rdubs15's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.5
Before We Disappear review: 9/10, I really enjoyed it! Really fun to have real magic alongside illusionists. It’s got all the stuff you’d expect from a ya novel - shitty guardians, 16 year olds doing bonkers things, etc - and it’s an absolute blast. It’s set in 1909 in Seattle, which is a fun departure from your standard New York/ London. I wouldn’t call it an innovative story, but it’s a very good one (ex. There are twists that you can predict but it isn’t unpleasant to wait for the characters to get there). There’s magic, there’s crime, there’s escaping from various bad guys, there’s non-toxic expression of emotions from teenage male characters, there are some truly kick ass female secondary characters. Very gay, very fun, I’d give it a listen!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Spoiler
A child character is kidnapped and abused by his captor. He is forced to work for his captor. Some of his abuse is described on the page, mild to moderately graphic. This is a major plot point, so was referenced often through the entire story.evelynyle_88's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent, Homophobia, and Vomit
ma10's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Racism
ree_the_owlgirl's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Self harm, Child abuse, Confinement, Torture, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexism, Grief, and Racism
lilly_anne's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Blood, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Misogyny, Death of parent, Sexism, and Cursing
Minor: Stalking and Vomit
brookeisbusyreading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
It’s been a while since I’ve read a whole book in one sitting, much less one that’s nearly 500 pages! But I wanted to know what deception, or sweet or emotionally damaging scene would happen next!
Before We Disappear is more heavy in imagery than most books I’ve read lately and, while I can be a bit picky on the level of detail I like in my books, it worked WONDERS for this one! The descriptions of the attractions, illusions, and Wil’s ability were just so SATISFYING!
The fact that the book focuses on magicians and their tricks - and all the cunning thievery that could come with it - was already one of my main reasons for checking this book out. I wasn’t, however, expecting the setting to be in the beginning of the 1900s or have such a realistic cast of characters. The relationships, personalities, and complexity of each character felt so natural! I love characters whose flaws are front and center but I love openly flawed, tormented characters even more!
The found family and Now You See Me vibes are strong and I’m here for it! Wilhelm’s a freaking sweetheart who doesn’t deserve to be that traumatized! Jack is entertaining with his wit and skills, but also loyal and protective of those he loves. He and Wil make an amazing couple!
I also love how contradictive some of the antagonists are, displaying moments of humanity and sincerity. Evangeline was more morally grey, which made her moments at the ending feel like a grand finale. Teddy was just a despicable human being - as was George - and I won’t change my mind.
Overall, Before We Disappear was as magical as I hoped it would be and with enough twists and turns to keep me hooked…apparently for ~7 hours (Oops)!
Before We Disappear is more heavy in imagery than most books I’ve read lately and, while I can be a bit picky on the level of detail I like in my books, it worked WONDERS for this one! The descriptions of the attractions, illusions, and Wil’s ability were just so SATISFYING!
The fact that the book focuses on magicians and their tricks - and all the cunning thievery that could come with it - was already one of my main reasons for checking this book out. I wasn’t, however, expecting the setting to be in the beginning of the 1900s or have such a realistic cast of characters. The relationships, personalities, and complexity of each character felt so natural! I love characters whose flaws are front and center but I love openly flawed, tormented characters even more!
The found family and Now You See Me vibes are strong and I’m here for it! Wilhelm’s a freaking sweetheart who doesn’t deserve to be that traumatized! Jack is entertaining with his wit and skills, but also loyal and protective of those he loves. He and Wil make an amazing couple!
I also love how contradictive some of the antagonists are, displaying moments of humanity and sincerity. Evangeline was more morally grey, which made her moments at the ending feel like a grand finale. Teddy was just a despicable human being - as was George - and I won’t change my mind.
Overall, Before We Disappear was as magical as I hoped it would be and with enough twists and turns to keep me hooked…apparently for ~7 hours (Oops)!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
gemstonejasper's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Warning: Please look at the content warnings before reading this book. There are a lot and they are fairly graphic. Now on to my review.
Was this book well written? No. Did it have good worldbuilding? No. Did I feel like I was in the early 1900s? No. Was it 100 pages too long? Yes. Could I predict the entire plot? Yes. But could I put it down? No.
I read this in three days (and it's around 500 pages). That's saying something because I have dyslexia and am a really slow reader. The story follows the love story of Jack and Wilhelm, the assistants to two rival magicians performing at the same fair in 1909. I personally think that's all you should go in knowing.
If I were a critic and rating this book solely on technical aspects, I would give it a 2.5-3 star rating. The writing is nothing special. It seemed like the characters repeated the same thing too many times. Therefore it could have probably been 100 pages shorter. I got immensely frustrated with every major character. It didn't even come close to making me feel like it took place in 1909 Seattle. I could predict the entire plot from a mile away (except for how exactly they defeated the villian).
