Scan barcode
dogearedbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Kidnapping
kesnit's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The book starts off very slowly, but that makes sense because the author is building the world. Towards the middle, the book really takes off. And then it starts dragging. It never gets to the point of screeching to a halt, but the story just slows to a grind. The last few chapters are good, but not enough to make up for the earlier slog.
rheren's review against another edition
2.0
Rather disappointing because I feel like this is a setting that should have been really interesting: Humanity meets aliens, and the way the relationship works is that each has to abide by the other's cultural rules while they're on their soil, no matter how bizarre to our physiology or cultural norms. But the cultural differences weren't actually very different (one of the alien races just practices vengeance killings, which many human cultures accept, too, just not our particular one). The setting of a police detective chaotically investigating three simultaneous cases that he has varying degrees of angst about and deciding that his job is to take the law into his own hands also just didn't work for me.
sumedhaj's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
adamrshields's review against another edition
3.0
Short Review: A space based police procedural that sets up a long thriller series. Decent beach read type of book.
My full review - http://bookwi.se/the-disappeared/
My full review - http://bookwi.se/the-disappeared/
the_discworldian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In a vacuum I would probably have enjoyed this book a lot. But by the end it reads like a defense of colonialism and I just can't with that.
debbartram's review against another edition
2.0
This was mildly interesting premise but the plot was easily detected early in, and I really didn't feel empathy toward most of the characters. I listened to the audiobook and found the narration overly dramatic bordering on hammy. This was the first book I read and don't think I'll read any more.
roytoo's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
5.0
elusivity's review against another edition
2.0
The overly vague premise annoyed me. Characters didn't really ring true. Everybody was a bleeding heart--even the supposedly tough female detective. There is no shade of gray in this world. All the "good" people viewed alien punishment as unjust--and anyone who didn't sympathized with those attempting to Disappear were somehow betraying humanity. Surely there are SOME crimes even the humans could agree that were deserving of alien punishment.
As for the treaties, it'd be nice if we were given some historical background and details... Also, aren't treaties MUTUAL? So the human governments completely kowtow to alien cultures, without negotiating for ANY human-culture-based sub-clauses and exemptions?
For a "what if" novel, it's not very well thought-out.
As for the treaties, it'd be nice if we were given some historical background and details... Also, aren't treaties MUTUAL? So the human governments completely kowtow to alien cultures, without negotiating for ANY human-culture-based sub-clauses and exemptions?
For a "what if" novel, it's not very well thought-out.