted to give each of these Rhunlokni kids an enormous hug. This book highlights the cruelty of racism and xenophobia while championing found family, the importance of caring for the earth we inhabit, and that humans and nature are all inextricably interconnected.