That being said, I'm not a critic. I'm a general reader who picked up this book to be entertained. So I chose to rate it based on my enjoyment level. 4.5 stars. I can't pinpoint exactly why, but I really did enjoy this book and would read it again. I literally couldn't rip myself away. Maybe it was the two adorable queer romances. Maybe it was the magical feel of the world. Maybe I was genuinely terrified of the villian. Maybe I even grew attached to the two main characters and wanted to see them succeed.
There is one reason I'm not giving this a 5 star and that is because of a conscious choice the author made. The story takes place in 1909, meaning no person of color would have been treated as mildly as Ruth was treated by the white characters. There is also no way that the two queer couples (one of which is interracial) could have been out in the open without severe consequences. The author's note at the back of the book explains his reasoning behind this. He wanted to write a happy queer story. While I respect the decision he made, I also would not have chosen that direction myself. Because of this, I had a hard time immersing myself in the story. I had to take half a star for that decision.
Was this book well written? No. Did it have good worldbuilding? No. Did I feel like I was in the early 1900s? No. Was it 100 pages too long? Yes. Could I predict the entire plot? Yes. But could I put it down? No.
I read this in three days (and it's around 500 pages). That's saying something because I have dyslexia and am a really slow reader. The story follows the love story of Jack and Wilhelm, the assistants to two rival magicians performing at the same fair in 1909. I personally think that's all you should go in knowing.
If I were a critic and rating this book solely on technical aspects, I would give it a 2.5-3 star rating. The writing is nothing special. It seemed like the characters repeated the same thing too many times. Therefore it could have probably been 100 pages shorter. I got immensely frustrated with every major character. It didn't even come close to making me feel like it took place in 1909 Seattle. I could predict the entire plot from a mile away (except for how exactly they defeated the villian).
That being said, I'm not a critic. I'm a general reader who picked up this book to be entertained. So I chose to rate it based on my enjoyment level. 4.5 stars. I can't pinpoint exactly why, but I really did enjoy this book and would read it again. I literally couldn't rip myself away. Maybe it was the two adorable queer romances. Maybe it was the magical feel of the world. Maybe I was genuinely terrified of the villian. Maybe I even grew attached to the two main characters and wanted to see them succeed.
There is one reason I'm not giving this a 5 star and that is because of a conscious choice the author made. The story takes place in 1909, meaning no person of color would have been treated as mildly as Ruth was treated by the white characters. There is also no way that the two queer couples (one of which is interracial) could have been out in the open without severe consequences. The author's note at the back of the book explains his reasoning behind this. He wanted to write a happy queer story. While I respect the decision he made, I also would not have chosen that direction myself. Because of this, I had a hard time immersing myself in the story. I had to take half a star for that decision.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Murder, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Medical content, Homophobia, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Sexism
hannahs_library_'s review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
monniebiloney's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Had a great beginning and a great climax, but was a little slow in the middle.
I loved the setting alot, and William and Jack were cute together. I loved how even though the "romance" was the main motivator for the main characters actions (it's because Jack liked William that he decided that he had to help William away from his' abusive "family", and it's because William was in love with Jack that he was willing to brave against his abusive "Father" ).
The best part of this book was definitely the climax,
I loved the setting alot, and William and Jack were cute together. I loved how even though the "romance" was the main motivator for the main characters actions (it's because Jack liked William that he decided that he had to help William away from his' abusive "family", and it's because William was in love with Jack that he was willing to brave against his abusive "Father" ).
The best part of this book was definitely the climax,
Spoiler
the fact the MC told his "mother" about what happened and they all worked together to con Teddy so that Teddy would get arrested was great! I thought it was hilarious when the mom diches out with the gold. It's a slight plot hole that she decided to not tell Jack and just ditch out on him [it felt like that was done just so that Jack could be free, rather then something she would do]
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking, Torture, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Alcohol, Sexism, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical content, Murder, Vomit, Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Stalking, Lesbophobia, and Racism
samthebookdevotee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book was not what I expected it to be. I thought it would be a fun interesting enemies/rivals to lovers magical romance but instead, it was a lot more serious and darker book. Warning mild spoilers ahead. Most of what I am going to mention happens in the first couple of chapters, but feel free to skip to my wrap-up at the end if you don't want to be spoiled.
Spoiler
With that being said, I absolutely loved the characters. There was not one that I disliked. The author did an amazing job fleshing each of them out even if they were side characters. The characters are the reason I kept reading the book. I loved seeing the relationships between them grow and change. I really liked Jack as he is painted to us as this golden boy, but he really has no ambition and doesn't think of his future or want to further himself. Wilhelm is painted as this shy character but he's bold enough to pursue Jack despite the danger it brings. I also really liked the two of them together. There were no unnecessary understandings. They did their best to openly communicate. Just chef's kiss.
Overall, while I wasn't a fan of the plot, the characters stole the show and were my absolute favorites. They are why I did not dnf this book. I think this is a great read if you're looking for fun interesting characters and a complex plot. I would stay away if you're not interested in reading about kidnapping, torture, racism, and emotional manipulation. I am interested in reading more books by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence and Racism