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nataliation's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
asiamd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
5.0
First I just want to say that I genuinely enjoyed this book it was so fun and exciting!!
The representation trans, bi, and gay representation in the book didn’t feel forced at all and it was very natural and flowing throughout the whole book. I also felt that, with the book being based in different places in space, the many cultures and languages that were mentioned in the book was also a wonderful detail that really helped to make the setting.
The action throughout the book was also very fun for me to read, I actually had to put the book down and get up to walk around a few times while reading this because I was so stressed out by the situations they were in. I also felt like with the high-achieving students that they are, the family dynamics and mental health issues that were portrayed in the book were so well done and realistic. The behavior from the main character was so real and relatable to me especially as someone who has not always made the best decisions.
THE CHARACTERS WERE SO FREAKING AMAZING AND LOVABLE!! They’re all so different yet the same and I hope you guys read this book to find out cause it’s actually so good 😊
One last thing I want to mention, is that I love the cover of this book, and the hard cover colors are so cute 🥰
The representation trans, bi, and gay representation in the book didn’t feel forced at all and it was very natural and flowing throughout the whole book. I also felt that, with the book being based in different places in space, the many cultures and languages that were mentioned in the book was also a wonderful detail that really helped to make the setting.
The action throughout the book was also very fun for me to read, I actually had to put the book down and get up to walk around a few times while reading this because I was so stressed out by the situations they were in. I also felt like with the high-achieving students that they are, the family dynamics and mental health issues that were portrayed in the book were so well done and realistic. The behavior from the main character was so real and relatable to me especially as someone who has not always made the best decisions.
THE CHARACTERS WERE SO FREAKING AMAZING AND LOVABLE!! They’re all so different yet the same and I hope you guys read this book to find out cause it’s actually so good 😊
One last thing I want to mention, is that I love the cover of this book, and the hard cover colors are so cute 🥰
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, and Violence
caterina_1212's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
Lots of action and flying, showed people functioning with anxiety. Some laughs. Wrapped up neatly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide, Violence, and Xenophobia
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cursing, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Transphobia
esm_359's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Transphobia
gumbella's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Blood and Car accident
orion_rarely_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Car accident and Transphobia
morganish's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I speed-read this during a 48-hour readathon, and this was one of the best possible choices to include in that. I wouldn't say this is a groundbreaking book - for me, a lot of the plot was more comfortable than surprising or reinventing the genre. But I have such a soft spot in my heart for diverse, queer-friendly, found-family, soft-scifi space opera. More than any other subgenre, this has been my bookish comfort zone lately. And The Disasters pretty much checks all the boxes I look for in these kinds of books. (I want to own a physical copy of this very badly, and not just because I really need more purple books on my bookshelf.)
The ragtag heroes of this story were all rejected from the local space academy. Which was lucky, in this case, because it's the reason they survive an attack by a specific type of space terrorists (an interesting element I haven't seen before). Of course, this forces them to band together, learn to work with one another, and become friends (and more-than-friends) in order to push back against the powers that attacked their would-be academy. Genre-typical hijinks ensue - hijinks which include but aren't limited to dodging authorities, space-gun shootouts, and a whole lot of light-hearted bantering in the face of almost-certain death.
The main character is a bi Muslim boy; I can't verify how authentic the depictions are in this book, but it's interesting and unique from what I've seen, in that Muslim culture is very prominent in this futuristic space-faring society. The rest of the crew is similarly diverse. Slight content warning for transphobia though - the lone trans character has had to deal with transphobia in the culture she came from, so if you're looking for a story where all types of bigotry are completely absent in your fun futuristic scifi, it might be good to know that going in.
My only other personal caveat is that there's a lot of touching in this book, both friendly and flirty. This might be a great book for someone feeling touch-starved (or terrible, if it makes you miss touch even more). But I'm not a touchy-feely person generally and always like boundaries on touch to be very clearly outlined, so that's probably the only part of the book that was iffy for me personally. But otherwise, it was just nice, easy, and doesn't try to hard. Had all the right kind of simple, inclusive, space-adventure vibes I love.
As with other reviews, when I really like something it's hard for me to get myself into the headspace of someone who wouldn't. But if any of the above caveats aren't your thing, or if you really prefer scifi that's harder, both in terms of the "science" aspect or the intensity of the themes and plotlines, this definitely isn't that. If you prefer your fun space opera to be about adults, or even just to be a little more on the raggedy side of ragtag, keep in mind this crew is composed of characters who fit more traditionally YA mold. But if you're like me and you just love this subgenre for it's lightheartedness and fun, this is a good one to try out.
The ragtag heroes of this story were all rejected from the local space academy. Which was lucky, in this case, because it's the reason they survive an attack by a specific type of space terrorists (an interesting element I haven't seen before). Of course, this forces them to band together, learn to work with one another, and become friends (and more-than-friends) in order to push back against the powers that attacked their would-be academy. Genre-typical hijinks ensue - hijinks which include but aren't limited to dodging authorities, space-gun shootouts, and a whole lot of light-hearted bantering in the face of almost-certain death.
The main character is a bi Muslim boy; I can't verify how authentic the depictions are in this book, but it's interesting and unique from what I've seen, in that Muslim culture is very prominent in this futuristic space-faring society. The rest of the crew is similarly diverse. Slight content warning for transphobia though - the lone trans character has had to deal with transphobia in the culture she came from, so if you're looking for a story where all types of bigotry are completely absent in your fun futuristic scifi, it might be good to know that going in.
My only other personal caveat is that there's a lot of touching in this book, both friendly and flirty. This might be a great book for someone feeling touch-starved (or terrible, if it makes you miss touch even more). But I'm not a touchy-feely person generally and always like boundaries on touch to be very clearly outlined, so that's probably the only part of the book that was iffy for me personally. But otherwise, it was just nice, easy, and doesn't try to hard. Had all the right kind of simple, inclusive, space-adventure vibes I love.
As with other reviews, when I really like something it's hard for me to get myself into the headspace of someone who wouldn't. But if any of the above caveats aren't your thing, or if you really prefer scifi that's harder, both in terms of the "science" aspect or the intensity of the themes and plotlines, this definitely isn't that. If you prefer your fun space opera to be about adults, or even just to be a little more on the raggedy side of ragtag, keep in mind this crew is composed of characters who fit more traditionally YA mold. But if you're like me and you just love this subgenre for it's lightheartedness and fun, this is a good one to try out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Transphobia, Violence, War, and Death
Minor: Abandonment and Child abuse
emohell's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
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
3.5
just a really fun adventure! i've seen people complain about the lack of space for a book whose tagline is "space is hard. grab a helmet," but i honestly really liked it. sci-fi lite, almost
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Transphobia
yodamordecai's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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 used to be my favorite book, I'm more meh on it now. Someone pointed out the pro-colonialist attitude in the book, and yeah that's definitely a thing. I still like it though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Ableism and Transphobia