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helenadjvm's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ihateprozac's review against another edition
4.0
This was fun! It didn’t quite fulfill my expectations as one of my most anticipated reads of 2018, but it was a good time.
If I had to describe this it would be…..Guardians of the Galaxy-lite. It’s funny, it’s action-packed, it’s HELLA diverse, and it’s a quick read. It’s bubblegum and chrome and Coca-Cola stuffed into a runaway train filled with teenagers! It’s nothing short of entertaining and unbelievably fast-paced, and it feels like a blockbuster action film. These teens are thrust into a plot to save the world, and as can be expected from a bunch of teen would-be heroes, they have no idea what they’re doing. YES GOOD.
(Also, bonus points for the number of sci-fi references in here. Cmon Firefly! Cmon Stargate!)
However, the lack of world-building kept this from being a 5 star read. The author assumes that the reader is familiar with a lot of sci-fi tech from popular culture and it felt like lazy storytelling. Taking the time to describe the tech – including its limitations - would’ve made the world feel lush and richer. As a reader I’m not content to suspend disbelief and buy into a seemingly omnipotent hacker and their tablet; I expect more from an author.
The lack of world-building didn’t just affect the tech, but the geography and history. I needed more background of how they colonised space and when (and no, “lol Earth got too full so we terraformed” isn’t sufficient). I needed to know more about the no-return rule and its origins, the legal versus illegal settlements, and what the colonies look like. Even the settings of individual scenes could’ve used more colour and description.
And I needed more time getting to know the characters. They were all super diverse, likeable, and cute, but they never feel like fully formed people. I needed more on their backgrounds, their likes and dislikes, and how they feel about each other. This was especially true with Nax and his brother, whose tension felt undercooked and under-explained to me.
Overall it was a solid 4 star read but more world-building and rich description would’ve taken this to the next level!
Representation: bisexual Pakistani American MC, anxiety/panic attacks, black queer male side character, Kazakh trans female side character, biracial Latinx side character, hijabi Muslim side character
If I had to describe this it would be…..Guardians of the Galaxy-lite. It’s funny, it’s action-packed, it’s HELLA diverse, and it’s a quick read. It’s bubblegum and chrome and Coca-Cola stuffed into a runaway train filled with teenagers! It’s nothing short of entertaining and unbelievably fast-paced, and it feels like a blockbuster action film. These teens are thrust into a plot to save the world, and as can be expected from a bunch of teen would-be heroes, they have no idea what they’re doing. YES GOOD.
(Also, bonus points for the number of sci-fi references in here. Cmon Firefly! Cmon Stargate!)
However, the lack of world-building kept this from being a 5 star read. The author assumes that the reader is familiar with a lot of sci-fi tech from popular culture and it felt like lazy storytelling. Taking the time to describe the tech – including its limitations - would’ve made the world feel lush and richer. As a reader I’m not content to suspend disbelief and buy into a seemingly omnipotent hacker and their tablet; I expect more from an author.
The lack of world-building didn’t just affect the tech, but the geography and history. I needed more background of how they colonised space and when (and no, “lol Earth got too full so we terraformed” isn’t sufficient). I needed to know more about the no-return rule and its origins, the legal versus illegal settlements, and what the colonies look like. Even the settings of individual scenes could’ve used more colour and description.
And I needed more time getting to know the characters. They were all super diverse, likeable, and cute, but they never feel like fully formed people. I needed more on their backgrounds, their likes and dislikes, and how they feel about each other. This was especially true with Nax and his brother, whose tension felt undercooked and under-explained to me.
Overall it was a solid 4 star read but more world-building and rich description would’ve taken this to the next level!
Representation: bisexual Pakistani American MC, anxiety/panic attacks, black queer male side character, Kazakh trans female side character, biracial Latinx side character, hijabi Muslim side character
whut_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
idlehabitat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Disasters is a fun book! The story is straightforward, but enjoyable. While the stakes are theoretically high, the characters quickly get themselves out of every sticky situation. I appreciated the diverse cast, the gentle handling of trauma and anxiety, and the easygoing nature of both the characters and the plot.
willaway's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
fannoosa's review against another edition
3.0
how are u going to have a book w central and south asian main characters, and not have more nuance for the antagonists being anti-colonialists (but they’re the bad guys cause they want to kill everybody not on earth)??? and just present space colonization as a fact of life and not connect it to colonialism/imperialism that happened on earth???
clarum79's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
aroth638's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
To be frank this book is very surface level. It’s got the same kind of feeling as an action movie where some things don’t really make sense but they don’t have to because it’s supposed to be flashy and eye catching. I did like the main character and I think with a bit more material the secondary characters were very promising as well. But if you’re going to have love triangle and the main ship doesn’t even kiss…???????? Dealbreaker
books_and_lattemacchiato's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sundey7's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75